A letter to a friend, concerning the epidemic fever of April and May, 1778, in York and its neighbourhood. Containing the history of the disease, and the author's method of treatment, with a few useful hints how to prevent it / By Thomas Withers, M.D.

  • Thomas Withers
Date:
[1778?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to a friend, concerning the epidemic fever of April and May, 1778, in York and its neighbourhood. Containing the history of the disease, and the author's method of treatment, with a few useful hints how to prevent it / By Thomas Withers, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/38 (page 21)
    { ar ] In feveral cafes of this Fever, when my patient was xifing a falipe mixture in the day, I have prefcribed the following draught at night, with a view to fiimi— nifti febrile anxiety, and to bring on a gentle moifture upon the fkin, but without any increafe of external heat. Thebaic tin£f ure, fifteen or twenty drops $ Common water, ten drams ; Tartar emetic, a quarter or half of a grain; Spirituous alexeterial water, one dram and a half; Simple fyrup, two fcruples. This draught is not given while any general inflam¬ matory fymptoms remain; but afterwards I have fre¬ quently ufed it, and not without fuccefs. I muff ob- ferve too, that in local irritations, whether from ca¬ tarrh or rheumatifm, which are often complicated with this Fever, opium, after proper evacuations, by blood¬ letting and purgatives, is frequently indicated. In cafe of a catarrh, with a conftant tickling cough, which difturbs the patient’s reft at nights, the above draught of the thebaic tindlure and tartar emetic is ufeful. It may fometimes be given with advantage without the tartar emetic, when we are afraid of the patient’s vo¬ miting. In the rheumatifm, along with this Fever, the draught with the tartar emetic is often fervice- able, in mitigating the pains, and promoting perfpira- tion. For the fame intention too, I fometimes give the following bolus at bed-time, and repeat it every other night for three or four times fucceflively, de¬ firing the patient to take no liquids for an hour after it, left vomiting Ihould be excited, and the medicine be reje&ed from the ftomach. Dover’s