88 



REMARKS UPON SALT OK HARD WATER. 



P^yint of health, we use the natural stimuli 

 'tif diet, heef tea, wine, heat, Src or the 

 l^ss natural stimuli of the pliarmacopoeia, 

 the chiel of which are opium, ether, vola- 

 tile alkali, musk, camphor, brandy, and 

 other spirits. The cause of the one form 

 of disease is the cure of the other, in the 

 one we raise the excitement till it arrives 

 at the point of health; in the other we 

 depress it to the same point; having effect- 

 ed this by the powers of medicine, we 

 keep it there by attention to regimen; and 

 the great object in the Brunoiiian practice 

 is to hit the j)oint of health, neither to 

 stop short of this object nor to pass be- 

 yond it; for by either imprudence we ma)'^ 

 do much harm. By profusion of stimuli 

 we may convert a disease of weakness 

 into disease of inflammation; by too severe 

 an abstraction of stimuli we may run into 

 the opposite excess, converting into dis- 

 ease of weakness what was originally a 

 disease of violent inflammation. 



The use of stimuli in asthenic disease is 

 to be regulated by the cause and state of 

 disease. In all diseases of indirect weak- 

 ness, where excitability has been exhaust- 

 eil, the strength must be raised by the im- 

 mediate.application of the most powerful 

 stimuli, which aie to be slowly reduced in 

 quantity or strength, till moderate or ordi- 

 nary stimuli suffice for supporting the ex- 

 citement of health. In all cases of direct 

 weakness, where excitability is accumulat- 

 ed, the immediate application of powerful 

 stimuli would destroy. VN eak stimuli 

 must first be used, the superabundant ex- 

 citability must be gradually wasted, and 

 the (loses very slowly increased till we 

 risetothe point of health. 



Dr. Brown's frequent prescriptions of 

 wine, spirits, and 0|)ium, to his patients 

 in asthenic diseases, with his repeated re- 

 commendations of these stimuli in his lec- 

 tures and writing-J, raised a very general 

 prejudice against his system and practice, 

 among those who knew nothing of either 

 but from vague report. They alleged that 

 though he might cure the disease of his 

 p\tienls, he would infallibly corrupt their 

 morals, by habituating them to such dan- 

 gerous medicines. From these charges 

 Dr. Bjdiloes vindicates the doctrine, in 

 he followitig words " The Brunonian 

 lystem has been frequently charged with 

 iateinperauce ;the objection is serious, but 



I the view already given of its principles 

 ' shows it to he groundless. No writer has 

 I insisted so much upon the dependence of 

 j life upon external causes, or so strongly 

 rstated the inevitable consequences of ex- 

 cess; and there are no means of promoting 

 morality upon which we can rely, except 

 knowledge of the true relations between 

 man and other beings or bodies. For by 

 this knowledge we are directly led to shun 

 what is hurtful, and pursue what is salu- 

 tary." 



And what stronger motive of tempe- 

 rance can philosoph}'' itself inculcate than 

 the Brunonian doctrine does, when it 

 teaches, that every act of intemperance 

 and excess tends to exhaust the very prin- 

 ciple of life. 



Remarks upon salt or hard water, 



AND A process RECOMMENDED TO PRE- 

 PARE THE SAME FOR WASHING. 



The reason why hard or sea-water, is 

 not so good a menstruum for washing as 

 rain or river-water is, depends on certain 

 earthy salts in the former, which are capa- 

 ble of curdling or decomposing soap, 

 in consetjuence of which, the acid of the 

 salt combines with the alkali of the soap, 

 while the earthy base of the salt combines 

 with the oil of the soap, making an insol- 

 uble compound, not only not possessed 

 of any detersive quality but absolutely 

 detrimental, by its tendency to adhere to 

 the surface of cloth, and thus protect it 

 from the action of such portion of the 

 soap as may remain undecomposed. 



But all soluble earthy salts are readily 

 decomposed by carbonated or semi-caustic 

 alkali, and therefore the most obvious way 

 of brin<riug hard or sea-water into a state 

 fit for washing, is by the addition of an 

 alkali, till the liquid is slightly sub-alkal- 

 ine, to efliect which, there will be required, 

 from 700 to 800 grains of pot-ash, or- 

 pearl-ash for each gallon of the strongest 

 sea-water, such as that within the tropics. 



Now as the strongest sea-water requires 

 for the decomposition of its earthy salts, at 

 least 700 grains per gallon, of pearl-ash; 

 as pearl-ash contains at least sixty per 

 cent of pure alkali, the required effect 

 may be produced at the trifling cost of an 

 ounce and a half of pearl-ash, and the 

 same quantity of fuller's earth for each 

 gallon of v;ater. 



