any,

As to the patient's regimen, it ought to be varied according to his age. Let this be the regimen of very young children. If the the child be weaned, let his pap be well boiled, adding the yolks of eggs to it. Let him abftain from flesh-meat; or, if he eats let it be well feafoned with aromatics, as cinnamon, nutmeg, &c. Let his bed be of ftraw, in which are put chopped or pulverized aromatic plants, as thyme, majoram, or mint. Let him take a little wine, good red wine efpecially, either by itself, or mixed with his ptifan. Let him walk heartily, "or if he can't, he must ride; but if the infant be incapable of either of these exercises by his tenderness, he fhould be well exercifed in his cradle, by frequent and violent jolting. Frictions of the affected parts are also ufed, efpecially of the fpine, with a flannel cloth warmed with the fumes of amber, &c.

The patient should in the next place take an emetic, proportioned to his age, as from one half to one grain of ftibiated foluble tartar, or two grains of the powder of ipecuan. Let this method be taken once a month; for the stagnant humours are put in motion thereby.

thereby. Cathartics are alfo employed, as tincture of rhubarb, exhibited in fome bitter decoction: if the child be older, add fome manna to the former.

As to alteratives, the patient is to begin with diluents, and then proceed to aperitives, which approach to the quality of antifcorbutics. Among the former are maidenhair, ceterach, wall-rue, polytrichum, fcolopendria, and agrimony, with a fufficient quantity of the five aperient roots, to be taken twice a day. These are not only diluents, but also gently aperitive. The following are ftill more aperitive, viz. broths of Ofmund royal, which is accounted very fpecific in this cafe the roots of afparagus, common eringo, butchers-broom, burdock, and capers, as alfo the red tincture, are proper. If you employ thefe, two ounces of each may be taken,

If more antiscorbutic plants are ftill neceffary, order leaves of fcurvy-grafs, beccabunge, fage, ground-pine, and the leffer

centaury.

When the diforder is confirmed, you must have recourfe to more powerful aperi

tives, as preparations of fteel, crocus of mars, aperient tincture, and falt of mars. Of the preparations of mercury, are æthiops mineral, and cinnabar. Of antimony, we may ufe the diaphoretic antimony, and bezoar mineral. To these, add the powders of vipers, and millepedes prepar'd in bolufes, or electuaries, which may be continued for fifteen days, along with the apozemes, &c. abovementioned, at the end of which time, purge the patient, and fufpend your remedies for fifteen days more; then refume them again, and fo on till you come at length by the help of your remedies, and the age of the child, to get the better of the diforder.

Befides the preceding remedies, a decoction of two, three or more, of the woods may be prescribed; but for the patient's ordinary drink, a decoction of china will do bet

ter.

The following remedies are recommended as highly beneficial, by the famous Boyle.

I. Ens veneris, or the flowers of fal ammoniac, and the colcothar of blue vitriol

fub

;

fublimated together. He affures us, that by the help of this remedy from 5 to 15 or 20 grains, he has cured vaft numbers of ricketty children and moreover that it procures fleep; in which refpect we may compare it the fedative falt of Homberg. But though it is a good remedy, yet it falls fhort of these encomiums, and all its virtue is owing to the incifive attenuative quality of the fal am

moniac.

II. Flowers of mars, or fal ammoniac, or the flowers yielded by the fublimation of iron and fal ammoniac together. Their dofe is from 2 to 10 grains: both these remedies correct, and, as it were, bridle the draftic quality of each other.

III. Chalybeate tincture, viz. the filings of iron boiled in vinegar to the confumption of one third of the liquor, and then poured, off by inclination. Thus the pores of the, iron are impregnated with the particles of vinegar. Its dofe is from fix to twenty-fix drops.

To these remedies you may add elixir proprietatis, made without acids, or other elixirs, which are grateful to the ftomach,

1

ftomach, and aperitive at the fame time. Another remedy much in repute for its efficacy, is an infufion of rhubarb, in which are boiled fome pieces of rufty iron.

CHA P. XXVI,

Of the EXTENUATION, or DECAY of
CHILDREN.

THIS diforder frequently happens to

children, rarely to adults. The former are very feeble, reftlefs, pale, and emaciated, fo that they daily pine away.

The disorder commonly terminates in one or another of the following: 1. A languor, exceffive confumption, and fyncope. 2. A colliquative diarrhæa.

3. Dropfies of the head, breast, abdomen, or anafarcas. CAUSES. About 80 years ago, not only the good women, but also most phyficians, as Bergarus, &c. attributed the fource of this disorder to incantation or fafcination, because they could difcover no o

ther