Way of making it
miscible with Water.

During this Course, the Patients used the common low Diet of the
Hospital; when they loathed the Rice-Gruel, they had Panado with a
little Red Wine and Sugar; or Water-gruel, when it could be got, in
its Place.--Their common Drink was Barley or Rice-water; of which it
was recommended to them to drink plentifully; as nothing contributed
more to the Cure than the free Use of such Liquors, to dilute and
blunt the Acrimony of the Fluids[40]. In some Cases, when the Purging
was violent, and not accompanied with the malignant Fever, the
_decoctum album_ was found to be a good Drink; and we added
occasionally a few Drops of the _tinctura thebaica_.

[40] Dr. _Huxham_ (_de Aere_, Vol. II. p. 107.) says, there
is no Disorder in which a diluting, sweetening Drink is more
necessary than in this; that he has done great Service among
the Poor by luke-warm Water; that, after emptying the Bowels
thoroughly, he has sometimes cured this Disorder by the Use
of pure Water, and a small Quantity of Opium. And _Baglivi_
(_Prax. Med._ lib. i.) tells us, that the drinking of common
Whey, and throwing up frequent Clysters of it, had cured
many, and that this was looked upon as a Specific, and kept a
Secret by some.

Such were the chief Remedies we used in the first Stage of this
Disorder; but after some Weeks, when the Fever had abated, and free
Evacuations had been made, and the Complaint become in a manner
chronic, we were obliged to try other Methods; and found that the best
Way of treating this Disorder, was, to endeavour to brace and restore
the Tone of the Intestines, by means of the corroborating and gentle
astringent Medicines, mixed with Opiates; while mild Purgatives were
given at proper Intervals.

The Patients were kept to the same low Diet as before, with the
Addition of a little Wine or Brandy. They were allowed from a Gill to
a Pint of red Wine _per_ Day, which was commonly mulled before it was
given them; when the Wine griped them, which it frequently did, they
took in its Stead Half a Gill or a Gill of Brandy, mixed with a Pint
or a Quart of Barley or Rice-water, or of the _decoctum album_.

In this Stage of the Disorder we found, that the same Medicines would
not answer with all, and therefore we were obliged to try Variety[41];
and indeed, unless where the Violence of the Disorder had abated by
the Use of Evacuations, the Event was alway