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We daily receive complaints that this publication does not reach its subscribers a short distance from Charleston; we can assure them that the papers are regularly But should any not sent to every person. receive the numbers regularly, we will forward them on being informed what numbers are missing. Meantime we wish that postmasters would think of their duty and not suffer papers to rot in the obscure corners of their office.

Our friends may think that this, and the foregoing numbers of the JOURNAL, contain too much law, and not enough of Medicine. It never was our intention to have amalgamated these two subjects in our publication. But we hope this apparent deviation from our original design, will be excused as it is merely incidental. We are much oppressed by the Medical law and we cannot hope to have justice extended to us, unless we proclaim our wrongs. We have endeavored to do so in a candid and dispassionate

manner.

It is not the first time that we have relied on the magnanimity of the people of the South; and we have the satisfaction to know that we have not trusted in vain. We cannot here refrain from acknowledging in this public manner, the feeling of gratitude we owe to our fellow-citizens, for the peace and security we have enjoyed, notwithstanding the proscriptive enactment in favor of the medical aristocrary, and being in sight of the envious sycophants who are armed by this law. We are also compelled, in justice, to say, that,

even among the medical men, we have not found that bitter animosity that has been evinced elsewhere against the Thomsonian System; but, that a large majority of the members of the faculty have extended to us that forbearance and liberality, so characteristic of South-Carolinians.

A sanguine expectation that equal rights will yet be awarded to us, by the Legisla ture, has induced the occupation of so much space in setting forth our grivances. Our friends who dwell under a milder atmosphere, will at once see the necessity which compels us, for the present, to devote so large a portion of our columns to subjects, which though unprofitable to them, are of the utmost importance to us.

THE INSTITUTE OF THOMSONISM. Through the politeness of the author, Dr. WILLIAM HENRY FORNERDEN, of Philadelphia, we have received a little work under the above title. It came too late for us to pursue it before the publication of this number, and we, therefore, cannot yet give an opinion as to its merits. We have no doubt, however, that the task was not greater than the abilities of the author. Dr. FORNERDEN is well known by our Thomsonian brethren as a writer and lecturer, not surpassed by any in the Botanical ranks. It will beremembered also, that he filled the Editorial chair of the Botanic Sentinel with credit to himself and satisfaction to the numer rous readers of that valuable paper, previously to its present talented and erudite Editor, Dr. A. C. DRAPER,

(From the Thomsonian Recorder.) LOBELIA A CATHARTIC. Sir:-As wish to collect facts, I will you state one which I think is rather against the opinion of some Thomsonians. A child about fifteen months old, bad with the dysşentary, had taken raspberry tea, bitter root and kercuma for several days, when its father sent to me for an emetic, which I sent.

He gave two tea-spoonful of composition and nerve power with strong raspberry tea; then the Thomsonia Emetica in small doses, which sickened it very much, but it did not vomit. It then turned down and had a powerful cathartic operation. He then gave it composition and nerve powder, and it went to sleep and got well very fast. This might have been from other causes; but, at least, it favors one thing the learned doctors have said of it, and very possibly they had seen a cathartic operation after the patient had taken lobelia.

Newgate, Ohio.

JOHN TUCKER.

REMARKS.-We have seen several cases in which the bowels instead of the stomach, became active after the exhibition of lobefra. The reason is this: The bowels had been confined and inactive. The whole alvine canal was contracted to fatigue, and relaxation was what was most needed. The lobelia relaxed the stomach as is usual; but still further relaxation, both of the stomach and bowels, was more agreeable to them than reaction. The cayenne and warm teas stimulated to action the viscera which caused their whole contents to pass down, the lobelia relaxing before it, (through nervous influence,) as it descended. The bowels having been constipated, received this relaxation as a greatful relief, from their constricted condition, to which they made no effort to return, till after the offending fœcal mass has been discharged. Hence, when there is little need of vomiting, and much need of relief from the bowels, small doses of lobelia, given at long intervals, will be carried to the bowels (and produce the same relaxing effect there, that they would produce on the stomach,) before the reaction of the stomach which constitutes the vomiting, is disposed to take effect. These facts are among the strongest proofs that lobelia always feeds but never opposes vitality. We remark, too, that general excitement of the system, by cayenne. &c., is calculated to aid a natural discharge from the bowels, which will of course be large and free, if they have been long confined. -ED.

