IPECACUANHA. 



during its pulverization, or infufion in liquors, when it emits 

 a faint naufcous one. GeofFroy obferves, that in pulverizing 

 confiderable quantities, the finer powder that flies off is apt 

 to affeft the operator with difJiculty of breathintr, a fpitting 

 of blood, a bleeding at die nofe, or a fweiling and inflamma- 

 tion of the eyes and face, and fometimes of the throat ; 

 which fymptoins go off in a few days, fpontaneoufly, or by 

 the aid of vcnefeiiion. 



Dr.-Irving afcertained by experiments, that this root con- 

 tains a gummy and relinous matter, and that the gum is in 

 much greater proportion, and is more powerfully emetic, 

 flian the lefin : that the cortical part is more active than the 

 ligneous; and that the whole root manifcils an aiitifeptic and 

 aitringent power. He alfo found its emetic quality to be 

 nioft effectuiiUy counicractcd by means of the acetous acid, 

 infomucU that 30 grains cf the powder, taken in two ounces 

 of vinegar, produced only fon-.e loofe ilools. 



The bark of- ipecacuanha is faid to be preferable to its 

 root, as an emetic; acting equally well, and with equal 

 fafe'.y, in a fmaller dofe, either in powder, or infuuon. Six 

 grains of tlie bark, infufcd for a night in an ounce and a half 

 of old Rheniili, proves a good emetic. Sec l^liil. Tranf. 

 •N 476. fed. 10. 



The brown ipecacuanha yields, by diilillation, a fmaller 

 .quantity of oil than the grey ; and the laft portion of the 

 fpirit which comes over witii the oil, on urging tire fire to 

 the grealell violence, though it be confiderably acid to the 

 " talle, yet does not feera to contain lefs, but rather more vola- 

 tile particles than the fpirit drawn in tlie fame manner from 

 the grey. On mixing the fpirits of both kinds alfo with fait 

 of tartar, the volatile parts of that from the brown cfcape 

 with more rapidity than thofe from the fpirit of the grey, 

 and affed the ;iofe more fcni'ibly. 



It is rational to conclude from Iience, that if the brown 

 ipecacuanha contains lefs oil than the grey, it alfo contains 

 lefs refm ; and that as this la(t portion of fpirit contained 

 more volatile parts, it mull naturally be expected that it 

 fliould prove more violent in its operation than the grey. 

 Tiiis obfervation alfo, which is countenanced by faft, may 

 in fome degree favour the opinion of tiiofc who affirm, that 

 the purgative vi.'-tues of medicines are excited bv a volatile 

 fait, and that they are more or lefs violent, as they contain 

 more or lefs of this fait. 



The brown ipecacuanha, as well as the grey, will afford 

 two forts of e.xtrafts, a refinous asid a fahne one ; but both 

 thefe are yielded in a fmaller quantity from the brown than 

 from tl)e -grey, and confequently t!ie refiduum is always 

 grcHrer from liie brcwn. Eight ounces of the grey ipeca- 

 xaanha yield, with fpirit of wine, ten drams of the reiinous 

 extraftj the fame quantity of the brown, treated in the 

 fame manner, yields only li'x drams. From the refiduum of 

 this <iuantity of the grey kiiid, thus divelled only of its 

 refin by the fpirit, there may be procured, by a watery fol- 

 vent, two ounces of a faline extraft ; but the reiidue of the 

 fame quantity of the brown will yield only five or fix drams 

 of this extraft, by the fame -treat aient. The refidue of the 

 grey, thus divelled of its refinous and faline parts, will 

 ■vveigh four ounces ; and the refidue of the brown, after the 

 feme treatment, wiH weigh fix ounces. Hence it is very 

 cvidjnt, that the aitive principles arc mtich more abundant 

 in the grty thin in the brown kind of tliis ufeful root. 

 , Neumann fays that fixtetn ounces of good ipecacuanha 

 3»fiU yield three ounces of refinous matter, in which its virtue 

 eonfiib, by means of fpirit of «'ine ; and from the fame 

 quantity, by means of water, five ounces of gummy matter 

 were extraited. 



