Chapter M: Ré, Professor of the Materia Medica at the Veterinary School at (2)

EMPLASTRUM CANTHARIDIS. L. _Emplast: Cantharidis vesicatoriæ._ E.D. A variety of substances has in different times been employed for producing vesication, but no one has been found to answer with so much certainty and mildness as the _Lyttæ_. All the others are apt to leave ill conditioned ulcers: true it is, that the emplastrum lyttæ will occasionally fail, but this is generally attributable to some inattention, or want of caution on the part of the person who prepares it; in spreading it, the spatula should never be heated beyond the degree of boiling water; the plaster also should be sufficiently secured on the part by slips of adhesive plaster, but it ought not to be bound on too tight; where the cuticle is thick, the application of a poultice for an hour, previous to that of the blister, will be useful, or the part may be washed with vinegar. In consequence of the absorption of the active principle of the _Lyttæ_, blisters are apt to occasion strangury and bloody urine; it has been a problem therefore of some importance to discover a plan by which such an absorption may be obviated, for this purpose, camphor has been recommended to be mixed with the blistering composition, and a piece of thin gauze has been interposed between the plaster and the skin; but it has been lately found, that ebullition in water deprives the _Cantharides_ of all power of thus acting on the kidneys, without in the least diminishing their vesicatory properties: the ordinary time required for the full action of a blister is ten or twelve hours, but if it be applied to the head, double that period will be necessary. Children, owing to delicacy of skin, are more speedily blistered, the epispastic may therefore be removed earlier. In some cases the blistered parts, instead of healing kindly, become a spreading sore; whenever this occurs, poultices are the best applications; it may arise from a peculiar irritability of the constitution, although I apprehend that it not unfrequently depends upon the sophistication of the plaster with euphorbium. In cases where it is desirable to keep up the local irritation, it is still a question with some practitioners whether it be more advisable to encourage a discharge from the vesicated part by some appropriate stimulant, or to renew the vesication at short intervals by repeated blisters; the latter mode is perhaps to be preferred, as being more effectual, and certainly less troublesome to the patient: it has moreover been stated,[495] that by a repeated application of this nature, the influence excited appears to extend much deeper, so as to derive a greater quantity of blood from the immediate neighbourhood of the vessels, or from the vessels themselves which are in a state of disease, than the influence excited by an application less stimulating upon the surface of a part already abraded. The character of the discharge would likewise appear essentially different; it being in the latter cast a purulent secretion from the superficial exhalants of the surface only; in the former, a copious effusion of serum, mixed with a large portion of lymph, produced from a deeper order of vessels.

EMPLASTRUM CERÆ. L. _Emplast: Simplex_. E. This is the _Emplast: Ceræ_ of P.L. 1787, the _Emplast: Attrahens_ of 1745, so called because it was formerly employed to keep up a discharge from a blistered surface, and the _Emplastrum de melilolo simplex of_ 1720.

EMPLASTRUM CUMINI. L. A valuable combination of warm and stimulant ingredients.

EMPLASTRUM GALBANI COMPOSITUM. L.D. _Emplast: Gummos_. E. More powerful than the preceding plaster. In indolent glandular enlargements of a strumous character, in fixed and long continued pains in the neighbourhood of the joints, or in anomalous or arthritic pains of the ligaments, this plaster is said to be frequently beneficial.

EMPLASTRUM HYDRARGYRI. L.E. The mercury in this plaster is in the state of oxidation _ad minimum_; each drachm containing about fifteen grains of mercury, (_sixteen grains_, _Edinb._) It is alterative, discutient, and sometimes sialogogue; but it is inferior to the _Emplast: Ammoniac: cum Hydrargyro_.

EMPLASTRUM OPII. L.E. This plaster is supposed to be anodyne, but it is very doubtful whether the opium _can_, in such a state, produce any specific effect. See _Form: 5_.

EMPLASTRUM PICIS COMPOSITUM. L. _Emplast: Picis burgundicæ_, P.L. 1787. It is stimulant and rubefacient, and is often employed as an application to the chest, in pulmonary complaints; the serous exudation however which it produces, frequently occasions so much irritation that we are compelled to remove it.

EMPLASTRUM PLUMBI. L. _Emplast: Oxydi Plumbi semi-vitrei._ E. _Emplast: Lythargyri._ P.L. 1787. _Emplast: commune_, 1745. _Diachylon_[496] _Simplex_, P.L. 1720. This is a very important plaster, since it forms the basis of a great many others; under the name of _Diachylon_ it has long been known, and employed as a common application to excoriations, and for retaining the edges of fresh cut wounds in a state of apposition, and at the same time for defending them from the action of the air; when long kept it changes its colour, and loses its adhesive properties, and by high temperature the oxyd of lead is revived.[497]

EMPLASTRUM RESINÆ. L. Olim, _Emplast: commune adhæsivum_, P.L. 1745. _Emplast: Resinosum_. E. _Emplast: Lithargyri cum Resina._ D. It is defensive, adhesive, and stimulant.[498]

EMPLASTRUM SAPONIS. L.D. _Emplastrum Saponaceum._ E. The Soap Plaster is said to be a mild discutient application.

EUPATORIUM PERFOLIATUM.

Boneset.

_Herba et flores._

[The boneset is a plant indigenous to the United States, and is to be found in the neighbourhood of marshes and low situations. It is intensely bitter and somewhat astringent. According to the analysis of Dr. Andrew Anderson of New-York, it yields, 1. A free acid; 2. Tannin; 3. Extractive matter; 4. A gummy matter; 5. A resin; 6. Azote; 7. Lime, probably the acetate of lime; 8. Gallic acid, probably modified; 9. A resiniform matter, soluble in water and in alcohol, and which seems to contain a bitter principle. It also appears from this analysis that the free acid may be obtained from all parts of the plant—that tannin is obtained in much the largest quantity from the leaves, and least from the roots—that the extractive and gummy matter reside chiefly in the roots—that the leaves and flowers also contain a larger proportion of resin than the roots—and that azote exists in the flowers, leaves, and roots. The principal properties of the boneset are those of a tonic and diaphoretic. The diseases in which it has been prescribed with success are intermitting and remitting fevers, typhoid peripneumony and catarrh. It may be given in powder, infusion, or tincture. When given as a tonic, the tincture is the preferable form. The dose of the powder is from 20 to 30 grains. When used as a sudorific, it is to be taken in infusion, and in large quantities.]

