SECTION I.

A Pain in the Upper-Opening or Mouth of the Stomach, where the Oeſophagus or Gullet ends, &c. is generally called Heart-Pain, &c.

SECTION II.

THIS Diſorder is eaſily known, but hard to remove, and conſequently is none of the leaſt Evils incident to Human Bodies, being of the Nature of thoſe Diſeaſes which affect both Mind and Body.

SECT. III.

THE immediate Cauſe of this PAIN, as it may ariſe from different Diſor⯑ders in the Stomach, cannot ſo eaſily be aſcertained.

SECT. IV.

AS the Stomach is provided with a Variety of Sinews and Nerves, and ſo of exquiſite Senſation, a Pain here muſt greatly affect thoſe Orifices ſituated near the Pit of the Stomach; therefore, that the Patient may not be injured by unſkilful Treatment, I ſhall beg Leave to offer the following Obſervations, drawn from a long Practice.

SECT. V.

WHEN after taking any Sort of Poiſon, a tormenting Pain follows, let it be drawn off the Stomach as ſoon as poſſible by a gentle Emetic, drink⯑ing after the Vomit a Quantity of fat Mutton-Broth.

SECT. VI.

IF the Stomach is overloaded, it may be proper, if Vomiting does not follow, to provoke it, &c.

SECT. VII.

An accurate Diſtinction ought to be made, Whether this Pain comes only after eating and drinking, or whether it was felt before; if the latter, all Vomiting, either voluntary or by Emetics, is dangerous.

SECT. VIII.

IF a Perſon eats Things of a ſoft Digeſtion, and drinks emollient Li⯑quors, [8]and yet afterwards feels Pain, it is an Evidence that the Cauſe of that Pain is in the Stomach, and therefore cannot be cured by an Eme⯑tic.

SECT. IX.

UPON the Whole, it is very diffi⯑cult to find out the immediate Cauſe of this Pain, whether it proceeds from taking ſomething of a poiſonous Kind, or from Worms, or ſome Defect in the Stomach itſelf, or through acri⯑monious Particles prevailing in the Parts thereabout, &c.

SECT. X.

IF a Pain in the Stomach is occa⯑ſioned by Worms, or if it proceeds from a Weakneſs of the Stomach it⯑ſelf, or ariſes from an acid Acrimony, Vomits cannot free, but increaſe the Pain, and however exact and careful a Practitioner may be, yet he will find it difficult to diſtinguiſh them [9]from each other, and without a pro⯑per Diſtinction, his Preſcriptions will be not only ineffectual but hurtful.

SECT. XI.

IF after too High-living, &c. a Perſon is troubled with corrupted ſour Riſings, followed with an acute Pain, which ceaſes for a Time, when the ſharp corrupted Matter is diſ⯑charged, then this Matter, the Cauſe of it, muſt firſt be carried off by a Vomit, the Stomach ſtrengthened by a Continuation of corroborating Me⯑dicines, and, to prevent a Return, Things hard of Digeſtion or over⯑loading the Stomach, avoided.

SECT. XII.

BUT if the Pain is occaſioned by an Inflammation, Eryſipelas, Ulcer⯑ations, &c. all Vomits and Medicines of a diſturbing Nature, muſt by all means, be omitted; becauſe they not [10]only augment the Pain, but moſt certainly prove mortal, as too often happens by an unſkilful Application.

IN the Caſes above-mentioned, there is a continual Pain in the Sto⯑mach, whether it is empty or full, which increaſes after eating, &c and if it cauſes the Perſon to vomit, it then becomes ſo exceſſive, that faint⯑ing away inſtantaneouſly enſues.

HOW judicious and ſkilful then ſhould the Phyſician be, to find out proper Medicines for that Pain which the Patient then labours under?

SECT. XIII.

