72 



early ftage of the complaint it is generally cured by 

 a blifter once or twice applied. 



The Blistering Ointment [page 23] will be 

 found a very efficacious application for this purpofej 

 but (liould the complaint have exilled a confiderable 

 time, and great callofity have taken place, the part 

 fhould be firft fired, and the next day the blifter 

 before mentioned applied over it. 



DIURETICS. 



Diuretics arc fubftances that a6t by determining 

 a greater quantity of blood to the kidneys, and by 

 ftimulating them to feparate a larger quantity of 

 water from this fluid. The blood, therefore, loiing 

 a larger quantity of its ferum, or watery part, muft 

 be fupplied from other fources: this is done by the 

 abforbing veffels, which take up, in that cafe, any 

 fuperfluous fluids they meet with to fupply the de- 

 ficiency ; therefore it is that in fwelled legs, in cracks, 

 in greafe, or in any preternatural enlargements oc- 

 cafioned by fluids, we give diuretics with great ad- 

 vantage. 



When, likewife, the kidneys fecrete too little, as 

 in gravel, which fometimes brings on a fparing and 

 painful flow of urine, we promote a more plentiful 

 formation of it, and a removal of the caufe, by di- 

 uretics : but when the urine is in fmall quantities, 

 from inflammation of the kidneys, diuretics only ag- 