REMARKS ON THE ABOVE.-The fact above stated will not prove that the Lobelia is a cathartic, because, although such in

stances are by no means rare, yet they never happen but under peculiar circumstances. We have repeatedly witnessed such effects resulting from the administration of Lobelia; and yet we have never called it a cathartic, but, on the contrary, we have asserted, and repeat it now, that it is not one and has no such properties.

The digestive organs of children are frequenly out of order, and when this is the case a diarhœa generally follows, and people are too apt to attribute, what has been administered immediately previous to the disease, as a cause of the complaint. This has often lead to very erroneous conclusions. We have no doubt that the stomach of the little sufferer was acid, and we are not told by Dr. TUCKER that he gave any thing to the child to correct this, when the emetic sickened the patient. Now, we are told by Dr. THOMSON that when this is the case the emetic will not operate. This is an inportant fact, and should never be lost sight of when the emetic is administered. We will give a somewhat different explanation of this phenomenon, from Dr. CURTIS, which we think will be more satisfactory, without attributing, what we consider, unwarrantable properties of wisdom and benevolence to the medicine.-We have as much confidence in the Lobilia as a remedy, as any man living, but we are not willing to attribute to it any cogitative agencies. Now then for the explanation. We assume the position that the child's stomach was acid; and we know that this produces an irritation of the mucous membrane; and it secretes more mucous, than when in a healthy state, to shield the organ from the morbid effects of the irritating cause; this too, becomes viciated, and itself a noxious substance. Owing to its acidity, the Lobelia will not produce the vomiting; yet tihas the properties of accumulating still more mucous. Any one

may convince himself of this fact, by chewing some Lobelia, which will never fail to fill the mouth, throat, wind-pipe, &c. with viscid phlegm. In the case above cited the patient had this great quantity of viciated. matter lying in the stomach, and whenever this is the case,a diarrhæ ensues; more particularly in children. Nature make an effort to relieve itself of the unnatural load, and because the Emetic qualities of the Lobelia are neutralized by the acid, and a predisposition existing in the organs to evacuate in the natural way, the matter is thus carried off-which, on its way, deranges the natural state of the bowels, and a "powerful cathartic operation" is produced; not through the agency of Lobelia, but by a mere effort of nature. The offending matter being removed, health is again restored. Another fact must not be lost sight of:When the stomach is deranged, the liver becomes so by sympathy. Bile, too, is secreted in greater abundance, and of various colours, and we know that this fluid has the property of inducing the peristaltic motion of the bowels, without the agency of any other provocative. We think this the only rational explanation of the above phenomenon. Again, Cayenne often proves a severe cathartic by stimulating the bow

els.

A word as regards the explanation of Dr. CURTIS, and we have done. He says "the

bowels had been confined and inactive."We are told above that the child was "bad with dysentery." Now, the people do not always make that rigorous distinction between diarrhea and dysentery that some nosologists do; and indeed, we have never been able to find the precise line of demarcation between the two diseases. It requires proof then, to establish the fact, that "the bowels had been confined and inactive." We do not clearly understand what the Doctor means by saying that "the whole

alvine canal was contracted to fatigue, and relaxation was what was most needed."Again; "The Lobelia relaxed the stomach as is usual." Now, we thought the Lobelia actually contracted the stomach by causing emesis, and by its peculiar effect on the ganglionic system a relaxation was produced "through the nervous influence" afterwards.

