294 Vn Chronic Debility 



to the teeth. Various preparations of bitters, with or 

 without an astringent quality, arc often of great service. 

 To remove that extreme debiUty of the stomach, which 

 occurs after a severe turn of diarrhea, or an attack of fe- 

 ver, I have found no medicine more useful than a pow- 

 der composed of columbo root and pure rust of iron. — 

 The relief found under such circumstances from taking 

 it a single day, is often great, It may be taken in mode- 

 rate doses, two or three times a day. Iron filings are 

 preferred by some persons, Peruvian bark is very use- 

 ful also, where it does not occasion costiveness, at least 

 in many instances. Other preparations of iron may be 

 resorted to, where for any particular reasons they may be 

 preferred. Native mineral waters, containing impregna- 

 tions of iron, may be used with great advantage. Of 

 those particularly valuable in this country, the springs at 

 Stafford and Ballstown stand at the head, at least so far as 

 my knowledge extends. A free use of them and for some 

 period of time, will be advisable. Factitious mineral 

 waters resembling these, will be tolerable substitutes. — 

 After considerable attention to the subject, I do not hes- 

 itate to say, that some or other of the ferruginous prepa- 

 rations, united with columbo, gentian, quassia, or some 

 other of the bitters, ar€ the tonics best suited to the case 

 under consideration. When costiveness is occasioned, 

 it must be relieved by some of the means before recom- 

 mended ; or the medicine may be laid aside for a few 

 days, with advantage in some instances. Good Madeira 

 wine will greatly aid the operation of the foregoing med- 

 icines. No wine but that \\4:iich is of a good quality will 

 be found serviceable. Wine, and wine only, is recom- 

 mended in holy writ, for dyspeptic complaints. " A lit- 

 tle wine for thy stomach^ s sake^ and thine often infirmi- 

 ties^^'' was the direction of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, 

 The words " thy stomach'' s sake, and thine often infirmi- 

 ties^'''' prove the disease to have been Chronic Debility of 

 that viscus, with a numerous train of morbid sympathies ; 

 and no prescription of Hippocrates could have been bet- 

 ter, for wine of the best quality is made in that part of 

 th'fe world where Timothy was, and in those days they 

 probably had not learned the art of adulterating it. 



