Chapter IV: Part 4

Notwithstanding what I have endeavoured to prove, that gouty Persons, after having been cured by this Method, may again return to their common way of living, without fear of a Relapse; yet I do not deny but it is an easy matter to bring on the Gout again, and that in a more violent Manner than before, by great Errors in Diet, indulging in acid Foods, smoaked Meats, and such as are flatulent and of bad Digestion; too frequent drinking of acid and generous Wines; giving way to the Passions of Anger and Sorrow, the use of Women, or being exposed to the Inclemencies of the Air. No doubt these will return the Distemper with great Violence, and bring the Patient into manifest danger. It is absolutely necessary to chuse such Food as will give Chyle analogous to Milk, and to avoid all Acid and Salt Food with the greatest Caution. And although some People have indulged their Appetites after the Cure, without any great Inconvenience, yet it is certainly more advisable to live moderately, since too much Boldness is not always successful; which the Patient will certainly be encouraged to do, upon recalling to mind the terrible Pains he hath suffered, hardly relievable by any Art.

SECT. 5.

It may be enquired how it comes to pass, that a Person cured by this Diet shall continue free from the Gout, though he return to his former Method of living, provided he take every Morning a small Quantity of warm Milk. The Reason of this I take to be, that the Milk, by long Use, during the Time of the Cure, hath either changed or expelled all the sharp Acrimony of the Blood and Humours, and rendred the Fibres and Membranes more loose, so that there is an easier Circulation of the Juices; new acid Salts are not so easily formed and thrown upon the Membranes so as to occasion the Gout, especially if the Diet be of a good Kind, and a certain Quantity of Milk taken every Morning, which by its plentiful oily Parts, and soft serous ones, prevents the Salts from uniting. I am sensible I may have omitted some Doubts that might arise against the Use of this Diet, but whatever they be, they may easily be answered from what was said before, and the Use thereof fully cleared up; for lesser Difficulties, it is not worth while to spend Time about them. I shall only add, that several People have expected the Cure of the Gout in the Use of Gruels and Water. As to Water, it is evident from Experience, as _Poterius_ and _Hoffman_ have observed, that it is frequently serviceable in removing this Distemper. Since gouty Persons are of a saline Constitution, there cannot be a better drink used than pure light Water, that will make its way both by the Skin and by Urine; for such drank freely drives forth the foreign Salts, and makes the Juices fluid. I have seen Persons cured of the Gout, whose Joints were contracting, by drinking only pure Spring Water in large Quantities. The Case of a Man, who was a Cripple for nine Years successively, from an ill cured Tertian, deserves Observation. He drank of the Water of this Place, which is very wholesome and something Vitriolick, for a Month together, sometimes to the Quantity of eight Quarts; he made Urine plentifully, and came gradually to the Use of his Hands and Feet; so that he could both walk and gripe any thing with his Hands in a short Time, to the Admiration of all those who knew his Condition before. From hence it appears, that large Quantities of Water do no Mischief, but by the Pressure are most powerfully deobstruent. I knew a gouty Gentleman who drank warm Beer with great Success in the Gout; and the _Chinese_, who drink their Water warm, are not subject to this Distemper. There are various Ways of removing Obstructions, and tempering the Acrimony of the Juices, but we are very much in doubt, whether by these Methods the very Cause of the Gout can be so thoroughly extirpated and conveniently cured, as by the Use of Milk; for Water drank in too great Quantities (as it is not endowed with any nutritious Particles) weakens the Tone of the Bowels, and damps the vital heat; though if it be used with Caution, in Distempers arising from an Acrimony of the Juices, it is very often of great Efficacy.

_FINIS._

BOOKS printed for _J. Smith_ and _W. Bruce_ on the _Blind-Key_ in _Dublin_: And Sold by _J. Osborn_ and _T. Longman_, at the Ship and Black Swan in _Pater-noster-Row, London_.

1. An ESSAY on the TRADE and IMPROVEMENT of _IRELAND_. In two
Parts. By _Arthur Dobbs_, Esq;

2. The NATURE and CONSEQUENCES of the SACRAMENTAL TEST
considered. With REASONS humbly offered for the REPEAL of it.

ERRATA.

_Preface, page 2. line 20. for ~two~, read ~too~_

_---- p. 5. l. 20. for ~-tempers~ r. ~-tances~_

_---- p. 34. l. 7. ~from the Bott.~ for ~Volatization~ r. ~Volatilization~_

_Essay, p. 18. l. 4. for ~Miscecable~ r. ~Misceable~_

_---- p. 41. l. 22. for ~Quere~ r. ~Quære~_

_---- p. 44. l. 18. for ~Ainmal~ r. ~Animal~_

_---- p. 57. l. 17. for ~-tions are~ r. ~-tion is~_

_---- p. 61. l. 6. for ~a to~ r. ~to a~_

_---- p. 63. l. 8. for ~Defecation~ r. ~Defæcation~_

_---- p. 90. l. 15. for ~is~ r. ~are~_

_---- p. 99. l. 8. r. ~S. Hillario~_

_---- p. 102. l. 9. for ~on~ r. ~a~_

_---- p. 116. l. 3. for ~produe~ r. ~produce~_

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