Chapter XLV: Part 2 (6)

=Pills of Sagape′num (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ SAGAPENI COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ (Ph. L. 1836.) Sagapenum, 1 oz.; aloes, 1/2 dr.; syrup of ginger, q. s.——_Dose_, 5 to 20 gr.; as a stimulant antispasmodic laxative, in dyspepsia with flatulence, flatulent colic, &c.

=Pills of Sal′icin.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SALICINÆ, L. _Prep._ From salicin, 1/2 dr.; powdered rhubarb, 20 gr.; extract of gentian, q. s. to mix. For 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, every three hours, during the apyrexia of intermittents.

=Pills of Sandal Wood Oil.= (Ebert.) _Syn._ PILULÆ OLEI SANTALI. _Prep._ Oil of yellow sandal wood, 1/2 oz.; yellow wax, 1/2 oz. Melt the wax into a capsule, and weigh into it the oil of sandal wood. Mix, and stir until cold, then roll out the mass and divide it into 80 pills, by means of the pill machine or pill-tite, in the same manner as in the ordinary mass, and sprinkle with marshmallow root powder. Each pill contains about 3 gr. or about 5 drops of the oil. The excipient is unobjectionable, as it is readily soluble in the juices of the stomach.

=Pills of Scam′mony (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ SCAMMONII COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (St. B. Hosp.) Scammony, 24 gr.; ginger, 20 gr.; aloes and gamboge, of each 12 gr.; treacle, q. s.; mix, and divide into 12 pills. A powerful cathartic and vermifuge.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills.

2. (B. P.) Resin of scammony, resin of jalap, of each 1 oz.; curd soap, in powder, 1 oz.; strong tincture of ginger, 1 fl. oz.; rectified spirit, 2 fl. oz. Add the tincture and spirit to the soap and resins, and dissolve by the aid of a gentle heat, then evaporate the spirit over a water-bath until the mass has a pilular consistence.——_Dose_, 5 gr. to 15 gr.

=Pills, Scot’s.= _Prep._ From aloes, 9 lbs.; jalap, 3 lbs.; gamboge and ginger, of each 1/2 lb.; beaten with treacle, q. s. See PILLS, ANDERSON’S SCOT’S.

=Pills, Dr Scott’s Bil′ious and Liver.= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Compound extract of colocynth (Ph. L. 1836), 8 oz.; powdered rhubarb, 4 oz.; powdered myrrh, 2 oz.; soft soap, 1/2 oz.; oil of caraway, 2-1/2 dr.; strong syrup of saffron, q. s. to form a pill-mass. “There are twenty-five 3-1/2-gr. pills in each 1s. 1-1/2d. box.” “It has been stated that these pills contain a minute portion of antimony.” (‘Anat. of Quackery.’)

=Pills, Se′dative.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SEDATIVÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Hydrochlorate of morphia, 6 gr.; powdered sumbul, 20 gr.; alcoholic extract of Indian hemp, 1/2 dr. For 2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, twice or thrice daily; in excessive nervous irritability, painful menstruation, &c.

2. (U. C. Hosp.) Camphor, 1 dr.; reduce it to powder by means of rectified spirit, 3 or 4 drops; add of extract of henbane, 20 gr., and divide the mass into 20 pills. To allay pain and excitement, &c.——_Dose_, 1 to 2 pills.

3. To either of the above, add of powdered rhubarb and extract of gentian, of each 20 gr., and divide the mass into 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 4 pills; when, besides the other symptoms, the stomach and bowels are disordered.

=Pills, Sedillot’s Febrifuge.= _Prep._ From powdered opium, 3 gr.; sulphate of quinine, 12 gr.; confection of opium, 10 gr., or q. s. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, every second hour, during the intermission of an ague.

=Pills of Sen′na.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SENNÆ, P. S. COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Powdered senna, 1 dr.; extract of rhubarb, 1/2 dr.; powdered capsicum, 4 gr.; oil of juniper, 6 or 8 drops. For 3-gr. pills. An aperient well suited for females.——_Dose_, 5 to 8 pills.

2. (Hufeland.) Powdered senna, 1 dr.; extract of dandelion, q. s. to mix. For 30 pills. As the last.

=Pills, Smith’s.= _Prep._ From powdered aloes, 4 dr.; jalap, 2 dr.; ginger and soft soap, of each 1 dr.; oil of juniper, 1/2 dr.; emetic tartar, 6 gr. For 120 pills. Laxative and diuretic.——_Dose_, 1 to 4, at bedtime, or early in the morning.

=Pills, Dr Hugh Smith’s.= See STOMACH PILLS.

=Pills of Soap.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SAPONIS, P. CUM SAPONE, L. _Prep._ (P. Cod.) White Castile soap, 32 parts; powdered marshmallow root, 4 parts; powdered nitrate of potassa, 1 part; beat them to a mass, and divide this into 4-gr. pills. In habitual costiveness, calculary affections, &c.——_Dose_, 1 to 6 pills, twice or thrice a day.

=Pills of Soap (Compound).= _Syn._ PILLS OF SOAP AND OPIUM, LAUDANUM PILLS; PILULA SAPONIS COMPOSITA (Ph. L.), PILULÆ SAPONIS CUM OPIO, L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Opium and liquorice, of each (in powder) 2 dr.; soft soap (Ph. L.), 6 dr.; beat them to a uniform mass.

2. (B. P. & Ph. U. S.) Opium (in fine powder), 1/2 oz.; Castile soap, 2 oz.; distilled water, 1/2 fl. dr., or q. s.; reduce the soap to powder, mix it with the other ingredients, and beat the whole together, as before.——_Dose_, 3 gr. to 5 gr. See PILLS OF OPIUM.

_Obs._ The above pills contain 1-5th part of their weight in dry opium. The dose is 3 to 10 gr., in the usual cases in which the administration of opium is indicated. Mr Skey, the eminent surgeon of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, has shown the great value of this pill in promoting the healing of obstinate ulcers, more especially those of the legs.

=Pills of Soda.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SODÆ CARBONATIS, L. _Prep._ (Ph. E. 1817.) Exsiccated carbonate of soda, 4 parts; Castile soap, 3 parts; syrup, q. s. to form a mass. Antacid and slightly laxative.——_Dose_, 10 to 20 gr. This pill was a great favourite of the once celebrated Dr Beddoes.

=Pills, Soot.= (Dr Neligan.) _Syn._ PILULÆ FULIGINIS. _Prep._ Extract of soot, 1/2 dr.; compound galbanum pill, 1 scruple; oil of valerian, 15 minims. Make into 12 pills. Take 2 three times a day. For hysteria.

