MEDICINE.——Almost all that can be done by medicine in this disease, is to relieve the patient when seized with a violent fit. This indeed requires the greatest expedition, as the disease often proves suddenly fatal. In the paroxysm or fit, the body is generally bound; a purging clyster, with a solution of asafœtida, ought therefore to be administered, and if there be occasion, it may be repeated two or three times. The patient’s feet and legs ought to be immersed in warm water, and afterwards rubbed with a warm hand, or dry cloth. Bleeding, unless extreme weakness or old age should forbid it, is highly proper. If there be a violent spasm about the breast or stomach, warm fomentations, or bladders filled with warm milk and water, may be applied to the part affected, and warm cataplasms to the soles of the feet. The patient must drink freely of diluting liquors, and may take a tea-spoonful of the tincture of castor and of saffron mixed together, in a cup of valerian-tea, twice or thrice a-day. Sometimes a vomit has a very good effect, and snatches the patient, as it were, from the jaws of death. This however will be more safe after other evacuations have been premised. A very strong infusion of roasted coffee is said to give ease in an asthmatic paroxysm. In the moist asthma, such things as promote expectoration or spitting ought to be used; as the syrup of squills, gum ammoniac, and such like. A common spoonful of the syrup, or oxymel of squills, mixed with an equal quantity of cinnamon-water, may be taken three or four times through the day, and four or five pills made of equal parts of asafœtida and gum-ammoniac, at bed-time[144]. For the convulsive or nervous asthma, antispasmodics and bracers are the most proper medicines. The patient may take a tea-spoonful of the paregoric elixir twice a-day. The Peruvian bark is sometimes found to be of use in this case. It may be taken in substance, or infused in wine. In short, every thing that braces the nerves, or takes off spasm, may be of use in a nervous asthma. It is often relieved by the use of asses milk; I have likewise known cows milk drank warm in the morning have a very good effect in this case. In every species of asthma, setons and issues have a good effect; they may either be set in the back or side, and should never be allowed to dry up. We shall here, once for all, observe, that not only in the asthma, but in most chronic diseases, issues are extremely proper. They are both a safe and efficacious remedy; and though they do not always cure the disease, yet they will often prolong the patient’s life. CHAP. XLI. OF THE APOPLEXY.