ON DROPSY. 451 



anifeed, \v-orking olF the purge with as little 

 water as pofhble. The gamboge Oiould be firft 

 rubbed with a httle fine oil, and then powdered 

 exceedingly well in a mortar, or bits of it may 

 ftick among the folds of the guts, and caufe 

 intolerable griping pains. Give between the 

 purges every night, or night and morning, a 

 pint of the following drink ; black hellebore, 

 frefli gathered, two pounds, wafii, bruife and 

 boil it in fix quarts of water to four ; flrain off 

 the liquor, and put two quarts white wine (or 

 fine old beer)'' upon the remaining hellebore, 

 and infufe warm forty-eight hours, (leaking 

 often ; ftrain off the wine, mix it with the 

 water, and keep it corked up for vSe. The 

 purge may be exhibited once in ten days, re- 

 peating it as often as necelTary, and the cure 

 completed with reRoratives, bark, Reel, and 

 bitters, or chalybeate beer, as before direded. 



When the waters are lodged in the abdomen, 

 or between the inner rim of the belly and guts, 

 then' the difeafe is called a tympany, becaufe 

 the belly founds like a drum. An infufion of 

 crociis 7}ietalloru7}i, or vinum benedi^liwi, is 

 faid to be a powerful fpecilic in this cafe. But 

 tapping, the moft efficacious remedy, is neither 

 difficult nor dangerous, in horfes and cattle. It 

 is fcarcely necellary to obferve, that cattle 

 fliould be allowed little or no drink in this dif- 

 eafe, according to the late John Wefley's direc- 



c G 2 tion 