=Pills, Speediman’s.= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Aloes, 3 dr.; rhubarb, myrrh (all in powder), and extract of chamomile, of each 1 dr.; oil of chamomile, 20 drops. For 4-gr. pills. An excellent aperient, tonic, and stomachic.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 pills, as a purgative; 1, as a stomachic or dinner pill.

=Pills, Splenet′ic.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTISPLENETICÆ, L. _Prep._ (Saunders.) Strained aloes and gum ammoniacum, of each 3 dr.; myrrh and bryony, of each 1/2 dr. For 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 5, “Extolled in amenorrhœa and hypochondriasis.” (Dr R. E. Griffith.)

=Pills of Squill (Compound).= _Syn._ COUGH PILLS, PILLS OF SQUILLS AND GINGER; PILULA SCILLÆ COMPOSITÆ (B. P., Ph. L.), PILULÆ SCILLÆ COMPOSITÆ (Ph. D.), P. SCILLÆ (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Freshly powdered squills, 1 dr.; powdered ginger and powdered ammoniacum, of each 2 dr.; mix, add of soft soap (Ph. L.), 3 dr.; treacle, 1 dr.; and beat the whole together, so that a mass may be formed.

2. (Ph. E.) Squills, 5 parts; ammoniacum, ginger (all in fine powder), and Spanish soap, of each 4 parts; conserve of red roses, 2 parts; mix, as before, and divide the mass into 5-gr. pills.

3. (Ph. D.) Squills (in fine powder), 2-1/2 dr.; ammoniacum, ginger, and Castile soap, of each (in fine powder) 2 dr.; treacle, 1/2 oz.

4. (B. P.) Squill (in fine powder), 1-1/4; ginger (in fine powder), 1; ammoniacum (in powder), 1; hard soap (in powder), 1; treacle (by weight), 2, or a sufficiency; mix the powders, add the treacle, and beat into a mass.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 grains.

_Obs._ Compound squill pill is a most useful expectorant in chronic coughs, asthmas, bronchial affections, difficulty of breathing, &c.; and, combined with calomel and foxglove, and, occasionally, with croton oil, as a diuretic, &c., in dropsies. Unfortunately, however, it soon spoils; and, therefore, to be effective as a remedy, it must be recently prepared. As an expectorant, it should not be administered until the inflammatory symptoms have been subdued by purgatives or bleeding. A little powdered opium, or extract of henbane, is occasionally added, to allay irritation.——_Dose_, 5 to 20 gr., twice or thrice a day, accompanied by an occasional aperient.

=Pills, Stahl’s.= See PILLS, APERIENT.

=Pills, Starkey’s.= _Prep._ (Original formula.) Extract of opium, 4 oz.; mineral benzoar and nutmeg, of each 2 oz.; saffron and Virginian snake-root, of each 1 oz.; Starkey’s soap, 1/2 lb.; oil of sassafras, 1/2 oz.; tincture of antimony (Old Ph.), 2 fl. oz. Anodyne, diaphoretic, &c.——_Dose_, 3 to 10 gr. The formula already given under MATTHEW’S PILLS is erroneously assigned to this pill by some writers.

=Pills, Mrs. Stephen’s.= This once celebrated remedy for stone was prepared from the calcined shells of eggs and snails, made into 3-gr. pills with soft soap. Its active ingredients were, consequently, lime and potash.

=Pills, Stim′ulant.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STIMULANTES, L. _Prep._ 1. Capsicum, 1/2 dr.; nitrate of silver, 2 gr.; conserve of hips, q. s. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, washed down with a spoonful of warm spirit and water, and repeated hourly until reaction ensues; in cholera, &c.

2. (A. T. Thomson.) Strychnine, 1 gr.; acetic acid, 1 drop; crum of bread, 20 gr.; mix very carefully, and divide the mass into 10 pills.——_Dose_, 1 every six hours; in paralysis arising from lead.

=Pills, Stoerck’s.= _Syn._ PILULÆ CONII, P. CICUTÆ, L. _Prep._ From extract of hemlock, 1 dr.; powdered hemlock, q. s. to make a mass. For 2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 4, twice a day; in various glandular and visceral enlargements, pulmonary affections, cancer, scrofula, neuralgia, &c.

=Pills, Stomach.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STOMACHICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Ipecacuanha, 10 gr.; sumbul and extract of rhubarb, of each 30 gr.; powdered quassia, 20 gr.; oil of sassafras, 6 drops; beaten up with essence of ginger (strongest), q. s. For 3-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, thrice daily; in loss of appetite, flatulence, dyspepsia, &c.

2. (Dr Hugh Smith’s.) From aloes, rhubarb, ginger (all powdered), and sagapenum, of each 1 dr.; oils of peppermint and cloves, of each 10 drops; balsam of Peru, q. s. to mix. For 5-gr. pills——_Dose_, 2 or 3 nightly; or 1 to 2 before dinner. For other formulæ, see DINNER, APERIENT, COMPOUND RHUBARB, ALOES AND MASTIC PILLS, &c.

=Pills of Sto′rax (Compound).= _Syn._ STORAX PILLS; PILULA STYRACIS COMPOSITA (Ph. L.), PILULÆ STYRACIS (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Prepared storax, 6 dr.; saffron and powdered opium, of each 2 dr. beat them together to a uniform mass. Contains 1-5th of its weight of opium.

2. (Ph. E.) Opium and saffron, of each 1 part; extract of styrax, 2 parts; beat them to a uniform mass, and divide this into 4-gr. pills. Contains 1/4th part of opium.

_Obs._ The storax is here chiefly employed to disguise the odour and taste of opium. The name of the preparation has been chosen so that the word ‘opium’ may not appear in the prescription, a point highly necessary with certain patients.——_Dose_, 3 to 10 gr.; as compound soap pill, and as an anodyne and expectorant in chronic coughs, &c.

=Pills of Stramo′′nium.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STRAMONII, L. _Prep._ 1. Stramonium seeds (in powder), 12 gr. (or leaves, 25 gr.); powdered camphor and extract of seneka root, of each 1 dr.; powdered savine, 1-1/2 dr.; oil of cajeput, 15 drops. For 2-1/2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, thrice daily; in rheumatism, &c.

2. (Sir H. Halford.) Extract of stramonium and liquorice powder, of each 1 dr.; powdered Castile soap, 2 dr.; mucilage, q. s. to mix. For 60 pills.——_Dose_, 1 night and morning; in asthmas, &c.

=Pills of Strych′nine.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STRYCHNIÆ, L. _Prep._ (Magendie.) Strychnine, 2 gr.; conserve of hips, 36 gr. (liquorice powder, q. s.); mix very carefully, divide the mass into 24 pills, and silver them.——_Dose_, 1 pill night and morning; in amaurosis, impotence, paralysis, &c.

