Chapter II: REDUCTION OF SOLUTIONS:--The reduction of the solution to the proper (8)

[Footnote 315: The experiments of Mr Kingzetti on the limited oxidation of essential oils, lead to the inference that instead of ozone, peroxide of hydrogen is the body evolved.--ED.]

[Footnote 316: Recent researches seem to have shown that the hygienic properties of the sun-flower, like those of the Eucalyptus, are chiefly, if not wholly due to the power the plant possesses of abstracting enormous quantities of moisture from the soil, and thus removing from certain localities an active element in the production of malaria.--ED.]

The collection and preservation of flowers for medicinal purposes and distillation, will be found noticed under VEGETABLES.

=Flowers, Artificial.= The beauty and value of these pleasing articles of personal decoration mainly depend upon the taste and ingenuity of the maker. The delicate fingers of woman, and her ready powers of imitation and invention, combined with her natural affection for the chaste and beautiful, have enabled her the more especially to excel in this manufacture. The productions of the female artificial florists of the French capital are justly admired everywhere.

The French employ velvet, kid, and fine cambric for the petals, and taffeta for the leaves. Very recently thin plates of bleached whalebone have been used with great success for some portions of artificial flowers.

As colours and stains, the following are employed in Paris:--

BLUE. Indigo dissolved in oil of vitriol, and the acid partly neutralised with salt of tartar or whiting.

GREEN. A solution of distilled verdigris.

LILAC. Liquid archil.

RED. Carmine dissolved in a solution of salt of tartar, or in spirits of hartshorn.

VIOLET. Liquid archil, mixed with a little salt of tartar.

YELLOW. Tincture of turmeric.

The above colours are usually applied to the petals with the fingers.

=Flowers.= _Syn._ FLORES, L. Among chemists, this term is applied to various pulverulent substances obtained by sublimation, as flowers of antimony, benzoin, zinc, sulphur, &c. The term has been discarded from modern chemical nomenclature, but is still commonly employed in familiar language and trade.

=FLUID CAM'PHOR.= _Prep._ (Sir J. Murray.) From camphor (in powder), 1 dr.; freshly precipitated carbonate of magnesia, 2 dr.; cold distilled water, 1 pint; the solution is effected by forcing in carbonic acid gas under pressure. Each fl. oz. contains 3 gr. of camphor, and 6 gr. of carbonate of magnesia. See ESSENCE OF CAMPHOR.

=FLUID MAGNE'SIA.= _Syn._ LIQUOR MAGNESIÆ CARBONATIS, L. M. BICARBONATIS, L. The preparations sold under this name are mere solutions of freshly precipitated carbonate of magnesia in water, formed by means of carbonic acid gas, under powerful pressure, and long agitation. Those best known are Sir J. Murray's and Mr Dinneford's, each fl. oz. of which is said to contain about 17-1/2 gr. of the carbonate, but their actual richness in the latter seldom exceeds 10 or 12 gr., and by the time they reach the consumer is often as low as 5 or 6 gr. Recently precipitated carbonate of magnesia placed in a bottle or other suitable vessel, which is then filled by means of a soda-water apparatus with water fully charged with carbonic acid gas, readily dissolves on slight and cautious agitation, and the aërated water becomes saturated with magnesia. A scruple of carbonate of magnesia put into a soda-water bottle, and thus treated, is all taken up in from 20 minutes to half an hour, and the beverage continues beautifully clear.

=FLUID-OZON= (J. Krohn, Munich, with a certificate from Justus von Liebig). A mouth wash and toilet water. An aqueous solution of permanganate of soda, 1 in 9, contaminated with traces of sodium sulphate and chloride. (Wittstein.)

=FLUM'MERY.= A species of thick hasty-pudding made with oatmeal or rice, flavoured with milk, cream, almonds, orange flowers, lemons, &c., according to fancy.

_Prep._ 1. (DUTCH FLUMMERY.) From blancmange and eggs, flavoured with lemon peel and sweetened with sugar.

2. (FRENCH FLUMMERY.) From equal parts of blancmange and cream, sweetened, and flavoured. The above are poured into forms, and served cold, to eat with wine, spirit, cider, &c.

3. (A. T. Thomson.) Take oatmeal or groats, 1 quart; rub it for a considerable time with hot water, 2 quarts; and let the mixture stand until it becomes sour; then add another quart of hot water, and strain through a hair sieve. Let stand till a white sediment is deposited, decant the fluid portion, and wash the sediment with cold water. This is now to be boiled with fresh water, until it forms a mucilage, stirring the whole time. A light and nutritious food, during early convalescence.

=FLUOBORIC ACID.= _Syn._ BOROFLUORIC ACID. This may be easily prepared by saturating hydrofluoric acid with boracic acid, keeping the mixture cool, and then concentrating it in platinum vessels till dense fumes arise.

=FLUOHYDRIC ACID.= See FLUORIDE OF HYDROGEN.

=FLU'ORIDE OF HYDROGEN.= HF. _Syn._ FLUOHYDRIC ACID; HYDROFLUORIC ACID; A. HYDROFLUORICUM, L. An acid composed of hydrogen and fluorine. It was discovered by Scheele, but was first obtained in a pure state by Gay-Lussac and Thénard, in 1810.

_Prep._ Pour concentrated sulphuric acid on half its weight of fluor spar, carefully separated from siliceous earth, and reduced to fine powder. The mixture must be made in a capacious leaden retort, and a gentle heat only applied, and the evolved gas must be collected in a leaden receiver, surrounded by ice.

_Prop., &c._ A colourless fluid below 59° Fahr., which speedily evaporates in dense white fumes when exposed to the air. Its affinity for water exceeds that of sulphuric acid, and its combination with that fluid is accompanied with a hissing noise, and a considerable increase of its sp. gr. up to a certain point. It attacks glass and silica, for which reason it cannot be preserved in glass vessels. Bottles of lead, silver, platinum, or pure gutta percha, are used to keep it in. It is highly corrosive, instantaneously destroying the skin on contact, and producing deep and serious ulcerations; its vapour is pungent, irritating, irrespirable, and poisonous. With the bases it unites to form FLUORIDES.

In the arts, hydrofluoric acid is used for etching on glass.

=FLU'ORIDES.= Compounds of fluorine with metals and other basic radicals. The fluorides of the metals are, with the exception of those of the alkaline metals, insoluble in water, while the fluorides of hydrogen, boron, and silicon, are gaseous, condensing at a low temperature to volatile liquids.

=FLU'ORINE.= F. _Syn._ FLUORINIUM, L. An element that has not yet been isolated, owing to its attacking and combining with every element or compound that at present has been exposed to it, except oxygen. It is presumably gaseous, and of a pale greenish-yellow colour.

