First principles of medicine / By Archibald Billing.

  • Archibald Billing
Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First principles of medicine / By Archibald Billing. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    59/142 (page 51)
    ol Tonics are those substances neither immediately calling forth nor repressing actions, but giving power to the nervous system to generate or secrete the nervous influence, in other words making the nervous system stronger, by which the powers of the whole frame are increased, but doing so without any evident phenomena of immediate excitement as by stimulants or of repres- sion as by sedatives. The action of tonics (which can be traced to their effect specifically on the nervous system) is gradual, if therefore there be any sudden alteration of the pulse immediately after their adminis- tration, it must not be attributed to them, as the pulse will vary according to the progress of the disease, as affected by the use or neglect of other remedies, for either the advance of inflammations, or the neglect of other remedies, or the administration of stimulants with tonics, will occasion that hardness of pulse which has usually hitherto been supposed the effect of a stimulant property in the tonic. We have proof enough of the effect of quinine, iron, and arsenic, being direct on the nerves, in neuralgia, &c. There is a palpable analogy between the action of nitrate of silver, sulphate of copper, arsenic, &c. on sores, and their effect on the constitution when intro- duced through the circulating fluids; in either case if used in too great quantity they will do harm, externally instead of constringing and healing they prove caustic, also internally too much is poisonous, but bark or car- bonate of iron which do not produce chemical decom- position are free from the risk of acting as caustics, or poisons. Some tonics then, in excess, as well as stimu- lants and sedatives become poisonous. Arsenic pro-