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I. OUR attention to whate ver promotes the public good of yourcountry, or the common benefit of manliind, having engaged you in aparticular ei uiry concerning the virtu es and essects of tar water, yoaare eritilled to know, what farther discoveries, observations and reflections I have made on the subject. a. Tar water, in the severat editions of Si ris, hath been directed to hemade by stirring three, Our, five or si x minutes, a gallon of water, anda quart of tar. But although it seem best made, for generat use, withinthose limits, yet the stomach of the patient is the best rute, whereby todirect the strength of the water; with a litile more stirring, si x quarta ofgood tar water may be made Dom one of tar; and with eight minutos stirring I have linown a gallon os tar water produced frona second-handiar, whicli proved a good remedy in a very bad sever, when bet ter tarcould not be had. For the use of tra vellers, a tar water may be madevery strong, for inflance, With one quart of Water, and a quart of tar, stirred together for the space of sive minutes. A botile of this may serve long on a road, a litile being put to each glasi os common water, more or lesi, as you Would haVe it stronger or weaher. Near two years ago, a quart of about this strength Was gi ven to an old woman, to be
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shews, that errors and eXcesses in tar Water, are not so data gerous, as in other medicin CS.
position os tar superadded to turpentine, render tar water a medicine, is I am not mista ken, much more extensive and efficacio us, than any that cata be obtained froin turpentine alone.
. The virtu es of the wood juices s hew them selves in si ruce-beer, made of molasses, and the blach spruce-sir in the northern paris of America , and the young shootS Os o Ur common spruce-fir have been put tomali liquor in my own fami ly, and mahe a very whole me drint . s. Tar water sel lom satis to cure, or reli eve, When rightly made of good tar, and duly taken. I say, of good tar, because the vile practice of adultera ting tar, and of selling the dregs of tar, or used tar for frem, is grown frequent, to the great wrOng of those who tali e it. Whoe verhath been used to good tar water, can readi ly discern the bad by iis flattaste, void of that warm cordial quali ty found in the former ; it may also he expedient for linowing fres h tar, to observe, whether a fat Oily scum floais ora the top of the water, Whicli is tund to be much lese, is any atali, on the seconii mal ing of tar mater. This sciam was directed to beta ken oui, not Do in iis heing apt to do haraa when drank, but to renderthe tar water more palatable to nice stomaclis. Great quantities of tar
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6. This medicine of tar water Worheth various ways, by urine, byperspiration, as a sudori sic, carminative, Cardiae, astringent, detergent, restorative, alterative, and semetim CS a S a gentie Purgative Or emetic, ac
cordine to the case or constitution of the patient, or to the quantity thatis taken; and iis operation should not be disturbed. I linew two brothers ill os a se ver a boui the fame time; it wrought On the one by copio us sive at in g, ora the other altogether by urine; and I have linown itto adt at disiarent times differently, even on the fame person, and in the fame di sorder; one while as a diaphoretic, or sudori sic, another as a diu retic. Iis generat character is diu retic, which shews, that it clean th the urinary passages, preventing there by both stone and gravet, against whichil hath bcen Mund very use fui, and much safer than minerat waters, byrea n os iis balsamic healing quali ty. . Tar water doth reco ver and impari vital heat, but imparis no in flaming heat. I have scen a wonder i cure wrought on a child about eight years old, and past ali hopes, by pou ring severat spoonfuls of tat water down his throat, as he lay qui te subdued by a most violent se ver, without any appea rance of sense or motion, the nostriis drawn back, theeyes fixed, the complexion de adly wari. Arad yet tar Water, forced down by spoon uis, sec med to Lindie up life a'ne ; and this aster sage-tea, ODfron, milh-water, Venice treacle, &c. had been used without any successi.
8. This is of itself a sufficient cordial, friendly and congenial to the vital heat and spiriis os a man. Is there re strong liquors are in the accustomed quantity superadded, the blood being al ready, by tar Water, sussicientib
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' And though it may be noea' matter to persuade suci, as have longindulge i them lues in the Dee use of strong fermented liquors and distilled spiriis, to sors alte their pernicio us habits, yet I am myseli thoroughlypersuaded, that in Nealinese or fatigiae of body, or in lori' spiriis, tar-water a lone dotii far surpast ali those vulgarly esteemed cordia is, whichheat and in toxicate, and whicli coagulate the sui is, and , by their caustic force, dry up, si issen, and destroy the fine vesteis and fibres of the un-happy drin kers, obstructing the secretions, impat ring the animal functions, producing various di sorders, and bringing on the unti mely symptoms of old age. Nothing doth so much obstruct the good effects of tar u ater,as the abuse of strong liquors. Where this is a voided, it scenas no chroni eat mala dy cara heep iis ground , or stand besere tar Water constantly and regularly taken, not even hereditary distem pers, as the most invetera te Ling's-evit, nor even the most confirmed goui; provided it be drank aquari a day, at si x or eight glasses, and at ali se a fons, both in and o ut of the fit, and that for a great tength of time, the longer the bliter. It isto be noted, that in sits of the go ut, colic, or sever, it should be alwaysdrank warm. On Other occasions, warin or colit, as the patient likes.