EUPHORBIA IPECACUANHA.

American Ipecacuanha. _Radix._

[This plant is peculiar to the United States. The root is perennial, and of a sweetish taste. By analysis it yields caoutchouc, resin, mucus, and fecula. In its medicinal properties it resembles, and perhaps equals, the common ipecacuanha. As an emetic the dose is from 15 to 25 grains.]

EUPHORBIÆ GUMMI-RESINA. L.

(Euphorbia Officinarum.) _Euphorbium._

QUALITIES. This substance is imported from Barbary, in drops or irregular tears; its fracture is vitreous; it is inodorous, but yields a very acrid burning impression to the tongue. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is what is termed a _gum resin_, but its acrid constituent is exclusively in that portion which is soluble in alcohol, and which might be named _Euphorbin_; it appears to form as much as 37 per cent. to which are added of wax 19, malate of lime 20·5, malate of potass 2, and water 5. SOLUBILITY. Water by trituration is rendered milky, but dissolves only one-seventh part; and alcohol one-fourth of it. USES. Internally administered, it proves very violently drastic, but it is never employed except as an errhine, cautiously diluted with starch, or some inert powder. The Indian practitioners administer it as a purge in obstinate visceral obstructions; and in those cases of costiveness which so often attend an enlargement and induration of the spleen and liver. Farriers use it for blistering horses, and there is good reason to believe that it is sometimes fraudulently introduced to quicken the powers of our Emplastrum Cantharidis. It enters as an ingredient into a plaster, which has been much celebrated by Cheselden and others, as a stimulating application, to relieve diseases of the hip-joint, and to keep up inflammation of the skin in chronic states of visceral inflammation; the following is its composition. ℞. _Emplast: Picis comp:_ ℥iv.—_Euphorbiæ gum-resinœ_ ʒss.—_Terebinth: Vulgar, q. s._ CAUTION, in pulverizing this substance, the dispenser should previously moisten it with vinegar to prevent its rising and excoriating his face.

EXTRACTA. L.E.D. _Extracts._

These preparations are obtained by evaporating the watery or spirituous solutions of vegetables, and the native juices obtained from fresh plants by expression, to masses of a tenacious consistence. The London college does not arrange the extracts under the titles of _watery_ and _resinous_, which is the arrangement of the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia, nor under those of simple and resinous, which is the division observed in that of Dublin, but rejecting all _specific_ distinctions, includes, under the _generic_ appellation of extract, both the species, as well as all the _inspissated juices_. Since however the former of these arrangements will afford greater facilities for introducing the observations which it is my intention to offer, it is retained in this work.

The chemical nature of extracts must obviously be very complicated and variable, depending in a great degree upon the powers of the _menstruum_ employed for their preparation; although Fourcroy and Vauquelin considered that _one peculiar_ principle was the basis of them all, which they called _Extract_, _Extractive_, or the _Extractive Principle_. It is distinguished by the following characters, _viz_.

It has a strong taste, varying in different plants; it is soluble in water, and in alcohol when it contains water, but is quite insoluble in _absolute_ alcohol and æther; its aqueous solution soon runs into a state of putrefaction; by repeated solutions and evaporations, or by long ebullition, it acquires a deeper colour, and in consequence of its combination with oxygen it becomes insoluble and inert, a fact which is of extreme importance as it regards its pharmaceutical relations; it unites with alumine, and if boiled with its salts, precipitates it, hence wool, cotton, or thread, impregnated with alum, may be dyed of a fawn-colour by _extractive_; its habitudes with alkalies are very striking, combining most readily and forming with them compounds of a brownish yellow colour, which are very soluble in water; if to a colourless and extremely dilute solution of extractive, an alkali be added, a brown or yellowish tint is immediately produced, so that under certain circumstances I have found an alkali to be a serviceable test in detecting the presence of extractive matter. The usual brown hue of the _liquor ammoniæ acetatis_, is owing to the action of the ammonia upon traces of vegetable extractive contained in the distilled vinegar.

Much confusion has arisen from the word _extract_ having been employed in this double meaning,—_chemically_ to express a peculiar vegetable proximate principle, and _pharmaceutically_ to denote any substance however complicated in its nature, which has been obtained by the evaporation of a vegetable solution or a native vegetable juice. It is in the latter sense that it is to be understood in the present article.

The different proximate principles of vegetable matter undergo various and indefinite changes with such rapidity, when acted upon by heat, that the process of _extraction_ must necessarily more or less impair the medicinal efficacy of a plant, and not unfrequently destroy it altogether, and hence, says Dr. Murray, “with the exception of some of the pure bitters, as gentian, or some of the saccharine vegetables, as liquorice, there is no medicine perhaps but what may be given with more advantage under some other form;” this however is not exactly true, for when care is taken in the preparation, we are thus enabled to concentrate _many_ very powerful qualities in a small space, and the process lately adopted of evaporating the solutions by the aid of steam, contributes very materially to obviate the failures which so frequently occurred from a too exalted temperature. There is, for instance, great reason to suppose that the black colour which so often characterises the extracts of commerce, is frequently owing to the decomposition and carbonization of the vegetable matter; the colour therefore of an extract becomes in some degree a test of its goodness. I have lately examined the extracts of commerce with some attention, and I find the presence of iron by no means an uncommon circumstance; when thus contaminated they afford a very dirty coloured solution, which rapidly becomes darker on exposure to air. The extracts mentioned in the preface as made by Mr. Barry, by _evaporating in vacuo_, deserve the attention of the profession; the principle is without doubt well calculated to secure the active matter of the plant from those changes to which it is constantly liable during the ordinary operation of inspissation. The extracts, thus prepared, are certainly more powerful in their effects, and some few of them appear also to possess properties which are not to be distinguished in the Extracts of Commerce; those of narcotic plants, as _Hemlock_, _Hyoscyamus_, _&c._ are decidedly more efficacious; where the practitioner directs their use, he should, to prevent any mistake, add the words _in vacuo præp._ as in _Formula 4_; for on account of the difference in the strength of these preparations, and of those prepared by the ordinary method, they cannot be indiscriminately employed. Dr. John Davy, at my request, has made trial of these extracts in the Military Hospital at Fort Pitt, and as his results coincide with those obtained in my own practice, I shall relate, under the history of each Extract, the comparative conclusions which have been obtained.