If the- procefs of this aiialyfis be varied, and the watery 



menllruum ufed firft, the proportion of the faline extraA 

 will be greatly increafed by it, and that of the refinous 

 greatly ditniniflied ; eight ounces of the grey ipecacuanha, 

 thus treated, yielding three ounces and a half of faline ex- 

 trait, and only thirty-fix grains of the refinous one after- 

 wards by fpirit of wine ; and the fame quantity of the brown 

 yielding one ounce and three drams of the faline extrati, and 

 only twenty-four grains of the refinous one, by means cf 

 fpirit of wine afterwards ufcd. From all this it is eafy to 

 perceive, that the brown ipecacuanha contains much lels of 

 the aftlve parts, and much more of the terreflrial, than the 

 grey ; and yet it is equally certain from trial, that the brown 

 is much more violent in its operation than the grey. 



This fceius a perplexing fort of paradox ; but to explain 

 it we muit remember, that the virtues of medicines are not 

 to be meafured by their bulk nor their weight, the moll 

 po-.vcrful of all acting in the fmallefl quantities. It has been 

 obferved, that the lafl portion of fpiiit drawn from the 

 brown is more pungent and ilrong than that from the grey ; 

 and probably this part of the root has as much power 

 to irritate the internal parts of the intellines as the refinous 

 parts. 



The belt menllruum for cxtrading the entire virtue of the 

 root, appears to be a mixture of one part of pure fpirit, 

 with two or three parts of water. In the (hops, wine is 

 employed : an ounce of the root is macerated or digefled in 

 a pint of Canary, or fifleen ounces of mountain, to wliiih 

 fome add a quarter of an ounce of dried orange-peel. Thefe 

 tinft^ires, in dofes of from half an ounce, or lefs, to an 

 ounce and upwards, prove mildly emetic. Lewis Mat. 

 MeJ. 



It has been found by experience, that this is the mildeft 

 and fafeft emetic with which we are acquainted ; having this 

 peculiar advantage, that if it does not operate by vomit, it 

 readily paffes off by the other emunctories. It was firfl in- 

 troduced to us with the charafter of an almott infrdlible 

 remedy in dyfenteries and other inveterate fluxes, as diar- 

 rhcsa, menorrhagia, and leucorrhcca, and alfo in diforders 

 proceeding from obilructions of long Handing ; nor has it 

 loil much of its reputation by time. The ufe of ipecacuanha 

 in thefe fluxes is thought to depend upon its reiloring per- 

 fpiration ; for in thefe cafes, efpccially in dyfentery and 

 diarrhoea, the Ikin is dry and tenfc ; and while the common 

 diapiioretics ufually pais off by (tool, fniail dof;s of this 

 root have been admiiiiftered \\-ith the bell effects, proving 

 both lax;itive and diaphoretic. Dr. Ca len attributes its 

 good effefts entirely to its purgative quality. In common 

 cafes of dyfentery, it is faid foon to jjertorm a cure, by 

 bringing on a free diaphorcfis, or plentiful fweat, after the 

 patient has taken a puke or two, and 7S covered up warm in 

 bed. In putrid or malignant dyfenteries, it requires to be 

 continued f.r fevcral days, and repeated as an evacuant, 

 with the affiitance of rhubarb, cordial antifeptics, and mild 

 opiates, or aftringents. In cafes requiring plentiful evacu- 

 ation, or when the offending nvatter is lodged deep, fir John 

 Pringle recommends it to be given in fmall dofes, and re- 

 peated at proper intervals, till vomiting and purging 

 come on. 



In the fpafmodic afthma, Dr. Akenfide remarks, that 

 when nothing contraindicatcs repeated vomiting, he knew 

 no medicine fo effectual as ipecacuanha. In violent pa- 

 roxyfms, a fcruple procures immediate relief. When the 

 complaint is habitual, fro.m three to five grains every morn- 

 ing, or from five to ten every other morning, may be given 

 for a month or fix weeks. This medicine has been alfo fue- 

 cefsfully ufed in hscmorrhages. Several cafes of menor- 

 rhagia are mentioned by Dalilberg, in w-hich one-third or 



