54 SORBENTIA. ART. IV. 2. 6. 6. 



6. It feerns paradoxical, that the fame treatment with chalyb- 

 eatcs, bitters, and opiates, which produces menilruation in chlo- 

 rotic patients, fhould reprefs the too great or permanent men- 

 flruation, which occurs in weak constitutions at the time of life 

 when it fhould ceafe. This complaint is a haemorrhage owing 

 to the debility of the abforbent power of the veins, and belongs 

 to the paragraph on venous abforption above defcribed, and is 

 thence curable by chalybeates, alum, bitters, and particularly by 

 the exhibition of a grain ot opium every night with five grains 

 of rhubarb. 



As (foel is foluble in the gaftric acid, perhaps the belt way of 

 giving it may be in fine filings, or in a fteel-powder prepared in 

 the following manner : diilblve green vitriol in water, add a few 

 bits of iron to the folution, to precipitate any copper which 

 may be accidentally in it ; precipitate this folution by fait of tar- 

 tar, kalipreparatum. Add to the precipitate two or three times 

 its quantity of charcoal powder, mix and put them into a cruci- 

 ble covered with a tile, and give them a red heat for an hour. 

 An impalpable powder of iron will be produced, which ought 

 all of it to obey the magnet. 



7. Metallic falts fupply us with very powerful remedies for 

 promoting abforption in dropfical cafes ; which frequently are 

 caufed by enlargement of the liver. Firft, as they may be giv- 

 en in fuch quantities as to prove ftrongly cathartic, of which 

 more will be faid in the article on invertentia ; and then, when 

 their purgative quality ceafes, like the effect of rhubarb, their 

 abforbent quality continues to al. The falts of mercury, filver, 

 copper, iron, zinc, antimony, have all been ufed in the dropfy ; 

 either fingly for the former purpofe, or united with bitters for 

 the latter, and occafionally with moderate but repeated opiates. 



8. From a quarter of a grain to half a grain of blue vitriol 

 given every four or fix hour.-., is faid to be very efficacious in ob- 

 ilinate intermittents ; which alfo frequently arife from an en- 

 larged vifcus, as the liver or fpleen, and are thence owing to the 

 deficient abforption of the lymphatics of that vifcus. A quarter 

 of a grain of white arfenic, as I was informed by a furgeon of the 

 army, cures a quartan ague with great certainty, if it be given 

 an hour before the expected fit. This dofe he faid was for a 

 robufl man, perhaps one eighth of a grain might be given and 

 repeated with greater fafety and equal efficacy. 



Dr. Fowler has given many fuccefsful cafes in his treatife 

 on this fubjet. He prepares it by boiling fixty-four grains of 

 white arfenic in a Florence flafk along with as much pure veget- 

 able fixed alkali in a pint of diftilleci water till they are diffolv- 

 ed, and then adding as much diftilled water as will make the 



whole 



