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Diaphoreticum
Body disease and historical medicine · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A medicine classified by its reported production of sweat.
In the book. Anodyna and Mitigativa illustrate other effect-based medical classes, associated respectively with sleep and the allaying of pain.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 19; facsimile PDF page 347.
Historical Definition
Diaphoreticum is a sweating medicine.
Meaning
The defining feature is a bodily effect, not an ingredient. The entry places the medicine in a class through sweating, without naming the preparation or stating which condition it is meant to address.
Use in the Book
Anodyna and Mitigativa illustrate other effect-based medical classes, associated respectively with sleep and the allaying of pain. The comparison helps readers understand the organisation of the vocabulary: a remedy can be named by a reported action without the dictionary telling us its composition or establishing its efficacy.
Places to Read
Anodyna. A class of medicines grouped by their intended sleep-producing effect.
Mitigativa. A class of surgical medicines defined by easing pain.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 19; facsimile PDF page 347 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary 1650, s.v. Diaphoreticum
See also. Anodyna; Mitigativa