An Account Of The Foxglove And Some Of Its Medical Uses Part 9

CASE Lx.x.xI.

_October_ 28th. Mr. B----, aet. 33. Had drank an immense quant.i.ty of mild ale, and was now become dropsical. He was a l.u.s.ty man, of a pale complexion: his belly large, and his legs and thighs swollen to an enormous size. I directed the Infusion of Digitalis, which in ten days completely emptied him. He was then put upon the use of steel and bitters, and directed to live temperately, which I believe he did, for I saw him two years afterwards in perfect health.

CASE Lx.x.xII.

_November_ 14th. Mr. W----, of T----, aet. 49. A l.u.s.ty man, with an asthma and anasarca. He had taken several medicines by the direction of a very judicious apothecary, but not getting relief as he had been accustomed to do in former years, he came under my direction. For the s.p.a.ce of a month I tried to relieve him by fixed alkaly, seneka, Dover's powder, gum ammoniac, squill, &c. but without effect. I then directed Infusion of Digitalis, which soon increased the flow of urine without exciting nausea, and in a few days removed all his complaints.

1782.

CASE Lx.x.xIII.

_January_ 23d. Mr. Q----, aet. 74. A stone in his bladder for many years; dropsical for the last three months. Had taken at different times soap with squill and gum ammoniac; soap lees; chrystals of tartar, oil of juniper, seneka, jallap, &c. but the dropsical symptoms still increased, and the dysuria from the stone became very urgent. I now directed a dram of the Fol. Digit. siccat. in a half pint infusion, half an ounce to be given every six hours. This presently relieved the dysuria, and soon removed the dropsy, without any disturbance to his system.

CASE Lx.x.xIV.

_January_ 27th. Mr. D----, aet. 86. The debility of age and dropsical legs had long oppressed him. A few weeks before his death his breathing became very short, he could not lie down in bed, and his urine was small in quant.i.ty. A wine gla.s.s of a weak Infusion of Digitalis, warmed with aromatics, was ordered to be taken twice a day.

It afforded a temporary relief, but he did not long survive.

CASE Lx.x.xV.

_January_ 28th. Mr. D----, aet. 35. A publican and a hard drinker.

Ascites, anasarca, diseased viscera, and slight attacks of haemoptoe.

A dram of Fol. Digital. sicc. in a half pint infusion, of which one ounce was given night and morning, proved diuretic and removed his dropsy. He then took medicines calculated to relieve his other complaints. The dropsy did not return during my attendance upon him, which was three or four weeks. A quack then undertook to cure him with blue vitriol vomits, but as I am informed, he presently sunk under that rough treatment.

CASE Lx.x.xVI.

_January_ 29th. Mrs. O----, of D----, aet. 53. A constant and distressing palpitation of her heart, with great debility. From a degree of anasarca in her legs I was led to suspect effusion in the Pericardium, and therefore directed Digitalis, but it produced no benefit. She then took various other medicines with the same want of success, and about ten months afterwards died suddenly.

CASE Lx.x.xVII.

_January_ 31st. Mr. T----, of A----, aet. 81. Great difficulty of breathing, so that he had not lain in bed for the last six weeks, and some swelling in his legs. These complaints were subsequent to a very severe cold, and he had still a troublesome cough. He told me that at his age he did not look for a cure, but should be glad of relief, if it could be obtained without taking much medicine. I directed an Infusion of Digitalis, a dram to eight ounces, one spoonful to be taken every morning, and two at night. He only took this quant.i.ty; for in four days he could lie down, and soon afterwards quitted his chamber. In a month he had a return of his complaints, and was relieved as before.

CASE Lx.x.xVIII.

_January_ 31st. Mrs. J----, of S----, aet. 67. A l.u.s.ty woman, of a florid complexion, large belly, and very thick legs. She had been kept alive for some years by the discharge from ulcers in her legs; but the sores now put on a very disagreeable livid appearance, her belly grew still larger, her breath short, her pulse feeble, and she could not take nourishment. Several medicines having been given in vain, the Digitalis was tried, but with no better effect; and in about a month she died.

CASE Lx.x.xIX.

_February_ 2d. Mr. B----, aet. 73. An universal dropsy. He took various medicines, and Digitalis in small doses, but without any good effect.

CASE XC.