=Pills of Sulphate of Copper.= (Brande.) _Syn._ PILULÆ CUPRI SULPHATIS. _Prep._ Sulphate of copper, 3 gr.; bread crum, 1 dr. Mix, for 24 pills; 1, three or four times a day.

=Pills of Sul′phate of I′ron.= _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI SULPHATIS (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.) Dried sulphate of iron and conserve of red roses, of each 2 parts; extract of dandelion, 5 parts. For 5-gr. pills. A useful chalybeate tonic. _Dose_, 1 to 2, twice or thrice daily; in dyspepsia, chlorosis, amenorrhœa, &c.

2. (Ph. E. 1817.) Sulphate of iron (dried), 1 oz.; extract of chamomile, 1-1/2 oz.; oil of peppermint, 1 dr.; syrup, q. s. As the last.

3. (Ph. U. S.) As No. 1, but substituting extract of gentian for extract of dandelion. For other formulæ, see PILLS, HOOPER’S FEMALE, &c.

=Pills of Sulphate of Quinine′.= _Syn._ PILULÆ QUINIÆ SULPHATIS, P. Q. DISULPHATIS, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of quinine, 20 gr.; extract of gentian, 40 gr. For 20 pills.

2. (Ph. U. S.) Sulphate of quinine, 2 dr.; powdered gum, 1/2 dr.; strained honey, q. s. For 120 pills. Each pill contains 1 gr. of the sulphate or disulphate of quinine.——_Dose_, 1 or 2 twice a day, as a tonic and stomachic; 6 to 12, every two or three hours during the remissions of agues.

3. (B. P.) Mix 60 gr. of sulphate of quinine, and 20 gr. of confection of hips to a uniform mass.——_Dose_, 2 gr. to 10 gr.

_Obs._ Various additions are often made to the above formulæ, according to the indications, by which numerous other useful pills are produced. Thus, potassio-tartrate of antimony is frequently added in obstinate intermittents; iodide of potassium, in scrofulous affections; foxglove, in the hectic fever of phthisis; bitter tonics and aromatics, in dyspepsia, flatulence, &c.; carbonate of soda or magnesia, in acidity and heartburn; calomel, mercurial pill, in bilious affections; rhubarb and aloes, in bowelly affections; sulphate of iron and other chalybeates, in debility, amenorrhœa, and chlorosis; calomel, as an alterative, &c., &c.

=Pills of Sulphate of Zinc.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ZINCI SUPHATIS, P. Z. S. COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of zinc, 12 gr.; extract of gentian, 1/2 dr.; liquorice powder, q. s. For 20 pills. In dyspepsia, epilepsy, and various convulsive diseases.

2. (Dr Paris.) Sulphate of zinc, 10 gr.; powdered myrrh, 1-1/2 dr.; conserve of roses, q. s. For 30 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, twice or thrice daily; in hooping-cough, &c.

=Pills of Sulphuret of Iron.= (Biett.) _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI SULPHURETI. _Prep._ Sulphuret of iron, 1/2 dr.; marshmallow powder, 10 gr.; syrup, q. s. Make into 20 pills; 1 to 4 pills daily, in scrofulous eruptions.

=Pills, Syph′ilis.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTISYPHILITICÆ, L. See the various pills of mercury, gold, &c. The pills of corrosive sublimate commonly pass under this name.

=Pills, Tangore.= See PILLS, ARSENICAL.

=Pills of Tan′nic Acid.= _Syn._ PILULÆ TANNINI, P. ACIDI TANNICI, L. _Prep._ From tannic acid or tannin and powdered sugar, of each 1/2 dr.; conserve of roses, q. s. For 24 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or 2 pills, thrice daily, in diarrhœa; or 2 every three hours, in internal hæmorrhages, spitting of blood, &c.

=Pills of Tar.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PICIS LIQUIDÆ, L. _Prep._ From tar, 1 dr.; powdered gentian, 1/2 dr., or q. s. For 24 pills. Stimulant, diuretic, and sudorific.——_Dose_, 1 to 4, thrice a day; in dropsies, worms, ichthyosis, and several other skin diseases, &c.

=Pills of Tarax′acum.= _Syn._ PILULÆ TARAXACI, L. _Prep._ 1. Extract of dandelion, 1 dr.; powdered rhubarb, q. s.; divide into 3-1/2-gr. pills. In dyspepsia, &c., complicated with congestion of the liver.

2. (St Marie.) Extract of dandelion and Castile soap, equal parts; liquid acetate of potassa, q. s. to mix. For 4-gr. pills. As a diuretic in dropsy.

3. Extract of dandelion, 1 dr.; mercurial pill, 20 gr.; powdered digitalis, 15 gr.; liquorice powder, q. s. For 24 pills.——_Dose_, 1, afterwards increased to 2 or 3; in dropsy connected with liver disease.

=Pills, Thomson’s Stomach and Liver.= _Prep._ From extract of dandelion, 1 dr.; scammony and rhubarb, of each 15 gr. For 14 pills.——_Dose_, 2 pills, night and morning; in hysteria, hypochondriasis, and chronic inflammation of the liver or kidneys.

=Pills of Tobacco.= (Augustin.) _Syn._ PILULÆ TABACI. _Prep._ Powder of tobacco, 24 gr.; confection of roses, q. s. Mix, and form 72 pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 daily, till nausea is produced. In dropsy.

=Pills, Tonic.= _Syn._ PILULÆ TONICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of iron, ginger, and myrrh (all in powder), equal parts; conserve of roses, q. s.; mix, and divide into 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1, twice a day; in debility, chlorosis, &c.

2. Powdered myrrh and sulphate of iron, of each 1 dr.; disulphate of quinine, 1/2 dr., powdered capsicum, 15 gr.; conserve of roses, q. s. to mix. For 60 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or 2, twice or thrice a day; in debility, dyspepsia, ague, &c.

3. (Dr Collier.) Tartrate of iron and extract of gentian, of each 1 dr.; oil of cinnamon, 2 drops. For 30 pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 6, three or four times a day. A good stomachic tonic.

4. (Dr Collier.) Oxide of zinc, 1/2 dr. (or sulphate of zinc, 20 gr.); myrrh, 2 dr.; camphor, 20 gr.; confection of hips, to mix. For 40 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or two pills, three times a day; in epilepsy, chorea, and other nervous disorders, debility, &c.

5. (Dr A. T. Thomson.) Rhubarb and ginger, of each 1/2 dr.; extract of chamomile, 1 dr.; divide into 30 pills.——_Dose_, 2 or 3, twice a day; in dyspepsia and chlorosis.

6. (Dr A. T. Thomson.) Sesquioxide of iron and extract of hemlock, of each 1 dr.; mix, and divide into 20 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or 2, twice a day; in fluor albus, scrofula, &c. Several other formulæ for tonic pills will be found under the names of the leading ingredients, &c. (See _above_.)

