had learned (as he said) from his Mafter, the famous Malpighi.

When the Circulation is once quite stopped, nothing can restore it, which would be the fame thing as restoring a dead Man to Life, and in Proportion, as the Circulation of the Blood is obftructed, the Body is difordered. Total Obftruction is Death; partial Obftruction is Difeafe. The Polypus therefore is always hurtful, if not mortal. It is, indeed, matter of ferious Reflexion, that we may probably carry about with us a Principle of Death, always at work within, and of a Nature fo violent and fudden in its Effects, fo hard to come at, and fo difficult to fubdue.

It may well be thought at first View, a vain Undertaking, to attempt to diffolve a fleshy or membranous Subftance, fo latent and inacceffible, by common Means or Medicines. But, as Tar-Water hath been undoubtedly known to diffolve and difperfe Wens, and other fleshy or membranous Tumours, in the outward Parts of the Body *, having been drank and circulated with the Blood, it should feem by a Parity of Reason, that it may also dif folve and put an End to thofe Concretions that are formed in the Ventricles of the Heart or Blood Veffels, and fo remove one great Cause of Apoplexies and fudden Death; and what cures may prevent. I have been the longer on this Subject, for the fake of many who lead fickly Lives, as well as feveral who are fnatched away by untimely Death.

Univerfally, in all Cafes where other Methods fail, I could with this of Tar-Water was tried. It hath been fometimes known, that the most inveterate Head-aches, and other nervous Disorders,

See the Effects of Tar. Water, Sect 228, and 229.

that would yield to no other Medicine, have been cured by a Course of Tar- Water, regularly and constantly pursued.

Wherefoever pure Blood or Plenty of Spirits are wanting, it may be concluded from manifold Experience, that Tar-Water is of fingular Benefit. Several Perfons have acknowledged themselves to be much fitter to go through Business or Study from the Use of it.

Nor is it only medicinal to human Kind: it is alfo of no fmall ufe in the Curing of brute Animals. It hath been tried on several Kinds, particularly with great Succefs in the late epidemical Diftemper of our Horfes. And I have been credibly informed, that being drank in plenty, it hath recovered even a glandered Horfe, that was thought incurable.

And as it is of such extensive use, both to Man and Beaft, it should seem, that a Tub of Tar-Water conftantly supplied in a Market-Town, would ferve, in fome fort, for an Hofpital. Many other Drugs are not eafily got, this is every where plenty and cheap; many are of a doubtful Nature, this of known Innocence; others foon perish, this lafts for Years, and is not the worse for keeping. This, in fhort, is a Medicine for the common People, being a safe and cheap Remedy, for fuch as cannot afford to be long fick, or to make use of coftly Medicines.

A Patient who drinks Tar-Water, must not be alarmed at Puftules or Eruptions in the Skin; thefe are good Symptoms, and fhew the Impurities of the Blood to be caft out. It is also not amifs to observe, that, as Tar-Water by its active Qualities doth ftir the Humours, entering the minuteft Capillaries, and diflodging Obftructions, it may happen that this working fhall fometimes be felt in the Limbs,

or

or discharge itself in a Fit of the Gout, which, however disagreeable, proves falutary.

I am credibly informed of feveral strange Conveyances, which Tar-Water hath found out, whereby to discharge Impurities from the human Conftitution. A Perfon who had been in a bad ftate of Health above twenty Years, upon a Course of Tar-Water was thrown into a most extraordinary Fit of an Ague, and from that time recovered a good State of Health. An old Gentleman in the County of Cork, who for a long time had been a Valetudinarian, afflicted with many Infirmities, being advised to drink Tar-Water, found himself relieved, but it produced and foon cured a Pthiriafis or loufy Diftemper, in which the putrid Humours having discharged themselves, left him quite found and healthy.

In a Course of Tar-Water, if any Disorder happens from fome other Caufe, as from Cold, from the use of ftrong Liquors, from a Surfeit, or fuch like Accident, it would not be fair to impute it to Tar-Water; and yet this hath been fometimes done.

