New medical discoveries, with a defence of the Linnaean doctrine and a translation of his vegetable materia medica, which now first appears in an English dress / [Charles Whitlaw].

  • Whitlaw, Charles
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New medical discoveries, with a defence of the Linnaean doctrine and a translation of his vegetable materia medica, which now first appears in an English dress / [Charles Whitlaw]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    29/576 (page 15)
    respect: first, as being neither hot nor cold, and yet may be moist or dry ; secondly, as being neither moist nor dry, and yet may be hot or cold. Their use is, where there are no apparent excesses of the four other qualities, to preserve the body tem¬ perate, conserve strength, and restore decayed na¬ ture. Hot medicaments (and so also cold) are considered in respect of our bodies, and not of themselves ; for those simples are called hot which heat our bodies. Their uses are, first, to make the offending humour thin, to be expelled by sweat, or through the pores; secondly, to help concoction ; thirdly, to warm and comfort the viscera; fourthly, and by outward ap¬ plication to discuss tumours ; fifthly, or raise blis¬ ters, make cauteries, &c., according to the degrees of heat. Cold medicaments are such as cool our bodies, being over-heated by any adventitious or accidental causes. Their uses are, first, to cool the parts or bowels ; secondly, to condense vapours; thirdly, to thicken humours; fourthly, to abate the heat of fevers; fifthly, to refresh the spirits when almost suffocated; sixthly, to allay inflammations; seventh¬ ly, repress sweating ; eighthly, ease violent pains. Drying medicaments are such as dry the parts overflowing with moisture. They are used, first, to stop fluxies; secondly, to comfort and strengthen nature; thirdly, to consume a superfluity of humours; fourthly, to fortify the bowels; fifthly, to restore in consumptions, where great fluxes of the bowels have taken place. Moist medicaments are such as are opposed to dry¬ ing, which moisten, loosen, are lenitive, and make slippery. They are used, first, to moisten an over- dry and constipated habit of body; secondly, to ease coughing; thirdly, to help the roughness of the wind-pipe ; fourthly, to loosen the belly; fifthly, to relax parts contracted or hardened.