Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

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{landing, fcarce yields to the cortex ; or if it appears
at length fubdued, yet the patient does not recover his
firengdi, and fpon fuffers a relapfe. The ufe of the
bark is begun at the end of a paroxyfm, and repeated,
in the quantity of half a dram (more or lefs, 'according
to the circumdances of the patient) every third or
fourth hour during the intermiffion : where the fever
is of the bilious kind, and accompanied with great
heat, a little nitre is joined : in all cafes, moderate
exercife generally promotes its effedh At firft, it u-
fualiy loofens the belly, and fometimes operates as if
a cathartic had been taken ; and by this means fup-
plies the omiffion of evacuations before its exhibition :
if the purging continues, the medicine does not anfwer
the purpofes intended by it: in fuch cafe, a little opi¬
um is added, which .effectually fuppreffes the flux : if
after this the patient continues too coftive, recourfe is
had to glyflers. The loofenefs, however, ought not
tolbe flopt too foofl : on the contrary, where the bark
does not itfelf produce this effedt, it is neceffary, as
Dr Mead informs us, to join to it a little rhubarb, fo
as to occafion for a time two ftools a day; by this
means the difeafe is more effectually cured, and lei's
fubjeCt to be followed by a dropfy, or ill habit of bo¬
dy : after a dram or two of rhubarb have been taken,
it is to be difcontinued, and the bark exhibited by it¬
felf! After the fever has been removed, the medicine
is continued for fome time longer, to prevent a relapfe ;
and evacuations, unlefs abfolutely neceffary, abftained
from. The difeafe is neverthelefs feldom completely
cured before fome very confiderable evacuation, either
by ftool, urine;, or perfpiration, enfues : if this does
not fucceed fpontaneoufly, cathartics, diuretics, or
diaphoretics, are given in conjunction with the bark ;
otherwife the patient continues weak, and without ap¬
petite, till either the difeafe returns, or changes into
one of a different kind.
In fymptofnatic agues, heCtic and purulent fevers,
cacochymic habits, and where the hypochondres are
fwelled and diftended, this medicine is improper, and
for the moff part prejudicial. Its manifeft aftringency
forbids its ufe in obftruCtions of the abdominal vifcera,
or fuppreflion of any critical evacuation ; until the ob-
ftrnChori is firft removed, or tlje evacuation had its due
courfe.
In acute, inflammatory, or malignant fevers, the
bark does hot feem to have any good effeCl, Never¬
thelefs, in the decline of long nervous fevers, or after
a remiffion, when from bad habit, old age, fatigue, or
the like, the patient is extremely weak, and the pulfe
low, the cortex proves a medicine of excellent fer-
vice ; provided that there is no extravafation, that the
teffels remain entire, and pus is not already formed.
Peruvian bark has likewife been found eminently fer-
viceable in gangrenes and mortifications, proceeding
either from an internal or external caufe. In all the
cafes of this kind, where it proved fuccefsful, it oc-
cafioned a kind fuppuration, which degenerated When
the ufe of the medicine was difcontinued, and again
turned kindly upon refuming it. Some have been <
) GIN
hence induced to try the cortex in variolous cafes,
where either the puffules did not rightly fuppurate, or
petechiae (hewed a difpofition to a gangrene ; and here
Jikewife it anfwered expectation : the empty veficles
filled with matter, watery fanies changed into thick
white pus, the petechiae became gradually of a pale
colour, and at length difappeared, and the pox began
to turn fooner than was expected.
The bark has been applied likewife, and not with-
out„fuccefs, to the cure of periodic head-achs, hyiteric
and hypochondriac fits, and other diforders, which
have regular intermiflions. By its affringency and a-
romatic quality, it ftrengthens the whole nervous fy-
ftem, and proves ufeful in weaknefs of the flomach,
and fundry chronical diforders, proceeding from too
great laxity of the fibres. In obffinate uterine fluxes,
and old gleets, bark joined with chalybeates has no¬
table effects.
The virtues of Peruvian bark refide chiefly in a re-
finous fubffance, and hence are extracted in perfection
by rectified fpirit. By Itrong coCtion in water, the re-
fin is melted out, and mingled with the water ; which
whillt hot appears tranfparent, but in cooling grovys
turbid, and depofites great part of the refin to the
bottom. Water elevates in diftillation the aromatic
part of the bark; pure fpirit brings over nothing.
Hence an aqueous extract proves not only lefs in quan¬
tity, but likewife inferior in quality to one made with
rectified fpirit. Proof-fpirit extracts the virtues of
this drug in tolerable perfection, in the coldj heat
enables it to take up more than it can retain when
cold. Spirit of fal ammoniac, prepared with fixt al¬
kaline falts, gains very little from the cortex, either
with or without heat : the fpirit prepared with quick¬
lime, and the dulcified fpirit, in a few hours become
ftrongly impregnated with its fmell and Jafte.
The officinal preparations of bark are an extraCI re¬
fin, fpirituous tinClure, tiaCture in volatile fpirit, and
compound tinCture. It is an ingredient alfo in the
ftomachic tinCture.
The fulffances ufually joined with bark in pre-
fcription feem calculated either to promote its efficacy,,
or merely for reducing- it into the intended form j
without much regard to its agreeablenefs, and the con-
veniency of taking it : this is neverthelefs a point of
great confequence, as its tafte, and the quantity which
is neceffary, make the patient too frequently loath it,
before enough has been taken to produce the defired
effeCl. If defigned to be given in the folid form of a
bolus, electuary, <bc. it (hould be made up, not, as is
cuffomary, with fyrups, but with mucilages: with the
former, it flicks about the mouth and fauces, whence
its tafte remains for a confiderable time ; with the lat¬
ter, it paffes freely, fcarce leaving any tafte in the
mouth. Aromatics do not prevent the tafte of the
bark from difcovering itfelf; extraCt of liquorice very
effectually conceals it. The extract of logwood alio,
joined to that of bark, and a proper quantity of mu¬
cilage, form a very elegant and agreeable compofition.
iNCLUS-i in ornithology. SccTringa.
CINCTURE,