=Pills of Turpentine.= (P. Cod.) _Syn._ PILULÆ TEREBINTHINÆ. _Prep._ Venice turpentine, 1-1/2 oz.; carbonate of magnesia, 1 oz. Make into 200 pills.

=Pills of Vale′′rian (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ VALERIANÆ COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ (Dupuytren.) Powdered valerian, 1/2 dr.; castor and white oxide of zinc, of each 20 gr.; syrup, q. s.; to mix. For 18 pills.——_Dose_, 2 or 3, thrice daily; in hysteria, hypochondriasis, chlorosis, hemicrania, &c.

=Pills of Vale′′rianate of Zinc.= _Syn._ PILULÆ VALERIANAS, L. _Prep._ From valerianate of zinc and powdered gum, of each 15 gr.; conserve of hips, q. s. to form a mass. For 18 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, twice daily; in nervous headache, neuralgia, hysteria, &c.

=Pills, Vallet’s.= See PILLS OF CARBONATE OF IRON.

=Pills, Vance’s.= See PILLS, APERIENT.

=Pills of Vera′trine.= _Syn._ PILULÆ VERATRINÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (Magendie.) Veratrine, 1/2 gr.; powdered gum Arabic and syrup of gum, of each q. s. to form 6 pills. (See _below_.)

2. (Turnbull.) Veratrine, 1 gr.; extract of henbane and liquorice powder, of each 12 gr.; mix, and divide into 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, every 3 hours; in dropsy, epilepsy, hysteria, paralysis, nervous palpitations, &c. This should be prepared and used with great caution.

=Pills, Ward’s Red.= _Syn._ WARD’S ANTIMONIAL PILLS. _Prep._ From glass of antimony (finely levigated), 4 oz.; dragon’s blood, 1 oz.; mountain wine, q. s.; to form a mass. For 1-1/2-gr. pills. Emetic. “They are recommended in obstinate rheumatism affections, in foulness of the stomach and bowels, &c. Their action is often of a very unpleasant character.” (‘Anat. of Quackery.’)

=Pills, Lady Webster’s.= See PILLS, DINNER.

=Pills, Whitehead’s Essence of Mustard.= Balsam of tolu, with resin. (Dr Paris.)

=Pills, Whytt’s.= _Prep._ (Radius.) Aloes, chloride of iron, and extract of horehound, of each 1/2 dr.; assafœtida, 1-1/2 dr. For 2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 5, thrice daily; in leucorrhœa, chlorosis, hysteria, &c., with constipation.

=Pills, Worm.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTHELMINTICÆ, P. VERMIFUGÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Calomel, 1 oz.; sugar, 1-1/2 oz.; mucilage, q. s.; mix, and divide into 240 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, overnight, followed by a strong dose of castor oil early the next morning.

2. Gamboge, 6 gr.; calomel, 5 gr.; mucilage, q. s.; divide into 3 pills. For a morning’s dose, fasting.

3. Extract of wormwood, calomel, and powdered scammony, equal parts. For 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, as the last. For ascarides, and other small worms.

4. (Bresmer.) Powdered aloes and tansy seed, of each 1/2 dr.; oil of rue, 9 or 10 drops. for 12 pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 6, in the morning, fasting, and repeated in two or three hours.

5. (Phœbus.) Iron filings, 1/2 dr.; assafœtida, 1-1/2 dr.; essential oil of tansy, 10 or 12 drops; extract of wormwood, q. s.; mix, and divide into 80 pills.——_Dose_, 6 pills, thrice daily.

6. (Peschier.) Ethereal extract of male fern, 30 drops; extract of dandelion, 1 dr.; powdered rhizomes of male fern, q. s. to mix. For 30 pills. In tapeworm.——_Dose_, 6 to 15, at bedtime; the dose being repeated in the morning, and then followed in an hour by a strong dose of castor oil.

=Pills, Wordsell’s (Kaye’s).= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Powdered aloes, gamboge, and ginger, equal parts; together with a very small quantity of diaphoretic antimony, beaten into a mass with either syrup or treacle, and divided into 2-1/2-gr. pills. “There are about 4-1/2 dozen pills in each 1s. 1-1/2d. box.” “The dose, as given in the directions, is from 2 to 8 pills (or even 10 to 12) daily.” (‘Anat. of Quackery.’) They frequently operate with great violence.

=Pills, Wyndham’s (Lee’s).= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Aloes and gamboge, of each (in powder) 3 oz.; Castile soap and extract of cow-parsnip, of each 1 oz.; nitre, 1/2 oz. For 5-gr. pills. A powerful drastic cathartic.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills.

=Pills of Zinc.= See PILLS OF OXIDE, SULPHATE and VALERIANATE of ZINC, &c.

=PILOCARPINE.= _Prep._ Exhaust the leaves or bark of Jaborandi with 80% alcohol, to which hydrochloric acid has been added in the proportion of 8 grains per litre; distil and evaporate to the consistence of an extract. Redissolve the extract with a small quantity of distilled water and filter; treat with ammonia in slight excess, and a large quantity of chloroform. Distil off the chloroform, dissolve the residue in distilled water acidulated with hydrochloric acid, and filter. Treat afresh with chloroform and ammonia. The chloroformic solution is then shaken with water, to which hydrochloric acid is added, drop by drop, up to the quantity sufficient to saturate the pilocarpine. The foreign matters remain in the chloroform, and upon evaporation of the aqueous liquid the hydrochlorate is obtained, well crystallised, in long needles radiating from a common centre. The hydrochlorate dissolved in distilled water, and treated with ammonia and chloroform, yields the pilocarpine upon evaporation of the chloroform solution.

Pilocarpine appears under the form of a soft viscous substance; it is slightly soluble in water and very soluble in alcohol, ether and chloroform. It presents all the chemical characters of an alkaloid, and rotates the plane of polarized light strongly to the right. (Paris Pharmaceutical Society.)

=PIMA′RIC ACID.= A resin acid first obtained by Laurent from the turpentine of _Pinus maritima_ (Bordeaux turpentine), by the action of hot alcohol.

=PIMEN′TO.= _Syn._ ALLSPICE, CLOVE PEPPER, JAMAICA P., PIMENTO BERRIES; PIMENTA (B. P., Ph. L., E., & E.), PIPER CARYOPHYLLATUM, P. JAMAICENSE, P. ODORATUM, PIMENTÆ BACCÆ, L. “The dried unripe berries of the allspice tree, _Eugenia pimenta_, from the West Indies”——B. P. “The immature fruit of _Eugenia pimenta_ (Myrtus pimenta, _Linn._)”——Ph. L. It possesses a mixed odour of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmegs, which, with its other properties, it for the most yields to alcohol, ether, and water. It is a stimulant and tonic, and is much esteemed as an adjuvant in medicines prescribed in dyspepsia, flatulence, gout, hysteria &c.; and also to cover the taste of disagreeable medicines.——_Dose_, 5 to 30 gr., bruised or in powder. See ESSENCE, OILS (Volatile), SPIRITS, and WATERS.

