WATER. 



whereby are produced a general languor, difficult refpira- 

 tion, febrile heat and irritation, wafting of the body, and lofs 

 of appetite. Alfo when women have arrived at that time of 

 life when this periodical evacuation begins to ceafe, and is 

 fucceeded by a number of anomalous diforders, fuch as prof- 

 tration of appetite, flatulent pains, irregular fiufliiiigs, pains 

 in the back and fwelHng of the feet, a courfe of Sedlitz 

 water reftores the wavering appetite, and difperfes the tu- 

 mours and other morbid fymptoms. Men of from forty to 

 fifty years of age, who have led a very fedentary life, and have 

 been accuftomed to intenfe thought and profound medita- 

 tion, become frequently affefted with cedematous tumours 

 in the extremities, a want of due aftion in the ftomach, eruc- 

 tations after taking food, and a generally impaired ftate 

 of health; all of which are for the moft part very certainly 

 removed by a liberal ufe of this water. Perfons alfo of a 

 plethoric habit of body, who from fome obftruftion of blood 

 in the abdominal vifcera, and have acquired a ftrong difpoiition 

 to hemorrhoidal affeftions, become thereby often expofed 

 to very ferious evils. To fuch perfons a faline water Hke 

 that of Sedlitz is often of great utility, efpecially if accom- 

 panied by blood-letting when requitite, and a general anti- 

 phlogiftic plan of cure. Another important ufe of thefe 

 waters is in removing from the fyftem thofe impurities and 

 acrid humours which are ufually termed fcorbutic." Such 

 are the properties of the Sedlitz faline waters according 

 to the celebrated Hoffmann, whofe account, as quoted by 

 Dr. Saunders, we have extradled, becaufe it prefents in few 

 words a comprehenfive and rational view of the medicinal 

 properties of this important tribe of waters in general. We 

 wifh however to obferve, that when the ftomach is in a very 

 weak ftate, and dyfpepfia is prefent in a very great degree, 

 faline purgatives and waters in general may do harm by in- 

 creafing thefe affeftions ; their ufe, therefore, in fuch cafes is 

 rather contra-indicated, or at leaft fhould be combined with 

 other remedies calculated to invigorate thefe organs, efpe- 

 cially chalybeates. 



3. Simple chalybeate Waters Chalybeate waters are either 



Jimple or compound. Under this head oi Jlmple chalybcaies we 

 include all waters whofe charafteriilic ingredient is one or 

 more of the neutral faltsof iron. Thefe may be confidered 

 as of two general defcriptions : — a. Waters contaniing the 

 carbonate of iron, without any fi:riking excefs of carbonic 

 acid ; and b. Waters containing the fulphate or muriate of 

 iron, generally in combination with a large proportion of the 

 fulphate of alumina. Waters of this lail defcription are much 

 more rare than the former, and are ufually formed from the 

 decorapofition of iron pyrites. 



a. As an example of the firft. of thefe varieties of fimple 

 chalybeate waters, we may adduce that of Tunbridge Wells. 

 This water has been lately fubraitted to a careful and ac- 

 curate analyfis by Dr. Scudamore, from whofe pamphlet on 

 the fubjeft we chiefly take the following account. The 

 temperature of the fprrng throughout the year is uniformly 

 50° ; and its fp. gr. in the month of Auguft, at its natural 

 temperature, was 1.0007. The frefh water is perfeftly 

 tranfparent, and does not fend forth air-bubbles. It exhales 

 a fmell which is diftinftly chalybeate. Its tafte in this refpeft 

 is ftrongly marked, but is neither acidulous nor faline. It 

 has an agreeable frefhnefs, and is by no means unpalatable. 

 Submitted to analyfis, one gallon was found to contain, 



Cubic Indies. 

 Of carbonic acid - . - 8.05 



Oxygen - ... .jo 



Azote '- '- .'■ . ' . 4,75 



Of muriate of foda ... 

 — of lime ... 



of magnefia 



Sulphate of lime - . . 



Carbonate of lime - . . 



Oxyd of iron - . . 



Traces of manganefe, infoluble mat. 1 

 ter ( vegetable fibre, lilex, &c. ) J 

 Liofs in procefles . . . 



Grains, 

 2.47 



•39 

 .29 



1.41 

 .27 



2.29 



•44 



•13 



7.69 



Or, ftating the refults according to Dr. Murray's view, 

 which will be particularly explained when we treat of 

 the analyfis of mineral waters, the following eftimate will 

 appear : 



Muriate of foda 

 Sulpliate of foda 

 Muriate of lime 



of magnefia 



Carbonate of lime 

 Oxyd of iron 

 Traces of manganefe, &c. 

 Lofs, &c. 



Grains. 

 1.25 

 I 

 I 



47 

 54 

 .29 

 .27 

 2.29 

 •44 

 •13 



7.68 



This latter eftimate, which renders the carbonate of iron 

 the moft abundant ingredient in the water, appears much 

 more probable than the former, and to account more fatif- 

 fadtorily for its medicinal eflcfts. 



b. One of the moft linking examples of the f^cood variety 

 of fimple chalybeate waters is that occurring in the Ifle of 

 Wight, and lately analy fed by Dr. Marcet. This fpring iffues 

 from achff onthe S.S.W. (ide of the ifle, immediately under 

 St. Catherine's Down, in the parifh of Chale, between which 

 village and the village of Niton it is nearly equidiftant. The 

 diftance from the fea-fhore is about 150 yards, and elevation 

 about 1 30 feet above the level of the fea. Its properties, &c. 

 are the following : — When it firft iffues from the rock it is per- 

 fedlly tranfparent, and remains fo if kept in clofe veffels ; 

 but when expofed to the air, reddilh flakes are foon depo- 

 fited in it. It has a flight chalybeate fmell, and a highly 

 aftringent and ftyptic tafte. Its fpecilic gravity, in a courfe 

 of feveral experiments, was found to be 1007.5. ^"^ P'"^ 

 or fixteen-ounce meafures yielded 



Of carbonic acid -rVths of a cubic inch, 



Sulphate of iron, in the ftate of cryftal-l 

 hzed green fulphate - - -J 



Sulphate of alumina, a quantity of which, ] 

 if brought to the ftate of cryftallized > 

 alum, would amount to - -j 



Sulphate of lime dried at 160°) 



Sulphate of magnefia cryftalhzed 



Sulphate of foda cryftallized 



Muriate of foda cryftallized - 



Silica ...... 



Grains. 



41.4 



31.6 



13-30 



Vol. XXXVIII. 



This therefore is the ftrongeft aluminous chalybeate known. 



Medicinal Properties and UJes of Jimple chalybeate Waters 



a. The feafon for drinking the Tunbridge water, which we 



have felefted as an example of the limple carbonated cha- 



C lybeates, 