1. WATERY OR SIMPLE EXTRACTS.

_Mucilaginous_ Extracts of Rouelle.

These extracts must, of course, contain all the principles of a plant which are soluble in water, such as gum, extractive matter, tannin, cinchonin, sugar, fecula, &c. together with any soluble salts which the vegetable may contain. I have also found by experiment that an aqueous extract may even contain, in small proportions, certain elements which, although quite insoluble in water, are nevertheless partially soluble in vegetable infusion. This law of vegetable chemistry has never been expressed, although we have repeated instances of its truth, and a knowledge of it may explain some hitherto unintelligible anomalies. It has been stated that extractive matter is perfectly insoluble in æther, but Mr. A. Thomson found repeatedly, that if a small portion of resin was present, æther would in that case take up extractive in combination with the resin which it so readily dissolves. As decoction or infusion is a process preliminary to that of extraction, the practitioner must refer to those articles for an enumeration of the different sources of error which are attached to them.

EXTRACTUM ALOES PURIFICATUM. L. The resinous element of the aloes is got rid of in this preparation; on which account it is supposed, in an equal dose, to be more purgative and less irritating. _Dose_, gr. x to xv. _Form: 12, 13, 36._

EXTRACTUM ANTHEMIDIS. L.E. _Extract. Florum Chamœmeli._ D. This extract furnishes an example of the change effected on some plants by the process of extraction; in this case the volatile oil is dissipated, and a simple bitter remains, possessing scarcely any of the characteristic properties of chamomile. This remark, however, does not apply to this extract, when prepared _in vacuo_. I have lately received from Mr. Pope of Oxford Street, a specimen which retains, in the most eminent degree, all the odour and taste of the recent flower. _Dose_, gr. x–℈j.

EXTRACTUM CINCHONÆ. L.D. The properties of the bark in this preparation are much invalidated, owing to the oxidizement of its extractive matter, which takes place to such an extent, that not more than one half of the preparation is soluble in water; it is not however altogether devoid of utility, and will often sit lightly on the stomach, when the powder is rejected. Its taste is very bitter, but less austere than the powder. The most beautiful extract of bark, which I have ever seen, was prepared by Mr. Barry of Plough Court; its colour was that of a deep brilliant ruby, and its flavour preserved all the characteristic peculiarity of the recent substance.[499] _Dose_, grs. x to ʒss. Fourteen ounces of the bark will yield about three ounces and a half of extract. It should be kept _soft_, so as to be fit for forming pills, and _hard_, so that it may be reduced to powder.

EXTRACTUM COLOCYNTHIDIS. L. This extract is much milder, although less powerful, than the pulp; _Dose_, grs. v to ʒss. It soon becomes hard and mouldy.[500]

EXTRACTUM GENTIANÆ. L.E.D. The bitter principle suffers no deterioration in the process: it is used principally as a vehicle for metallic preparations. _Form. 36, 53, 103._ _Dose_, gr. x to ℈j.

EXTRACTUM GLYCYRRHIZÆ. L.D. It is usually imported from Spain; in the coarser kinds, the pulps of various plums and of prunes are added; it should dissolve in water without leaving any feculence.[501]

EXTRACTUM HÆMATOXYLI. L.E.D. The astringent properties of the _logwood_ are preserved in the extract, but it becomes so extremely hard, that pills made of it very commonly pass through the body without undergoing the least change. _Dose_, grs. x to ʒss dissolved in cinnamon water: it sometimes imparts a bloody hue to the urine of those who have taken it.

EXTRACTUM HUMULI. L. The bitter taste of the hop characterises this preparation; whether it possesses, or not, any anodyne properties, seems very doubtful. _Dose_, grs. v to ℈j.

EXTRACTUM OPII. L.D. As it contains less resinous matter than crude opium, it is supposed to produce its effects with less subsequent derangement. See _Opium_. _Dose_, gr. j to v, for an adult.

EXTRACTUM PAPAVERIS. L.D. It is a weak opium. _Dose_, grs. ij to ℈j.

EXTRACTUM SARSAPARILLÆ. Notwithstanding the reputation which this preparation has acquired, it is very doubtful whether it possesses any medicinal powers. _Dose_, gr. x to ʒj in pills, or dissolved in the decoction.

EXTRACTUM STRAMONII. This extract was first recommended by Stöerck, as a powerful remedy in maniacal affections; its probable value in such diseases appears to have been suggested by a very curious process of reasoning, viz. that as it deranged the intellect of the sane, it might possibly correct that of the insane. Experience has certainly not confirmed the very sanguine report of Stöerck with regard to its powers, but it has satisfactorily shewn its occasional value in violent paroxysms, in quieting the mind, and procuring rest. I am informed by my friend Dr. Davy, that, for such an object, it has been very frequently and successfully given, in the Lunatic Military Hospital at Fort Clarence. He farther states that he has himself made many trials with the extract of Stramonium, prepared by Mr. Barry (_in vacuo_) as well as with the common extract; and that he finds the former to be uniformly more powerful. “In most diseases,” says he, “this medicine would seem uncertain in its operation, sometimes occasioning an anodyne effect, and, at other times, producing irritation, and preventing sleep; I have, however, seen very beneficial effects from it in asthma, and in coughs that have a nightly exacerbation, in doses of from gr. 1/4 to gr. 2, daily.”

EXTRACTUM TARAXACI. L.D. The medicinal powers of Dandelion are asserted to exist unimpaired in this preparation, but it becomes inert by keeping. See _Taraxacum_. _Dose._ grs. x to ʒj, in combination with sulphate of potass.

2. _Spirituous or Resinous Extracts._

These may contain, with the exception of gum, all the ingredients contained in watery extracts, besides resin; their composition however will greatly depend upon the strength of the spirit employed as the solvent; but of this I shall speak more fully under the article _Tincture_.

