'lyi PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1772. 



family, who had been for several years, periodically in the winter, afflicted with 

 severe rheumatic pains in her arms and shoulders, received remarkable benefit 

 from this water, one summer; in so much, that the winter succeeding she had 

 little or none of her rheumatic pains, and her appetite and digestion were much 

 improved. 



So far Dr. Mackerizy. From others Dr. D. M. had been informed, that this 

 water had been used with success in many of those cutaneous disorders commonly 

 called scorbutic, and in curing the itch. Then follow Dr. D. M.'s experiments 

 on this water, from which he infers that the mineral water, of Castle-Loed, is 

 one of the strongest sulphureous waters hitherto found in Great-Britain, though 

 he makes no doubt but that there are many such which have not hitherto been 

 examined: that, in its natural state, it is highly impregnated with a volatile 

 sulphureous vapour, which evaporates soon when exposed to the open air, and 

 flies off immediately when exposed to heat; and that the water then loses 

 its strong sulphureous smell and taste, though there is the strongest reason to 

 suspect that it still contains a sulphureous matter dissolved in it, by some means 

 hitherto unknown ; for it neither contains an alkaline salt nor quick-lime, the 

 two only subtances hitherto known to be capable of dissolving sulphur, and 

 keeping it suspended in water: that it lets drop to the bottom of the well, and 

 of its channels, a fine powder of sulphur, which adheres to the leaves and 

 branches of trees found there. As this water contains but very little purging 

 salt, and does not operate by stool, sea water, or some purging salt, may be 

 added to the first glasses drank in a morning, when purging is required. Equal 

 parts of the Castle-Loed and sea water mixed together, make a water in most 

 respects similar to the Harrowgate ; and probably will be found to answer in. 

 most cases where the Harrowgate has been found useful ; and it may often be 

 used with more advantage than the purging sulphureous waters, as they some- 

 times purge people of weak constitutions too freely, and weaken them too much. 



With regard to the second of these mineral waters, viz. that of Fairburn, 

 (which Dr. Mackenzy states to be a weaker water of the same nature as that of 

 Castle-Loed) Dr. D. M. infers from his experiments, that though it does not 

 appear to be such a strong sulphureous water as the Castle-Loed, yet it may 

 have its uses, and be serviceable to those who have not an opportunity of using 

 the other ; and it may perhaps be useful in some cases, where the other may 

 not agree. 



On the subject of the other mineral water here mentioned, viz. the salt 

 purging water of Pitkeathly, in the county of Perth, Dr. D. M. remarks that 

 there are but few salt purging waters, which have hitherto been discovered in 

 Scotland; the Pitkeathly, situated about 6 miles from the town of Perth, is the 

 one in most esteem, and the most frequented. 



