COPAIVA.

1177

!' rues seen treated by pretended great diagnosticians ( Diagnostikern ) asrile measles.”

in one case {Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. ix. p. 270) pain at the sto-a ch, general uneasiness, and epileptic convulsions, followed, and werec nbed to, the use of copaiva. But the correctness of ascribing thenvulsions to the use of the copaiva appears very doubtful.

'’ hen we compare the operation of copaiva with that of other agentslo SS , ess ' n o powers of a somewhat similar kind, we observe that both inc nl and constitutional effects it is more powerful than the balsams pro-Jy :y so called (that is, the native oleo-resins which contain benzoicn), while its operation on the urino-genital organs is much moreJked (see pp. 74 and 938). It forms an intermediate substance be-

e en the balsams and the turpentines, being less powerful, but moreT/ ! Tla tic, than the latter: yet, observes Ilibes (quoted by Bayle, Bid/.

^ ie turpentines are less successful in gonorrhoea. Theril0 e a uthor considers it to be less powerful than balsam of Mecca , butso than balsam of Canada .

fro SliS —t he principal employment of copaiva is in mucous dischargestw 0 ^ le urino-genital organs, more especially in gonorrhoea. There arethe y^thods of treating this disease by copaiva : one is, not to exhibiti s a ; Sam until the inflammatory symptoms have subsided,—the otherrp^ve it at the very outset, in order to cut short or suppress the disease.sa r<r le fi rs t method is that followed by the best English and Germanm a ° e ° ns - It consists in employing, during the violence of the inflam-fl a ° r y stage, antiphlogistic and soothing measures; and when the in-gi v .j t,la hon has quite or nearly subsided, or is of a very mild character,'pjji ? c opaiva with the view of diminishing or stopping the discharge.th e 1S '^ le plan recommended by Hunter {Treat, on the Vener. Dis.), andCo 0 ? aine Practice is recommended in the published lectures of Sir Astleyvqi V r (Cancel, vol. iii. p. 199) and Mr. Lawrence {Land. Med. Gaz.a lth 0 It is undoubtedly the safest method of treatment; for

the a* 1 ^ 1 copaiva may sometimes, or even frequently, be exhibited duringbay e Cu ^ e or inflammatory stage of gonorrhoea, not only with impunity,si° tl , v . ei1 with advantage, there is no denying the fact that it has, occa-by ^ “ V a t least, exasperated the symptoms. This, indeed, is admitted>- a n ^ ux ( 5 eTO - sur le Traitem. de la Blennorrh., quoted by Bayle, op.treat lt| C ^' l’" ^18), one of the principal supporters of the other plan of

teri

Sleety ~ “"- ui

°f )„). . ' ara cter. I believe most prudent surgeons consider the existence^ a dder l 511 ' 11 or scalding in passing the water an irritable condition ofMiil e n’ 0r '’tolent chordee, as contra-indicating the use of copaiva;^icati^ a ^ >scnce °f these symptoms may be regarded as permitting or

IhdjjJ 2 Jccowe/ method of treating gonorrhoea by copaiva consists in exhi-^at j s . ls medicine in large doses at the commencement of the disease;{'^l°gist' 11acute stage, usually without adopting any preliminary anti-I'Ut , lc or soothing measures. In America the practice is not new;

Many practitioners judge of the propriety of exhibiting the^ le T la lity of the discharge only, and refrain from adminis-medicine until the discharge lias acquired what is called a

S ^ Ce the Ur °^ e 1' has lieen recommended or adopted to any extent only^ commencement of the present century, and ])rincipally by then dations of Ansiaux, Ilibes, and Delpech (Bayle, op. supra cit.)