EXTRACTUM CINCHONÆ RESINOSUM. L.E.D. The operation of spirit in this preparation is two-fold; it extracts from the bark the element which is insoluble in water, and it diminishes the tendency in the extractive matter to absorb oxygen during the process. _Dose_, grs. x to xxx. It is said that a spurious extract of bark is to be met with in the market, consisting of the extract of the horse-chesnut tree bark, and yellow resin.

EXTRACTUM COLOCYNTHIDIS COMPOSITUM. L.D. _Extract. Catharticum._ P.L. 1775. _Pilulæ Rudii._ P.L. 1720. This preparation has been established through successive pharmacopœias, and has undergone some modification in each; in the present edition the soap has been restored, and its solubility is thereby increased, as well as its mildness as a cathartic. The omission of this ingredient was formerly suggested by the consideration of its being incompatible with _Calomel_; this however is _not_ the case. It presents a combination of purgative substances which is highly judicious, and will be found to be more powerful than an equivalent dose of any _one_ of the ingredients. _Dose_, gr. v to ʒss, _Form. 71, 81, 88._

EXTRACTUM JALAPÆ. L.E.D. It is purgative, but is liable to gripe, unless it be triturated with sugar and almonds, or mucilage, so as to form an emulsion. _Dose_, grs. x to ℈j.

EXTRACTUM RHEI. L. The powers of the Rhubarb are considerably impaired in this extract. _Dose_, grs. x to ʒss. _Form. 78._

3. _Inspissated Juices._

These preparations are obtained by expressing the juices from fresh plants, and evaporating them in a water-bath; they are generally of a lighter colour than common extracts, and they are certainly much more active, although there is a great difference in the activity of different samples; and perhaps the _medicinal_ powers of the juices themselves are very much under the controul of soil and season. That they _vary in quantity_ from such causes we have ample proof; thus in moist seasons, Beaumé obtained five pounds of inspissated juice from thirty pounds of _elder berries_, whereas, in dry seasons, he could rarely get more than two. From _hemlock_ he procured in October, 1796, 7·5 per cent. of inspissated juice, and in May of the same year only 3·7; on the contrary, in August, 1768, 4 per cent., and in May, 1776, as much as 6·5; but in general, the product in the autumnal months was the most considerable.

The modes of preparing the inspissated juices of the same plant vary in the different pharmacopœias, and in several points that are very _essential_; some direct the expressed juices to be _immediately_ inspissated, others allow them to undergo a slight degree of fermentation, and some _defecate_ them, before they proceed to their inspissation.

EXTRACTUM (_Succus Spissatus._ E.) ACONITI. L.E. The medicinal properties of this preparation are analogous to those of the recent _Wolfsbane_, viz. narcotic, and in some cases diuretic, (see _Form. 128_.) It is however rarely used. _Dose_, at first, should not exceed gr. ½, but it may be gradually increased. I have not yet, says Dr. Davy, in a letter recently received from him, had much experience of the _Extractum Aconiti_, but that little is favourable to its use; “in some cases of chronic rheumatism, and in some of intermittent fever, complicated with visceral disease, it has had a beneficial effect not to be mistaken; the dose has been from one to two grains.” Dr. Stöerck, who first tried this medicine, observed from it a powerful diaphoretic effect; this, says Dr. Davy, “I have not noticed, and yet the extract which I have used was prepared by Mr. Barry, _in vacuo_, which is certainly far more powerful than that employed by Stöerck; the latter, when applied to the tongue, “_levissimam tantum titillationem excitabat_,” whereas that of Mr. Barry produces a most disagreeable sensation of burning, which extends to the throat; and in one instance, when applied to the tip of my tongue, it occasioned ulceration.”

EXTRACTUM BELLADONNÆ. L.E. See _Belladonnæ Folia_. _Dose_, gr. j, gradually increased to gr. v, in the form of pill. Dr. Davy has made a few trials of Barry’s Extract; the results of which he informs me are not at all favourable to the use of this medicine; it is much more powerful than the common extract, and can only be given with safety in small doses; “in several instances,” says he, “I have not been able to repeat a grain dose daily, more than thrice, on account of the alarming symptoms produced, as head-ache, vertigo, indistinct vision with dilated pupil, and, in one case, irritation of the bladder, occasioning very frequent micturition; in chronic rheumatism and catarrh, with severe cough, the only diseases in which I have yet given it, it has not appeared to be in the least serviceable; it may probably prove valuable to the oculist; from trials that have been made of it here by Mr. Miller, Assistant Surgeon to the Forces, it has been found to dilate the pupil beyond the common extract. Stöerck even introduced his extract into the eye with impunity. Acrid as the preparation is which I have used, the patients have never complained of it, nor have I known any disagreeable effects from it, when applied in solution, sufficiently dilute.”