=FLU'OSILICIC ACID.= _Syn._ FLUORIDE OF SILICON AND HYDROGEN; HYDROFLUOSILIC ACID. _Prep._ From powdered fluor spar, and siliceous sand or powdered glass, of each 1 part; concentrated sulphuric acid, 2 parts: mix in a glass retort, apply a gentle heat, and pass the evolved gas into water through a layer of mercury. Decomposition ensues, silica being deposited in a gelatinous state, and hydrofluosilicic acid or fluosilic acid remains in solution. The acid liquor is used as a test for potassium and barium, with whose salts it yields nearly insoluble precipitates.

=FLUX.= _Syn._ FLUXUS, FLUOR, L. In _medicine_, a term formerly applied to several diseases attended with a copious discharge, as diarrh[oe]a (FLUX), dysentery (BLOODY FLUX), English cholera (BILIOUS FLUX), fluor albus (WHITE FLUX), &c. These terms are still current among the vulgar.

=Flux.= In metallurgy, &c., a term applied to various substances of easy fusibility, which are added to others which are more refractory, to promote their fusion.

_Prep._ 1. (BLACK FLUX.) Nitre, 1 part; crude tartar or cream of tartar, 2 parts; mix, and deflagrate, by small quantities at a time, in a crucible, heated to dull redness. The product consists of carbonate of potassa, mixed with charcoal in a finely divided state. Used for smelting metallic ores. It exercises a reducing action, as well as promotes the fusion. It must be kept in a dry corked bottle.

2. (CHRISTISON'S FLUX.) Carbonate of soda (cryst.), 8 parts; charcoal (in fine powder), 1 part; heat the mixture gradually to redness. For reducing arsenic.

3. (CORNISH REDUCING FLUX.) Crude tartar, 10 parts; nitre, 4 parts; borax, 3 parts; triturate together.

4. (CORNISH REFINING FLUX, WHITE FLUX.) Crude tartar and nitre, equal parts, deflagrated together. See BLACK FLUX.

5. (CRUDE FLUX.) Same as BLACK FLUX, omitting the deflagration. Reducing.

6. (FRESENIUS'S FLUX.) Carbonate of potassa (dry), 3 parts; cyanide of potassium, 1 part. For the arsenical compounds.

7. (LIEBIG'S FLUX.) Carbonate of soda (dry) and cyanide of potassium, equal parts. As the last. See ARSENIOUS ACID.

8. (MORVEAU'S REDUCING FLUX.) Powdered glass (free from lead), 8 parts; calcined borax and charcoal, of each, 1 part; all in fine powder, and triturated well together. Used as BLACK FLUX.

9. (WHITE FLUX.) See _above_.

10. (FLUXES FOR ENAMELS.) See ENAMELS.

11. (Various.) Borax, tartar, nitre, sal-ammoniac, common salt, limestone, glass, fluor spar, and several other substances, are used as fluxes in _metallurgy_.

_Obs._ On the large scale, crude tartar is employed in the preparation of fluxes; on the small scale, commercial cream of tartar or bitartrate of potassa.

=FLY.= The common house-fly (_Musca domestica_) causes considerable annoyance to the person in hot weather, as well as damage to handsome furniture, especially to picture frames, gilding, and the like. The best way to exterminate them is to expose on a plate one or other of the mixtures given under FLY POISON (_below_). The blow-fly (_Musca vomitoria_), and other insects, may be kept from attacking meat by dusting it over with black pepper, powdered ginger, or any other spice, or by skewering a piece of paper to it on which a drop or two of creasote has been poured. The spices may be readily washed off with water before dressing the meat.

It is a fact not generally known, that flies will not pass through a netting made of fine silk, thread, or wire, even though the meshes may be an inch apart, unless there is a window or light behind it. This affords us a ready means of excluding these insects from all our apartments which have windows only on one side of them, without keeping the latter closed. It is merely necessary to have an ornamental netting stretched across the opening, when, although flies may abound on the outside, none will venture into the room so protected. If, however, there is a window on the other side of the room, they will fly through the netting immediately. See _below_.

=Fly-blow in Sheep.= Oil of turpentine, 3 oz.; oil of amber, 1 oz.; corrosive sublimate, 1 dr. The sublimate must be first dissolved in a pint of whey, and then mixed with the oils.

=Fly Papers.= Those papers which, a few years ago, were sold about the streets of London by harsh-voiced cries of "Catch 'em alive-oh!" and which might be seen in many shop-windows covered with dead and dying flies, were prepared by rubbing factitious birdlime over sheets of paper. It would be difficult to conceive a more cruel or more offensive mode of catching flies than that of glueing their living bodies to an adhesive surface. A preferable kind of fly-paper is that called 'PAPIER MOURE,' which contains a large quantity of arsenic in its substance.[317] This paper is kept wet when in use, and the flies, by sipping the moisture, are poisoned.

[Footnote 317: Mr Plowman, in a letter to the 'Pharm. Journ.,' June 22nd, 1878, says that in a specimen of "Papier Moure" examined by him he failed to detect the least trace of arsenic.]

=Fly Poison.= _Prep._ 1. A strong solution of white arsenic (say 1 dr. to the pint), sweetened with moist sugar, treacle, or honey. Sold under the name of 'FLY WATER,'

2. Treacle, honey, or moist sugar, mixed with about 1/12th their weight of King's yellow or orpiment.

_Obs._ Both the above are dangerous preparations, and should never be employed where there are children.

3. (Redwood.) Quassia chips (small), 1/4 oz.; water, 1 pint; boil 10 minutes, strain, and add of treacle, 4 oz. "Flies will drink this with avidity, and are soon destroyed by it."

4. Black pepper, 1 teaspoonful; brown sugar, 2 teaspoonfuls; cream, 4 teaspoonfuls. See _below_.

=Fly Powder.= The dark grey-coloured powder (so-called 'sub-oxide') obtained by the free exposure of metallic arsenic to the air. Mixed with sweets, it is used to kill flies.

=Fly Water.= See FLY POISON (_above_).

=FOG.= The influence of very intense foggy weather upon the death-rate is well illustrated by a reference to the Registrar-General's returns for 1873. From the 8th to the 12th of December of that year an unprecedently thick fog prevailed in London. The mortality in the metropolis for the week ending December 6th was twenty-three persons per thousand; in the week following, during which the fog occurred, the death-rate rose to twenty-seven; and in the week after that, when the full effects of the fog could be estimated, the deaths were found to be thirty-eight in the thousand. In the same periods the deaths from phthisis and diseases of the respiratory organs were respectively 520, 764, and 1112. That this increased death-rate was not the result of the inclement weather by which the fog was accompanied is evidenced by the circumstance that in large provincial towns, where the weather was equally severe, but in which no fog occurred, the increase in the mortality, when compared to London, was slight.

The mean of the deaths registered in London, in the two weeks ending December 20th, showed an increase of 41 per cent. upon the number returned in the first week of the month; whilst during the same date the deaths in seventeen large English towns were only 8 per cent. This fatal fog occurred during the London cattle-show week, and killed a great number of the animals sent for exhibition.

