Should the patient be purged or griped in the night by the mercury, he may take half a dram of the opiate confection dissolved in an ounce of cinnamon-water, to prevent bloody stools, which are apt to happen should the patient catch cold, or if the mercury has not been duly prepared. When the bowels are weak, and the mercury is apt to gripe or purge, these disagreeable consequences may be prevented by taking, with the foregoing pills or bolus, half a dram or two scruples of diascordium, or of the Japonic confection. To prevent the disagreeable circumstance of the mercury’s affecting the mouth too much, or bringing on a salivation, it may be combined with purgatives. With this view the laxative mercurial pill has been contrived, the usual dose of which is half a dram, or three pills night and morning, to be repeated every other day; but the safer way is for the patient to begin with two, or even with one pill, gradually increasing the dose. To such persons as can neither swallow a bolus nor a pill, mercury may be given in a liquid form, as it can be suspended even in a watery vehicle, by means of gum-arabic, which not only serves this purpose, but likewise prevents the mercury from affecting the mouth, and renders it in many respects a better medicine.[2] Footnote 2: Take quicksilver one dram, gum-arabic reduced to a mucilage two drams; let the quicksilver be rubbed with the mucilage, in a marble mortar, until the globules of mercury entirely disappear; afterwards and gradually, still continuing the trituration, add half an ounce of balsamic syrup, and eight ounces of simply cinnamon-water. Two table-spoonfuls of this solution may be taken night and morning. Some reckon this the best form in which quicksilver can be exhibited for the cure of gonorrhœa. It happens very fortunately for those who cannot be brought to take mercury inwardly, and likewise for persons whose bowels are too tender to bear it, that an external application of it will answer equally well, and in some respects better. It must be acknowledged, that mercury, taken inwardly for any length of time, greatly weakens and disorders the bowels; for which reason, when a plentiful use of it becomes necessary, we would prefer rubbing in to the mercurial pills. The common mercurial, or blue ointment, will answer very well. Of that which is made by rubbing together equal quantities of hogslard and quicksilver, about a dram may be used at a time. The best time for rubbing it in is at night, and the most proper place the inner side of the thighs. The patient should sit beside the fire when he rubs, and should wear flannel drawers next his skin at the time he is using the ointment. If ointment of a weaker or stronger kind be used, the quantity must be increased or diminished in proportion.