EXTRACTUM (_Succus Spissatus._ E.D.) CONII. L. Much of this extract, as it is found in commerce, has not been prepared with equal fidelity, nor with due attention to the season when the plant is in its greatest perfection; Dr. Fothergill says, “I know from repeated experiments, that the extract which has been prepared from _hemlock_, before the plant arrives at maturity, is much inferior to that which is made when the plant has acquired its full vigour, and is rather on the verge of decline: just when the flowers fade, the rudiments of the seeds become observable, and the habit of the plant inclines to yellow, _is the proper time_ to collect it;” the plants which grow in places exposed to the sun should be selected, as being more _virose_ than those that grow in the shade: still however with every precaution, it will always be uncertain in strength. Orfila found that an extract prepared by boiling the dried powder in water, and evaporating the decoction, was inert; in fact, the whole of the activity of the plant resides in a resinous element _insoluble_ in water, and for which I have proposed the name of _Conein_. Extract of hemlock, when judiciously prepared, is a very valuable sedative; I state this from ample experience, and when combined with Hyoscyamus, and adapted by means of mucilage and syrup, to the form of a mixture, it affords a more effectual palliative than any remedy with which I am acquainted, for coughs and pulmonary irritation. _Form. 19._ is that from which I have derived the greatest benefit in such cases. See also _Form. 2, 3, 4, 19, 57_. Since the fourth edition of the present work, I requested my friend Dr. John Davy to make trial of its efficacy in the Military Hospital at Chatham, and I here introduce his report upon the subject;—“My experience of the effects of the _Extractum Conii_ perfectly agrees with that of Dr. Paris, as stated in the fourth edition of the Pharmacologia, and I am of his opinion that when properly prepared, and administered, it is a very valuable sedative; I have given it to the extent daily of from a scruple to a drachm, in chronic catarrh, and in phthisis pulmonalis, either alone or in conjunction with the Extract of Hyoscyamus, and it has afforded more relief than any other medicine that I have tried. From two or three trials of it in pneumonia, I am disposed to think it may be very serviceable in certain forms of this disease, in which venesection is contra-indicated by extreme debility; and also in measles. In the trials alluded to, I commenced giving it in the large dose of a drachm, daily, suspended in water containing in solution a grain of _Antimonium Tartarizatum_. In a very few instances, where I have from the commencement given it in a large dose, as from ʒj to ʒiss, it has occasioned hallucination of ideas, which in two cases was attended with excitement of the sensorium and increased action of the heart, and in one case, with diminished activity of both. The Extract of Conium, prepared by Mr. Barry, is the most powerful one I have ever used, indeed, until I tried it, I had no just idea of the virtues of Conium as a medicine; but I am now disposed to give credit to Stöerk’s account of its efficacy in various chronic diseases; and I have no doubt but that this valuable medicine has fallen into comparative disrepute and disuse from the bad quality of the extract commonly employed.” Dr. Maton has found that the value of this extract is greatly increased by including the seeds in its preparation. _Dose_, grs. v to ℈j; or more, twice or thrice a day; in a full dose it produces giddiness, a slight nausea, and a tremor of the body; a peculiar heavy sensation is also experienced about the eyes; and the bowels become gently relaxed: unless some of these sensations are produced, we are never sure that the remedy has had a _fair trial_ of its effects. Patients will generally bear a larger dose at night than at noon, and at noon than in the morning.

EXTRACTUM ELATERII. L. This substance spontaneously subsides from the juice of the wild cucumber, in consequence I presume of one of those series of changes which vegetable matter is perpetually undergoing, although we are hitherto unable to express them by any known chemical law. It is therefore not an _extract_, either in the chemical or pharmaceutical acceptation of the term, nor an _inspissated juice_, nor is it a _fecula_,[502] as it has been termed; the Dublin College has perhaps been more correct in simply calling it _Elaterium_, the name given to it by Dioscorides.

It occurs in commerce in little thin cakes, or broken pieces, bearing the impression of the muslin upon which it has been dried; its _colour_ is greenish, its _taste_ bitter, and somewhat acrid; and when tolerably pure, it is light, pulverulent, and inflammable.

The early history of this medicinal substance is involved in great perplexity, each author speaking of a different preparation by the same name; for instance, the _Elaterium_ of Dioscorides must have been a very different substance from that of _Theophrastus_; and, wherever Hippocrates mentions the term, he evidently alludes to _any_ violent purgative. “_Hippocrati Elaterium medicamentum est quod per alvum expurgat._” (_Bod: in Theophrast_.) This will, in some degree, reconcile the discordant testimonies of different authors with regard to the powers of _Elaterium_; for example, Dioscorides states its dose to be from grs. ii to ℈j—in Ætius, Paulus, and Actuarius, it is recommended to the extent of ʒss—in Mesue from ℈ss to ℈j—in Bontius (_Med: Ind:_) from ℈j to ʒss—Massarias exhibits it in doses of gr. vj—Fernelius and Sennertus to ℈j—Herman from grs. v vj—Quincy to grs. v—and Boerhaave does not venture to give more than gr. iv—while the practitioners of the present day limit their dose from gr. ½ to grs. ij. Dr. Clutterbuck, with a laudable intention to discover some method of procuring this article at a cheaper rate, and at the same time of establishing some process which might ensure a preparation of more uniform strength, has lately performed a series of interesting and instructive experiments,[503] the results of which prove in a satisfactory manner “that the active principle of this plant is neither lodged in the roots, leaves, flowers, nor stalks, in _any considerable quantity:_ nor is it to be found in the body of the fruit itself, or in the seeds, but in _the juice around the seeds_; the substance which spontaneously subsides from this liquor, obtained without pressure, is _genuine_ Elaterium, the quantity of which, contained in the fruit, is extremely small, for Dr. Clutterbuck obtained only six grains from _forty_ cucumbers.” This gentleman communicated the detail of these experiments to the President of the College of Physicians, who requested me, as professor of Materia Medica, to report upon them. I accordingly deemed it to be my duty to enter upon a series of new experiments, which I have lately completed, with the able assistance of Mr. Faraday, in the laboratory of the Royal Institution. The results of which will shew, that although Dr. Clutterbuck found that an _eighth_ part of a grain of elaterium seldom failed to _purge violently_, yet, strange as it may appear, that _not more than one grain in ten_ of elaterium, as it occurs in commerce, possesses any active properties, and that this decimal part is a vegetable proximate principle, not hitherto noticed, to which I shall give the name of ELATIN. I shall subjoin the detail of my experiments, and I think it will appear that their results will authorise me to express the chemical composition of Elaterium in the following manner.

F. Water ·4
{ B. Extractive 2·6
I. { B.DJ Fecula 2·8
{ C. Gluten ·5
K. Woody matter 2·5
H. _Elatin_ { 1·2
G. Bitter Principle {
———
10 grains.

Proximate Analysis of Elaterium.

_Experiments. Series 1st._

A.

Ten grains of Elaterium, obtained from a respectable chemist, and
having all the sensible properties which indicated it to be genuine,
were digested for twenty-four hours with distilled water, at a
temperature far below that of boiling; _four grains_ only were
dissolved.

B.

The solution was intensely bitter, of a brownish yellow colour, and
was not in the least disturbed by alcohol, although a solution of
_Iodine_ produced a blue colour; the solution therefore contained no
gum, and only _slight traces_ of starch.

C.

The solution, after standing twenty-four hours, yielded a _pellicle_
of insoluble matter, which when burnt appeared to resemble _Gluten_.

D.

