Volume 1

A medicinal dictionary; including physic, surgery, anatomy, chymistry, and botany, in all their branches relative to medicine. Together with a history of drugs ... and an introductory preface, tracing the progress of physic, and explaining the theories which have ... prevail'd in all ages / By R. James.

  • James, R. (Robert), 1703?-1776.
Date:
1743-1745
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A medicinal dictionary; including physic, surgery, anatomy, chymistry, and botany, in all their branches relative to medicine. Together with a history of drugs ... and an introductory preface, tracing the progress of physic, and explaining the theories which have ... prevail'd in all ages / By R. James. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Firft, that Contraries or Oppofites were the Remedies of their Oppofites; that is, if we fuppofe certain tilings oppofite to each other, we mult employ them againft each other. He explains this Maxim in that Aphorilm where he fays, that Evacuation cures the Difeafes which proceed from Repletion, and Repletion thofe which proceed from Evacuation. Thus Heat deftroys Cold, and Cold Heat. In the fecond Place he afferted, that Medicine was no more than an Addition of what was wanting, and a Sub¬ traction or Retrenchment of what was fuperfluous. This Axiom is explained by what Hippocrates fays, when he informs us, that there are certain Juices or Humours, which, on certain Occafions, mult be evacuated, diflodg’d, or dry’d up; and others which mult be recruited, and produc’d afrefli in the Body. As for the Manner of doing this, he cautions us in general, to beware of evacuating, or filling too fuddenly, or too plentifully ; and informs us, that it is dangerous to become fuddenly hot, or fuddenly cold ; fince all Exceffes are prejudicial to Nature. . #! , In the fourth Place Hippocrates afferted, that it was fometimes neceffary to dilate, and fometimes to contract: To dilate and open the Palfages by which the Humours are naturally evacuated, when they are either not fuffi- ciently open, or entirely obftrubted •, and, on the contrary, to brace up the relaxed Paffages, when the Juices which pafs through them ought either not to be evacuated at all, or are actually difeharging in too large a Quantity. He adds, that there are certain Occafions, on yvhich the Phyfician ought to mitigate ; others, on which he ought to indurate •, others, on which he ought to foften ; fometimes he muft attenuate, and fometimes infpiffate; fome¬ times he muft roufe, and give a Stimulus; and fometimes ftupefy, and render void of Senfation ; and all this with regard to the Humours; and the folid Parts of the Body. In the fifth Place he advifes us, to have a particular Regard to the Courfe of the Humours, and diligently to obferve whence they come, and whither they tend ; and in Confequence of this he advifes, that when they tend where they fhould not go, we fhould derive them to fome other Part, and alter their Direction; alnioft in the fame manner in which the Water of a Rivulet is turn’d. Or, upon other Occafions, we muft endeavour to divert thefe Humours, deriving thofe upwards which tend downwards, and thofe1 down wards which tend upwards. This is neither more nor lefs than the modern Doblrines of Derivation and Revulfion. In the fixth Place he obferves, that what muft neceffarily be difeharg’d, ought to be carried off through pro¬ per Paffages. Seventhly, When, fays he, we do any thing according to Reafon, though the Succefs does not always anfwer, yet we ought not too eafily, or too quickly, to change our Method of abling, fo long as our firft Reafon remains in Force. But, as this Maxim may fometimes prove fallacious, the following may be a kind of Limitation and Correction to it. “ We muft,” fays Hippocrates, “ pay a great Attention to that which “ affords Relief, and that which does Injury ; that which the Patient eafily bears, and that which he is not “ able to fiipport.” His ninth Advice is of the greateft Importance. We muft, fays he, do nothing rafhly. We muft fometimes remain at Reft, or without doing any thing. By this means, if we do no Good to the Patient, we a.t leaft do him no Harm. To