=PIM′PLES.= See ERUPTIONS (Papular).

=PINCH′BECK.= A gold-like alloy of copper and zinc. See DUTCH GOLD.

=PINE APPLE.= _Syn._ ANANAS. The fruit of _Ananassa sativa_, a plant of the natural order _Bromeliaceæ_. It is astringent, esculent, and possesses a rich flavour and odour. In Europe it is chiefly used as a delicacy for the table; but in tropical climates it is said to be valuable in renal diseases. See ESSENCE, &c.

=PI′NEY TAL′LOW.= _Syn._ PINEY RESIN, P. DAMMAR. An oleo-resinous substance obtained from the fruit of _Vateria indica_, a tree common in Malabar, by boiling it with water. It is intermediate between fat and wax, makes good soap and excellent candles. It melts at 98° Fahr. Sp. gr. ·9250 to ·9265.

=PI′NIC ACID.= The portion of common resin or colophony which is soluble in cold alcohol of sp. gr. ·833.

=PINK.= A well known shade of light red. The name is also applied to several pigments, consisting of whiting stained with liquid dyes. See RED and YELLOW PIGMENTS, &c.

=PINK DYE.= _Prep._ From washed safflower, 2 oz.; salt of tartar, 1/2 oz.; cold water, 1 quart; digest for 3 hours, express the liquor, and strain it. Used as a cosmetic, and to dye silk stockings, &c., of a rose colour. The colour is brought out by afterwards applying to, or passing the articles through, water soured with lemon juice. See SAUCERS (Pink).

=PIP′ERIN.= C_{17}H_{19}NO_{3}. _Syn._ PIPERINA, PIPERINUM, L. _Prep._ (P. Cod.) Alcoholic extract of black pepper is treated with a weak solution of caustic potassa (1 to 100), and the residuum, after being washed with cold water, is dissolved in alcohol; the solution is next agitated with a little animal charcoal, and the filtrate is allowed to evaporate spontaneously; the product may be purified by the re-solution in alcohol and re-crystallisation.

_Prop., &c._ Colourless, or only slightly yellow; tasteless; inodorous; fusible; and crystallisable; insoluble in water; freely soluble in strong spirit, and in the acids; very feebly basic; a few definite compounds have, however, been obtained with difficulty; reddened by oil of vitriol. It has been much employed in Italy and on the Continent as a febrifuge.——_Dose_, 2 to 10 gr., frequently repeated, during the apyrexia of intermittents.

_Obs._ An assay for its piperin is the only certain method of testing the quality of either black or white pepper. For this purpose a weighted quantity of the sample is reduced to powder, and is exhausted with alcohol of the sp. gr. ·883; the mixed tinctures are then evaporated to an extract, which is treated as above. See PEPPER.

=PIPES.= (In confectionery.) These are formed from any of the common lozenge-masses, by rolling them into cylinders of about the thickness of a goose-quill. They are frequently medicated.

=PIPETTE.= A graduated glass instrument, in frequent use in the chemical laboratory, for conveying a measured quantity of fluid from one vessel to another. The pipette mostly consists of a bulb, from each end of which proceeds a straight, slender hollow stem, communicating with the bulb, and varying in length with the capacity of the instrument. Thus constructed, the lower end of the pipette can be dipped into a vessel with a narrow and long neck, such as a flask, containing a fluid, the required volume of which can be removed from it. The pipette varies in capacity from 1 to 200 cubic centimètres.

Dr Fresenius gives the following directions for its use:——“To fill a pipette with the fluid which it is intended to transfer from one vessel to another, the lower part of the instrument is dipped into the fluid, and suction applied to the upper aperture, either direct with the lips or through a caoutchouc tube until the fluid in the pipette stands a little above the required mark; the upper, somewhat narrowed, ground orifice is then closed with the point of the index of the right hand, which to that end had always better be moistened a little, and holding the pipette in a perfectly vertical direction, the excess of over the quantity required is made to drop out by lifting the finger a little. When the fluid in the pipette has fallen to the required level, the drops which may happen to adhere to the outside of the pipette are carefully wiped off, and the contents of the tube are then fully transferred to the other vessel. In this process it is found that the fluid does not run out completely, but that a small portion of it remains adhering to the glass in the point of the pipette; after a time, as this becomes increased by other minute particles of fluid trickling down from the upper part of the tube, a drop gathers at the lower orifice, which may be allowed to fall from its own weight, or may be made to drop off by a slight shake; if, after this, the point of the pipette be laid against a moist portion of the inner side of the vessel, another minute portion of fluid will trickle out; and lastly, another trifling droplet or so may be got out by blowing into the pipette through the upper orifice. Now, supposing the operator follows no fixed rule in this respect, letting the fluid, for instance, in one operation simply run out, whilst in another operation he lets it drain afterwards, and in a third blows off the last particles of it from the pipette, it is evident that the respective quantities of fluid delivered in the several operations cannot be quite equal. I prefer in all cases the second method, viz. to lay the point of the pipette whilst draining finally against a moist portion of the inner side of the vessel, which I have always found to give the most accurate corresponding measurements.”

=PISTA′CHIO NUTS.= _Syn._ PISTACIA NUTS; NUCES PISTACIÆ, L. The kernels of the fruit of _Piscatia vera_ (Linn.), one of the turpentine trees. They closely resemble almonds, but are sweeter, and form a green emulsion with water. Used in confectionery and perfumery, and also as a dessert fruit.

=PITCH.= _Syn._ BLACK PITCH, BOILED P., STONE P., WOOD P.; PIX (Ph. L.), PIX NIGRA, L. “A dry bitumen prepared from liquid pitch.” (Ph. L.) The residuum from boiling tar in an open iron pot, or in a still, until the volatile and liquid portion is driven off. The volatile products principally consist of crude pyroligneous acid and oil of tar. Pitch is chiefly employed in ship-building. As a medicine, it is stimulant and tonic, and has been used internally in some skin diseases, and in piles. An ointment made of it is also extensively used in cutaneous affections of the scaly.——_Dose_, 10 gr. to 1/2 dr.

=Pitch, Burgundy.= _Syn._ WHITE PITCH, BURGUNDY PINE RESIN; PIX BURGUNDICA (B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.), L. “Impure resin prepared from the turpentine of _Abies excelsa_,” or Norway spruce fir. (Ph. L.) “A concrete resinous exudation, probably, in a great measure, from _Abies excelsa_.” (Ph. E.) It is chiefly used in plasters.