The six grains which were insoluble in water, were treated for
forty-eight hours with alcohol of the specific gravity ·817, at 66°
of Fahrenheit; a green solution was obtained, but by slow
evaporation only _half a grain_ of solid green matter was procured.
The insoluble residue obstinately adhered to, and coated the filtre
like a varnish, and completely defended the mass from the action of
the alcohol; it is probable that it consisted principally of
_Starch_.

_Experiments. Series 2d._

E.

Ten grains of Elaterium, from the same sample, were treated with
alcohol of the specific gravity ·817, at 66° Fahrenheit, for
twenty-four hours; upon being filtered, and the residuum washed with
successive portions of alcohol, the Elaterium was found to have lost
1·6 of _a grain_. The high specific gravity of the alcohol in this
experiment was important; had it been lower, different results would
have been produced.

F.

The alcoholic solution obtained in the last experiment, was of a
most brilliant and beautiful green colour, resembling that of the
oil of cajeput, but brighter; upon slowly evaporating it, 1·2
_grains_ of solid green matter were obtained.

G.

The solid green matter of the last experiment was treated with
boiling distilled water, when a minute portion was thus dissolved,
and a solution of a most intensely bitter taste, and of a brownish
yellow colour, resulted.

H.

The residue, insoluble in water, was inflammable, burning with smoke
and an aromatic odour, not in the least bitter; it was soluble in
alkalies, and was again precipitated from them unchanged in colour;
it formed, with pure alcohol, a beautiful tincture, which yielded an
odour of a very nauseous kind, but of very little flavour, and which
gave a precipitate with water; it was soft, and of considerable
specific gravity, sinking rapidly in water; circumstances which
distinguish it from common resin; in very minute quantities it
purges. It appears to be the element in which the purgative powers
of the Elaterium are concentrated, and which I have denominated
ELATIN.

I.

The residuum, insoluble in alcohol, weighing 8·4 grs. (Expt. E) was
boiled in double distilled water, when 5·9 grs. were dissolved.

J.

The above solution was copiously precipitated blue by a solution of
Iodine, and was scarcely disturbed by the Per-sulphate of Iron.

K.

The part insoluble, both in alcohol and water, which was left after
Experiment I, amounting to 2·5 grains; it burnt like wood, and was
insoluble in alkalies.

It appears that the whole of the _Elatin_ does not separate itself from its native juice by spontaneous subsidence, and that, on this account, the supernatant liquor possesses some powers as a cathartic. We cannot be surprised therefore that the _Elaterium_ of commerce should be a very variable and uncertain medicine; for independent of the great temptation which its high price holds out for adulterating it, which is frequently done with starch, it necessarily follows that where the active principle of a compound bears so small a proportion to its bulk, it is liable to be affected by the slightest variation in the process for its preparation, and even by the temperature of the season; where pressure is used for obtaining the juices, a greater or less quantity of the inactive parts of the cucumber will be mixed with the _Elatin_, in proportion to the extent of such pressure, and the _Elaterium_ will of course be proportionally weak.[504] There is one curious result obtained in my experiments which deserves notice, _viz._ that there is a _bitter_ principle in the Elaterium, very distinct from its extractive matter, and totally unconnected with its activity, for I diluted the solution obtained in experiment G. and swallowed it, but it produced upon me no effect, except that which I generally experience upon taking a powerful bitter,—an increased appetite; and yet notwithstanding this fact, when in combination with _Elatin_, it is far from being inert, since this latter body is considerably quickened by its presence. See page 152. The solution B was given to a person, but no effect whatever ensued. _Dose_ of good _Elaterium_, as it occurs in commerce, is about one grain, or it is better to give it only to the extent of half a grain at a time, and to repeat that dose every hour until it begins to operate. It is probably, when thus managed, the best hydragogue cathartic which we possess; it differs however from the class of remedies to which it belongs, for it excites the pulse and whole animal system, so as to produce a considerable degree of febrile action. It was strongly recommended by Sydenham, Lister, and Hoffman, and all their cotemporaries and immediate successors, as a valuable remedy in dropsy; but in consequence of some fatal results from its improper application, it was driven from practice with a violence that marks prejudice rather than conviction; one author, in descanting upon its virulence, exclaims, “_Elaterium esse in catalogo diaboli quo necat homines_.” For its restoration to medicine, we are indebted to Dr. Ferriar of Manchester, who used it with great success in the cure of Hydrothorax.

EXTRACTUM (_Succus Spissatus._ E.D.) HYOSCYAMI. L. This preparation is certainly powerfully narcotic, and tends to relax rather than astringe the bowels; where the constitution is rebellious to opium, it furnishes a more valuable resource to the practitioner than any other narcotic extract. _Dose_, gr. v to ℈j, in pills. _See Form. 1, 3, 4, 19, 139._

EXTRACTUM LACTUCÆ. L. SUCCUS SPISSATUS LACTUCÆ SATIVÆ. E. This preparation has found its way into the London Pharmacopœia, in consequence of the testimony of many highly respectable practitioners in favour of its sedative properties. In the memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, various suggestions are offered as to the best mode of obtaining an extract from the milky juice of the garden Lettuce, to which Dr. Duncan has bestowed the name of “LACTUCARIUM;” it was first recommended to take the milk with cotton, afterwards with a sponge, and more recently with a painter’s brush; all these methods however are attended with considerable difficulty, and the juice cannot be collected in any quantity. Mr. Probart, a chemist in Great Portland Street, has lately cultivated large plantations of the lettuce, for the purpose of instituting experiments upon the subject, and I am happy in being enabled through his liberality, to introduce in this place, an account of the process which he pursues, and which he considers the only one by which the article can be brought into the market at any reasonable price.[505]

In concluding the history of Inspissated juices, it deserves notice that the London College uniformly directs that the _feculence_ should be preserved in the compound: there can be no doubt of the propriety of such advice, but the Colleges of Edinburgh and Dublin reject it. The French Codex gives directions for two extracts from each of these substances, one containing what they please to denominate the _fecula_, the other not; thus there is “_Extractum Cicutæ absque Fecula_” and “_Extract: Cicut: cum Fecula_.” There is one curious fact respecting these narcotic preparations, that most, if not all of them, contain _nitre_, _common salt_, and _muriate of potass._

Manufacturing chemists, in order to give a smooth and glossy appearance to their Extracts, generally add to every ℔j, about ʒss of gum, fʒj of olive oil, and ♏︎xx of rectified spirit; there is no harm in the practice.

