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Show 820 HOP. HOP. which had rejected the bark in every form, as well as most of the other bitters which had been prescribed for him. After having made numerous experiments with various herbs and flowers of the bitter class, as well as with the roots, barks, and other parts of vegetable substances, none of them appeared to me so pleasant to the taste, and so agreeable to the stomach, as the Iupulus. On mentioning this, he requested me to prepare for hima tincture from that vegetable, which I accordinglydid; but before the process was finished, the ship on which he was to ems bark unexpectedlysailed, and he was obliged to depart without the medicine. This circumstance I consider fortunate ; for others wise, in all probability, I should not have made trial of the lu. pulus; but having the preparation complete, after due examination of what different authors had written respecting it, I determined to employ it whenever a fair opportunity should occur, being convinced from what [ had read, as well as from its known use in the preparation of malt liquors, that a careful administra. tion of it could not injure mypatients, even though it should not answer myexpectations of affording themrelief.” He then relates a number of veryinteresting cases, where the hop was employed in extract or tincture; to which are added some communications from physicians of the highest eminence. From Dr, Latham, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and Physician Extraordinary to the Prince of Wales. Thave the authority of Dr. Lathamtosay, that he has prescribed the humulus lupulus with good effect in stomach and bowel complaints ; he has directed it as a substitute for laudanumto allay Prom Dr. Stone, Fellow ofthe Royal College of Physicians. Princes-street, Hanover-square, December26, 1806. Dear Sir,—In reply to your inquiries respecting the medical effects of the humulus Iupulus, I beg leavein the first place to thank you for having called my attention to its pharmaceutic preparation and exhibition ; in most dyspeptic cases light bitter tonics are eminently useful, whilst the strongerbitter infusions and decoctions are found to overpower the stomach, to induce heat and thirst, and to aggravate the symptoms which they were intended to relieve. In such cases I have prescribedall your preparations of the hop with considerable advantage: it may be worth while to state, that when I have employed tinctura lupuli sinplex, I have added to it sp. ammoniz comp. in the propor. tion of about one-fifth of the whole; and I have been induced to continue this form ofprescription from my having succeeded with it beyond my expectation. The importance of the hop in a medical point cf view, is at least equal to that of gentian, colombo, or camomile; and it would be a valuable simple in the Materia medica if it were only for the benefit derived from the repeated variation of the individual bitter medicine to be prescribed in cases of permanent debility of the stomach: it has the advantage of being grateful to the palate, asis testified by the censure which daily passes round the dinner-table against our brewers of small beer ; and your preparations of it produce be- neficial effects which are scarcely credible to those who have used it only in their beverage, in combination with the fermented in- the distressing symptoms of phthisis; and has observed it to check the violent sickness frequently occasioned by extreme debility. fusion of malt, which is seldomproper in those cases which are most relieved by this medicine: it appears to have the advantage of tending to keep the bowels moderately open, whichin the From Dr. John Mayo, Fellowof the Royal College of Physicians, and Physician to the Princess of Wales. the necessity of the frequent repetition of purgative medicines. Dr. Mayo authorizes me to state, that he considersit a pe- culiar bitter, differing essentially from others, and possessing very valuable properties. His experience of it, when given to infants, allows him to speaktoits safety, and to make mention of it as a medicine of considerable utility in some convulsive alfections arising from teething irritation. cases I have mentioned is a very desirable effect, as preventing Asto its effects on gout, I can only say that I am anxious to give it a further trial, and that I certainly have knownit to be serviceable in this disease: but during six or seven months in which I have prescribed it, I have not been able to prevail with @ gouty patient to persevere satisfactorily in its use. Iam, dear Sir, sincerely yours, Arruur Danitx Strong. |