1609.] 
a few trifling inaccuracies may escape 
them 5 and i may be permitted to add, 
that some of those expressions, ied 
have been noticed by Mr. G. might be 
vindicated, 
Mr. G. adds, that the B. C. appears 
% have been desirous of ** paying some 
attention to Dr. V.” If he will turn to 
the last edition of Dr. V.’s Humane So- 
ciety Sermon, he will find the author 
complaining of the severity, and de- 
fending himself from a charge, of the 
British Critic, in a preface of no common 
length. He certainly does not there consi- 
der that review as partial to his publi- 
cations. 
Mr. G. may be perfectly assured, that 
the British Critic did not mean to de- 
tract from the merit of his Institutes, 
which will probably occupy @ place in 
every collection of the most usetul works 
in Latin Grammar. Your's, &c. 
Cambridge, ee. 
March 16, 1809. 
. Sa i 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N the subject i Ague, when I 
transmitted the case of Elizabeth 
Milhar, it did not occur to me that any 
thing new or important could be ad- 
vanced, asthe Peruvian Burk has long 
held the foremost rank for its cure. 
However, as even the mode for adminis- 
tering the Bark is, in this county (So- 
merset), where Agues are so rife, of 
much importance, perhaps it may be of 
service to communicate the. mode in 
which it generally succeeds best. The 
way in which itisgiven here, and which 
is, in the strictest sense of the word, a 
popular way, is to take of yellow bark in 
powder one ounce, salt of wormwood 
(Kali ppt.) forty grains, Virginian snake 
root in powder thirty grains. Let these 
be mixed together in a quart of either 
strong beer, good ale, or cider (some 
use port-wine), a wine-glass of whch is 
to be taken twice a day, taking care te 
Shake the bottle previously to pouring 
outthe dose. Tiis is, in course, for a 
grown person; fur children, the Hose 
must be proportionately less. 
Medical men frequently fail in curing 
the Ague here, when the above medicine 
succeeds; and [ think that this is easily 
accounted for: the mode in which the 
bark is frequently administered by thein, 
is inthe form of an electuary, with con- 
serve of orange peel and othfer warm sti- 
mulants; all, no doubt, very good and 
effectual, provided the patient follow the 
On the best Mode of administering Bark for Ague. 
direction; but, unfortanately, as pot 
after pot becomes expensive,-he is de- 
siruus of making it last as long as he can, 
and, by consequence, does not take the 
dose necessary to remove the disease. 
Blame then does not rest with the physi- 
clan, but with the patient. In order, 
therefore, to avoid the inconvemiencies of 
the first mode abovementioned (for it has 
inconveniency, the dose even in that not 
being exactly proportioned), and to avoid 
also the error of many a regular practi- 
tioner, I have for many years recom- 
mended, and, in innumerable instances, 
with net suecess, the following me- 
thod:—Take of yellow bark in powder 
one ounce, divide it into eight equal 
parts, of which take one at eleven 
o’clock in the morning, and another at 
four in the afternoon, either mixed with 
a few spoonfuls of ginger-tea, strong 
beer, ale, or cyder, or even water: if in 
London, I should not hesitate te recem- 
mend its being taken in good porter, . or 
Windsor ale. Should net one ounce 
succeed in removing the ague, another 
must be taken, and it is best to leave 
off the use of the bark gradually, by 
taking only one dose a day for some days, 
or even a fortnight, after the ague is 
gone, Fora boy. or ‘itl, twelve years of 
age, I usually order the ounce to be di- 
vided into twelve parts; for nine years of 
age, into sizfeen parts; and for four 
years and under, twenty parts. It may 
be asked, how it happens that I recom- 
mend the bark alone? I answer, be- 
cause I am decidedly of opinion, that, in 
the far greater number of cases, addi- 
tional medicines are of no importance ; 
and, although in some cases they certain- 
ly are, yet as popular exhibitors of me- 
dicine cannot discriminate in such cases, 
it is better to give nothing but the bark : 
and IT think in powder too, Wi ithout hav- 
ing been previously mixed with any liquid, 
except at the time of taking it. ‘The 
modus operandi of this, and a variety of 
other very valuable medicines, will, pas- 
sibly for ever remain unknown. I have, 
however, strong reasons for believing, 
that bark, previously immersed in any 
liquid, is not so active as itis when no 
previous mixing, except as. above, has 
taken place. This, however, is not a 
place for such a discussion. 
It sometimes happens, that you can- 
not get the bark in, powder,down young 
childien; in such cases I have given a 
strong decoction, made with two ounces 
of the powder toa pint of water, and 
boiled for about twenty minutes in a co- 
vered vessel, and when cold strained from 
the 