1 o. The inserence I mahe is, that those who expect health Dom tarmator, have lessi need of any other cordial, and would do weli to sacrifice sonae part of their plea re to their health. At the fame time t willventure to affirm, that a se ver produced either from hard drin hing, ora ny other cause, is most effectu alty and speedily subdued, by abstaining frona ali other cordia is, and plenti fully drinking of tar H ater; sor it arm S the cold, and coois the liot; simple water may cool, but this, at
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the fame time that it cosis, gives life and spirit. It is, in truth, a specificor ali hinds of severs: the fame medicine, whicli is a lci sui ely ulterative in chronical di sorders, heing taken in larger quantities, is a speedy cur
II. Those who, Without linowledge or e X perie iace of tar Nater, have been so active and earnes to discredit iis virtu es, have much to ans erser, e specialty with regard to acute inflammatory distem pers, in whicli itdoth won dors. It is in tho se di sorders, so fatal and frequent, that I have had most opportunities of observing iis virtu es, nor can the worid evorknow the juit value of this medicine, but by trying it in the like cases. I 2. When patients are gi ven o ver, and ait Enown methods fati, it is allo ed to try ne w remedies. Is tar water Was tried in suci, cases, I doveri ly belle ve, that many patienis might there by be rescued stom the jaws of death: particularly, I would recommend the trial of it, in the most malignant and desperate se vers or small-pox, attended With puri te, livid, or blach spois. It is my sincere opinion, that Warm tar Water, drankcopio hisy, may osten prove salutary, even in those deplorabie cases. I 3. My opinion is grounded on iis singular virtu es in correcting Meeten in g, and in vigora ting the bl ood, and in Curing cancers and gangrenos,or heginning mortifications, such as those spois do indicate. I have late ly known it drunk with good success in a very pa insul and unpromisingwound ; and am persuaded, that is it were drank plenti fully, during thedresting of ali foris of dan gerous Wround s, it might asi uage the anguish, and soris ard the cure; as it abates severisii symptoms, and by rende ing the blood balsamio, and disposing the paris to heat, prevenis a gan
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I . Tar it is is an excellent medicine, being spread on a cloth, and applied Warm to an ulcer or wound. I have linown the fame applied toa Very large and pa inful tum our, caused by a spra in or bruise, speedilfassu age the pain, and reduce the siselling. I may add, that tar mixed illi honey to malle it lese offensive, and) taken inwardly, is an admira bie balsam sor the lungs; and a litile of this, talien together With tar Water, hastens iis effect in curing the most obstinate and wasting coughs ;and an egg-iheli fuit of tar, Mallowed and was hed down with a quari ofiar Water, night and moria in g, hath been found very useful for the samedi sorder in si Orses. 15. Sitting over the vapour of the hea ted lotion, described in my sor-mer letter, is excellent in the case of piles or fistula; especialty is foment-ing with the sanae lotion be added, as also anointing with the oti scum med Dom the top of tar water. Tar water hath been iussed up the nostrils, with good success, for a great hea vinesse of the head and dro sinesse. It is a very useful wash for weah, dry, or itching Cyes; an excellent preservative for the ieeth and gums; also a good drin k and gargiesor a fore throat: I may add, that I have known it succeed in cases where it has been tried without hopes of success, particularly in deam ess.