Here it appears to us the Doctor has attributed some benevolent cogitative influence to the Lobelia, if we understand the meaning of the passage which follows:"The Lobelia relaxed the stomach, as is usual; but still further relaxation, both of the stomach and bowels, was more agreeable to them than reaction. The Pylorus relaxed, and let pass the Lobelia, which relaxed the lower organs as it generally does the stomach," &c. &c. Again: "The bowels having been constipated, received this relaxation as a grateful relief from their constricted condition." We cannot exactly comprehend the depth of the philosophy of this explanation,-it is too deep for us: but if we catch a glimpse of the light thrown upon the subject, it is this, that the Lobelia, through a benevolent intention, found the stomach contracted, and having information that the bowels were in a similar condition, it knocked at the door of the pylorus, and asked permission to pass after relaxing the stomach, to go and do likewise in the bowels,-which received the kind proffer with the most grateful feelings of obligation. If this be not the idea of the Doctor, we confess ourselves at a loss to comprehend his meaning, and hope he will attribute our construction to stupidity and not to malice. No one has perused with more pleasure, the numerous explanations and advices, given by Dr. CURTIS, than our humble self. But we cannot coincide with him in every point. We still think that the conclusion of the

He

Dr. holds out the idea formed above. says, "Hence, when there is little need of vomiting, and much need of relief from the bowels, small doses of Lobelia given at intervals will be carried to the bowels before the re-action of the stomach, which constitutes vomitting, is disposed to take effect." We are sorry to say that our experience does not confirm the above statements. We have given the Lobelia in small doses and at long intervals, and it has never produced the effects stated by Dr. CURTIS; and in fact, it is this which has induced us to say, with more confidence, that LOBELIA IS NOT A CATHARTIC.

We take the following from the first volume of the Thomsonian Recorder: we have not tried the remedy, and can say nothing from experience upon this. The writer appears to have been well acquainted with the old practice of medicine, as well as the new. We think it is from Dr. Hersey.

CURE FOR THE ERYSIPELAS. "I will just inform you that I have been myself subject to a tedious and unmanageable Erysipelas, and have met with many patients suffering severely by the same complaint. This disease has been frequently called St. Anthony's fire.-Sometimes the Shingles, and sometimes the ROSE. It is a florid efflorescence, or eruption of a fiery humour, on the surface of the body, sometimes on the arms, but more frequently on the face. The old custom has been to bleed liberally, give tartrite of antimony, and, if any external application was used, quick-silver ointment was the common remedy. After I became acquainted with the Thomsonian practice, I distinctly recollected the benefits of Pediluvium; that is, bathing the feet frequently in warm water, and giving warm diluting drinks. These were the remedies that always gave relief. I reasoned from analogy, and determined on steaming, and, a regular course, according to Thomsonian prescription. Notwithstanding the success, the eruptions being sometimes deep seated, and the cuticle, scarf skin peeling off, I

had recourse to an application of an external remedy, which in burns, cutaneous ulcerations of the shins, stinging of bees, wasps, hornets, &c., exceeds all other remedies that I have ever tried. The remedy is simply the Compound Tincture of Benzoine. Sometimes sold under the name of Balsam of life, or Friar's Balsam, or Turlington's Balsam. It may be bought at the Apothecaries, or be prepared by taking of the Benzoine 3 oz.-purified storax, 2 oz.Balsam of Tolu, i oz.-Soctorine Aloes, 1-2 oz., rectified spirits of wine, or alkohol, 2 pints. Let the articles stand and digest, eight or ten days in a warin situation, and then filter for use. When applied to burns eruptions, &c., pour a little into a spoon or cup, and, with a feather, gently bathe the parts affected, repeating every two or three hours for several times. It may be necessary in some cases, to continue the occasional application longer than in others, the parts being deeply affected, will be longer in healing sound. In the interim between steaming (for this ought to be repeated until the complaint subsides) the frequent bathing of the feet, and taking the warming medicines, in no case of Erysipelas must ever be neglected."

DEATH BY BLEEDING AND MOR-
PHINE.
We take following from the Botanic Sen-
tinal of March 16th, 1837.

New-York, March 9th, 1837. An inquest was held on the body of Mrs. Elizabeth McGuire, of 121 Bedford street, who died on Wednesday night, after taking a small dose of tincture of morphine, administered to her by Dr. Hart, a juvenile aspirant to the honours of Galen.

