THE MEDICAL ECLECTIC, DEVOTED TO Reformed Medicine, GENERAL SCIENCE AND LITERATURE. Editors: ROBERT S. NEWTON, M. D., LL. D., Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Eclectic Medical College of New York. ROBERT S. NEWTON, JR., M. D., Professor of Surgery and Ophthalmology in the Eclectic Medical College of New York. Published every month, by THE ECLECTIC MEDICAL COLLEGE of the City of New York. VOL. VI. OCTOBER, 1879. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. No. 10. MATERIA MEDICA AND THERAPEUTICS.* BY GEORGE WILLIAM WINTERBURN, M. D., Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Eclectic Medical College, of the City of Aletris takes its name from a Greek word, which signifies "a slave who grinds corn," in allusion to the apparent mealiness dusted over the flowers. It is a small, indigenous shrub (Nat. Ord. Hæmodoraceae), growing to the height of twenty-five or thirty inches, * Copyrighted, 1879, by G. W. Winterburn. on low, sandy land, and at the edges of woods, from Maine to Georgia, and westward to Missouri; bearing, during May to August, white, bell shaped flowers on a long, slender spike. The ROOT is small, black, wrinkled and scaly on the outside, light brown within; brittle, with a peculiar odor and an excessively bitter taste. It yields its virtues to alcohol or alcohol and hot water. Compare with helonias dioica. Physiological Effects.-Aletris acts through the cerebro-spinal system on the digestive tract, muscular system, fibrous tissues and uterus. It resembles cinchona in many particulars, iron in some others. In moderate doses it causes a very great increase of appetite. In increased doses it induces vertigo, with excessive nausea, followed by emesis and catharsis, frequent attacks of fainting, heavy drowsiness, going on to coma. Continued for some time, it causes, through defective nutrition and imperfect assimilation, excessive emaciation. It produces a feeling of heaviness and congestion in the uterus; premature menses, which are extremely painful and profuse; myalgic pains in an unimpregnated uterus, and abortion if given during pregnancy. Therapeutics.-Aletris is beneficial in small doses in that depraved condition of the digestive and assimilative organs that is so apt to eventuate in diabetes. In this intractable condition of the system, in which there often appears to be no reactive power, five drop doses of the fluid extract in two ounces of water, a teaspoonful every one or two hours, will soon produce the desired results. In that form of chronic indigestion, when even the smallest quantity of food causes acute distress in the stomach, and the patient is emaciated, constipated, continuously drowsy, and indisposed to all muscular or mental exertion, aletris, administered as above, will speedily restore the functions of the body to their normal condition, and put the sufferer on the road to convalescence. In chlorosis of young unmarried women, or in the anæmia of pregnancy, aletris, either alone or combined with iron, will soon increase appetite and renew vitality, especially when dyspepsia, flatulence and constipation are marked features of the condition. But it is upon the uterus that its most important beneficial action is felt. In debility of the uterus, manifesting itself in sterility or habitual miscarriage; in scanty and pale catamenia, or in suppression of the menstrual discharge (dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea), occurring in emaciated and cachectic women, aletris is one of our best remedial agents. Even when abortion has actually begun, and pains and blood have appeared, this drug has averted impending trouble. In cases of habitual miscarriage it should be given several times a day for two or three weeks before the expected critical period, and continued at least two weeks afterward. It is useless to give aletris to plump and plethoric women, but in all the above conditions, as well as in anteversion, retroversion and prolapsus of the uterus, and all other diseases of the female reproductive organs depending upon weakness of the uterine ligaments, or congestion of that organ, in enfeebled, thin, anæmic women, aletris exerts a profound, and, we might almost say, specific curative action. Pregnant women of the above type, who, during the earlier months, suffer from excessive nausea, vomiting and faintness, are usually relieved by small, continuous doses of this remedy. In diseases of the female generative organs, the dose should be quite small. Five drops of the tincture in two or three ounces of water, a teaspoonful every two or three hours, is sufficient; and some women do better on even more moderate dosage. MYRICA CERIFERA. Bayberry. This interesting and useful half-evergreen shrub (Nat. Ord. Myricaceae) is found in dry woods and in open fields from Nova Scotia to Florida, and westward to Illinois, growing to the height of two to eight feet, flowering before the leaves appear, and bearing greenish white berries. The ROOT BARK is officinal. It occurs in quills five to six inches long, covered with a grayish epidermis, the bark being reddish brown in color, of pungent odor, and bit ter, acrid flavor. Bayberry wax, C3, 036, H5, is obtained by boiling the berries in water, upon the top of which it floats. It is pale green in color, of a balsamic odor and bitter taste. Chemical Constituents.