Water, Without any other nourishment, and without any remari able diminutiora os strength and spirit; it may there re be of singular usie, and save many lives in the distre se of famine at sea, or in si eges, and in stata sons of great scarci ty. The virtve of tar water flowing like the Nile , from a secret and occult course, brancheth into innumerable Channeis, conveying health and reli ef, Where ver it is applied; nor is it more easyand vario us in iis use, than copious in quantity. How great havocli,
The Nile Was by the ancient AEnptians called Siris, whicli Urord also signi sies, in
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water atone been reco vered of the most violent se vers, attended with thomost threaten ing symptoms, and much heightened by relapses fio m misemana gement. It would be tedio us to enumerate ali the cases of this
kind, which have happened at Clodine, and in my own fami ly; where many severs, pleuritie, as Weli as Others, attended with violent stit ches, di sicut ty of breat hing, and spitiing of blood, have been cured by tar water; and this I can with truth assirm, that I ne ver lineis it regularly tried, in any inflammat ory case, Without succese: but then it must be hi ven inbed warm, and very copioussy, With ali due caution against cold, noi se, and improper diei. 17. I have osten observed, When a patient, on the first attach os a se ver hath bet alien himself to his bed, and drank tar water regularly and constantly that he hath had such favo arabie sympto nas, so good appetite and so si und fleep, that the se ver passed almost as nothing ; nor was tobe distingui med otherwise, than by a quichnesse of pulse, a lilii e severim heat, and thirst. The more that patienis in a se ver drinli, the bet ter the, find thenaseives ; and their liking to tar Water gro ws th their want of it. hy a certa in instinct or dictate os nature; inso much that I have linori nchild ren in very high severS, Who, at Other times, could hardly bc preva ilia ed on to drinii a single glassi, drin k si x or eight in an hour.
18. I can tria ly aTrm that sor the cases with in my own observation inflammutory acute distem pers cured by tar Grater, have been, at least tela times the number of any other. These indeed osten est occur, ascm sing
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6so A Second Leffer, Uc. causing the chies destruction and generat ravage of manliind; who aro conlequently debar red stom the principat use and benesit of this medicine se long, as they give ear to tho suggestions of those, Who, Without any experience thereos, mould persuade them, it is of an heating or inflam- ing nature; whicli suggestion, as I am convinced myself, by long and mani id experience that it is absolutely false, so may ali others also be sufficient ly convinced of iis falshood, by the wondermi fact attest ed by a solemn assidavit os Captain Drape, at L erpool; Where by it appears,
that of I o negroes se iged at orace by the small-pox on the coacto of Guinea, one only died, who resu sed to drin k tar Water; and the re maining I69, ali reco vered by drin king it, Without any other medicine, notis illistari ling the heat of the climate, and the incommodities of the vesiel. AD ct so weli vovched must, with ali unbi assed men, out eigh the positivea stertions of those, who have declared them selves adversaries of tar ater,
ora the scote of iis pretended hea ting or instam ing quali ty 19. The skill and learning os tho se gentiemen, in their profection, Imali not disputo, but yet it seems strange, that they mould without ex
a scribe to it pernicio us qualities, whicli I, who had walched iis workingsand effects for years together, could ne ver disco ver. These three last years, I have talien it myself without one day's intermission; others in my fami ly have talien it near the fame time, and those of disserent ages and seges; severat in the neigh bourhood have done a s much, ait without any injury, and with much bene fit. Eo It is to he noted, the si in and the belly are antagonists; that is, the more passeth by perspiration, the lesse Will passe another way. Medicines theresere, Whicli cause the patient to perspire, will be api to malle hina costive. There re, when tar Hater Worketh much by perspiration,
the body may chance to be bourid. But sucii symptom, though it mould be
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a contrary manner Upon drin king tar Water, as it hath happened to operate either in the s hape of a diaphoretio, or os a gentie ope ning medicine. I have even known a costive habit more than Once removed by it, and that, when the case Was inveterate, and other methods had falled.
osten produceth new pains in seme other pari; and an essicacious medicine, as it produceth a Change in the oeconomy, may be attended with me uneasiness, which yet is not to be accounted a distemper, but onlyan essect or symptom of the cure. 23. The salts of tar water have nothing of the fiery and corrosive na
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et . Every step that I ad vanced in discovering the viriues of tar water, my O n wOnder and surpri se increased, as much as theirs to whom Ιmentioned them: nor couid 1 without great variety and evide nee of facis, ever have been induced to suspeet, that, in ali foris of aliments what-s ver, it might rei leve or cure, whicli at fi in s ght may seem incredi bleand unaceountable; but on maturer thoughi, wili perhaps appear to agree vitii, and solio is stom the nature of things. For it is to be noted ; that the generat notion os a disea se seemeth to consist in this, that what istaken in , is not duly assimilated by the force of the animal oeconomy; there re it mould stem whatever assisls the vis vitae may be of generaluse in ali diseases, en abling nature et ther to assimilate, or dis arge ali un- subducd humours and particles what ever. But the light or aether d tained on the volatile oti, whicli impregnates tar water, being of the fame nature with the animal spirit, is an accession os so much strength to the constitution, whicli it asissis to assimilate or ex Pel Whate ver is alien or