By the evidence of the husband and sister of the deceased, it appears that she felt slightly indisposed on Wednesday morning and Dr. Hart came to see her and bled her. In the course of the day the Doctor paid her a second visit, and told the deceased that he would either BLEED her again or give her a DRAUGHT. The deceased preferred the latter, and her sister fetched it from the Doctor's store. Shortly after the deceased had taken the medicine, she complained of a numbness, of not being able to see, and of feeling a very strange sensation in her head. Dr. Clinton was called in by

the husband of the deceased, and Dr. Hart fetched Dr. Hubbard, a medical friend of his, but notwithstanding their united skill, Mrs. McGuire died the same night. At the request of the Coroner, Dr. K. L. Rogers made a post mortem examination of the deceased, in the presence of the three other medical gentlemen, and they all agreed that the unfortunate lady died in consequence of the medicine. The Jury came to the following verdict:

That the deceased, Eliza McGuire, came by her death in consequence of taking tincture of Morphine while under a peculiar state of temperament. It is necessary to state that only one grain was the quantity prescribed, while the medical witnesses stated, that they had repeatedly given eight grains at a dose, without producing any ill effects!!!

Dr. John Thomson's Stimulating Liniment. To bathe over the body after taking a course of medicine; also to bathe the feet after soaking them in warm water.

This liniment is used in Dr. John Thomson's Infirmary, for the above purpose, (on all persons,) after taking a course of medicine, before leaving the steam room.

Recipe. Take a half pound of the best white soap, shave it fine, then take a balf gallon of whiskey, into which put the soap; simmer it over a fire, stirring it all the time; pour off the liquid, put on the undissolved. soap, a half gallon more of the whiskey, warm and stir as before, and repeat it until you have dissolved all the soap, which will take about two gallons..

Then take two ounces of cayenne, steeped in a pint of hot water, strain it, and add the liqnid with the whiskey and dissolved soap; put the whole in a jug, and boil it two hours in a pot of water, in the manner of making No. 6, keep the jug unstopped boiling.

This liniment may be mixed with equal parts of water to wash the body with.

Recipe for Rheumatism, Sprains, Bruises, &c. &c. Take a quart of No. 6, in which steep from two to four ounces of gum camphor about a week, shaking it several times a day; then add a gill of spirits of turpentine, to which add a quart of the juice of burdock leaves or root, mix it all together,

and keep it in a jug or phials tightly stopped, as it will evaporate if left open. Shake it well each time before using. This I believe to be one of the best compounds ever made for the above purposes.

A Poultice used in Dr. John Thomson's Infirmary, for pains in the side and breast, for cough, consumption, rheumatism, &c. Take a table spoonful of composition powder, two tea-spoonsful of pulverized No. 1 seed, one tea-spoonful of No. 2, two teaspoonsful of nerve powder, one table-spoonful of salt, to which add a gill of No. 3 tea, hot; stew it well; then add a gill of soft soap, and as much of fine slippery elm as will make a consistency for a poultice. Spread this on a cloth sufficient to cover the part affected; put over the face of the poultice a thin gause cloth and apply to the part. When it becomes dry, wet it with the No. 3 tea.

M. PERNIE.

CHAMOMILE. Common chamomile is a native of England, and, on account of the great consumption of its flowers, it would reward cultivation on a large scale in the United States. It is perrennial, and will grow well in poor, sandy soils. All parts of the plant might be converted to medical use, though the flowers are the part made officinal, and of the single ones, known by their yellow disc or centre, are somewhat strongest in their sensible qualities. The taste of chamomile is bitter and aromatic, and its active qualities reside chiefly in extractive matter, and essential oil. Infusion in water extracts the former, and detains a considerable portion of the latter. Taken cold, this infusion is serviceable as a tonic in loss of appetite, cholorosis, &c. It is an antispasmodic, well suited to the nervous debilities of females. Taken warm, in large quantities, it is nauseating, and is common ly employed to aid the operation of emetics. Probably any bitter infusion would do as well. The same remark may apply to the use of chamomile external fomentations and poultices.

When Milton was blind, he married a shrew. The Duke of Buckingham called her a rose. "I am no judge of colors, said Milton, "but it may be so. for I feel

the thorns daily."