ARMED FORCES MEDICAL LIBRARY Washington, D. C. \V'ii.LiA>i DiiFoRKi^T Thomson T. Diicri^:^AUX 7 American Herbal, MATERIA MEDIC A. WHEREIN The virtues of the MINERAL, VEGETA- BLE, and ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS of North AND South America are lajd open, so far as THSY A»?« KNOWN ; AND THEIR USES IN THE PRACTICE OF PHYSICand SURGERY exhibi- CO MPRE II ENDING An account of a large number of New Medical Difccv^. Ties and Improvements, zohich are compiled from the hejl authorities with much care and allemion, and promulgated for the purpofe ofJpreading medical light and information in ylmcrica. By SAMUEL STEARNS, L. l. d. Solatium Affliais. -^ (^ 9 f- F' THI COPY R.CHT OF THIS BOOK ,5 ^OUR.DA. THI ACT MRECT,.' fV A L P L E, Printed bv DAVID CARLISLE For THOMAS i3 THOMAS, akd the AUTHOR. iKoi. PREF A CE. ^ TO PHYSICIANS, SURGEONS. AND APOTHECARIES, Gentlemtn, THE auibsr is a native of the common- wealth of Maffdchufetis, where he was inllru6led in the medical art, according to the methods that were in vogue in the younger part of his life ; but as there was no regular fyftem of pharmacy, phyfic, or furgery to be found, he foon difcovered that both the theory and practice of medicine, flood in great need of reformation and amendment in our Ameri- can borders. He obferved that the medical books had been compiled by different aa/;&arj, in differ- ent periods of time, as the medical artwajrif- ing to higher and higher degrees of perfeSion ; and that, although they had been judicioufly written, and contained fome things which ought to be publiQied from generation to generation, y«t they frequently gave different accounis concerning the virtues, operations and efftfts. of mediclnts, upon the human body ; tfae de- fcription, 4 PREFACE. fciiptioh of difeafes, and t"he mffthodsof "pVe-* fcribing remedies for their cure. That there was no eftablifhed rule for a guide to the apothecaries in compounding their medicmes, as fome compounded according to the prefcriptions given in onedifpenfatory, and others according to thofe given in another, &c. as there was a number of fuch books in ufe : hence a variety of medicines were compound- ed and fold under one and the fame name, which had difFerent degrees of ftrength, and this proved to be an evil mode pf pra6iice, be- caulc ir had a direft tendency, not only to de- lude the mod Ikilful phyficians, in the admin- iftration .of pioper dofes, but to expofe the lives of the people by thei'r taking too large and fometimes too fmaii quantiiies of fuch comr p0UTld5. He alfo ohfervcd, that the methods of in«- ftrufclion wf re like wife different, amongft the different teachers of the healing art : that fome pupils had beca taught o»e way, and others a- nother, Sec. and that, by their being thus dif- ferently infhufted, they , had imbibed different Opinions concerning the virtues of medicines, and the cure of difeafes. — fherefore, when they met to confuit upon difficult and danger- ous cafes, they could not agree in prefcribirag remedies ; and that fuch difagreements too frequently terminated in contention and dif- coid to the great injurj. of thei^- patients. Therefore, for the purp'ofe of laying a foun* daiion for the removal of thofe clouds of dark-. ne!s and ignorance, which too tnany had im* bibed — P R E F A C K. c bibed hy the reading of erroneous books, and by being wrongly inftrufted, he undertook in September, in the year 1772, to compile an American Dij'penfatory, and afterwards a fyjlem oi phfic, and Jurgery ; and to make the work as complete and ufeful as our knowledge in the prefent age will admit, he travelled in nine cf our American Governments ; and in England, Scotland, Ireland, and France ; for the pur- pofe (jf colleQing an account of the new medi- cal difcoveries and improvements which have made in the different parts been of the world j and that he might be furniQied with all the medical light and information he could pofli^ bly obtain, he attended lefiuresupon the vari- ous branches of medicine, and upon natural and experimental philofophy in Europe ; and re- turned to America after near three years ab» fence ; has diligently followed travelling and medical ftudies fince his return ; and finds, by his Journal, that he has travelled 11,607 i^i'es by land, and 1 1,578 miles by water. His productions are ready for the Prefs and he is greatly miftaken, if he has not colltticd a larger number of new mcdicaldifcoveries and improvements, than ever was colkfted in any former period of time fince the world began. Thefe new difcoveries, together with an account of.thofe things that hav-c flood the tefl of ages in the cure of difeafes, are intended for a con-.