In a specimen of the air of Manchester, obtained during the visitation of that city by a very dense fog, Dr Angus Smith discovered it contained a diminished amount of oxygen when compared with a favorable sample of air.

=FOILS.= These are thin leaves of polished metal, placed under precious stones and pastes, to heighten their brilliancy, or to vary the effect. Foils were formerly made of copper, tinned copper, tin, and silvered copper, but the last is the one wholly used for superior work at the present day.

Foils are of two descriptions:--white, for diamonds and mock diamonds, and--coloured, for the coloured gems. The latter are prepared by varnishing or lacquering the former. By their judicious use the colour of a stone may often be modified and improved. Thus, by placing a yellow foil under a green stone that turns too much on the blue, or a red one under a stone turning too much on the crimson, the hues will be brightened and enriched in proportion.

_Prep._ 1. (CRYSTAL, DIAMOND, or WHITE FOIL.)--_a._ This is made by coating a plate of copper with a layer of silver, and then rolling it into sheets in the flatting mill. The foil is then highly polished, or covered with crystal varnish.

_b._ The inside of the socket in which the stone or paste is to be set is covered with tin foil, by means of a little stiff gum or size; when dry, the surface is polished and the socket heated, and whilst it is warm, filled with quicksilver; after repose for two or three minutes the fluid metal is poured out, and the stone gently fitted in its place; lastly, the work is well fitted round the stone, to prevent the alloy being shaken out.

_c._ The bottom of the stone is coated with a film of real silver, by precipitating it from a solution of the nitrate in spirit of ammonia, by means of the oils of cassia and cloves.[318] This method vastly increases the brilliancy both of real and factitious gems, and the work is very permanent.

[Footnote 318: See SILVERING.]

2. (COLOURED FOILS.) The following formulæ produce beautiful coloured effects, when judiciously employed:--

_a._ (Amethyst.) Lake and Prussian blue, finely ground in pale drying oil.

_b._ (Blue.) Prussian blue (preferably Turnbull's), ground with pale, quick-drying oil. Used to deepen the colour of sapphires.

_c._ (Eagle marine.) Verdigris tempered in shell-lac varnish (alcoholic), with a little Prussian blue.

_d._ (Garnet.) Dragon's blood dissolved in rectified spirit of wine.

_e._ (Vinegar garnet.) Orange lake finely tempered with shell-lac varnish.

_f._ (Green.)--[Greek: a]. From pale shell-lac, dissolved in alcohol (lacquer), and tinged green by dissolving verdigris or acetate of copper in it.

[Greek: b]. From sesquiferrocyanide of iron and bichromate of potassa, of each 1/2 oz.; ground to an impalpable powder, first alone, and then with gum mastic (clean and also in fine powder), 2 oz.; a little pyroxilic spirit is next added, gradually, and the whole again ground until the mass becomes homogeneous and of a fine transparent green. The beauty increases with the length of the grinding. The predominance of the bichromate turns it on the yellowish green; that of the salt of iron on the bluish green. For use it is to be thinned with pyroxilic spirit. ('Chem.,' iii, 231.) Used for emeralds.

_g._ (Red.) Carmine, dissolved in spirit of hartshorn, or in a weak solution of salt of tartar, and a little gum (dissolved) added.

_h._ (Ruby.)--[Greek: a]. From lake or carmine, ground in isinglass.

[Greek: b]. Lake ground in shell-lac varnish. Both are used when the colour turns on the purple.

[Greek: g]. From bright lake ground in oil. Used when the colour turns on the scarlet or orange.

_i._ (Yellow.)--[Greek: a]. Various shades of yellow may be produced by tinging a weak alcoholic solution of shell-lac or mastic, by digesting turmeric, annotta, saffron, or socotrine aloes in it. The former is the brightest, and is used for topazes.

[Greek: b]. From hay saffron digested in 5 or 6 times its weight of boiling water until the latter becomes sufficiently coloured, and a little solution of gum or isinglass added to the filtered liquor. When dry, a coating of spirit varnish is applied.

_Obs._ By the skilful use of the above varnishes, good imitations of the gems may be cheaply made from transparent white glass or paste; and by applying them to foils set under coloured pastes (FACTITIOUS GEMS), a superior effect may be produced. The pigments employed must be reduced to the finest state possible by patient grinding, as without this precaution transparent and beautiful shades cannot be formed. The palest and cleanest mastic and lac, dissolved in alcohol, and also the palest and quickest drying oil should alone be used when these substances are ordered. In every case the colour must be laid on the foil with a broad soft brush; and the operation should be performed, if possible, at once, as no part should be crossed, or twice gone over, whilst wet. If the colour turns out too pale, a second coat may be given when the first one has become quite dry, but this practice should be avoided if possible.

=FOMENTA'TION.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO, FOMENTUM, FOTUS, L. A liquid, either simple or medicated, used for local bathing. Fomentations are distinguished from lotions chiefly in being applied in a heated state, and in larger quantities, and for a longer period at a time.

Fomentations are chiefly employed to allay pain or irritation, or to promote suppuration or the healthy action of the parts. As the intention is to convey heat, combined with moisture, to the part fomented, the utmost care must be taken to manage the application so as to promote the object in view as much as possible. Flannel cloths wrung out of the hot or boiling liquid, by means of two sticks, turned in opposite directions, form the best vehicles for fomentations. If they are shaken up, and laid lightly over the part, they involve a considerable quantity of air, which, being a bad conductor, retains the heat in them for a considerable time. "In every process of fomenting there should be two flannels, each (say) three yards long, with the ends sewed together, to admit of the boiling water being wrung out of them; and the one flannel should be got ready whilst the other is applied. The fineness or the coarseness of the flannel is not a matter of indifference. The coarser it is the less readily does it conduct heat, and the longer it retains its warmth; therefore it is more efficient for fomenting. White flannel also retains the heat longer than coloured flannel." (Dr R. E. Griffith.) More harm than good is frequently done by allowing the patient to become chilled during the application. "If only one (flannel) is used, the skin becomes chilled during the time occupied in removing the flannel, soaking it in the water, wringing it out, and reapplying it; but if two are used, one of them is ready, and can be applied the moment the other is taken off, by which means the part is never exposed to the air, no matter how long the fomentation is continued. In some diseases (rheumatism, peritonitis, &c.), the patient is scarcely conscious of a degree of heat which scalds the nurse's hands. In this case the fomenting flannels should be put in a towel, by which means they may be wrung out without being handled by the nurse, and may be applied far hotter than can be done by any other method." (Dr J. B. Nevins.)

