COLCHKUM. 197 



adapted to his constitution. This may be taken either in a glass 

 of wine or in a small quantity of water, and should be received 

 into a stomach as nearly as possible empty ; that is, either early 

 in the morning, or four hours after breakfast, or any other 

 meal. It will be highly necessary, during the exhibition of this 

 remedy, to employ purgative medicines twice or thrice a-week. 

 When the pain, whether of gout or rhevimatism, continues, not- 

 withstanding the first dose of the medicine, it may be repeated 

 in four or six hours, to a third time, which will be generally 

 found sufficient to relieve the most severe pain. When, how- 

 ever, the pain has ceased, the medicine should be discontinued, 

 or its exhibition confined to once in the day. 



M. Chelius * considers the beneficial effects produced by this 

 medicine, in cases of gout and rheumatism, to depend on its 

 power of increasing the quantity of uric acid -f- in the urine. 



The late Mr. Haden '\. attributes to colchicum powerful influ- 

 ence in controlling the action of the heart and arteries, which 

 opinion led him frequently to substitute it for bleeding in inflam- 

 matory affections, such as pleurisy, pneumonia, &c., and with ap- 

 parent uniform success. In acute cases he gave from two to eight 

 grains of the powder, with a scruple or more of sulphate of pot- 

 ash, in rose infusion, every four or six hours, increasing the 

 dose after a few hours until either purging is produced on the 

 second or third day, or the common black draught, or calomel, 

 is given in addition. The medicine is now laid aside, if its 

 effect on the disease be decided, or it is given in diminished 

 doses, or one dose of six or more grains is given occasionally, 

 with calomel at night. In chronic cases, he directed a dose of 

 five grains and upwards every morning early, with a drachm of 

 sulphate of potash, in a tumbler nearly full of warm water. In 



* Bull. Univ. c. xiv. 100. 



t A person afflicted Avith gouty concretions in many of the joints, and 

 especially in the knees, so as to be unable to move, took the colchicum 

 wine : before its use, the uric acid, either free or combined in the urine, 

 was 0.069 ; on the fourth day after the first employment of the medicine it 

 had increased to 0.076 ; on the eighth day to 0.091 ; and on the twelfth 

 day to 0.112 : so that the quantity was nearly doubled in the short space of 

 twelve days.— Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. ii. p. 830. 



X Pract. Observ. on the Colch. Aut. by Mr. Haden, Jun., p. 8. 



