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

FARR
of a fliarpfpur. The pain and friarting is one fare fign
to dHtinguifh the farcy from common accidents ; the da¬
ring of the hair, which rtands up like a tuft all round
the buds or blifters, and the matter that ilfues from the
buds, which is always purulent and of a clammy greafy
confidence, are other certain jighs. After bathing with
the mixture above mentioned till the ulcers are imooth
and healing, fliould the dwelling not fubfide, to prevent
the fpreading of the buds, and to difperfe them, bathe
with either of thefe mixtures as far as the centre of the
belly; and at the fame time give a courl'e of antiraonials,
as will prefently be prefcribed.
Take ipirits of wine four ounces, oil of vitriol and
turpentine, of each two ounces, white-wine vine¬
gar, or verjuice, fix ounces.
Or the following:
Take fpirits of wine redtified four ounces, camphor
half an ounce, vinegar or verjuice fix ounces, white
vitriol, difidlved in four ounces of fpring water, one
ounce; *mix together.
/ In the lower limbs the farcy lies fometimes concealed
for a great while, and makes fo flow a progrefs, that it
is often midaken for greafe, or for a. blow or kick, and
goes by the general appellation of ahumour fettled there.
In order to didinguilh the one from the other, we (hall
bbferve that a kick, or bruife, is generally attended with
a hidden fwellihg, or a contufed wound, which for the
mod part digeds eafily : the greafe is alfo a finooth fwell
ing that breaks out above the bending of the paderns back¬
wards ; but the farcy begins on the padern joint ufually
with one bud, and runs upwards, like a knotty crab-tree.
Very Ample means havefometimes flopped it,before it has
begun to fpread; a poultice with bran and verjuice bound
round the part, and renewed once a-day, will often a-
lone fucceed; and if proud flefli fliould arife, touch it
with oil of vitriol, or aqua fortis, an hour before you
apply the poultice ; for when the didemper is local, as we
fuppofe it here, it is tp be Conquered by outward appli¬
cations.
When the didemper grows inveterate, and refids the
above method, and the vefiels continue chorded, Gibfon
recommends the following mixture.
Take linfeed oil half a pint; oil of turpentine and
falt-petre, of each three ounces ;tindhireof euphorbi-
um and hellebore, of each two drams ; the ioldiers
ointment two ounces; or oil of bays, or oil of origa¬
num, half an ounce; double aqua fortis half an
ounce : after the ebullition is over, add two ounces
of Barbadoes tar.
R ub this into the chorded veins, and where-ever there is
a fwelling, once in two or three days ; but if the orifices
are choaked up with proud flefli, or the Ikin fo much
thickened over the ulcers as to confine the matter, in ei¬
ther cafe it is necedary to make an open paffage with a
fmall hot iron, anddedroythe proud flefli, aftei which
it may be kept down by touching with eil of vitiol, aqua
fortis, or butter of antimony. A falve may alfo be pre¬
pared wvh quickfilver and aqua fortis, rubbing any.quan-
tity of the former with enough of the latter, to the con¬
fidence of a liniment; fmear the ulcers with this whene-
Vol. II. No 50. 2
I E R V. 565
ver they appear foul, and you will find i't preferable to
mod other eating medicines.
Our farriers, after opening the buds, put in ufuaHy a
fmall quantity of corrofive fublimate or arfenic, which
they call coring out the farcy; this may anfwer where
the buds are few, and not fituated near large blood-vef-
•fels, joints, or tendons: others ufe Roman vitriol, or fub¬
limate and vitriol, in equal quantities : but let it be re¬
membered, that many a horfe has been poifcnedby thefe
medicines ignorantly ufed, and in too large quantities.
The following balls are proper in every date of the
farcy; and when-the didemper has been in its infancy,
before the fltin was much defaced, has often cured it in
a week or two, by giving them only once or twice a-day:
but in an old farcy they (hould be given for two or three
months together.
Take of native .cinnabar, or cinnabar of artimonv,
eight ounces; long bithwort and gum guaiacum pow¬
dered, of each four ounces: make into a pafle with
honey, and form into balls of the fize of a large
walnut, and roll them into liquorice powder.
The tedioufnefs of this cou-rfe has encouraged the gi¬
ving of 'mercurials ; and indeed where they are direfled
with Ikill, they mud be attended withfuccefs: tbeflron^-
er preparations, as the red and white precipitates, and
turbith, being combined with (harp faline parts, may be
hazardous and injurious; but the latter given in finall
quantities have been found very fuecefsful in fuch kind
of inveterate diforders. Mr Gibfon fays, he has given
it to a dram at a doze, where the limbs have been great¬
ly {welled ; that in forty-eight hours the fores were all
dried up, and the limbs reduced; but that it made the
horfe fo violently fick for feveral days, and fcoured him
to fuch a degree, that it could not be repeated.
One would have thought that the fuccefs attending
this medicine fo fuddenly, might have encouraged Gib¬
fon to have made further trials in fmaller quantities ;
which had he done, it is more than probable he would
not have been difappointed : for the grand fecret in gi¬
ving mercurials as alteratives, is the introducing them into
the bloqd, without operating on the domach and bowels;
and to do this effeftually, they mud be given in fmall
quantities, and fo bridled as to controul their force on
the firfl pafiages; taken in this manner, they will mix
gradually with the blood and juices, and operate both ef-
fedtually and fafely.
Dr Bracken recommends the knots and chords to be
rubbed with the mercurial ointment before they break, in
'order to difperfe them ; and after breaking, todre'fs the
fores with equal parts of Venice turpentine and quickfil¬
ver : if by thefe means the mouth fliould become fore,
mat as above.—This method feems to be effectual with
proper ^care.
The following is alfo recommended by the fame gen¬
tleman :
Tak-e butter of antimony and bezoar mineral, of each
one ounce; beat up with half a pound of cordial
• ball, and give the bignefs of a walnut, or three
quarters of an ounce, every day for two or three
weeks, fading two or three hours after it.
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