Materia medica, or, Pharmacology and therapeutics (Volume 1, Part 2).

  • Tully, William, 1785-1859.
Date:
1857-58
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Materia medica, or, Pharmacology and therapeutics (Volume 1, Part 2). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The most certain and effectual Diaphoretic or Hidrotagogue in the materia medica is likewise the most important Narcotic. Here I intend Papaver. Camphor is perhaps second only to 1 a- paver ; and probably Wine and Alcohol come next. The degree both of their Narcotic.and Diaphoretic powers is in the order in which I have mentioned them. I know of no Narcotics that are Blennagogne or Emmcnagogue, except as a part of an Adenagic operation. Indeed, as I inculcate else where, probably no true Blennagogues or Emmenagognes are at present known ; though of late, one or two of the latter (as is supposed) have been discovered. This however I do not thmk has been fully proved, though perhaps it may yet be. I do not know that any body has ever supposed that an Ecbolic power is identical with a Narcotic power, though at one time I almost imagined that such wTould prove to be the fret, provided the Erethistics should still be reckoned as Narcotics, which however I do not think they can possibly be, with any shadow of propriety. I was first led to this suspicion (as I think it may be so called) by the following facts. Some of the Ecbolics are such, by virtue merely of a Narcotic power, the several parts of which are of the peculiar character, that I have already described. At least so it seems to me. What the progress ot discovery may develope in regard to this subject, of course I can not tell. I have found the same true of the Erethistics. I think it constitutes the strongest argument within my knowledge for reckoning the Erethistics as Narcotics, that, like the Narcotics, they should be capable of pro- ducing Spasms or Convulsions, and that those which produce Spasms or Convulsions of the common sort; and as a primary part of their operation, and in the muscles of involuntary motion, in preference to the muscles of voluntary motion, and in those de- pendent upon the nerve of chimical action, nutrition and repro- duction, in preference to those dependent upon the nerve of ex- pression, should be Ecbolics. At present, several articles are reckoned by some physicians as Ecbolics (though I think they have not yet been proved to be such) which are certainly not Nar- cotics ; and I know of no facts which contribute to prove them Erethistics. I am not apprised that Errhine and Esstomatic powers have ever been confounded with Narcotic powers, though the most