VI. Experiments with camphire

Abstract

Read Jan. 29, A S medical authors have differed fo 17 7 * l \widely in their opinions concerning the nature and effedts of camphire, one part of them pofitively affirming that it heats, and another aflerting with the fame confidence that it cools the body 5 I made the following experiments with it, in order, if poffible, to have cleared up the difficulty. I f camphire was a heater, I concluded it would raife my pulfe, and augment my natural heat $ and therefore, previous to my taking it, I counted the number of pulfations in a minute, which were fixtyeight, and found that, in the fpace of five minutes, the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer arofe eighteen degrees by the heat of my ftomach *. Having thus found the ftate of my pulfe, and of my natural heat; I took 9 j o f camphire in a little of the pulp of tamarinds $ and twenty minutes afterwards applied the thermometer to my ftomach: themerqury, in the fpace of five minutes, arofe exadtly eighteen degrees, as it had done before taking the doie, but my pulfe beat only fixty-fix, which was two ftrokes lefs. Three quarters of an hour after I had taken the camphire, I applied the thermometer again $ in the