ally dropsical.

A grain of opium was given immediately, and repeated every six hours with
evident and amazing advantage; afterwards a blister, with chalybeates,
bitters, and essential oils, were exhibited, but nothing had such eminent
effect in relieving the difficulty of breathing and coldness of her
extremities as opium, by the use of which in a few weeks she perfectly
regained her health, and has suffered no relapse.

_Ascites._

7. A young lady of delicate constitution having been exposed to great fear,
cold, and fatigue, by the overturn of a chaise in the night, began with
pain and tumour in the right hypochondrium: in a few months a fluctuation
was felt throughout the whole abdomen, more distinctly perceptible indeed
about the region of the stomach; since the integuments of the lower part of
the abdomen generally become thickened in this disease by a degree of
anasarca. Her legs were not swelled, no thirst, water in due quantity and
colour.--She took the foxglove so as to induce sickness and stools, but
without abating the swelling, and was obliged at length to submit to the
operation of tapping.

8. A man about sixty-seven, who had long been accustomed to spirituous
potation, had some time laboured under ascites; his legs somewhat swelled;
his breath easy in all attitudes; no appetite; great thirst; urine in
exceedingly small quantity, very deep coloured, and turbid; pulse equal. He
took the foxglove in such quantity as vomited him, and induced sickness for
two days; but procured no flow of urine, or diminution of his swelling; but
was thought to leave him considerably weaker.

9. A corpulent man, accustomed to large potation of fermented liquors, had
vehement cough, difficult breathing, anasarca of his legs, thighs, and
hands, and considerable tumour, with evident fluctuation of his abdomen;
his pulse was equal; his urine in small quantity, of deep colour, and
turbid. These swellings had been twice considerably abated by drastic
cathartics. He took three ounces of a decoction of foxglove (made by
boiling one ounce of the fresh leaves in a pint of water) every three
hours, for two whole days; it then began to vomit and purge him violently,
and promoted a great flow of urine; he was by these evacuations completely
emptied in twelve hours. After two or three months all these symptoms
returned, and were again relieved by the use of the foxglove; and thus in
the space of about three years he was about ten times