Note 253 — ON THE THEORY AND ART OF PRESCRIBING.

Dr. Eberle, of Philadelphia, in a work lately published, has quoted the above passage, and remarks, that he has long been acquainted with the fact which it announces; although he proposes to account for it by a different train of reasoning; he considers that Nauseants encourage mercurial ptyalism, by favouring an afflux to the salivary glands. The learned author must allow me to congratulate him upon this fortunate discovery; unless his patients be blessed with as much apathy as was ever assumed by the Gilbertine order of Benedictines, he need never in future despair of influencing them by mercury. He has only to condemn the refractory to meagre fare, and then to tantalize them, as poor Sancho was, in his government, with the sight, or rather smell, of a savoury dish, and he will without doubt secure his object,—but, to be serious, if Dr. Eberle’s views be correct, how will he explain the modus operandi of fear, as related in the text? for the tendency of fear is to diminish the salivary secretion, as will be hereafter mentioned.