—Bayberry is chemically closely united to berberis, hydrastis and coptis. Like the three last mentioned, bayberry contains that ubiquitous alkaloid, berberin. It also contains myricinic acid (analogous to saponin), tannic acid, gallic acid, silicic acid, an acrid resin, an astringent resin, volatile oil, red coloring matter, starch, gum, albumen, lignin, salts of lime, salts of potassa, protoxide of iron and magnesia. Myricin C13, H17, NO, is a light, grayish brown powder, with a spicy odor and a persistent, pungent, astringent, bitter taste. It is soluble in alcohol. Physiological Effects. - Bayberry acts through the cerebro-spinal system upon the skin, mucous membranes, muscular and nerve tissue, and the liver. It resembles berberis, hydrastis and chelidonium. Bayberry produces a persistent itching, resembling creeping insects, particularly upon the face and upper part of the body, with deep yellowness of the skin all over the body. The whole buccal cavity, including the hard palate, becomes covered with a dirty white or yellowish coating, difficult to detach, with offensive breath, foul taste, increased flow of saliva, nausea and heartburn. The throat feels constricted and swollen, and is invaded by this same offensive, tenacious mucous that is found covering the buccal cavity. At first there is unnatural hunger, but this is soon succeeded by slow digestion, loss of appetite, a sense of repletion, and a desire for acids. This stage is followed by jaundice of a severe type, bronzed skin, scanty, yellow, frothy urine, loose, mushy, strawcolored stools, with debility, drowsiness and stupor. The icteric symptoms of myrica are undoubted. Dr. Walker proved the drug under my own observation. By reference to the two provings made by him, it will be seen that during the first proving he had drowsiness, with heavy, frontal, morning headache, yellowness of the eyes, scantiness of urine, and light-colored fæces—all the premonitory symptoms of jaundice. At this point the medicine was suspended, and the above symptoms disappeared. At the next proving the same symptoms recurred, but this time were kept up by the action of the drug until complete jaundice obtained. This jaundice, I believe, was owing to suspended secretion, and not ob struction. Had the latter condition been the cause of the jaundice, critical discharges of black, tarry matters would have been noticed. -Hale. Under the action of bayberry, the urine is at first copious and limpid, but grows darker and more scanty every day, until it is of a deep yellow brown. The sleep is much disturbed, with tossing about, frequent waking, amorous dreams and emissions, and in the morning terrible depression, dull, heavy pain in the head, worse when stooping or moving about, and inability to attend to any kind of mental work. Drowsiness during the day, with frequent short naps while sitting. Its action upon the heart is peculiar and noteworthy. The pulse is reduced fifteen to twenty beats per minute, but is intensified, with an excited, feverish feeling, followed by chill (worse in open air) and moist perspiration. By diminishing the secretion of bile, both digitalis and myrica develop symptoms of cholæmia; drowsiness, stupor, languor, slow pulse, jaundice, yellow eyes, swollen, heavy lids, clay colored stools, frothy, brownish yellow urine, etc. In both we find indifference, sadness, irritability. Only myrica has "thinks himself better than any one else." Digitalis causes serous or jelly like secretions from the mucous membranes, easily detached. Aphthæ, stomatitis, with fetid or sweetish saliva. Myrica causes thick, vitiated mucous secretions, difficult to detach. Stomatitis, with spongy gums, fetid mucus, mouth coated with an adhesive coating difficult to loosen. Both give weak, sinking feeling in the epigastrium after eating; digitalis, specifically after breakfast; myrica, better from rapid walking. In jaundice, myrica has ash colored stools, drowsiness, slow pulse, but increased in intensity; dull, aching liver; dragging in back; tongue dirty yellow; catarrh of posterior nares. Digitalis differs in having clean tongue, or tongue covered with easily detached slime; pulse slower than the beating of the heart; hardness in region of liver; yellow in corner of eyelids. Both cause palpitation while lying on the left side; constriction of chest; tickling cough, made worse by lying or talking. But myrica produces an audible pulsation (more like chelidonium); digitalis exhibits the quick but small pulse of the weakened heart, laboring under the superadded pressure of the body. Myrica, with its slow but intensified pulse, shows the system temporarily weakened by blood poisoned with bile, health returning with the resumption of hepatic activity. Digitalis gives us an enlarged liver made so by organic heart disease, the enervating bile but intensifying the weakness of organic defect.—Farrington. Therapeutics.-The fluid extract of bayberry bark may be applied locally in cases of tinea capitis, tinea circinatus, pityriasis versicolor, and similar complaints; chronic molluscum, lupus superficialis, and other indolent ulcerations; scrofulous tumors, |