Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

Practice.
MEDICINE.
/Vpoceno.cs. crude rucrcury cxtmgindied by means of mucilage, or
l—-v ' of mercurial ointment, blended with the yolk of an egg,
and which, when thrown up into the urethra, will act
nearly in the fame manner as balfam of copaiva, or any
other ftimulating injedion. The llimulus of mercury,
however, has often been found of coltflderabie efficacy •,
and in women, when the vagina only was affected, af¬
ter walking the parts well, the cure has been accom-
pliihed by rubbing them repeatedly with mercurial
ointment.
As the gonorrhoea is only a local affeftion, it may
be inferred, that the internal ufe of mercury is unne-
ceffary towards the cure. Very often indeed this com¬
plaint may be removed without having recourfe to mer¬
curials. Sometimes patients have been met with whofe
general health has been greatly impaired by a long con¬
tinued ufe of mercury in fuch cafes, while the original
difeafe, the gonorrhoea, was rendered much worfe by
it. In fome it has degenerated into a gleet, that v'as
cured with extreme difficulty ; in others it has brought
on a variety of dillreffing fymptoms. In cafes of gonor¬
rhoeas, therefore, whenever mercury is adminiftered, it
ought to be, not with a vie w to expedite the cure, but
merely to obviate the dangers of fyphilis. When the
infection is apparently flight, and the inflammation and
the fymptoms trifling, we may proceed without the af-
filtance of mercury, efpecially if the patient be of a
rveak, relaxed, and irritable habit, likely to be injured
by mercurial medicines. On the other hand, when the
difeharge is violent, the inflammation conllderable, or
the feat of the difeafe high up in the urethra, it is per¬
haps the moft prudent plan to give mercurials in fmall
dotes, and in fuch forms as feem the bell adapted to the
conflitution of the patient.
The pilules hijdrargyn, as prepared according to the
receipts inferted in the lail edition either of the Lon¬
don or Edinburgh Pharmacopoeias, in both of which
the mercury is rendered aftive merely by triture, may
perhaps be confidered as one of the mildeft and moft
sfficacious forms under which mercury can be exhibited
by the mouth. Its efficacy will depend on its not ir¬
ritating the boivels, and thus palling off by ftool •, care
muft likewife be taken to prevent its affe<fting the
mouth. Of the chemical preparations of mercury, the
mildeft and leaft irritating is calomel. It may be given
from gr. ift. to gr. iii. at bed-time, occaftonally inter-
poling a mild purgative to prevent it from falivating ;
but in general the mercurial pill juft mentioned is to be
preferred.
When there is no chancre nor bubo, no appearance
in Ihort of fypbilitic infection, it would be improper
to adminifter corrolive fublimate, the mercurius calci-
natus, or any other of the more acrid preparations of
mercury.
After a gonorrhoea proceeding from venereal caufes
has been removed, another kind of running without
pain, called the gonorrhoea mucofa, or gleet, fometimes
remains. Sometimes it arifes from a conftridlion and
excoriation of the urethra, and frequently it is the ef¬
fect of an enlargement and difeafed ftate of the pro-
ftate. In each of thefe cafes, as the gleet is the effeeft
of irritation, the cure will depend on the removal of
the local difeafe that occafions it. But there is ano¬
ther fpecies of gleet that feems to depend chiefly on
relaxation. It is in general free from infection, and
is moft common in thofe who have had long and fre- Obf
quent gonorrhoeas. It is likewife often the effect of a
debilitated habit, from fevere purging, or a long con¬
tinued ufe of mercurials. A difeharge of this kind is
more frequent in women than in men ; or, at lealt, the
fluor albus, after a gonorrhoea, will often be miftaktn
for a gleet.
When there is no reafon to fufpedt remaining con¬
tagion, aftringent inieftions will be of the greateft fer-
vice. It will be neceffary, at the fame time, to attend
to the health of the patient, by employing cinchona,
chalybeate waters, cold bathing, and fuch other reme¬
dies as will tend to flrengthen the fyftem : and indeed
by the ufe of thefe, particularly by the cinchona, Inch
runnings are often fuccefsfully combated in thofe who
from appreheniion of dangerous confequences cannot be
prevailed upon to employ inje&iofts. When there is
no tendency to inflammation, the balfam of coprflva may
be preferibed with advantage in large dofes. Lir Sim¬
mons fays he once faw a complaint of this fort removed
by applying a blifter to the perinseum, after it had re¬
filled a variety of other remedies. In the Medical Ob-
fervations alfo we have an account of-a 'fleet and in-
continence of urme removed at once by a blifter to the
os faerum. In general, however, the other methods
above mentioned will be fufficient to remove it, though
fometimes it will continue for a long time in fpite of all
our endeavours to check it.—Other kinds of gonorrhoea,
in which the femen itfelf is ejedled, efpecially during
fleep, may be cured by tonics and a mild cooling regi-
taen.
Order V. EPISCHESES.
Genus CXXII. OBSTIPATIO. 323
Costiveness.
Obftipatio, Zfrz. 166. Vog. 128. Sag. 221.
Coftivenefs is fometimes occafloned by debility in
dyfpeptic perfons, fometimes it is the effect of rigi¬
dity, and fometimes it is fymptomatic of the colic.
It may proceed from an affe£tion of the liver ; drink¬
ing rough red wines, or other aftringent liquors ; too
much exercife, efpecially on horfeback : it may like¬
wife proceed from a long ufe of cold infipid food, w hich
does not lufficiently ftimulate the inteftines. Sometimes
it is owing to the bile not defeending to the inteftines,
as in the jaundice; and at other times it proceeds from
difeafes of the inteftines themfelves, as a palfy, fpafms,
tumors, &c.
Exceffive coftivenefs is apt to occafion pains of the
head, vomiting, colics, and other complaints of the
bowels. It is peculiarly hurtful to hypochondriac and
hyfteric perfons, as it generates wind and other diltref-
fing fymptoms.
Perfons who are generally coflive Ihould live upon
a moiftening and laxative diet ; as roafted or boiled
apples, pears, ftewed prunes, raiflns, gruels, with cur¬
rants, butter, honey, fugar, and fuch like. Broths
with fpinage, leeks, and other foft pot-herbs, are like¬
wife proper. Rye-bread, or that which is made of a
mixture of wheat and rye together, ought to be ea!en.
No perfon troubled with coftivenefs Ihould eat white
bread alone, efpecially that which is made t>f fine
3 L 2 flour.
451
ipat’o*
392