202 PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1777. 



chuse to err rather on the safe side. A strong healthy grown person may, at 

 first, take 4 table spoonfuls of the decoction or syrup, 3 grains of the extract, 

 or 30 grains of the powder, for a dose. A youth, 3 table spoonfuls of the de- 

 coction or syrup, 2 grains of extract, or 20 grains of powder. A person of 10 

 years of age, 2 table spoonfuls of the decoction or syrup, 1-i- grain of extract, 

 or 1 5 grains of the powder. Children of 2 or 3 years old, a table spoonful ot 

 the decoction or syrup, 1 grain of extract, or 10 grains of the powder. Chil- 

 dren of a year old, half the quantity. 



These may be increased, as above observed, till a nausea is excited, which will 

 depend on the strength, sex, and habit of body of the patient. Care must be 

 taken that cold water be not drank during the operation of this medicine, as it 

 is in this case apt to occasion sickness, vomiting, fever, and delirium. When 

 this happens, or when an over large dose has been given, the stomach must be 

 washed with warm water: the patient must speedily be purged with castor-oil, and 

 use plenty of lime-juice beverage for common drink ; vegetable acid being a 

 powerful antidote in this case, as well as in an over dose of opium. The decoc- 

 tion is what is mostly given here, and seldom fails to perform every thing that 

 can be expected from an anthelmintic medicine, by destroying worms in the in- 

 testines, and bringing them away in great quantities. By frequent use however 

 these animals become familiarized, and we find it necessary to intermit it, or 

 have recourse to others of inferior merit. 



The writers of the Edinburgh Medical Commentaries take notice, that the 

 decoction of cabbage-bark always excites vomiting. We find no such effect 

 from it here, and may account for it by their receiving it in a mouldy state. A 

 syrup therefore is given there with better effect. They observe also that it has a 

 diuretic virtue, which we have not noticed here. This bark purges pretty 

 briskly, especially in powder, 30 or 40 grains working as well as jalap by stool ; 

 but in this way it does not seem to kill worms so well as in decoction. Five 

 grains of the extract made a strong man sick, and purged him several times ; 

 but, by frequent use, he took 10 grains to produce at length the same effect. 

 \ It must not be concealed that fatal accidents have liappened from the impru- 

 dent administration of this bark, chiefly from over-dosing the medicine. But 

 this cannot detract from the merit of the cabbage-bark, since the best medicines 

 when abused, become deleterious ; and even our best aliments, in too great 

 quantity, prove destructive. On the whole, the cabbage-bark is a most valuable 

 remedy, and I hope will become an addition to the materia inedica. 



Leaves opposite, oblong-ovate, temate, acuminate, smooth above, beneath nerveless, witli 

 short footstalks. 



Calyx. PeWan/A one-leaved, bell-shaped, very slightly five-parted, with short, ovAie Dixisiuns. 

 CuKOL. papilionaceous J 6Van(/art/ roundish, concave : IVings obtuse, concave, length of standard. 

 Kee/ ovate, spreading, very slightly divided into two parts. 



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