The quantity of liquid forming a fomentation, as well as the size of the cloths employed, must entirely depend upon circumstances. In some cases (as in slight affections of the face, &c.) the application may be effectually made by holding the part in the steam of the hot liquid, and bathing it continually by means of a sponge or cloth. In some instances 1/2 pint to a pint of liquid may be found a sufficient quantity; whilst in others several quarts will be required. Under all circumstances, care must be taken to keep the fomentation as near as possible at the temperature ordered, during the whole time of its application; and, as soon as the operation is finished, to quickly wipe the part dry, and to cover it with ample clothing, in order that the reaction set up may not be prematurely checked.

Fomentations usually consist of simple water, or the decoction of some simple vegetable substance, as chamomiles, elder flowers or mallows; but, occasionally, the leaves and flowers of aromatic and narcotic plants, and saline matter, are employed under this form. The following formulæ are given as examples:--

=Fomentation, Acetic.= _Syn._ FOTUS ACETICUS (Paris Codex). Fomentations of vinegar are sometimes prepared with white, with rose, or with aromatic vinegar (Paris Codex) in the proportion of one of vinegar to four of water.

=Fomentation, An'odyne.= _Syn._ FOTUS ANODYNUS, FOMENTATIO ANODYNA, FOMENTUM ANODYNUM, L. _Prep._ 1. Simple decoction of poppy-heads.

2. (Hosp. F.) Poppy-heads (without the seeds), 1-1/2 oz.; water, 3-1/2 pints; boil to 2-1/2 pints; add of elder flowers, 3/4 oz.; boil to a quart and strain. Used to allay pain.

3. (Pierquin.) Opium, 1 oz.; wine, 1 quart; boil to a pint and strain. Used in severe gouty, rheumatic, neuralgic, and syphilitic pains.

4. Opium, 1 oz.; water, 1 quart; boil to 3/4 pint, add pyroligneous acid, 2 fl. oz.; boil for 10 minutes longer, then further add of sherry wine, 3/4 pint; and as soon as the whole again boils, strain it for use. Superior to the last, and cheaper.

=Fomentation, Antineural'gic.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO ANTINEURALGICA, L. _Prep._ 1. (Mialhe.) Acetate of morphia, 2 gr.; acetic acid, 2 or 3 drops; eau de Cologne, 2 or 3 dr.; dissolve. In facial neuralgia.

2. (Trousseau and Reveil.) Cyanide of potassium, 1 dr.; distilled water, 6 fl. oz.; dissolve and keep it in a well-closed bottle in the dark. Used in neuralgia, especially in that of the face (tic douloureux). A compress of lint or soft linen is dipped in it and applied to the part. It must not be used internally or applied to a wounded surface, as it is very poisonous. See FOMENTATIONS, ANODYNE, Nos. 3 and 4 (above), also FOMENTATION, STIMULANT.

=Fomentation, Antiseptic.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO ANTISEPTICA, L. _Prep._ 1. Decoction of mallows, 4 pints; sal ammoniac, 2 oz.; dissolve, and add of disulphate of quinine, 20 gr., dissolved in camphorated spirit, 4 fl. oz.

2. (Hosp. F.) Decoction of bark, 1 quart; infusion of chamomile, 1 pint; camphorated spirit, 2 fl. oz.; hydrochloric acid, 1 fl. dr. Both are used when there is a tendency to gangrene or putrescence.

=Fomentation of Ar'nica.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO ARNICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Flowers of arnica, 1 oz.; water, 3 pints; boil to a quart, and strain. Used in contusions.

2. (Graefe.) Flowers of arnica, 2 oz.; rue (leaves), 1 oz.; boiling water, q. s. to strain 12 fl. oz. of infusion after an hour's maceration at nearly the boiling temperature. Used in contusions and extravasations, especially as an application to black eyes.

3. (Radius.) Flowers of arnica, 1/2 oz.; boiling vinegar, q. s. to strain 6 fl. oz. of infusion, in which dissolve of carbonate of ammonia, 2 dr. Used in [oe]dema of the scrotum.

=Fomentation, Aromat'ic.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO AROMATICA, FOTUS AROMATICUS, L. _Prep._ 1. Sea wormwood, southernwood, and chamomiles, of each 1 oz.; laurel leaves, 1/2 oz.; water 5 pints; boil to half gall., and strain. In rheumatism, cutaneous affections, colic, &c.

2. (Augustin.) Rosemary, 1/2 oz.; red wine, and water, of each 3 fl. oz.; infuse and strain with expression. In contusions, especially black eyes.

3. (Hosp. F.) Cloves and mace, of each 1 oz.; opium, 20 gr.; red wine (boiling), 1 pint; digest at near boiling for 1 hour, and strain. Used as both the last.

4. (Rideau.) Bay leaves, rosemary, southernwood, and wormwood, of each 1 oz.; water, 2 quarts; boil 5 minutes, and strain. As No. 1.

=Fomentation, Astrin'gent.= _Syn._ FOTUS ASTRINGENS, F. ROBORANS, L. _Prep._ 1. Decoction of oak bark.

2. To each quart of the last add of alum 1 dr.

3. (Ph. Chirur.) Bruised galls, 1 oz.; boiling water, 2-1/2 pints; digest 1 hour, and strain.

4. (Ricord.) Tannin, 2-1/2 dr.; aromatic wine (hot), 1/2 pint; dissolve.

5. Bistort and pomegranate peel, of each 2 oz.; sal ammonia, 1/4 oz.; red wine, 1 pint.; infuse at a gentle heat. The above are used in hæmorrhages, piles, prolapsus, &c.

=Fomentation of Belladon'na.= _Syn._ FOTUS BELLADONNÆ, L. _Prep._ (Ophthalmic Hosp.) Extract of belladonna, 1 dr.; boiling water, 1 pint. Used to dilate the pupil in certain affections of the eye; it is usually applied on the forehead.

=Fomentation of Bitter-sweet.= _Syn._ DECOCTUM DULCAMARÆ, L. _Prep._ Bitter-sweet stalks, 10 dr.; water, 1-1/2 pint; boil to a pint, and strain.

=Fomentation of Cham'omile.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO ANTHEMIDIS, L. _Prep._ Chamomiles, 2 oz.; water, 3 pints; boil 10 minutes, and strain with expression. Emollient.

=Fomentation, Com'mon.= _Syn._ FOTUS COMMUNIS. (L. 1744.) _Prep._ Dried southernwood, sea wormwood, chamomile, of each 1 oz.; dried bay leaves, 1/2 oz.; water, 5 pints; boil slightly, and strain.

=Fomentation, Compound of Hemlock.= (Guy's Hosp.) _Syn._ FOMENTUM CONII COMPOSITUM. _Prep._ Dried hemlock, 2 oz.; dried chamomiles, 1/2 oz.; boiling water, 1-1/2 pint; macerate for 2 hours, strain, and press.

