Foreign Vegetables; 34 
Fevers of Infants, and may likewife be ventured 
upon fooner to them than to grown up People. 
Many pretend to correCl fome noxious Quality 
which they imagine to be in Jalap, by mixing it 
fometimes with alkaline Salts, as with Salt of 
Tartar, of Wormwood, or the like : Sometimes 
with Acids, as with Cream of Tartar, Juice of 
Lemons, and Spirit of Sulphur or Vitriol ; by 
which its Parts are concentrated, and in a Manner 
fixed : and fometimes with Oils, or Aromaticks, 
fuch as Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, or Mace •, where- 
by they propofe to reftore the nervous Fibres of 
the Stomach and Inteflines, when they are weaken- 
ed by the ACtion of the Purgative. But to rti& 
it feems altogether ufelefs to give a Purge, and to 
invalidate at the fame Time its Force ; it appearing 
more reafonabie not to give it at all. Acids indeed 
effectually diminifh and temper the Force of a 
Cathartick; but the fame may be done by only 
leffening its Dofe. As to Aromaticks and aroma- 
tick Oils, I look upon them to be very bad Cor- 
rectors : For they produce a ftronger Irritation in 
the Bowels than the Medicine itfelf, and render it 
ineffectual •, fince they frequently raife an Inflamma- 
tion, and fo hinder the Difcharge of Flumours. 
Alkaline Salts feem much fitter to correCt rejinous 
Catharticks ; becaufe by dividing their tenacious 
or refinous Parts, they prevent their adhering to the 
Membranes of the Inteflines, which otherwife they 
art apt to do. Neverthelefs thefe Salts abate not 
their Acrimony, bur, on the other Hand, increafc 
it. 
Therefore, to the End that a purgative Medicine 
may fucceed well, let it be fbrted to the Difeafe and 
Temperament of the Patient, and he given neither 
in too fmall nor too large a Dofe; and then it will 
require no Correction. Or, if it be neceffary any 
D 2 Way 
