Mrs. M---- G----, AEt. 64. Has had sore legs for these thirty-four
years past. Orthopnoea. Sense of oppression at the proecordia.
Pulse intermitting. Legs anasarcous. Urine scanty, high-coloured.
_Infus. Digital. c. [Symbol: dram]iss ad aq. bull. [Symbol: ounce]viii.
cochl. ii. 4tis horis._
Took six doses, when nausea was excited. Urine a quart during the
course of the night. The flow of urine continued, and complaints
relieved. Sal. Mart. c. extr. gent. and afterwards with the addition
of extr. cort. for which last ingredient she had a predilection,
confirmed the cure.
On the same day the next year I was called in to her for a similar
train of symptoms, excepting that the pulse was but just perceptibly
irregular.
_Infus. Digital. u. a. praescript._
The directions on the phial not being attended to, _two doses of it
were given after a nausea had been excited_, which, with occasional
vomitings, became exceedingly oppressive. A saline draught, given in
Dr. Hulme's method, a draught _sal. c. c. gr. xii. c. conf. card. gr.
x._ produced no immediate effect, but the nausea gradually abating,
inf. bacc. junip. was ordered; but this appeared to augment it, and a
great propensity to sleep coming on, I directed _sal. c. c. conf.
card, aa gr. viii. 4tis horis_, which removed the unpleasant symptoms
and _myrrh. c. sal. mart._ completed the cure. During the use of the
above medicines, the urine was augmented, and the pulmonary complaints
removed, even before the nausea left her; and the sores of her legs
which were much inflamed before she began with the infus. Digital. in
a day's time assumed a much healthier appearance, and on her other
complaints going off, they shewed a greater tendency to heal than she
had ever observed in them for twenty years before. This instance is a
very pleasing confirmation of the experience of Hulse and Dr. Baylies,
and of the advantage to be derived from a medicine, which, while it
helps to heal the ulcers, removes that from the constitution which
often renders the healing of them improper.
In one case in which I ordered it, the infusion, instead of digesting
three hours as I had directed, was suffered to stand upon the leaves
all night. The consequence was that the first dose produced
considerable nausea.
The two following cases, with which I have been favoured by a
physician very justly eminent, convince me of the necessity there is
that every one who discovers a new medicine, or new virtues in an old
one, should, in announcing such discoveries, publish to the world the
exact manner in which he exhibits such medicines, with all the
precautions necessary to obtain the promised success.
In these (says my correspondent) "the infusion was given in
small doses, repeated every hour or two, till a nausea was
raised, when it was omitted for a day or perhaps two, and
then repeated in the same manner.
"An ASCITES emptied by it, but filled again very speedily,
though _its use was never discontinued_, and who afterwards
found no salutary effects from it. Ended fatally.
"In an ANASARCA it sometimes increased the quantity of urine,
and abated the swelling, but which as often returned in as
great a degree as before, though _the medicine was still
given_, and always increased in quantity so as to excite
nausea. Ended fatally.
"I have tried it in many other cases, but found very little
difference in the success attending it."
May we not be allowed to conjecture that the inefficacy of _its
continued use_ is owing to its narcotic property gradually diminishing
the irritability of the muscular fibres of the absorbents, or possibly
of the whole vascular system, and thus adding to that weakened action
which seems to be the cause of the generality of dropsies, which leads
us to caution the medical experimenter against trying it, at least
_against its continued use, even in small doses_, in other diseases of
diminished energy, as continued fever, palsy, &c.