=Fomentation, Diuret'ic.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO DIURETICA, L. _Prep._ (Trousseau.) Tinctures of squills and foxglove, of each 2 oz.; hot water, 6 fluid oz.; mix. Applied by lint or linen compresses to the insides of the thighs, in dropsies, when the stomach will not bear diuretics.

=Fomentation of El'der Flowers.= _Syn._ FOTUS SAMBUCI, L. _Prep._ From elder flowers, 1 oz.; boiling water, 2 quarts; digest in a hot place for 1 hour, and express the liquor. Emollient.

=Fomentation, Emol'lient.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO EMOLLIENS. L. _Prep._ 1. Marshmallow root and poppy heads, of each 1 oz.; water, 3 pints; boil to a quart, and strain.

2. (P. Cod.) Emollient herbs, 1 oz.; boiling water, 1 quart; infuse 1 hour, and strain with expression. (See _above_.)

=Fomentation, Foxglove.= _Syn._ FOMENTUM DIGITALIS. Dried foxglove, 1 oz.; boiling water, 1-1/2 pint; infuse, and strain.

=Fomentation of Galls.= _Syn_ FOMENTUM GALLÆ. _Prep._ Bruised galls, 1/2 oz.; boiling water, 2 lbs.; macerate for an hour and strain.

=Fomentation, Narcot'ic.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO NARCOTICA, L. _Prep._ (P. Cod.) Narcotic herbs, 1 oz.; boiling water, 1-1/2 pint; infuse as last.

=Fomentation, Poppy.= _Syn._ FOMENTUM PAPAVERIS. As DECOCTION OF POPPIES.

=Fomentation, Resol'vent.= _Syn._ FOTUS RESOLVENS, L. _Prep._ (Richard.) Fomentation of elder flowers, 8 fl. oz.; liquor of diacetate of lead, 1/2 fl. dr.; mix. Used to discuss tumours, &c.

=Fomentation, Stim'ulant.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO STIMULANS, L. _Prep._ 1. Sesquicarbonate of ammonia, 1 oz.; tincture of cantharides, 2 fl. oz.; warm water, 1 pint.

2. Household mustard, 4 oz.; hot water, 1-1/2 pint; mix. Both the above are rubefacient and counter-irritant, and excellent in rheumatism, neuralgia, &c.

=Fomentation, Tannin.= _Syn._ FOMENTUM TANNINI. (Ricord.) _Prep._ Tannin, 2 dr.; aromatic wine, 8 oz.

=Fomentation, Ver'mifuge.= _Syn._ FOMENTATIO VERMIFUGA, FOTUS ANTHELMINTICUS, L. _Prep._ Leaves and flowers of tansy, wormwood, and chamomile, of each 3 oz.; water, 1 quart; boil to 1-1/2 pint, and strain. Applied to the abdomen, &c., in worms.

=Fomentation, Wine.= _Syn._ FOTUS VINOSUS (Par. Cod.) _Prep._ Red wine, 2 pints; honey 4 oz.

=FOOD.= _Syn._ CIBUS, MATERIA ALIMENTARIA, L. Anything which feeds or promotes the natural growth of organic bodies, by supplying them with materials which, by assimilation, may be converted into the substances of which they are composed; or which, by its decomposition or slow combustion, maintains the temperature, or some other essential condition of life, at the proper standard. The numerous articles employed as food are all compounds; and in many cases they consist of mechanical mixtures or chemical combinations of two or more compounds. Organized matter, or that which has possessed either animal or vegetable life, or which has been produced by living organs, seems to be alone capable of assimilation, to any extent, by the animal system; and hence it is from the organic kingdom that our aliments are necessarily derived. Water, iron, earthy phosphates, chloride of sodium, and other salts, which form the inorganic constituents of the body, though not of themselves nourishing, are also assimilated when taken in conjunction with organic aliments, and then contribute essentially to nutrition. In the animal and vegetable substances employed as food, these inorganic compounds are provided in small but sufficient quantities to meet the requirements of the healthy body, and in this state of combination alone can they be regarded in the light of aliments. A complete consideration of this subject embraces, not only all the substances used as food, but also those things which when taken with them improve their flavour, promote their digestion, and render them more wholesome and nutritive; and also their preparation for the table in its various relations with health and disease.

The following 'BILLS OF FARE,' for which we are indebted chiefly to Soyer, Rundell, and others, exhibit the various articles in season at different periods of the year.

FIRST QUARTER. January.--Poultry and game: Pheasants, partridges, hares, rabbits, woodcocks, snipes, turkeys, capons, pullets, fowls, chickens, and tame pigeons.--Fish: Carp, tench, perch, lampreys, eels, cray-fish, cod, soles, flounders, plaice, turbot, thornback, skate, sturgeon, smelts, whitings, lobsters, crabs, prawns, and oysters.--Vegetables: Cabbage, savoys, colewort, sprouts, leeks, onions, beet, sorrel, chervil, endive, spinach, celery, garlic, scorzonera, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, brocoli (white and purple), shalots, lettuces, cresses, mustard, rape, salsafy, and herbs of all sorts (some dry and some green); cucumbers, asparagus, and mushrooms are also to be had, though not in season.--Fruit: Apples, pears, nuts, walnuts, medlars, and grapes.

February and March.--Meat, fowls, and game, as in January, with the addition of ducklings and chickens.--Fish: As the last two months (cod is not thought so good from February to July, although it is still sold at the fishmonger's).--Vegetables: The same as the previous months, with the addition of kidney-beans.--Fruit: Apples, pears, and forced strawberries.

SECOND QUARTER. April, May, and June.--Meat: Beef, mutton, veal, lamb, and venison (in June).--Poultry: Pullets, fowls, chickens, ducklings, pigeons, rabbits, and leverets.--Fish: Carp, tench, soles, smelts, eels, trout, turbot, lobsters, chub, salmon, herrings, cray-fish, mackerel, crabs, prawns, and shrimps.--Vegetables: As before; and in May, early potatoes and cabbages, peas, radishes, kidney-beans, carrots, turnips, cauliflowers, asparagus, artichokes, and numerous salads (forced).--Fruit: (in June) strawberries, cherries, melons, green apricots, and currants and gooseberries for tarts; pears, grapes, nectarines, peaches, and some other fruit.

THIRD QUARTER. July, August, and September.--Meat, as before.--Poultry, &c.: Pullets, fowls, chickens, rabbits, pigeons, green geese, leverets, and turkey poults. Two former months, plovers and wheat-ears (in September), partridges, geese, &c.--Fish: Cod, haddocks, flounders, plaice, skate, thornback, mullets, pike, carp, eels, shellfish (except oysters), and mackerel (during the first two months of the quarter, but they are not good in August).--Vegetables: Of all sorts, beans, peas, French beans, &c.--Fruit: (In July)--Strawberries, gooseberries, pine-apples, plums (various), cherries, apricots, raspberries, melons, currants, and damsons. (In August and September)--Peaches, plums, figs, filberts, mulberries, cherries, apples, pears, nectarines, and grapes. (During the latter months)--Pines, melons, strawberries, medlars, and quinces. (In September)--Morella cherries, damsons, and various plums.