_Obs._ The importation of this substance has for some years past been gradually lessening in amount, in consequence of the substitution for it of a fictitious pitch, made by melting common resin with linseed oil, and colouring the mass with annotta or palm oil. The physiological action of the two articles is, however, considerably different, since Burgundy pitch acts upon the skin as a powerful local irritant, exciting a slight degree of inflammation, and not unfrequently producing a pimply eruption and an exudation of purulent matter. It is celebrated for its effects when employed as a plaster in all cases where warmth, support, and long adhesion to the skin, are desirable; and in the latter quality no substance equals it. The fictitious Burgundy pitch has similar properties, but in an immensely less degree.

PREPARED BURGUNDY PITCH (PIX BURGUNDICA PRÆPARATA——Ph. L.) is ordered to be obtained in the same way as that adopted for strained ammoniacum. This plan is, however, seldom, if ever, adopted in trade.

=Pitch, Burgundy (Facti′′tious).= _Syn._ PIX BURGUNDICA FACTITIA, L. _Prep._ By melting good yellow resin, 1 cwt.,with linseed oil, 1 gall., and palm oil (bright), q. s. to colour. The mixture is allowed to cool considerably, and is then pulled with the hands in the same way as lead plaster is treated; after which it is placed in ‘bladders’ or ‘stands’ for sale.

_Obs._ The product of the above formula is the ‘Burgundy pitch’ of the shops. The ‘pulling’ or ‘working’ destroys the translucency of the resin, and imparts to it the peculiar semi-opacity of foreign Burgundy pitch. Cold water is commonly employed to cool it down. Annotta is often substituted for palm oil as a colouring substance. The addition of some of the ‘droppings’ or ‘bottoms’ of Canada balsam, Chio turpentine, oil of juniper, &c., renders this article nearly equal to foreign pitch; but in commerce this is never attempted, the aim being only the production of a lively colour with moderate toughness. A common melting-pan and fire (if clean, and carefully managed) will succeed sufficiently, but, both for safety and convenience, steam is preferable, and on the large scale, almost indispensable. A good workman can pull and put into stands or casks about 5 cwt. daily; or from 1-1/2 cwt. to 3 cwt. in bladders, the latter quantity depending on the size of the bladders. (See _above_.)

=Pitch, Can′ada.= _Syn._ HEMLOCK GUM, H. PITCH. Similar to Burgundy pitch; but from the _Abies canadenses_, or hemlock spruce fir.

=Pitch, Jews’.= Asphaltum.

=Pitch, Min′eral.= Indurated mineral bitumen. See ASPHALTUM, BITUMEN, &c.

=PIT′COAL.= _Syn._ COAL; HOUILLE, Fr.; STEINKOHLE, Ger. This article has been truly described as the most valuable of all those mineral substances from which Great Britain derives its prosperity, and the one which may be regarded as the main support of the whole system of British production. It fuses the metals, it produces the steam which sets our machinery in motion, and, in short, it may be said to render all the resources of this country available for use.

The more important kinds of coal may be classified as follows:——1. Lignite or brown coal (see page 969).——2. Bituminous or caking coals. The most widely diffused and valuable of English coals. They are subdivided into: _a._ Caking coal. Splinters on heating, but the fragments then fuse together in a semi-pasty mass. The chief sources of this valuable variety of coal are the Newcastle and Wigan districts, _b._ Cherry coal or soft coal. Lustre very bright; does not fuse, ignites well and burns rapidly. Glasgow, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Lancashire, &c. _c._ Splint, rough, or hard coal. Black and glistening; does not ignite readily, but burns up to a clear hot fire. It constitutes the bulk of the great coal fields of North and South Staffordshire, and occurs in the Glasgow district, in Shropshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, &c. _d._ Cannel or parrot coal. Dense and compact, having a shelly fracture, and taking a polish like jet. Splinters in the fire, and burns clearly and brightly. Wigan and other parts of Lancashire, West Glasgow, &c. The curious deposit at Bathgate, near Edinburgh, commonly known as ‘Boghead cannel coal,’ or ‘Torbanehill mineral,’ differs considerably from the ordinary ‘cannels,’——3. Anthracite or stone-coal. The densest, hardest, and most lustrous of all kinds of pitcoal. Burns with little flame or smoke, but gives great heat. South Wales, Devonshire, &c.——4. Steam coal. Approaches nearly to anthracite. Admirably adapted for steam-vessels. South Wales, Tyne district, &c.

The quality of coal may be ascertained by either directly testing its heating power or by chemical analysis. In the investigations undertaken at the Museum of Economic Geology, under the directions of Sir H. De la Beche, and which furnished the materials for the celebrated ‘Admiralty Reports,’ three different methods were adopted for this purpose.[109] These consisted in——the determination of the quantity of water which a given weight of the coal was capable of converting into steam, the quantity of litharge which it was capable of reducing to the metallic state, and, lastly, its ultimate analysis by combustion with oxide of copper. See ORGANIC SUBSTANCES.

[Footnote 109: See Watt’s ‘Dict. of Chemistry,’ vol. i, page 1033.]

The quantity of sulphur in coal is another matter of importance that may be determined by chemical analysis. (See SULPHUR.) The presence of more than 1% of sulphur renders coal unfit for the economical production of good light-gas, and more than 2% of sulphur renders it objectionable for use as domestic fuel. In like manner, coals containing mineral ingredients in excess are to be avoided, not merely on account of the quantity of ashes left by them, but for their tendency to vitrify upon the bars of the furnace, and to produce what is technically called ‘clinkers.’ The presence of much silica or alumina, and more particularly of any of the salts of lime, in ‘steam coal,’ is, on this account, highly objectionable.

For some further information connected with this subject, see ANTHRACITE, CHIMNEYS, COKE, FUEL, GAS, LIGNITE, OILS, (Mineral), ORGANIC SUBSTANCES, &c.

=PLAGUE.= (PESTIS). “A specific fever attended with bubo of the inguinal and other glands, and occasionally with carbuncles.”

Such is the definition of plague given in the ‘Nomenclature of Diseases’ (published in 1869), drawn up by a joint committee appointed by the College of Physicians.