violent Diforders we muft, according to Hippocrates, apply violent Remedies. What refills the Force of Medicines, the Knife may cure ; what the Knife cannot cure, Fire may relieve ; but what Fire cannot cure, ought to be look’d upon as incurable. In the laft Place Hippocrates advifes againft undertaking delperate Difeafes, fince their Cure is beyond the Force and Power of Medicine. Thefe are the moft general and important Maxims on which Hippocrates founded his Practice ; and molt of them prefuppofe that fundamental Principle he lays down at firft, which is, that Nature herfelf cures Difeafes. . Under the Article Alcali I have given fo full an Account of the Regimen recommended by Hippocrates in acute Diftempers, that it would be fuperfluous to take farther Notice of it in this Place. I lhall therefore pro¬ ceed to the Remedies known and ufed by Hippocrates. Though the more gentle and lenient Cathartics, with which the Arabians and fome others have enrich’d Medi¬ cine fince the Time of Hippocrates, could not be known to him, yet he appears to have been abundantly fenfible, that keeping the Belly foluble, or purging gently, was of the utmoft Importance in the Cure of Difeafes. For this Purpofe he made ufe of a Decoblion of the Herb Mercury, with an equal Quantity of Ptifan, and a fmall Portion of Honey, which he direbts to be given at Intervals. Sometimes he preferibes Cabbage, or its Juice ; and, if this did not anfwer the Intention, the Leaves of Elder. With a View of procuring Stools, he likewife orders a Decoblion of Beet with Honey, and of Cabbage with Salt. But he more frequently recommends Afs’s Milk, and that in fo large a Quantity fometimes, as fixteen Heminae, which is more than eight Pints ; nor does he omit die Milk of Cows, Goats, and Mares. He direbts, moreover, the Ufe of Whey, which he generally orders to be boil’d; and, according to the Interpretation of Schulzius, of a Paffage in his Treatife De Internis Affeftionibus, Buttermilk of Mares Milk. Hippocrates alfo ufed Clyfters and Suppofitories. His Methods of provoking a gentle Vomiting were, to fill the Stomach with fome of the above-mentioned laxative Vegetables, and to make the Patient drink after it a Decoblion of Lentils, with an Addition of Honey and Vinegar ; or to exhibit large Quantities of a Decoblion of Hyffop, with a little Salt or Vinegar ; or of Honey and W ater, with a little Vinegar; and if this did not fucceed, he gave the Patient, fome little time after, a Draught of warm Water. The Draftic^ Purges employ’d by Hippocrates were Hellebore, both black and white ; Peplium, Colocynthis, the Grana Cnidia, Cneorum, Elaterium, Scammony, and Thapfia, which fee under their refpebtive Articles. Hippocrates orders Blood to be taken away on feveral Occafions, and from feveral Parts, as the Arms, the Noftrils, the Forehead, the Occiput, the Veins in the Anus, thofe under the Tongue, and in the Hands; he appears alfo to have been well acquainted with the Ufes of Cupping and Scarification. See Phlebotomia. It does not appear, that he made any great Ufe of Narcotics, or Medicines which induce Sleep ; though in fome few Paffages of his Treatifes of the Diforders of Women, he fpeaks of the Juice of Poppy, as conducive to the Cure of what we now cali Hyfterics. He likewife takes Notice of Mandrake, but cautions againft exhi¬ biting it in Quantities fufficient to caufe Madnefs; and of Henbane. As to fomentations, Baths, Infeffions, Suffumigations, and Gargarifms, he feems to have been perfeblly well acquainted with their Efficacies, and the proper Seafons and Manners of ufing them ; and he lays a particular Strels upon Ointments. I don’t know, that he any-where mentions Plaifters ; but inftead of thefe he frequently directs Cataplafms, in Cafes where we, perhaps, might find them preferable to Plaifters. .There is fomething too ridiculous in the Notion entertain’d by fome of Hippocrates being an Adept in Chy- miitry, to require a ferious Examination. When Venefebtion, and the Ufe ol Purgatives, which were the two principal and moft general Means ufed by Hippocrates for diminifhing the Superfluity of the Blood and Humours, were not fufficient for that Purpofe, he f theft 4