FOURTH QUARTER. October, November, and December.--Meat, as before, and doe venison.--Poultry and Game: Domestic fowls, as in first quarter; pheasants (from the 1st of October); partridges, larks, hares, dotterels (at the end of the month), wild-ducks, teal, snipes, widgeon, and grouse.--Fish: Dories, smelts, pike, perch, halibuts, brills, carp, salmon-trout, barbel, gudgeons, tench, and shellfish.--Vegetables: (As in January), French-beans, last crops of beans, &c.--Fruit: Peaches, pears, figs, bullace, grapes, apples, medlars, damsons, filberts, walnuts, nuts, quinces, services, and medlars. (In November)--Meat, &c.: Beef, mutton, veal, pork, house-lamb, doe venison, and poultry and game as in the last month.--Fish: As the last month.--Vegetables: Carrots, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, skirrets, scorzonera, onions, leeks, shalots, cabbage, savoys, colewort, spinach, chardbeats, chardoons, cresses, endive, celery, lettuces, salad-herbs, and various pot-herbs.--Fruit: Pears, apples, nuts, walnuts, bullace, chestnuts, medlars, and grapes. (In December)--Meat, &c.: Beef, mutton, veal, house-lamb, pork, and venison.--Poultry and Game: Geese, turkeys, pullets, pigeons, capons, fowls, chickens, rabbits, hares, snipes, woodcocks, larks, pheasants, partridges, sea-fowls, guinea-fowls, wild ducks, teal, widgeon, dotterels, dun-birds, and grouse.--Fish: Cod, turbot, halibuts, soles, gurnets, sturgeon, carp, gudgeons, codlings, eels, dories, and shell-fish.--Vegetables: As in last month. Asparagus, &c., forced.--Fruit: As before, except bullace.

=Food, Inspection of.= The Public Health Act enacts that--

"Any medical officer of health or inspector of nuisances may at all _reasonable times_, inspect and examine any animal, carcase, meat, poultry, game, flesh, fish, fruit, vegetables, corn, bread, flour, or milk exposed for sale, or deposited in any place for the purpose of sale, or of preparation for sale, and intended for the food of man, the proof that the same was not exposed or deposited for any such purpose, or was not intended for the food of man, resting with the party charged; and if any such animal, carcase, meat, poultry, game, flesh, fish, fruit, vegetables, corn, bread, flour, or milk, appears to such medical officer or inspector to be diseased, or unsound, or unwholesome, or unfit for the food of man, he may seize and carry away the same himself or by an assistant, in order to have the same dealt with by a justice." (P. H., s. 116.)

"If it appears to the justice that any animal, carcase, meat, poultry, game, flesh, fish, fruit, vegetables, corn, bread, flour, or milk so seized is diseased, or unsound, or unwholesome, or unfit for the food of man, he shall condemn the same and order it to be destroyed, or so disposed of, as to prevent it from being exposed for sale, or used for such food; and the person to whom the same belongs or did belong at the time of sale, or of exposure for sale, or in whose possession, or on whose premises the same was found, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £20 for every animal, carcase, or fish, or piece of meat, flesh, or fish, or any poultry or game, or for the parcel of fruit, vegetables, corn, bread, or flour, or for the milk so condemned, or at the discretion of the justice, without the infliction of a fine, to imprisonment for a term of not more than _three months_.

"The justice who, under this section, is empowered to convict the offender, may be either the justice who may have ordered the article to be disposed of or destroyed, or any other justice having jurisdiction in the place." (P. H., s. 117.)

"Any person who in any manner prevents any medical officer of health or inspector of nuisances from entering any premises and inspecting any animal, carcase, meat, poultry, game, flesh, fish, fruit, vegetables, corn, bread, flour, or milk exposed or deposited for the purpose of sale, or of preparation for sale, and intended for the food of man, or who obstructs or impedes any such officer or inspector, or his assistant, when carrying into execution the provisions of this Act, shall be liable to a penalty, not exceeding £5." (P. H., s. 118.)

"Any complaint made on oath, by a medical officer of health, or by an inspector, or other officer of a local authority, any justice may grant a warrant to any such officer, to enter any building, or part of a building in which any such officer has reason for believing that there is kept or concealed any animal, carcase, meat, poultry, game, flesh, fish, fruit, vegetables, corn, bread, flour, or milk which is intended for sale for the food of man, and is diseased, unsound or unwholesome, or unfit for the food of man and to search for, seize, and carry away any such animal, or other article, in order to have the same dealt with by a justice under the provisions of this Act.

Any person who obstructs any such officer in the performance of his duty, under such warrant shall, in addition to any other punishment to which he may be subject, be liable to a penalty not exceeding £20." (P. H., s. 119.)

=FOOL.= Cooks give this name to a species of jam made of boiled and crushed fruit, mixed with milk or cream, and sweetened.

=Fool, Ap'ple.= From the peeled and cored fruit, placed in a jar, with moist sugar, q. s. to render it palatable, and a very little cider or perry; the jar is set in a saucepan of water over the fire, and the heat continued until the apples become quite soft, when they are pulped through a colander, and a sufficient quantity of milk, a little cream, and some sugar, added to bring them to the proper 'palate.'

=Fool, Goose'berry.= From gooseberries, as the last. Those which are unripe are generally preferred. These preparations, when nicely made, are very pleasant and wholesome.

=FOOT (Human).= See FEET.

=FOOTS.= Coarse moist sugar. The scrapings of the sugar hogsheads, refuse sugar, waste, and dirt, is also sold to the publicans under this name, who use it in the adulteration of their beer; chiefly to make it stand more water, and to impart 'briskness.'

=FORCE'MEAT.= _Syn._ FARCE, STUFFING. A species of sausage meat, either served up alone, or employed as an ingredient in other dishes.

Mrs Rundell truly remarks that "at many tables, where everything else is done well, it is common to find very bad forcemeat or stuffing." To avoid this error, care should be taken to so proportion the ingredients that "no one flavour should predominate; yet if several dishes be served the same day, there should be a marked variety in the tastes of the forcemeats as well as of the gravies. A general fault is, that the tastes of lemon peel and thyme overcome all others; therefore they should only be used in small quantities." Forcemeats should be just consistent enough to cut with a knife, but not dry and heavy. Herbs are very essential ingredients; and it is the copious and judicious use of them that chiefly gives the cookery of the French its superior flavour. "To force fowls, meat, &c., is to stuff them." (Mrs Rundell.)

=FOR'CING.= Horticulturists apply this term to the art of accelerating the growth of plants, so as to obtain fruits or flowers at unusual seasons. Dung-beds, bark-beds, and frames, pits, and houses, with glass roofs, are commonly employed by the gardeners for this purpose.

