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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$AF BP Bb NM BD hr & when dry,.any more inflameable.where the Tar had pafled than in othey parts which, had. not touched:the, Tarwater: nor was the filtriog. paper of the thinner Tar at all difcoloured,. though. that of the fiff was as if {moked, .Whereby we fee how intimately and minutely the Tar is mix- ed with the water: and fince. water conveys,fo much Tar. through: she filter, no wonder .is thould alfo be a vehicle to convey great quantities of [the fudtile parts of} Tar into the blood, as well as the medicinal virtue alfo into.the fineft and remoteft vetlel of ‘the body, in the fame manner shat, the virtues of mineral waters are conveyed : and. Tar thus minutely divided and blended ina great quantity of water, will be much lefs heating. than..a like quantity .of ‘Lartaken by itfelf, as is evident from many. like ipftances. eer) “That there is a qwater which feparates from Tar fome time after the ‘Tar is made fat.the kiln] and that in fuch quantities, astolay 3 or 4 inches deepon-the Tar: and,this water, which is fo ftrongly impregnated with the atid fpirit: as to ferment. with chalk, is drank. by the Ameri- $4Ns,,a3- a Cure for, fome, of their maladies. _ “ That as Tar, by ftirring, becomes of a lighter Brown colour ; fo. it will recover its darker colopr. by. flanding, and that fooner, if warmed. “ That as he made, both Zar and Turpentinewaters with {weet raix water, in which were water gnats. and other infecis; {o it was very ob- fervable that the evazer- gnats. ‘died in 6 or 8 hours, and the other Juall in- feGs in 30 or 40 hours, in Tarwater; yet neither of them were killed in the-ftrongelt.Turpentinewater which he made, but continued brifk and lively. for jeveral weeks; and yet we cannot thence infer that Tarwater is-pernicious to mankind. . _ © That Tarawater has phidaabted! y proved 2 an, eflicacions remedy in many: ‘cafes. and infances. And whereas in fome cafes itis obferyed by ‘phyficians.to be #oo inflammatory ; 3 that heating guality. may be abated by the following methods. propofed-by ingenious Mr. Reid. Mr. Reid’s traGtis intiged, ** 4 detter to the Rev. Dr. Hales, concerning the; nature of Tar, and a method of obtaining sts medical virtues, Sree from ae hurtful oils, &c.—-Dated London, March 25, 1747,” and therein he tells us,. . ‘ That Tap-water has of, hate obtained fuch a reputation, as to be ef- teemed by many little lefs than a uxiverfal medicine. That though ‘the number and variety of cures performed by it are equally ungucilionable and furprizing, and he is far from the leait iaclination-to depreciate thofe virtues from which fo many have received benefit, yet there want neither arguments nor examples to jattify a fufpicion, that in feveral cafes -Tar- water is capable of doing Jarm, when either prepared or ufed impreperly, “* That the gro/s, refinous parts of the Tar can communicate nothing to cold water but what is hurtful: on which principle it is agreed that Tarwater fhould not be madetwice of the fame Tar. That the” light etherealoils {thereof} are fo fiery, cauliicand inflammatory, that they cannot be fafely adminiftered internally without as much Caution as is necefMlary to effential oils : aad itis accordingly agreed that they ought to be feparated by dkimiming or filtering. That the deuvy, gros, balf. ‘burnt oils and gums, which i nk tothe bottom of the Tarwater, or of the acid juice, and therewith make . a com-$