FERRI SUB-CARBONAS. L. CARBONAS FERRI

PRÆCIPITATUS. E. CARBONAS FERRI. D.

_Carbonate of Iron._

In a former Pharmacopœia of London, a sub-carbonate of iron was prepared, under the name of _ferri-rubigo_ (rust of iron,) by exposing iron-filings to the action of air and water; and although the Colleges of Edinburgh and Dublin still retain this mode of preparation, yet they admit at the same time of another which, like the _sub-carbonate_ of the present London Pharmacopœia, is produced by precipitation. QUALITIES. _Form_, a chocolate brown powder. _Odour_, none. _Taste_, slightly styptic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mr. Phillips has shewn that this precipitate is liable to vary according to the temperature at which it is prepared, as well as from other differences of manipulation; it generally consists of mixtures of peroxide, and proto-carbonate of iron, in the proportion of four parts of the latter, and six of the former. By referring to the _Medicinal Dynameter_ the practitioner may find the quantity of those ingredients in any given weight of the preparation, and compare its strength with the other chalybeate medicines. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water, but acids dissolve it with effervescence. _Forms of Exhibition._ In powder or pills, combined with aromatics. DOSE, gr. v to xxx. (_Form. 38._) It has lately been brought into particular notice by the publication of Mr. Hutchinson of Southwell, who states that in doses of half a drachm to a drachm, two or three times a day, it has proved in his hands a most efficacious remedy in the cure of _Tic doloureux_. Mr. Hutchinson is well known to the profession as a judicious and inquiring practitioner, and we are well satisfied that he would not recommend any remedy to the attention of his brethren, without a well grounded assurance of its efficacy; at the same time it must be remembered that this disease is very frequently the consequence of an irritation in some nerve, by the mechanical operation of osseous spiculæ; in such cases we cannot expect the sub-carbonate of Iron to afford relief. A noble Marquis who lost his leg at Waterloo, suffered excruciating pains in his face, in consequence of exfoliation in the stump, which were relieved as soon as the local irritation subsided; and a late lamented physician appears to have owed his severe sufferings to the irritation produced on the brain by a bony excrescence. I have little doubt if cases of _Tic doloureux_ were more carefully examined, they would be frequently found to derive their origin from a similar source. If it were necessary I could add several of such instances to those already enumerated.[506]

FERRI RAMENTA ET FILA. L. FILA ET

LIMATURA. E. FERRI SCOBS. D.

_Iron Filings and Wire._

Iron seems to be a metal that proves active in its _metallic_ state; its filings may be given in the form of powder, conjoined to some aromatic, or what is perhaps more eligible, in the form of an electuary. The Mahometan practitioners are in the habit of prescribing them, in conjunction with ginger, and cummin seeds, in cases requiring tonics. DOSE, grs. v to ʒss. IMPURITIES. Iron filings should be carefully purified by the application of the magnet, since those obtained from the work-shops are generally mixed with copper and other metals. For pharmaceutical purposes, iron wire should be preferred, as being the most pure, since the softest iron only can be drawn, and Mr. Phillips has shewn us, in his experiments upon the “_Ferrum Tartarizatum_” that soft iron is more easily acted upon by Tartar.

FERRI SULPHAS. L. SULPHAS FERRI. E.D.

Ferrum Vitriolatum. P.L. 1787. Sal Martis. P.L. 1745.

Sal, seu Vitriolatum Martis. P.L. 1720.

_Sulphate of Iron_, formerly _Green Vitriol_.

QUALITIES. _Form_, crystals, which are rhomboidal prisms, transparent, and of a fine green colour; when exposed to the air they effloresce, and at the same time become covered with a yellow powder, owing to the attraction of oxygen; when exposed to heat, they undergo watery fusion, and at a higher temperature, the acid is driven off and the peroxide of iron alone remains, which in commerce is known by the name of _Colcothar_. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. According to Dr. Thomson, it consists of 27·7 of sulphuric acid, 28·3 of protoxide of iron, and 45 of water; 8 parts, however, of this water, exist in combination with the oxide of iron. The Medicinal Dynameter will shew the proportion of protoxide in any given weight of this salt. SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in two parts of water at 60°, and three-fourths at 212°. The solution reddens vegetable blues. It is insoluble in alcohol; when however the iron is farther oxidized, it becomes soluble in that menstruum.[507] INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Every salt whose base forms an insoluble compound with sulphuric acid; _the earths, the alkalies and their carbonates_; _borate of soda_; _nitrate of potass_; _muriate of ammonia_; _tartrate of potass and soda_; _acetate of ammonia_; _nitrate of silver_; _sub-acetate and acetate of lead_; _and Soaps_. Whether the medicinal virtues of a salt of iron are injured by combination with astringent vegetable matter, seems to admit of doubt. Such substances have been usually ranked amongst the _incompatibles_, but I am disposed to think without sufficient grounds, for I have frequently witnessed the salutary effects of iron when exhibited in this questionable state of combination—may not the absorbents be more disposed to take up iron, when combined with vegetable matter, than when it is presented in a more purely mineral form?[508] MEDICINAL USES. Tonic, astringent, emmenagogue, and anthelmintic; in large doses, it occasions griping in the bowels. DOSE, gr. j to v, combined with rhubarb, or some bitter extract. (_form: 72, 87._) If given in solution, the water should be previously boiled, or the oxygen contained in the atmospherical air, which is diffused through it, will partially convert the salt into an _oxy_-sulphat, and render it insoluble. As an external astringent it is useful in the aphthæ of children.[509] OFFICINAL PREP. _Mist: Ferri comp:_ L. (=K=) _Pil: Ferri comp:_ L. (=J=).

FERRUM AMMONIATUM. L. MURIAS

AMMONIÆ ET FERRI. E.D.

_Ferrum Ammoniacale, P.L._ 1787. _Flores Martiales._

_P.L._ 1745. _Ens Veneris. P.L._ 1720.