- plete medical library, anatom^y .excepted. He has attempted to leave out of the woik, an ac- count of thofe needlefs fimples, officinal com- ppQtions, ,aod extemporaneous prefcrjptioHs, I A.2- whic.T 6 PREFACE* which have long impeded the progrefs of the healing art, and now (land juftly condemned by the mod celebrated Ph)'ficians, as injurious in the pra6lice of phyflc. He intends to publifhhis produftions in two large volumes in folio, under the names of an the American D ifpen/atory, and Columbian Frac- iice oi. Pkyjic, znd Syjlem oi Surgery i- and the work is to be adorned with copper plates, neat- ly engraved, comprehending chymical charac- ters. Botanical figures, and cuts of the furgeri- caj inflruments. As to the arrangement of the work, it is chiefly alphabetical. In the Di/penfatory, he has given 1. An account of the Rife and Piogrefs of medicine from the days of Melampus to the piefent age. :i " 2. Of the Elements of Pharmacy. 3. Of the Materia Medica, wherein the min- eral, vegetable, and animal pioduSions are de- fcribed ; the refult of the chymical experiments- upon 437 articles carefully laid down,- the vir- tues of the fimples explaiaed,'and theiriufes in pharmacy, phylic, and furgery exhibited. 4. Of the preparation and compofition of medicines, according to the late diredions giv- en by the royal Colleges of Phyficians ia Lon-l don, Edinburgh, and other Europe ah veoiwio tries. :-.-'.;..; • .;.;:-..;.. .^^ ' 5^, Of ttiie?*'«'jcJ^W^oraneous '^^fefcVfpt<6rrftiq lately cotitriy,ed'fbt'tteufe'afld'behyfft'"6'Pt''^" "'• ' ': '•'- -'^ '^ ': :.-'•'•"! tltlbn^rsi 6. Of the arrjtfijem?tttofinc»3idnestntodif-r ferent „ P R E F A-C & jr ferent clafles, with an account of the operation and efFeQs of .each. c!af» upon the human body. 7. A poflbiogical table, exhibiting ^he dot- es of tbofe fimpies and compounds, which are intended for internal ufe. In the Columbian PraSticeol Phyjc znd Sys- tem of Surgery he has given, i. An account of the fix non naturals, aa^ a. Of the air, 2^ Of aliment, 3. Of cxercile land reft, 4. Of wakefuinefs and fleep, 5. Of repletion and evacuation, 6. Of the paffions and afFeftippj O^ .^hs. tnind. 2. Of more than 1387 di fejires ; their clafs- es, ordersj genera, fpecies and varieties ; de£» nition, caules, diagnofiics, prognoftic?, regime en, and proper methods of cure, 3. A fyllabus of the fymptoms of difeafes. 4. Of the inflruments. auxiliaries, and med- icines ufed in the Surgeon's Art ; with the. inoft important directions concerning the re- da^ion of fra^utes and laxarions; th« per. forming of capital operations, and the curing of abfceflfei, wounds, ^and ulcers. Perhaps, it may not be improper to meniii tion, that by -reafon of the late dij"Goveries and improvements in chymiftry, and other bran-.' chcs Of medicine, the virtue* of the mineral, vegetable, and animal produflioas of the uni-* VMfe, have been more fully afcertaiccd ; new remedies difcovered ; new modes of cptfipo'Cy- tioa iavented -, ^nd ne\v, cheaper, and mora eaiy • 3.: PR EF A CE. cafy methods of cure introduced into the prac- tifee ofphyfic, in European KingdomSj Em- pires and States. —That thofe, who learnt to be phyGcians, furgeons, or apothecaries twenty years ago, are in need of further inftruftion, or of being learnt again, if they are not acquaint- ed with the new medical difcoveries and im- provements ; and that thefe things are priryci- pally unknown to the greateft part of our A- merican pra6litioners, and efpecially in coun- try places, for the want of publications. And it may not be improper to obferve that all the medical light and information that can poffiWy be coUeSed, ought to be fpread through all the regions of the medical world, that tho- mind'ofour praftitioners may be illuminated, and their praftice regulated. But, alas ! this great and important duty has been fo much neglefted, that the new medical difcoveries and improvements, have been fufFered to lie ufe- lefs, like a.talent hidina napkin, or buried in the earths If we aik a number of our praQitioners, if they have kenthe late Pharmacopaia Londin-, enfii ? the anfwer is^ no. Have you feen Dr. Lewit's MiUeria Medica^ in quarto ?—No. Have youperufed Dr. CuUen's Nofology .?— No., Have you read Dr. MotherbyU Medic a.l Bit-, tionary ?r-No. Have you feen the LQndon Pranks of PhyJ-* f|?f—No* -:: P.RtE F A P-Em ,^ . Have yoiu feeft the Fraiiice. of, the Lfindott Hejpitah?—No. Have you read Dr. fFallis's wpfks ?—No. Have you perufed the Tranjtatioits oi the CoJ" lege.oi.PbyfiCians in Philadelphia ?—Noi Have you been acquaiated with Dr. Rujh's Mtdi(al Enquiries ?—-No. Have you peiufed Dr. Bartram's Botany ?'^^ No.