THO' this Pain may proceed from the above different Cauſes, yet it may likewiſe ariſe from others; for Exam⯑ple: The unnatural Motion of the [11] Stomach, occaſioned by a Fever ^* as well as the Matter of the Fever it⯑ſelf, brought to the upper Orifice of it, cauſes an intolerable Pain there, which Pain is heightened or diminiſhed according as the Fever increaſes or abates; and in regard to the Pain itſelf at that Juncture, Vomits and hot Medicines (too often unſkilfully given) are not only ineffectual but prejudicial, augmenting inſtead of aſſwaging the Pain, by cauſing vio⯑lent Reachings. In this Caſe a few Drops of the Tinct. Thebaic, or Syr. é Meconio mixed in the Febrifuge Mix⯑tures are only ſerviceable.

SECT. XIV.

THIS Pain is brought alſo upon Perſons of a Delicate and Weak Conſti⯑tution, by Fretting, Uneaſineſs, &c. attended with great Anxiety, Loſs of Appetite and Strength, Strainings to vomit, Difficulty of Breathing, Trembling, a Coldneſs of the extreme Parts, Reſtleſſneſs, &c. when the Stomach cannot then bear any Kind of Meat or Drink, nor even a com⯑mon Spoonful of ſoft Medicines, much leſs the Calefacientia, or hot Kind, &c.

SECT. XV.

THIS Pain may likewiſe ariſe from a flatulent and windy Diſorder in the Stomach, and continue there for a Time, 'till expelled by the Carmina⯑tives mixed with the Anodines, and tho' thus expelled, yet it may return after eating, drinking, or ſitting in the Draught of a Door, Window, &c. This Pain is not dangerous though a [13] Perſon be ſubject to it thro' the whole Courſe of his Life.

SECT. XVI.

SHOULD the Rheumatiſm, which ſometimes flies from one Part of the Body to another, and ſometimes takes its Seat in the muſcular or membra⯑nous Parts of it, fall upon the Sto⯑mach, it may, for a Time, produce a continual but not a dangerous Pain, becauſe, by proper Application it may be expelled thence to the adja⯑cent Extremes E. G. under the Breaſt-Bone, Shoulder-Blades, Arms, Wriſt, &c.

SECT. XVII.

WHEN an Arthritic or gouty Pain changes its Seat from the Chinagra the Hands, Gonagra the Knees, or Podagra the Feet, &c. to the Sto⯑mach, leaving then the extreme Parts free from Pain, the Patient is in im⯑mediate Danger of Death, unleſs the [14] Pain can be removed back again from the Stomach to the Extremities of the Body, therefore it is requiſite in this Caſe, to have ſomething to give al⯑ways ready at Hand.

SECT. XVIII.

BUT the moſt uncommon Pain is cauſed by Convulſions or Spaſm, which communicates its ill Effects thro' the whole Nervous Syſtem, and is diſco⯑vered by its well known Symptoms: The Cure muſt be directed according to the Diſeaſe; Medicines given in ſmall Quantities every Quarter of an Hour, 'till the Pain ceaſes, and then proper Means uſed to prevent a Re⯑turn.

SECT. XIX.

THUS have I treated the above Diſorder in as conciſe a Manner as poſſible, as it may ariſe from the va⯑rious and different Cauſes here ſub⯑joined.

• Acrimonious Parti⯑cles. § 9
• Convulſions § 18
• Delicate Conſtitu⯑tions § 14
• Drinking § 7
• Eating § 7
• Eryſipelas § 12
• Fault of the Stomach itſelf § 8
• Fever § 13
• Flatulency § 15
• Gout § 17
• High-living § 11
• Inflammation § 12
• Overloading the Sto⯑mach § 6
• Poiſon § 5
• Rheumatiſm § 16
• Soft - digeſted Eat⯑ables § 8
• Spaſm § 18
• Ulcerations § 12
• Weak Conſtitution § 14
• Weakneſs of the Stomach § 10
• Wind § 15
• Worms § 9, 10

SECT. XX.

I MIGHT have greatly enlarged on this Subject, and interſperſed it with proper Preſcriptions, but that would have been incompatible with my pre⯑ſent Deſign; this, if found neceſſary, ſhall be done hereafter.