_February_ 24th. Master M----, of W----, aet. 10. An epilepsy of some years continuance, which had never been interrupted by any of the various methods tried for his relief. The Digitalis was given for a few days, but as he lived at a distance, so that I could not attend to its effects, he only took one half pint infusion, which made no alteration in his complaint.

CASE XCI.

_March_ 6th. Mr. H----, aet. 62. A very hard drinker, and had twice had attacks of apoplexy. He had now an ascites, was anasarcous, and had every appearance of a diseased liver. Small doses of calomel, Dover's powder, infusum amarum, and sal sodae palliated his symptoms for a while; these failing; blisters, squills, and cordials were given without effect. A weak Infusion of Digitalis, well aromatised, was then directed to be given in small doses. It rather seemed to check than to increase the secretion of urine, and soon produced sickness.

Failing in its usual effect, the medicine was no longer continued; but every thing that was tried proved equally inefficacious, and he did not long survive.

CASE XCII.

_May_ 10th. Mrs. P----, aet. 40. Spasmodic asthma of many years continuance, which had frequently been relieved by ammoniac.u.m, squills, &c. but these now failing in their wonted effects, an Infus.

of Fol. Digitalis was tried, but it seemed rather to increase than relieve her symptoms.

CASE XCIII.

_May_ 22d. Mr. O----, of B----, aet. 61. A very large man, and a free liver; after an attack of hemiplegia early in the spring, from which he only partially recovered, became dropsical. The dropsy occupied both legs and thighs, and the arm of the affected side. I directed an Infusion of Digitalis in small doses, so as not to affect his stomach.

The swellings gradually subsided, and in the course of the summer he recovered perfectly from the palsy.

CASE XCIV.

_July_ 5th. Mr. C----, of W----, aet. 28. Had drank very freely both of ale and spirits; and in consequence had an ascites, very large legs, and great fulness about the stomach. He was ordered to take the Infusion of Digitalis night and morning for a few days, and then to keep his bowels open with chrystals of tartar. The first half pint of infusion relieved him greatly; after an interval of a fortnight it was repeated, and he got well without any other medicine, only continuing the chrystals of tartar occasionally. I forgot to mention that this gentleman, before I saw him, had been for two months under the care of a very celebrated physician, by whose direction he had taken mercurials, bitters, squills, alkaline salts, and other things, but without much advantage.

CASE XCV.

_March_ 6th. Mrs. W----, aet. 36. In the last stage of a pulmonary consumption, took the Infus. Digitalis, but without any advantage.

CASE XCVI.

_August_ 20th. Mr. P----, aet. 43. In the year 1781 he had a severe peripneumony, from which he recovered with difficulty. At the date of this, when he first consulted me, the symptoms of hydrothorax were pretty obvious. I directed a purge, and then the Infusum Digitalis, three drams to half a pint, one ounce to be taken every four hours. It made him sick, and occasioned a copious discharge of urine. His complaints immediately vanished, and he remains in perfect health.

CASE XCVII.

_September_ 24th. Mrs. R----, of B----, aet. 35, the mother of many children. After her last lying in, three months ago, had that kind of swelling in one of her legs which is mentioned at No. VIII. XXVI, and x.x.xI. A considerable degree of swelling still remained; the limb was heavy to her feeling, and not devoid of pain. I directed a bolus of five grains of Pulv. Digitalis, and twenty-five of crude quicksilver rubbed down, with conserve of cynosbat. to be taken at bed-time, and afterwards an Infusion of red bark and Fol. Digitalis to be taken twice a day. There was half an ounce of bark and half a dram of the leaves in a pint infusion: the dose two ounces.

The leg soon began to mend, and two pints of the infusion finished the cure.

CASE XCVIII.

_September_ 25th. Mr. R----, aet. 60. Complained to me of a sickness after eating, and for some weeks past he had thrown up all his food, soon after he had swallowed it. He had taken various medicines, but found benefit from none, and had tried various kinds of diet. He was now very thin and weak; but had a good appet.i.te. As several very probable methods had been prescribed, and as the usual symptoms of organic disease were absent, I determined to give him a spoonful of the Infusion of Digitalis twice a day; made by digesting two drams of the dried leaves in half a pint of cinnamon water. From the time he began to take this medicine he suffered no return of his complaint, and soon recovered his flesh and his strength.

It should be observed, that I had frequently seen the Digitalis remove sickness, though prescribed for very different complaints.