=FORGERIES, PROTECTION FROM.= See PAPER, PROTECTIVE.

=FORMATE.= _Syn._ FORMIATE. Salts, in which one atom of hydrogen in formic acid is replaced by a metal or other basic radical. They are best obtained either by direct saturation of the acid, or by double decomposition; most of them are very soluble, and are decomposed by hot oil of vitriol. Formate of ammonium crystallises in square prisms; formate of sodium, in rhombic prisms; formate of potassium is deliquescent, and crystallises with difficulty; the formates of barium, calcium, magnesium, and strontium, form small prismatic crystals; formate of lead assumes the shape of small colourless needles, soluble in 40 parts of water; the formates of cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc, are easily crystallisable, whilst that of copper forms very beautiful, large, bright-blue rhombic prisms; formate of silver is less soluble than the salt of lead, and is decomposed at a gentle heat.

=FORMIC ACID.= HCHO_{2}. _Syn._ HYDROGEN FORMIATE. An organic acid, obtained by oxidizing many organic substances, and found in the red ant.

_Prep._ Sugar, 1 part; water, 2 parts; binoxide of manganese, 3 parts; mix in a retort capable of holding fully 10 times the bulk of the ingredients, and add, cautiously, oil of vitriol, 3 parts, diluted with an equal weight of water; as soon as the first violent effervescence has subsided, heat may be applied, and the product collected and purified, as below.

Formate of lead in fine powder is introduced into a long glass tube, one end of which is connected with an apparatus evolving sulphuretted hydrogen, and the other with a receiver. As soon as the salt is entirely decomposed (blackened) a very gentle heat is applied, and the distilled liquid collected; the product is, lastly, boiled for a minute or less, to expel any adhering sulphuretted gas. This furnishes chemically pure formic acid.

From wood spirit, 1 part; bichromate of potassium and sulphuric acid, of each 3 parts; the sulphuric acid, diluted with an equal weight of water, being gradually added last. A portion of wood spirit distils over with the acid, and may be again treated with bichromate of potassium and sulphuric acid, when a fresh portion of formic acid will be produced. This process yields a large product.

_Prop., purific., &c._ The products of the above processes are limpid and colourless; the stronger ones fume slightly in the air, and possess an extremely penetrating odour. The acid obtained by the second process boils at 209° Fahr., crystallises in brilliant scales below 32°, and has the sp. gr. 1·2353. Its vapour is inflammable, and burns with a blue flame. It is extremely corrosive, and rapidly destroys the texture of living organic substances. The products of the other processes are very dilute, and possess the above properties in only a minor degree. They may all be purified and concentrated by saturating them with pure carbonate of sodium or of potassium, and after subjecting the liquid to a gentle heat for a short time, and liberating the formic acid from the salt by means of dilute sulphuric acid, finally submitting the mixture to distillation, when the hydrated acid will come over perfectly pure.

Formic acid reduces the salts of mercury and silver, and forms salts with the bases termed formiates.

Formic acid is readily distinguished from acetic acid, which in many points it resembles, by heating it with a little solution of oxide of silver or mercury; the metal is reduced, and precipitated in a pulverulent state, while carbonic acid is extricated. The odours of the two acids also vary.

=FORMICA.= _Syn._ THE ANT. The following are the principal species of the genus _Formica_. _F. flava_, the yellow ant. Many careful observers say this species keeps in its nest the _Aphis radicans_, which when its abdomen is touched by the ant, excretes a saccharine substance on which the ants feed. _F. rufa_, or large red ant, _F. fusca_; or brown ant, _Polyergus rufescens_, and _F. sanguinea_. These two latter are sometimes called amazon ants, from their pugilistic propensities. They have been known to make regular raids against other species of ants, and to carry off their larvæ and pupæ to their own nests, where they rear the insects that come of them, and afterwards employ them as slaves, causing them to excavate passages, to collect food, to carry larvæ and (so dependent do the masters become on the exertions of their bondsman) even to feed them; it being a well-attested fact that the slave holders would starve if left to themselves. See ANT.

=FORMOBENZOIC ACID.= (HC_{7}H_{6}O,CHO_{2}). _Syn._ FORMIATE OF HYDRIDE OF BENZOYLE. MANDELIC ACID. When the distilled water of bitter almonds (containing hydrocyanic acid and the essential oil) is boiled with hydrochloric acid, a curious reaction occurs; the hydrocyanic acid is decomposed--into ammonia which unites with the hydrochloric acid, and formic acid which enters into combination with the oil of almonds--producing a new body possessed of acid properties, and termed _Formobenzoic acid_. On evaporating the solution the acid may be obtained in mixture with ammonia hydrochlorate, from which it may be separated by ether; the ethereal solution deposits it in rhomboidal tables. It has a sour taste and is easily soluble in alcohol. When heated it fuses at a low temperature, emitting an agreeable odour of hawthorn blossoms. (Miller.)

=FORM'ULA.= [L.] In _pharmacy_ and _medicine_, a short form of prescription; a recipe. By chemists the term is applied to a grouping of symbols, expressing the composition of a body; thus, HCl (standing for 1 atom of hydrogen united to 1 atom of chlorine) is the formula for hydrochloric acid. A chemical formula is termed empirical when it merely gives the simplest possible expression of the composition of the substance to which it refers. A rational formula, on the contrary, aims at describing the exact composition of molecule, or combining weight of the substance, but stating the absolute number of atoms of such of the elements essential to that object, as well as the mere relations existing between them. The empirical formula is at once deduced from the analysis of the substance, reckoned to 100 parts; the rational formula requires, in addition, a knowledge of its combining quantity, which can only be obtained by direct experiment, by synthesis, or by the careful examination of one or more of its most definite compounds. Thus, the composition of acetic acid is expressed by the formula CH_{2}O, which exhibits the simplest relations of the three elements; if we want to express the quantities of these, in atoms required to make up one molecule of acetic acid, we have to adopt the formula C_{2}H_{4}O_{2} or HC_{2}H_{3}O_{2}.

=FOR'MYL.= _Syn._ FORMYLE. A hypothetical organic radical, having the composition C_{2}H. Its existence was inferred from the constitution of certain organic compounds which are now referred to the methyl-series. Formic acid was supposed to be an oxide of formyl; and chloroform, the terchloride of formyl.

=FOXGLOVE.= _Syn._ DIGITALIS (B. P.), L. A genus of plants belonging to the natural order _Scrophulariacæ_. The leaves of the uncultivated '_Digitalis purpurea_,' or purple foxglove, are officinal in our pharmacop[oe]ias. They must be gathered before the terminal flowers have expanded. "The petiole and midrib of the leaf being cut off, dry the lamina." (Phar. L.) The seeds (DIGITALIS SEMINA), which were ordered, as well as the leaves, in former pharmacop[oe]ias, are said to be in many points preferable to them. When good, the leaves are of a dull-green colour, and possess a feeble narcotic odour, and a bitter, unpleasant taste. Both the dried leaves and the powder should be preserved in corked bottles covered with dark-coloured paper, or in well-closed tin canisters, and kept in a dark cupboard; and the stock should be renewed yearly, as age considerably diminishes the medicinal activity of digitalis.