More detailed accounts of the disease, described by other pathologists, state that it attacks the patient with great suddeness, or only after a few premonitory symptoms. These are:——Shivering, extreme prostration, intense headache and giddiness, excessive restlessness, and an overwhelming sense of anxiety. The patient’s gait becomes uncertain, and he staggers like a drunken man. These symptoms are more or less accompanied by nausea, bilious vomiting, and frequently by bilious diarrhœa. As the disease advances, delirium very frequently sets in; the nausea, vomiting, and diarrhœa increase in intensity, the tongue becomes swollen and covered with a dark fur, whilst the lips, teeth, and nostrils are coated with a dry fetid incrustation. Provided the attack does not terminate fatally, in a very rapid manner, these symptoms are accompanied by sharp pains (increasing in intensity during the progress of the malady) in the groin, armpits, and neck. These pains in the above parts precede the appearance of the buboes, and in many cases, of the carbuncles, which, associated with the fever, are so characteristic of plague. These glandular swellings vary, in different cases, as to the time when they make their appearance. Sometimes they do so during the first day of the attack, at others, after two or three days——and in others, again, not until near the close of the disease. With the buboes and carbuncles, small red purplish spots (_petechiæ_), frequently appear on the body. The carbuncle is by no means an invariable accompaniment of the disease. Dr Russell, out of 2700 cases, found only 490 in which it showed itself. He states that when carbuncle develops itself, it is distributed over the whole surface of the body with the exception of the scalp, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet.

“The plague may be said to assume four degrees of severity:——1. Slight fever, without delirium or buboes. 2. Fever, delirium, and buboes. 3. Fever, delirium, or coma, buboes, carbuncles, and _petechiæ/e_. 4. Congestive fever, fatal on the first, second, or third day, before the appearance of buboes. The fever, though usually continued, may assume the intermittent or remittent type.”[110]

[Footnote 110: Hooper’s ‘Vade Mecum,’ edited by Messrs Guy and Harley.]

There is considerable diversity of opinion as to the origin of plague. By some pathologists it is maintained that it spreads solely by contagion; by others the contagion theory is altogether repudiated, and certain local and epidemic agencies are referred to as its source; whilst others, again, adopt a medium view and, whilst not denying its contagious origin, hold that it may also be developed by endemic and epidemic causes. It bears a great resemblance to typhus.

With the exception of the outbreak of plague at Veltianka, in Astrakan, in the beginning of the current year (1879), the pestilence has not visited Western Europe during the present century an exemption which, being so obviously due to the improved sanitary and hygienic conditions of the modern European cities and towns, is a forcible illustration of how largely the power of curtailing the propagation and progress of the scourge is within the means of human control. There can be little, if any, doubt that the same total absence of drainage, and the very possible consequent contamination of drinking water, added to the narrowness of the streets, the overcrowded and badly ventilated state of the houses themselves, and the dirty habits of the inmates, which are also characteristic of those quarters of eastern cities and towns in which plague is always more or less occasionally prevalent, obtained in the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, amongst European communities.

We learn, on the authority of Mr Marshall (who gets his figures from the weekly bills of mortality of the period), that during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries London was seldom free from the pestilence, and that in several years, not usually regarded by historians as plague epochs, it annually slew from less than 1000 to 4000 of the inhabitants.

Between the years 1593 and 1665, five severe outbreaks of the disease occurred in London, and the number of deaths for the respective years were as follows:——1593, 11,503; 1603, 36,269; 1625, 35,417; 1636, 10,400; 1665, 68,596. According to Sir William Petty, the average mortality during these several attacks amounted to about a fifth of the population.

That insanitary surroundings and the spread of plague, whilst sanitary ones and its decline, follow each other like cause and effect, may be emphasised by the statement of two facts:——1. The medical commissioner lately sent by the Russian government to the seat of the late outbreak of the malady in Astrakan, discovered the people dirty in their habits, living in noisome, overcrowded houses, and the atmosphere polluted with the smell of decaying fish, added to which the village was most miserably drained. 2. Ranken records that in Rajpootana plague propagated by the filthy habits of the inhabitants was for some years almost entirely obliterated by the adoption of sanitary precautions.

It may here be noticed that the Astrakan plague was associated with inflammation of the lungs, a feature which led an eminent Russian physician to adopt the opinion, that the Astrakan malady is the same as the Indian plague, which is believed to be the same disease which, under the name of ‘The Black Death,’ committed such appalling devastation in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the fourteenth century.

In his ‘Epidemics of the Middle Ages,’[111] Hecker has told of the ravages of this ruthless pestilence, which made its appearance in Europe in 1348. Its devastations at Florence have been very powerfully described by Boccaccio in the introduction to his ‘Decameron.’ Boccaccio was in Naples at the time it was devastating Italy, therefore, it is conjectured, his graphic description must have been derived from hearsay and the reports of eyewitnesses.

[Footnote 111: Published by the Sydenham Society, 1844.]

In August of the same year it broke out at Dorset, from which county it soon reached Devon and Somerset, and thence rapidly spread throughout England, slaying its thousands in its progress. In London alone it has been estimated that the mortality caused by it amounted to a hundred thousand.

Hecker assumes that in Europe its victims were twenty-five millions. These however, as well as the following figures, must only be received as approximations to the correct numbers, which, owing to the absence of any contemporary bills of mortality, cannot but be very imperfect:——

In Florence there died of the
black plague 60,000
In Venice 100,000
In Marseilles, in one month 16,000
In Sienna 70,000
In Paris 50,000
In St Denis 14,000
In Avignon 60,000
In Strasbourg 16,000
In Lübeck 9,000
In Basle 14,000
In Erfurt at least 16,000
In Weimar 5,000
In Lemburg 2,500
In London at least 100,000
In Norwich 51,000

To which may be added:——

Franciscan Friars in Germany 124,434
Minorites in Italy 30,000

From the circumstance——illustrative of the religious and blind bigotry of this period——that the Jews were brutally tortured, massacred, and burnt, on suspicion of having poisoned the wells from which drinking water was drawn, it may be inferred that the wells, owing to the entire absence of drainage, which led to their contamination by sewage matters, contributed largely to the spread of the pestilence.

Of the potency of the contagion disseminated by the ‘Black Death’ Hecker records:——

“Every spot which the sick had touched, their breath, their clothes, spread the contagion; and in all other places the attendants and friends, who were either blind to their danger, or heroically despised it, fell a sacrifice to their sympathy.

“Even the eyes of the patient were considered as sources of contagion, which had the power of acting at a distance, either on account of their unwonted lustre, or the distortion which they always suffer in plague, or in conformity with an ancient notion, according to which the sight was considered as the bearer of a demoniacal excitement.

“The pestilential death of the sick, who expectorated blood, caused a terrible contagion far and near, for even the vicinity of those who had fallen ill of plague was certain death, so that parents abandoned their infected children, and all the ties of kindred were dissolved.”

