Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 86

873. Demulcents

Demulcents correct acrimony, diminish irritation, and soften parts by covering their surfaces with a mild and viscid matter, such as linseed-tea, gum, mucilage, honey, and marsh-mallow.

874. Deobstruents

Deobstruents are medicines which remove obstructions, such as iodide of potash, &c.

875. Detergents

Detergents clean the surfaces over which they pa.s.s, such as soap, &c.

876. Diaph.o.r.etics

Diaph.o.r.etics produce perspiration, such as tartrate of antimony, James's powder, and camphor.

877. Digestives

Digestives are remedies applied to ulcers or wounds, to promote the formation of matter, such as resin, ointments, warm poultices, &c.

878. Discutients

Discutients possess the power of repelling or resolving tumours, such as galbanum, mercury, and iodine.

879. Diuretics

Diuretics act upon the kidneys and bladder, and increase the flow of urine, such as nitre, squills, cantharides, camphor, antimony, and juniper.

880. Drastics

Drastics are violent purgatives, such as gamboge, &c.

881. Emetics

Emetics produce vomiting, or the discharge of the contents of the stomach, such as mustard and hot water, tartar-emetic, ipecacuanha, sulphate of zinc, and sulphate of copper.

882. Emmenagogues

Emmenagogues are medicines which exercise a direct action on the uterus or womb, provoking the natural periodical secretion, such as castor, asafoetida, galbanum, iron, mercury, aloes, h.e.l.lebore, savine, ergot of rye, juniper, and pennyroyal.

883. Emollients

Emollients are remedies used externally to soften the parts they are applied to, such as spermaceti, palm oil, &c.

884. Epispastics

Epispastics are medicines which blister or cause effusion of serum under the cuticle, such as Spanish flies, Burgundy pitch, rosin, and galbanum.

885. Errhines

Errhines are medicines which produce sneezing, such as tobacco, &c.

886. Escharotics

Escharotics are medicines which corrode or destroy the vitality of the part to which they are applied, such as lunar caustic, &c.

[ONE THAT GOES WRONG MAY MISLEAD A WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD.]

887. Expectorants

Expectorants are medicines which increase expectoration, or the discharge from the bronchial tubes, such as ipecacuanha, squills, opium, ammoniac.u.m.

888. Febrifuges

Febrifuges are remedies used in fevers, such as all the antimonials, bark, quinine, mineral acids, a.r.s.enic.

889. Hydragogues

Hydragogues are medicines which have the effect of removing the fluid of dropsy, by producing watery evacuations, such as gamboge, calomel, &c.

890. Hypnotics

Hypnotics are medicines that relieve pain by procuring sleep, such as hops, henbane, morphia, poppy.

891. Laxatives

Laxatives are medicines which cause the bowels to act rather more than natural, such as manna, &c.

892. Narcotics