Doron medicum, or, A supplement to the new London dispensatory in III books : containing a supplement I. to the materia medica, II. to the internal compound medicaments, III. to the external compound medicaments : compleated with the art of compounding medicines ... / by William Salmon ...

CHAP. XIII. Of the Accidental Virtues of Medicaments.

1. THE Accidental Vertues of Medi∣caments, are the Complements of the Essen∣tial.

Thus, A Medicine essenti∣ally provokes Ʋrine; it there∣fore essentially cures the Stran∣guria, &c. But by accident it helps the Dropsie, because it is a watery Disease.

2. Therefore Medicines are considered in the Cure of Diseases under a twofold Notion, to wit, as they ei∣ther alter, or resist Poyson, or purge.

3. Altering Medicines are considered, first, as they change the Temperature; secondly, as they ease Pain; thirdly, as they restore some∣thing that is lost.

4. Those which alter the Temperature, do it by their Contrariety in Heat, or Cold∣ness, Moisture, or Dryness; and so make soft, relax, rari∣fie, open, bind, draw, reper∣cuss, discuss, cleanse, &c. and all this, as they are appro∣priated to the Head, Breast, Heart, Stomach, Liver, Spleen Reins, Womb, Joynts.

5. Those which ease pain, do it by Sympathy, as all warming things which are called Anodyns: or, by Anti∣pathy, as all cold things which are called Narcoticks.

6. Those which restore some∣thing are called Analepticks, which are such things as ei∣ther increase Flesh, called Sar∣coticks, as in Wounds and Ulcers; or add Strength and Magnitude to the body, or some of it's parts, as in Con∣sumptions; which last, are only properly called Analep∣ticks, or Restauratives.

7. Medicines resisting Poy∣son, commonly called Alexi∣pharmicks, or Counter Poy∣sons, are such as either defend the Heart and Vessels against the force of the Poyson, as Mithridate, Treacle, Virgi∣nian Snake-root, Contra∣yerva, Salt of Vipers, Liver of a Mad Dog, &c. Or else such as, by Antipathy, destroy the Nature and Essence of the Poyson, as Salt of Tartar, and indeed all Alcalies: or the Oyls of Sulphur and Vitriol, and all the greater Acids, as they are opposite to the na∣ture of the Poyson.

8. Purging Medicaments are considered as they evacuate, 1. By Stool. 2. By Vomit. 3. By Urine. 4. By Sweat 5. By the Nose. 6. By the Pal∣lat.

9. Those which evacuate by Stool, cure Diseases of the Humors, Belly, and Joynts: Those by Vomit, Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, Spleen, Gall, Joynts, and habit of the body. By Ʋrine, Disea∣ses of the Reins, Bladder, and Abdomen. By Sweat, Diseases of the whole body, universal Corruptious, ma∣lign Fevers, Plague, Poyson. By the Nose, Diseases of the Head, as Apoplexes, Lethar∣gies, Frensie, Madness, Epi∣lepsie, Vertigo, Megrim, Head-ach, Sleepiness, Con∣vulsions, Palsies, Catarrhs. By the Pallat, Diseases of the Lungs, Liver, Spleen, Bones, Joynts, Diseases oecult, ma∣lign, and poysonous.

10. Therefore consider the places where Diseases lodge, the Humors from whence they come, the Tem∣perature that they have, the Effects that they produce, and the Symptons by which they

are known: and so accord∣ing as a Medicine is said to be either appropriate to that part, depress that humor, al∣ter that Temperature, destroy those Effects, or abate those Symptoms, either in part, or in whole; so shall the Medi∣cine be said to be accidentally helpful in, or good against the Disease afflicting.

11. Hence the essential Vir∣tues vf Medicines are taken from their Property alone, by Cap. 9. and 10. The Acciden∣tal from their Properties con∣joyned with their Tempera∣tures and Appropriations, by cap. 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8.