_Action, uses, &c._ Foxglove is diuretic, sedative, and antispasmodic, and exerts a specific action over the cerebro-spinal system, promoting the functions of the absorbents, and reducing the force of the circulation in a remarkable manner. It is administered in fevers and inflammations, to reduce the frequency of the pulse, and to allay excessive vascular excitement; in dropsy (unless the habit is full and pulse tight and cordy), as a diuretic, either alone, or combined with squills, calomel, salines, or bitters; in internal hæmorrhages, as a sedative, when the pulse is full, hard, and throbbing; in diseases of the heart and great vessels, and in phthisis, to reduce the force and velocity of the circulation; in epilepsy and insanity, to repress vascular excitement; and in spasmodic asthma, scrofula, and several other diseases, with one or other of the above intentions.

The greatest caution is required in the use of foxglove, as its effects accumulate in the system, and the unwary practitioner is occasionally surprised at the sudden demise of his patient, even after he has left off the use of this drug.--_Dose_, 1/2 gr. to 1-1/2 gr., in powder, every 6 hours. See EXTRACT, INFUSION, TINCTURE, &c.

=FOX'ING.= See MALT LIQUORS.

=FRACT'URE.= _Syn._ FRACTURA, L. The breaking or disrupture of a bone. When the bone is nearly divided into two parts, it is called a SIMPLE FRACTURE; when the integuments are also lacerated, a COMPOUND FRACTURE; and when the bone is splintered, a COMMINUTED FRACTURE.

=FRAGRANT PAIN-CURER= (Five-minute). Dr Walter Scott, New York. A remedy to remove all kinds of pain in five minutes. A clear colourless fluid containing ether, 6 grammes; glycerin, 21 grammes; common salt, 3·4 grammes; distilled water, 170 grammes. (Hager.)

=FRANK'INCENSE.= _Syn._ COMMON FRANKINCENSE; THUS (Ph. L.), L. The turpentine which exudes from the bark of _Abies excelsa_ (Norway spruce fir) and _Pinus palustris_ (pitch or swamp pine), hardened by the air. (Ph. L.) The gum-resin olibanum, which is the produce of the _Boswellia thurifera_, is the 'odorous frankincense' of commerce.

=Prepared Frankincense.= _Syn._ THUS PRÆPARATUM (Ph. L.), L. _Prep._ (Ph. L.) Frankincense, 1 lb.; water, q. s. to cover it; boil until the resin is melted, and strain through a hair sieve; when the whole has cooled, pour off the water, and keep the frankincense for use. Resembles common resin in its general properties.

=FRAX'ININ.= _Syn._ FRAXIN; FRAXINA, L. A peculiar bitter, neutral, and crystallisable substance, soluble in boiling water, extracted from the bark of _Fraxinus excelsior_, or common ash. It is febrifuge.

=FREC'KLES.= These are round or oval-shaped yellowish spots, similar to stains, developed on the skin. There are two varieties--FRECKLES, or SUMMER FRECKLES, resulting from the action of the sun and heat during the summer season, and disappearing with the hot weather or exposure; and--COLD FRECKLES, which occur at all times of the year. The former are chiefly confined to persons of fair complexion, whilst the latter attack persons of all complexions indifferently, and sometimes assume a lively yellow or greenish colour.

_Treatment._ Common freckles may generally be removed by the frequent application of dilute spirits, acids or alkaline solutions; the last two just strong enough to prick the tongue. Cold freckles commonly occur from disordered health, or some general disturbance of the system, to which attention should be chiefly directed. In both varieties the solution of bichloride of mercury (Ph. L.), or Gowland's lotion, will be found a most useful external application. See _below_.

=Freckles, Lotion for.= _Prep._ 1. Bichloride of mercury, 5 gr.; hydrochloric acid, 30 drops; lump sugar, 1 oz.; rectified spirit of wine, 2 oz.; rose water, 7 oz.; agitate together until the whole is dissolved.

2. Petals or leaves of red roses, 1 oz.; hot water, 12 fl. oz.; infuse an hour, and strain, with expression, 1/2 pint; add of citric acid, 30 gr.; dissolve, and in a few hours, decant and clear.

3. Rose leaves (dried), 1/4 oz.; lemon juice (freshly expressed) and rum or brandy, of each 1/4 pint; digest 24 hours, and squeeze out the liquor for use.

4. (Kittoe's.) Sal ammoniac, 1 dr.; spring water, 1 pint; lavender water or eau de Cologne, 1/4 oz; mix. The above are applied with the fingers night and morning, or oftener.

=Freckles, Pomade for.= _Prep._ 1. Citrine ointment, 1 dr.; simple ointment, 7 dr.; otto of roses, 3 drops.

2. Elder flower ointment, 1 oz.; sulphate of zinc (levigated), 20 gr.; mix by porphyrization, or by trituration in a wedgwood-ware mortar. Both the above, applied night and morning, are excellent for either cold or summer freckles.

=FREEZ'ING MIXTURES.= See ICE and REFRIGERATION.

FRENCH BER'RIES. _Syn._ PERSIAN BERRIES, AVIGNON B.; GRAINES D'AVIGNON, Fr. The unripe berries or fruit of the _Rhamnus infectorius_. They are imported from France and Persia; those from the latter country being esteemed the best. Some writers state that the Persian berries are the product of a distinct species, namely, _R. amygdalinus_. They are chiefly used for dyeing morocco leather yellow. Their decoction dyes cloth, previously mordanted with alum, tartar, or protochloride of tin, of a yellow colour; with sulphate of copper, an olive; and with red sulphate of iron, an olive-green colour.

=FRENCH POL'ISH.= Several varnishes are used under this name. That most generally employed is a simple solution of pale shell-lac in either methylated spirit or wood naphtha. Sometimes a little mastic, sandarac, or elemi, or copal varnish, is added to render the polish tougher.

_Prep._ 1. From pale shell-lac, 5-1/2 oz.; finest wood naphtha, 1 pint; dissolve.

2. Pale shell-lac, 3 lbs.; wood naphtha, 1 gall. Methylated spirit (68 o. p.) may be substituted for the naphtha in each of the above formulæ.

3. Pale shell-lac, 5 oz.; gum sandarac, 1 oz.; spirit (68 o. p.), 1 pint.

4. Pale shell-lac, 5-1/2 oz.; gum elemi, 3/4 oz.; spirit, 1 pint.

5. Pale shell-lac, 1-1/4 lbs.; mastic, 1/4 lb.; spirit, 2 quarts.