There is a striking similarity between the above description, referring to the plague of 1348, and the following, which is extracted from Dr Döppner’s official medical report to the Russian government on the plague which manifested itself at Veltianka in Astrakan as lately as January, 1879. Dr Döppner, writes:——

“The necessary remedies were employed to combat the disease. I prescribed especially salicylic acid, muriatic acid, quinine, &c., but everything proved useless. Not a single patient recovered, viz. Dr Koch and six of his assistants died, the priest of the Stanitza, the Cossacks employed in burying the dead; in a word, all those who approached the persons attacked with the disease, although furnished with the means of preservation used in like circumstances, very few escaped the plague.[112]”

[Footnote 112: ‘Lancet.’]

No case of plague has occurred in England for more than two centuries, although in 1721 it half depopulated Marseilles, and committed fearful ravages at Moscow, in 1771.

Within the present century it has appeared in Europe at the following places:——At Malta, in 1813; at Calabria, in 1816; at Corfu, in 1818; in Silesia, in 1819; and amongst the Russian troops in Bulgaria, in 1824. In Malta between 4000 and 5000 people fell victims to it.

It made its last appearance in England in 1665, and was especially fatal in London, where it carried off, as we have already seen, 65,596 people. Because of the frightful mortality it occasioned, this particular outbreak of the disease has been named by historians “The Great Plague of London.” Rapidly spreading from Westminster, where it first manifested itself, to the more closely built city, its progress increased with the warm weather, until during the sultry months of August and September it reached its height. “Thus,” writes Pepys in his diary, August 31st, 1665 “this month ends with great sadness upon the public through the greatness of the plague everywhere through the kingdom almost. Every day sadder and sadder news of its increase. In the city died this week 7496, and of them 6102 of the plague. But it is feared the true number of the dead this week is near 10,000; partly from the poor that cannot be taken notice of through the greatness of the number, and partly through the Quakers and others that will not have the bell ring for them.” The general aspect of the pestilence stricken city is thus described by Pepys, “To the Exchange, where I have not been a great while. But, Lord! how sad a sight it is to see the streets empty of people and very few upon the ‘Change. Jealous of every door that one sees shut up, lest it should be plague; and about us two shops in three, if not generally more, shut up.”

The doors of a house infected with the plague were marked with a red cross, and on them was written the words, “The Lord have mercy upon us.” Pepys tells of the fright he experienced when he came upon two houses of this description, in Drury-lane, for the first time; and as he adds that he was compelled to buy some roll tobacco to smell and to chew, it may be concluded that this substance was at that time regarded as somewhat of a safeguard against the disease.

Large carts called nightly at the infected habitations and collecting the bodies of any dead conveyed them to pits, into which they were flung, covered with quicklime. This rude kind of burial became a necessity as the disease gained ground, because the ordinary grave-yards were full to overflowing. “This is the first time,” writes Pepys, “since I have been in the church since I left London for the plague, and it frightened me indeed to go through the church more than I thought it could have done, to see so many graves lie so high upon the churchyards where people have been buried of the plague.”

Such was the fury of the pestilence, and frequently so sudden were its attacks, that wayfarers were often assailed with it in the streets, and staggering like drunken men fell down into the road or pathways insensible or dead. Merchants in their counting-houses, clergymen in the act of reading the burial service, buyers and sellers in the market-place, were similarly assailed by the malignant malady, and it was no uncommon occurrence for the mourner at the grave of a relative or friend one day, to be himself borne to his own tomb the next. It is not improbable the infection may have been conveyed by the rapidly decaying and putrid corpse to large numbers of people, owing to the custom that prevailed of crowds of mourners attending the obsequies.

Pepys records how he saw in broad daylight two or three burials, one at the very heels of another, each followed by forty or fifty people. Furthermore, he states that one day on his way to Greenwich, during the month of August in 1665, he passed a coffin, “with a dead body therein, dead of the plague, lying in an open close belonging to Coombe Farm.”

If this exposure of plague-stricken corpses were at all general, it will readily be perceived how greatly it must have aided the propagation of the pestilence.

Another important agent in the diffusion of the plague must have been the infected clothing, whether of the dead or of those who had been in near or close contiguity to them. On this part of our subject Dr Guy, remarks:——“Nor will this surprise us if we imagine the frantic and successful efforts that must have been made by the non-infected to escape, and the temptation to servants and nurses to appropriate and remove the property of the dying and the dead. Indeed, Dr Hodges accuses the nurses of strangling their patients, and secretly conveying the pestilential taint from sores of the infected to those who were well; and he justifies his accusations ‘of these abandoned miscreants’——the Gamps and Prigs of the seventeenth century——by two instances; the one, of a nurse who, ‘as she was leaving the house of a family, all dead, loaded with her robberies, fell down dead under her burden in the streets,’ the other, of a worthy citizen who, being considered dying by his nurse, was beforehand stripped by her, but recovering again, he came a second time into the world naked.”

Lastly, in endeavouring to account for the great prevalence and excessively fatal character of this pestilence, we must not leave out of consideration one important factor——viz. fear.

We can easily conceive how powerfully the appalling incidents by which the plague was accompanied must have affected the imaginations of those who were in its midst, and thus have stimulated the fear, which, acting by its depressing mental effect, would predispose and prepare men and women for the reception of the contagion.

In ‘Pepys’ Diary’ we find a circumstance recorded corroborative of this. A certain alderman, stumbling at night over a dead body in the street, when he reaches home tells his wife of his adventure, and she is forthwith seized with the plague and dies of it. Furthermore, the belief derived from knowledge of the deadly character of the disease, operating upon the minds of those who were attacked by it, would greatly diminish the chances of their recovery, since they would most likely regard seizure and death as synonymous.

There is an old Eastern fable which tells of a traveller journeying from an infected city, and overtaking the plague, who had not long left it. The traveller accosts the plague and reproaches him for having slain thirty thousand people in the city. “You are in error there,” replied the plague, “I slew only ten thousand, fear slew the rest.”

Tropical climates are never visited by plague. In those countries which suffer from its ravages it prevails most during the hot months of the year, and its virulence and spread appear to be commensurate with increase of temperature. In northern climates it diminishes with the approach of cold weather. In Europe it has always been most fatal during the summer and autumn, and in the great plague of London the greatest mortality prevailed during the months of August and September.

=PLAICE.= The _Platessa vulgaris_, a well-known flat fish, common to both the English and Dutch coasts. Its flesh is good, and easy of digestion, but more watery than that of the flounder.

=PLANTAIN.= The plantain, which belongs to the nat. ord. Musaceæ, and is a native of the East Indies, is cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world, in many of which it constitutes the principal food of the inhabitants. There are a great many varieties of the plantain, in some of which the stem is 15 or 20 feet high, whilst in others it does not exceed 6 feet. It is one of the largest of the herbaceous plants.

The fruit is sometimes eaten raw, but is more generally boiled or roasted. It contains both starch and sugar. Boiled and beaten in a mortar, it forms the common food of the negroes in the West Indies. It also constitutes the chief food of the Indians of North and South America.