The Effects of Vomiting occafioned by Ta Water are not to be apprehended. Some are if couraged from drinking becaufe their Stomachs cannot bear it. But when it takes a turn towards working upwards, Nature, by that very way, hach been often known to carry on the Cure. A worthy Gentleman, Member of Parliament, came into my Neighbourhood, in the Autumn of the Year 1750; he was cachectic and extremely reduced, fo that his Friends thought him near his End. Upon his entering into a Courfe of Tar-War, it produced a prodigious Vomiting, which weakened him much for the prefent; but perfifting to continue the Ufe thereaf

B 3

thereof for about two Months, he was restored to his Health, Strength and Spirits.

Tar-Water is very diuretic, thereby preventing Stone and Gravel, and carrying off by Urine, those Salts that might otherwife occafion Fevers, Rheumatifms, Dropfies, Head-aches, and many other Disorders, if retained in the Blood. Hence, fome have apprehended a Diabetes, from the continued Ufe thereof, but it is fo far from causing a Diabetes, that it hath been known to cure that Difsorder.

The Constitution of a Patient fometimes requireth during a Courfe of Tar-Water, that he take Water and Honey, alfo rosted Apples, ftewed Prunes and other Diet of an opening Kind. A Hint of this is fufficient. If the Reader now and then meets with fome Remarks, contained in my former Writings on this Subject, he may be pleased to confider, I had rather repeat than forget what I think useful to , be known.

Some, endeavouring to difcourage the Ufe of Tar-Water in England, have given out that it may indeed be serviceable in Ireland, where People live on fuch low Diet as four Milk and Potatoes, but it cannot be of the fame Service in England, where Men are accustomed to a more liberal and hearty Food; and indeed it must be owned, that the Peasants in this Ifland, live but poorly, but no People in Europe live better (in the Senfe of Eating and Drinking) than our Gentry and Citizens; and from these the Inftances of Cures by Tar-Water have been chiefly taken. Those who would confine its Ufe to the moift Air and poor Diet of Ireland, may be affured that all over Europe, in France, and Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Holland, Tar-Water works the fame Effects. In both North and South, in Weft and East-Indies, it hath been

ufed

ufed and continues to be ufed with great Success. It hath reached all our Colonies both on the Continent and the Islands, and many Barrels of TarWater have been fent from Amfterdam to Batavia; of all which I have had authentic Accounts. But its Use is no where more confpicuous than at Sea, in curing that Plague of fea-faring Perfons, the Scurvy, as was found in the late Attempt to discover a north-weft Paffage; and (as I doubt not) will be found as oft as it is tried. Every Ship in his Majefty's Navy fhould always have a Veffel of TarWater upon Deck, for the Ufe of the Sailors, both in the Scurvy and other Maladies.

It is indeed a Medicine equally calculated for all Climates, for Sea and Land, for rich and poor, high and low Livers; being, as hath been elfewhere mentioned, a Cordial which doth not heat; a peculiar Privilege this, and of excellent Ufe. That it is a Cordial, is manifeft from its cheering and enlivening Quality, and that it is not heating, is as manifeft, from its fingular Ufe in all Cafes where the Blood is inflamed. As this Medicine imparts a genial friendly Warmth, fuited to the human Conftitution, thofe who pafs through a Course of Tar-Water, would do well not to increase such friendly Warmth to an inflaming Heat, by a wrong Regimen of high-feafoned Food and ftrong Liquors, which are not wanted by the Drinkers of Tar-Water. There is a certain Degree of Heat neceffary to the Well-being and Life of Man. More than this will be uneafy, and this Uneafiness indicates a proper Choice of Diet.

I have myself drank above a Gallon of TarWater in a few Hours, and been cooled and recovered from a Fever by it. So many Inftances of the fame Nature I have known, as would make it evident to any unprejudiced Perfon, that Tar

Water