QUALITIES. _Form_, crystalline grains, which deliquesce; _Colour_, orange yellow; _Odour_, resembling that of saffron; _Taste_, styptic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. This is very variable; depending upon the degree of heat and length of time employed for its preparation. It seems to be a mixed mass, consisting of sub-muriate of ammonia and sub-muriate of iron, the metal being in the state of red oxide; and, Mr. Phillips states that in the London preparation a portion of sub-carbonate of ammonia is necessarily present. The same chemist has also shewn that the proportion of Peroxide of iron in 200 grains is not more than three grains. Its equivalents will be seen in the Medicinal Dynameter. SOLUBILITY, f℥j of water dissolves ʒiv of it; it is also very soluble in alcohol. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. _The Alkalies, and their Carbonates_; _Lime water_, and _Astringent vegetables_. MEDICINAL USES. It is tonic, emmenagogue, and aperient, but it is so uncertain in its composition and effects that it is rarely used. OFFICINAL PREP: _Tinct: Ferri Ammon:_ L. _Form: 36, 43, 95._ IMPURITIES. These are indicated by the dull and pale yellow colour of the salt; it may be purified by resubliming it.

FERRUM TARTARIZATUM. L.

TARTRAS POTASSÆ ET FERRI. E.

TARTARUM FERRI. D.

QUALITIES. _Form_, a powder of a brownish green colour; _Odour_, none; _Taste_, slightly styptic; it attracts humidity from the atmosphere, but does not deliquesce. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mr. Phillips has devoted much attention to this subject, and he states that as it is frequently prepared, it is a mere mixture of metallic iron with super-tartrate of potass, coloured by oxide of iron; when however it is made with more care, it appears to be a double salt, consisting of tartrate of potass and tartrate of iron; or may it not be one of those combinations which cream of tartar forms with metals, and of which I have spoken under the article _Antimonium Tartarizatum_? The quantity of peroxide of iron contained in any weight of this preparation may be seen by referring to the _Medicinal Dynameter_; five grains, for instance, will be found to contain gr. j of peroxide, which, it will be observed, are equivalent to ♏︎xiv of the _Tinctura Ferri Muriatis_, and to ♏︎xxv of the _Liquor Ferri Alkalini_, or to f℥j of the _Vinum Ferri_. SOLUBILITY. It is very soluble in water, and the solution remains for a great length of time without undergoing any change, except that of depositing _tartrate of lime_, which is an incidental impurity in the super-tartrate of potass. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. _All strong acids_; _lime water_; _hydro-sulphuret of potass_; _astringent vegetables_? _The fixed alkalies and their carbonates_ decompose the solution very slowly, unless heated; but _ammonia_ and its _sub-carbonate_ produce upon it no effect, whether it be hot or cold; this fact, observes Mr. Phillips, will enable us to exhibit iron in solution with an alkali, without the occurrence of an precipitate. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. The perfect preparation, from its tendency to deliquesce, cannot be well ordered in the form of powder; that of solution is probably the most judicious. MED. USES. It is supposed to add to its chalybeate virtues those of a diuretic nature. DOSE, grs. x to ʒss. See _Form: 34, 53, 92_. Dr. Bateman has recommended a watery solution of it, as a chalybeate peculiarly suited to children, from its tasteless quality.[510]

FILICIS RADIX. L.E.D.

(Aspidium Filix, _Mas._)

Root of the _Male Fern_.

QUALITIES. This root is nearly inodorous; its taste slightly bitter, sweetish, sub-astringent, and mucilaginous; as it contains no volatile ingredient, it may be given in decoction, but on account of its astringency, it must not be conjoined with a _chalybeate_. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. According to M. Morin, the Male Fern root owes its anthelmintic property to a fatty substance, capable of being saponified; of a nauseous odour quite like that of the root; of a very disagreeable taste, heavier than water, and distilling with water, and when burnt, giving a dense aromatic smoke. The root, moreover, contains gallic and acetic acids; uncrystallizable sugar; tannin; starch; a gelatinous matter insoluble in water and alcohol; lignine; and various salts. M. Morin considers the fatty matter as formed of a fixed and a volatile oil, but farther experiments are required to make the characteristic principle of this root better understood. (Ann. de Chim. xxvi. 219.) DOSE, as an anthelmintic,[511] ʒj to ʒiij, followed by a cathartic; its use however is superseded by more powerful and certain vermifuges. The root is sometimes boiled in ale to flavour it.

GALBANI GUMMI RESINA. L.E.D.

_Galbanum._

QUALITIES. _Form_, variegated masses, of a yellowish brown colour; _Odour_, fetid; _Taste_, bitter and acrid. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is one of those vegetable products to which the name of _gum-resin_ has been given, _see Elemi_. The latest analysis of galbanum by M. Meisner, affords the following results, Resin 65·8; Gum 22·6; Cerasin 1·8; Malic acid 0·2; Volatile oil 3·4; Vegetable Debris 2·8; loss 3·4. SOLUBILITY. Water, wine, and vinegar, by trituration, take up one-fourth of its weight, and form a milky mixture, which deposits its charge by rest; a permanent suspension, however, may be effected by the intermedium of egg or of gum arabic, for which purpose the galbanum will require half its weight of gum. Alcohol takes up one-fifth of its weight, and a golden yellow tincture results, which has the sensible qualities of the galbanum, and becomes milky on the addition of water, but no precipitate falls. A mixture of two parts of rectified spirit and one of water, will dissolve all but the impurities. By distillation, galbanum yields half its weight of volatile oil, which at first has a blue colour. MED. USES. It is antispasmodic, expectorant, and deobstruent, and in a medical classification, might be placed between ammonia and assafœtida. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. No form is preferable to that of pill. OFFICINAL. PREP. _Pil. Galbani comp._ L. _Pil. Assafœtid. comp._ E. (=B=) _Pil. Myrrh. co._ D. _Tinct. Galb._ D. _Empl. Galb._ D. _Emplast. Galb. co._ L. _Emplast. Assafœtid._ E. (=B=) _Emplast. Gummos._ E.

GALLÆ. L.E.D.

(Cynips Quercus folli _Nidus_.) _Gall Nuts._