1811 .] of Siramonium^ — Wax-hearing Myricai, 
present day. I have likewise endea¬ 
voured (though in vain) to discover wliy 
it should be considered ati imposltioiiy a 
charge which it would wed become your 
correspondent to establish or explain, 
either of which, however, may be some¬ 
what difficult, when it is remembered 
that Mr. F. positively tells us that when 
he used it in its prepared state, (a recipe 
of w’hich he gave to bis friend,) he ob¬ 
tained relief to his complaint ; but that 
the simple herb constantly disagreed with 
him. That in consequence of this he 
had recourse to the principle recom¬ 
mended by Dr. Fordyce, and, led by it, 
he combined with the stramonium herb 
other vegetables of the anodyne class, 
and to them he added an aromatic, and 
thereby practically proved what the doc¬ 
tor had taught him: namelv., that acorn- 
bination of anodynes are mors efficacious 
in allaying irritation.of nerve, than any 
one administered alone. Besides, the 
component parts of Mr. F.^s combina¬ 
tion, are separately discernible to every 
eye, a circumstance which seems to in¬ 
form the public, instead of imposing on 
it; and, in addition to this, tite prepared 
stramonium was sold at price less by two- 
thirds than that demanded for the dried 
stramonium ; for while the latter sold at 
three shillings the ounce, the former 
might be obtained for one. When ?vlr. 
S. takes these circumstances into consi¬ 
deration, it is to be hoped he will join 
with every candid and uninterested man 
in condemning the w'ord imposition, and 
withdraw it as most unmerited by a man, 
who, whether an impostor or not, has 
certainly deserved the thanks of his 
country, for making known a practical 
remedy for one of the most afflictive 
complaints. But this apart—the great 
question seems to be this, Does the com¬ 
bination as used by surgeon F. possess 
any advantages over the simple herb } 
Will Mr. S. or any of your-correspon¬ 
dents say, that it is not far superior to 
the latter? If Mr, S. should feel any 
repugnance to express an opinion on this 
simple statement, I will assist him to 
form one, by proem iug for him the origi¬ 
nal recipe of Mr. F. As an anodyne, I 
think that the stramonium requires to be 
corrected, and that if taken alone, it 
would be productive of inconvenience to 
the patient; but, to suppose that paralysis 
is produced by inhaling tl;e fume of this 
or any other anodyne production, seems 
to me truly ridiculous, unsupported by 
reason as well as fact. 
But I shall feel myself obliged by any 
intelligence on the subject; and, as n)y 
00,1 
sole object is a desire of information, I 
shall be happy to promote that desire by 
friendly discussion, in your respectable 
miscellany, with Mr. Selles, or, which 
would perhaps be more agreeable to me, 
with any medical man; especially as you 
are connected with those who seem to 
be led by a love of science, and must 
therefore be sworn foes to every species 
of imposition, especially with that which 
preys on the health of man, and shortens 
the period of human life. 
As a real friend to truth I come for¬ 
ward to promote and assist inquiry into 
a remedy which has been proved to bo 
beneficial to a wonderful degree, and I 
only demand for it a fojr investigation be¬ 
fore the public are called on to condemn 
and avoid it. Thomas Mott Caton. 
Stanhope-street, Strand. 
P S. In your note to Mr. Selles’ fetters, 
you say that the public should be on their 
guard agSLinst preparations of the stramonium. 
Now, there are various officinal preparations 
of all medicinal herbs, kept for their speciSu 
uses by all chemists and druggists. Of the 
squill there are the tincture, the oxymel, the 
powder, as vrell as the simple root. There 
are also compound preparations, as the pill. See. 
of which each has its particular advantage. 
Why therefore is this caution necessary against 
similar preparations of stramonium. The 
acetic acid, it is well known, counteracts the 
unpleasant effects of anodyne productions on 
the system"^ A tincture of opium made with 
this acid,is sold under the name of theblack 
drop, and this preparation has been found tts 
answer where the common laudanum has 
failed. The oxymel of squills promotes ex¬ 
pectoration better than the powder or tinc¬ 
ture. In the oxymel of stramonium, the 
powerful anodyne properties of the vegetable 
are corrected by the acetic acid, and rendered 
more expectorant; hence it-is certainly a su¬ 
perior remedy for asthma and many specks 
of cough. 
To the Editor of the MonthlplMagazlnei 
SIR, 
I T is proper you should call the atten¬ 
tion of the public, the Society of 
Arts, and Board of Agriculture, to a 
vegetable production, which pronhsts 
great social benefits, and towards wliicii 
the speculations of merchants, the ijige«? 
nuity of manufacturers, and the fosterm.g 
patronage of the public, ought to ht in¬ 
vited. 
The triumph of man over nature, by 
prolonging his enjoyments, and active 
pu/suits, after the setting of tlte sun, 
when all other anijuals retire to sleep, 
a splendid proof o( his original powetij of 
combination. To complete this triumph 
