An authentic narrative of the success of tar water, in curing a great number and variety of distempers; with remarks ... Carefully abridged / To which are subjoined, two letters from the author of Siris: shewing the medicinal properties of tar water, and the best manner of making it.

Thomas Prior

Date:: 1793

Credit: An authentic narrative of the success of tar water, in curing a great number and variety of distempers; with remarks ... Carefully abridged / To which are subjoined, two letters from the author of Siris: shewing the medicinal properties of tar water, and the best manner of making it. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$ficians, went to England, where he ufed the bath and other waters, without any benefit; upon his re- turn to Jrelazd his diftemper be- came fo violent, that his phyfi- cians were for fending him to Bath again, when, by chance, he met with Siris; this put him on making and drinking Tarwater, which quite recovered him in 6 weeks. Hiscafe was wonderful, his body was all overone continued fore, he was obliged to thift himfelf 4timesa day, and his fhirts ftood on end, fiffened by corruption; his limbs and body were wrapped #P in linen fpread with fuet, to keep any thing from touching him. The fharp humours uled to run through his cloaths on the ground. He could neither digeft, Heep, or ret. The firlt effect of the Tarwater was that an incredi- ble number of blind boils appeared in the fkin over his whole body, bific humour was driven to the outward parts; but by conftane drinking, thefe boils grew milder, and by degrees healed and dried away, fo that in lefs than 6 weeks he was quite eafy. On firfl taking the water, he was very coftive for feveral days, which frightened him, and made him take fome gen- tle opening purge. Bat this rather yetarded his cure, for where the ‘Tarwater throws ont the venom into the fkin, it fhould not be dif- turbed by the revulfion of purga- tives, though fuch cafting out may naturally produce a coftivenefs. It js not to be reckoned a bad effedt, but a good fymptom; it fhews that nature is throwing out the bad hu- mours through the {kin,\and not by ftool ; and when it has Sufficiently done that Painay in which it pught not to be difurbed, the bo- | | dy will naturally return to its usual difcharges. - 96. A letter from Cornelius Town- fend, of Bet fborough, in the Coun- ty of Cork, Efg; O&. 30, 1744. Riek 15 years ago, and about the 32d of my age, after a moft remarkable good itock of health from my infancy, I was firft feized with a violentheart-burn, and foon after had flight fits of the rheum- atifm, which in a few years be- came very violent, and then getting the better of my often envied good conftitution, a moftinveterate fcur- vy appeared, particularly on my temples and forehead ; my fits of the rheumatifm were in the begin- ning irregular, and did not hold above a month or fix weeks at a time, but about eight years ago they became regular, and ufed to con- fine me to my bed during the whole winter and fpring, and al- ways began with a light fever, and terrible head-ach, which generally held for the firft g or 10 days. { have been likewife fubject to a fcurvy in my gums, and in {pire of all my care apt to get cold, which frequently affiéted my langa and glands, and occafioned a deaf- nefs; about 3 years ago I began the ufe of Tarwater, which with- in a month carried off the hearst- burn ; and foon after the fcurvy in my gums, temples, &c. began to leffen, and about that time twelvermmonth was quite gone; it has alfo carried off the inflamma- tion of my glands, and I am not fo apt to get cold, or be very deaf, as formerly ; and when through careleffnefs 1] get either, Lam under no apprehenfion about any ill con- fequences, finding that bone Tar- avater does the bufinefs. My fits~ of the rheumatifm, fince the ufe of Taswater, haye indeed been as te- dious,$