In reference to the action of medicines and external agents on the
animal body, we would observe, that warmth and moisture always expand
it, and bayberry bark, tannin, and gum catechu always contract it; and
that these agents have these effects at all times (provided, however,
there be sufficient vitality in the part to manifest these peculiar
changes) and under all circumstances. If a blister be applied to the
external surface of an animal, and it produces irritation, it always has
a tendency to produce that effect, whatever part of the living organism
it may be applied to. So alcohol always has a tendency to stimulate;
whether given by the mouth, or rubbed on the external surface, it will
produce an excitement of nerves, heart, and arteries, and of course the
muscles partake of the influence. Again, marshmallows, gum acacia,
slippery elm, &c., always lubricate the mucous surfaces, quiet
irritation, and relieve inflammatory symptoms.
It follows, of course, 1st. That when any other effects than those just
named are seen to follow the administration of these articles, they must
be attributed to the morbid state of the parts to which they are
applied; 2d. That a medicine which is good to promote a given effect in
one form of disease, will be equally good for the same purpose in
another form of disease in the same tissue. Thus, if an infusion of
mallows is good for inflammation of the stomach, and will lubricate the
surface, and allay irritation in that organ, then it is equally good for
the same purpose in inflammation of the bowels and bladder. What we wish
the reader to understand is this: that a medicine used for any
particular symptom in one form of disease, if it be a sanative agent, is
equally good for the same symptom in every form. Medical men range their
various remedies under different heads. Thus opium is called narcotic,
aloes purgative or cathartic, potass diuretic, &c. And because the same
results do not always follow the administration of these articles, they
are perplexed, and are compelled to try every new remedy, in hopes to
find a specific; not knowing that many of their _"best medicines"_
(opium, for example) war against the vital principle, and as soon as
they get into the system, nature sets up a strong action to counteract
their effects; in short, to get them out of the system in the quickest
possible manner: sometimes they pass through the kidneys; at other
times, the intestinal canal, the lungs, or surface, afford them egress.
And because a certain agent does not always act in their hands with
unerring certainty, they seem to suppose that the same uncertainty
attends the administration of every article in the _materia medica_. The
medicines we recommend owe their diuretic, astringent, diaphoretic, and
cathartic powers to their aromatic, relaxing, antispasmodic,
lubricating, and irritating properties; and if we give them with a view
of producing a certain result, and they do not act just as we wish, it
is no proof that they have not done good. The fact is, all our medicines
act on the parts where nature is making the greatest efforts to restore
equilibrium; hence they relieve the constitution, whatever may be the
nature of their results.
Many of the remedies recommended in this work are denounced by the
United States Dispensatory a "useless, inert," &c.; yet many of our most
celebrated physicians are in the daily habit of using them. Mr. Bracy
Clark, V. S., recommends tincture of allspice for gripes. And Mr.
Causer, an experienced veterinarian, says, "I ordered a dessert spoonful
(about two drachms) of tincture of gentian and bark to be given twice a
day in a case of gripes. Scarcely an hour after the animal had taken the
first dose, he began to eat some hay, and on the next day he ate every
thing that was offered him. After this, I ordered a quart of cold boiled
milk to be given him every morning and evening. By these means, together
with the good care of the coachman, he recovered his strength." Mr.
White, V. S., says, "I have been assured by a veterinary surgeon, that
he once cured a horse of gripes by a dose of hot water; and it is by no
means unlikely that a warm infusion of some of our medicinal herbs, such
as peppermint, pennyroyal, rosemary, &c., would be found effectual."
Mr. Gibson says, "It is a fact that cannot be too generally known, that
an infusion of garlic has, to my certain knowledge, cured several cases
of epilepsy--a dreadful disease, that seems to have baffled, in most
instances, every effort of medical skill."
An intelligent farmer assures Dr. White that he has had forty sheep at a
time hoven or blasted from feeding on vetches, and so swollen that he
hardly knew which would drop first. His usual remedy was a quart of
water for each sheep; and that generally had the desired effect, though
many died before it could be given. We might give our own experience in
favor of numberless simple agents, which we are in the constant habit of
using, were it necessary; suffice it to say, that at the present time we
use nothing else than simple means.