t a) t ry , . 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magaxine. 
SIR; 
A Printed paper was put into my 
. hands a few days ago, fubfcribed 
€<-D), Whitehead, No. 16, Charlotte ftreet, 
Bloom{bury,’’ recommending a revival of 
the old remedy for the gout, known by the 
name of the Portland Powder, which is here 
faid to be improved, and is exhibited in the 
form of an expenfive and lucrative noftrum. 
As the effects of this preparation have 
long been recognized by profeffional per- 
fons ag injurious and mifchievous, and as 
the authorities cited in the paper which 
recommends it, are much mifreprefentéd 
and pefverted, I wifh to lay before the 
public what I apprehend to be the true 
ftate of the cafe, and to caution mankind 
acainit the trial of a remedy at once fo de- 
ceitful and fo dangerous. From what is 
faid in the paper above alluded to, we 
fhould be led to believe, that this reme- 
dy was purchafed and difperfed by the 
prefent Duke of Portland*, wheréas it was 
by his father, many years ago. The pre- 
fent hobleman owes his amendment, and 
indeed his recovery from this painful com- 
plaint, to a meritorious and fteady adhe- 
rence to an abfterntious and regular courfe 
of diet, which confilts nearly of vegetable 
fubftances ;-the mixture of animal food 
being very fmall; and that of the mildeft 
kind. To this is joineda total abftinence 
from all fermented liquors ; and it is to 
‘this judicious management, and not to any 
medicine, either regularly prefcribed, or 
empyrically recommended, that he afcribes 
his freedom from this hereditary malady. 
The powder which the late duke tock him- 
felf, and of which he direéted copies of 
the compofition and the mariner of its 
preparation to be given, gratuitoufly, to 
all who defired it, is as follows: 
_  §§ For the Gout or Rheumatifm. 
FR Ariftolochia rotunda or Birthwort? 
Gentian f Root 
Germander 
Ground Pine rope and leaves. 
Centaury 
* ¢¢ His Grace the Duke of Portland, who 
had, I believe, been perfonally an extreme 
fufterer from the gout, became acquainted with 
a medicine in Switzer!and for the cure of that 
inveterate diforder; and, after the moit in- 
_@ubitable evidence of its intrinfic worth, pur- 
chafed the receipt for the benefit of his coun- 
try. ‘This medicine, in a highly-improved 
form, I beg leave to introduce to your notice, 
and hope that the fan@ion of the illuftrious 
family by whom the receipt was firft obtained, 
will fecure an unbiaffed attention to the necef- 
fary improvements now introduced intoits com- 
polition.” Mr. Wurrexean’s Handbill, p. 3. 
MonTa_y Mas. No, 71. 
Din Falconer on the Portlind Powder: 
209 | 
‘© Take of all thefe, well dried, powdered 
aid fifted as fine as youcan, equal weight 5 
mix them well togethef, and take one 
drachm of this mixed powder every 
morning fafting, in acup of wine and wa- 
ter, broth, tea, or any other vehicle you 
like beft; keep fefting an hour and a half 
after it; continue this for three months 
‘without interruption, then diminifh the 
dofe to three-fourths ofa drachm for three 
months longer; then to half a drachm 
for fix months more, taking it regularly 
évery morning if poffible: after the firft 
year, it will be fufficient to take half a 
drachm every other day. As this medi- 
cine operates infenfibly, it will perhaps 
take two years before you receive any 
great benefit, fo you muft not be difcou- 
raged though you do not perceive at firlt 
any great amendment ; it works flow but 
fure, it doth not confine the patient to any 
particular diet, fo one lives foberly, and 
abftains from thofe meats and liquors that 
have always been accounted pernicious in 
the gout, as champaign, drams,° high 
fauces, &c. 
‘< N. B. In the rheumatifm that is only 
accidental and not habitual, a few of the 
drachm dofes may do; but if habitual, 
or that has been of long duration, then 
you muft take it as for the gout: the re- 
medy requires patience, as it operates but 
flow in both diftempers.”’ 
he ingenious and learned Dr. John 
Clephane has given an excellent account 
of this very ancient preparation in the 
firft vol. of the Medical Obfervations and 
Inquiries. It is mentioned, he obferves, 
with very little variation from the-above 
receipt, by Galen in the fecond century ; 
by Ccelius Aurelianus (from Soranus) 
who lived about the fame time; by Aetius 
and Alexander Trallianus in the 5th cen- 
tury; by Paulus Atgineta in the 7th cen- 
tury ; byMyrepfus inthe r2th; byFrancis- 
cus de Pedemtontio, A. D. 1400; by the 
prince of Mirandola, about1480; by Tour- 
nefort in later times; and ata period itill 
later it was transferred into the Paris 
Pharmacopoeia, under the title of Pulvis 
arthriticus amarus. ‘This powder was 
given in the dofe of about a drachm daily, 
for a year, as-many of thofe remedies 
called antidoti® were, and thefe directions 
are nearlycopied in thofe given for the ufe of 
the Portland powder; fave that the latter 
is directed to be perfifted in for a longer 
time. Tat 
But though it cannot be denied that the 
+ They were called, from thence, .d2xaliz 
Medicamenta Cat. AUREL. 
Ee ? ancient 
