ART. VI. a. 7. i. SORBENTIA. 57 



Arfenic has lately been recommended in the hooping cough, 

 tuflis convulfiva, by Mr. Simmons, furgeon of Mancheiter, 

 which he aflerts to be attended with the moil falutary effects, 

 moderating the difeafe in a few days, and curing it generally in 

 a fortnight. He has given it to children of a year old with fafe- 

 ty, in the dofes recommended by Dr. Fowler, whofe folution 

 he ufed, but feems to have ufed venefection and emetics occa- 

 fionally, and recommends, after the folution has been omitted 

 for a week, to repeat it, to prevent a relapfe. Annals of Med- 

 icine, 1797. 



TO Where arfcnic has been given as a poifon, it may be dif- 

 covered in the contents of the ftomach by the fmell like garlic, 

 when a few grains of it are thrown on red-hot iron. 2. If a 

 few grains are placed between two plates of copper, and fub~ 

 jefted to a red heat, the copper becomes whitened. 3. Dif- 

 folve arfenic in water along with vegetable alkali, add to this a 

 folution of blue vitriol in water, and the mixture becomes of a 

 fine "green, which gradually precipitates, as difcovered by Berg- 

 man. 4. Where the quantity is fufficient, fome wheat may be 

 deeped in a folution of it, which given to fparrows or chickens 

 will deftroy them. 



VII. i . Abforption of the matter from venereal ulcers. No 

 ulcer can heal, unlefs the abforption from it is as great as the 

 depofition in it. The preparations or oxydes of mercury in the 

 cure of the venereal difeafe feem to acT: by their increasing the 

 abforption of the matter in the ulcers it occalions ; and that 

 whether they are taken into the ftomach, or applied on the fkin, 

 or on the furface of the ulcers. And this in the fame manner 

 as fugar of lead, or other metallic oxydes, promote fo rapidly 

 the healing of other ulcers by their external application ; and 

 probably when taken internally, as ruft of iron given to children 

 affedted with fcrofulous ulcers contribute to heal them, and fo- 

 lutions of lead were once famous in phthifis. 



The matter depofited in large abfcefTes does not occafion heo 

 tic fever, till it has become oxygenated by being expofed to the 

 open air, or to the air through a moift membrane ; the fame 

 feems to happen to other kinds of matter, which produce fever, 

 or which occafion fpreading ulcers, and are thence termed con- 

 tagious. See Clafs II. i, 3. II. i. 5. II. i. 6. 6. This may 

 perhaps occur from thefe matters not being generally abforbed, 

 till they become oxygenated ; and that it is the ftimulus of the 

 acid thus formed by their union with oxygen, which occafions 

 their abforption into the circulation, and the fever, which they 

 then produce. For though collections of matter, and milk, and 

 mucus, are fometiraes fuddenly abforbed during the aclion of 



emetics 



