G O U and spirit n I a very mo ierat< n >e of w ine, are the prin- < i-,i il circumstances to be attended 1.) by th ■ goutj ; but, in their food . they should be extremely
- il, and avoid all fat, rancid,
d, or smoked provisions of • ription, especially game an I fish. Spices, pickle-;, and sti- mulating dishes, in general, are th ■ in >st powerful promoters of this ul disease; while hot suppers, hours, and Ion ; sleeping in feather-beds, are its greatest nur- sery. Hence, persons liable to at- tacks of th ■ g 1 'it, ought attentive- ly to obsen e whati es or d^sagr< - wit'.i th ir digestive or- gans; for, as long" as their sto- mach duly performs itsoffiee, there is reason to hope for a favourable change. Moderate exercise should likewise, on no account, be ne- gle teal ; because excessive fatigue and long-continued application to intense study, are equally detri- mentals Fear, violent grief", and an irascible temper, ought to be vi- gilantly controlled by the calm re- flpcdionsofneason.-*2,Bi sideall these precautions however, it will he Useful to adopt some particular rules of diet and regimen, in order to counteract the constitutional pre- disposition to that formidable dis- ease. With this intention, we from experience recommend the constant use of barley-bread, and to bilious individuals, mare's milk, or the whey obtained from it after coagulation. Large doses of gin- ger, from one to four or six. drams pulverized, and boiled in cow's milk for breakfast, have lately been found an excellent preventive. Ab- sorbent powders, consisting of two scruples of. calcined magnesia, with purified kali and powdered rhubarb, from three to live grains of each, G O IT fa 91 have likewise been taken with con- sid Table advantage during the in- tervals of gouty tits ; but this m ■■- dicine ought t.> be repeated for se- veral weeks, or even months, at 1 asl every other morning, accord- ing to the nature of the case. Lastly, there is sufficient reason I 1 conclude, that the internal 11^: of the marine acid, or spirit of salt diluted with water, if continued for a proper length of time, and aided by bathing the legs daily in water saturated with a small proportion of the same acid, would greatly tend to prevent the return of the disease. Indeed, Dr. Wollaston* has discovered, that gouty matter consists of a peculiar (lit hie) acid which is supposed to be generated in tV human body, and combined with the mineral alkali : conse- quently, as the marine, acid has a greater attraction for this alkali than the lithie acid (or that which contributes to the formation of the stone in the bladder), it appears to be: a reasonable inference, that the generation of chalky matter may be counteracted by the copious use of that acid, both internally and ex- ternally, which would preferably combine with the mineral alkali, and thus deprive the lithie acid of its nucleus or basis. GOUTWEED, Herb-gerard, Ash-weep, or GroOivd-Ash, sEgopodinm Podtgrariajj. an indi- genous perenni il plant, growing in orchards, gardens, pastures and- hedges, and flowering in the months ' of May and June. This plant has received its name from its supposed efficacy in relieving the gout. Its leaves are very tender, and may be eaten early in the spring among ollv r pot-herbs: being possessed of nutritive rather than medicinal pro- pert es. — Covs, sheep, and goats, Cc 4 arc
