Chapter II: SAPO MOLLIS. Soft Soap (7)

In some cases, however, the energy of an active bitter would seem to
be diminished by an alkali; and it may therefore be more prudent to
administer such substances at different periods. I apprehend that the
powers of _Squill_ are thus invalidated by a fixed alkali.

Footnote 249:

The Arabian and Greek physicians scarcely noticed the leaves, but
always employed the pods of Senna; a fact which will explain the
operation of this plant, as observed by them.

Footnote 250:

Mac Culloch on Wine. Edit. 2. p. 42.

Footnote 251:

If the facts stated in this section be true, we are bound to recognise
two orders of medicinal elements,—the one comprehending those that
possess an inherent and independent activity,—the other, those that
are in themselves inert, but which are capable of imparting impulse
and increased energy to the former when combined with them. As this is
a new view of the subject of vegetable combinations, no apology is
necessary for the introduction of new terms for its explanation; I
therefore propose to designate the former of these SUBSTANTIVE, and
the latter, ADJECTIVE constituents. When the structure of vegetable
remedies shall have been thoroughly examined upon this principle of
combination, much medicinal obscurity will be removed, and probably
some pharmaceutical improvements of value suggested; at all events it
will teach a lesson of prudent caution to the pharmaceutic chemist; it
will shew the danger of his removing this or that element from a
vegetable compound, merely because he finds, upon its separation, that
it is inert. I dwell the more upon this point, because I feel that
there never was a period in the history of medicine, at which such a
caution was more necessary; for while the poly-pharmacy of our
ancestors has driven the physician of the present day into a
simplicity of prescription that on many occasions abridges his powers
and resources, the progress of chemical knowledge has diffused through
the class of manufacturing chemists a bold spirit of adventure and
empiricism,—a mischievous propensity to torture our best remedies, in
order to concentrate or extract the parts which they consider to
constitute their essential ingredients.

A Memoir has lately been presented to the PHILOMATIC SOCIETY OF PARIS,
by M. Robiquet, on the subject of _Aroma_, which affords some
important analogies in proof of the law of combination, which I am now
endeavouring to elucidate. From the experiments of this laborious
chemist it would appear, that odours are not as Fourcroy supposed,
_the effect of the simple solution of certain bodies in air_, but that
for their developement, some third body (coinciding in its office with
my ADJECTIVE constituent) possessing in itself none of the
characteristic odour, is absolutely necessary as an intermede, varying
in its nature according to that of each odorous body, in the same way
that the mordant requires to be varied by the dyer, according to the
nature of the colouring matter which it is intended to fix on the
cloth;—thus Ambergris has in itself very little odour, but the
addition of Musk developes a very strong and decided one; this also
happens in a less degree with Lavender, and the perfumers therefore
add a small quantity of musk to the distilled water of this plant. In
other cases, Ammonia lends, as it were, its volatility to bodies, the
odour of which without such an auxiliary, would be scarcely sensible;
this is exemplified by the practice of perfumers exposing their musk
and other substances to the atmosphere of privies when they lose their
power: (_Paul Amman: Manduct: ad Mat: Med:_) so again in order to give
pungency to snuff it is made to suffer the commencement of
fermentation, in which case ammonia is generated; and it is a curious
fact that the odour of the best snuff may be destroyed by mixing with
it a little tartaric acid, by which its ammoniacal salt is
neutralized. In some instances the _adjective_ ingredient seems to be
Sulphur, as in the essential oils of some cruciform plants, and
particularly in that of mustard seed, for M. Robiquet found that this
oil lost its odour by being kept in contact with a metallic surface,
and that an inodorous oil remained, while the metal became a
sulphuret: perhaps, adds M. Robiquet, it may be sometimes necessary
for the full and exquisite developement of odour in these bodies to
add another vehicle, thus the addition of a little Acetic acid
heightens the odour of Mustard.

Iron has little, or no odour; but when volatilized with hydrogen, its
odour is very powerful. The smell of copper and brass must depend upon
some circumstance not well understood.

Footnote 252:

Astruc, and other practitioners of the same school, always premised a
mercurial course with venesection: it is probable that many of the
anomalies observed in the modern application of this remedy may have
arisen from an inattention to the diet of those who are under
mercurial influence. Mercury is in itself a most powerful stimulant,
and ought therefore to be accompanied with depletion and low diet;
besides which, the experiments of Majendie have shewn how greatly such
a state of the system will expedite the effects of the mercurial
remedy.

Footnote 253:

Dr. Eberle, of Philadelphia, in a work lately published, has quoted
the above passage, and remarks, that he has long been acquainted with
the fact which it announces; although he proposes to account for it by
a different train of reasoning; he considers that Nauseants encourage
mercurial ptyalism, by favouring an afflux to the salivary glands. The
learned author must allow me to congratulate him upon this fortunate
discovery; unless his patients be blessed with as much apathy as was
ever assumed by the Gilbertine order of Benedictines, he need never in
future despair of influencing them by mercury. He has only to condemn
the refractory to meagre fare, and then to tantalize them, as poor
Sancho was, in his government, with the sight, or rather smell, of a
savoury dish, and he will without doubt secure his object,—but, to be
serious, if Dr. Eberle’s views be correct, how will he explain the
modus operandi of _fear_, as related in the text? for the tendency of
fear is to _diminish_ the salivary secretion, as will be hereafter
mentioned.

Footnote 254:

Fear, contrary to joy, decreases, for a time, the action of the
extremities of the arterial system, as is seen by the sudden paleness
which succeeds, and the shrinking or contraction of the vessels of the
skin. M. de Haen relates the case of a painter who suffered
convulsions, which were succeeded by a return of his colic. In this
case the poison which had been, for a long time, admitted into his
constitution in consequence of his daily employment, was, by the
passion of anger, immediately brought into action. It was formerly
observed by Citois, that the inhabitants of the province of Poitou,
who had suffered anxiety of mind on account of any misfortune to
themselves or family, were particularly susceptible of the disease.

Footnote 255:

How admirably do the results of Majendie’s experiments coincide with
this reasoning; see page 84; and yet Dr. Eberle, in the work quoted
below, appears unwilling to admit such a theory.

Footnote 256:

A treatise of the Materia Medica, and Therapeutics, by J. Eberle, M.D.
In two volumes. Philadelphia, 1822.

Footnote 257:

In the same manner is the salivary secretion immediately influenced by
the operation of the mind; the sight of a delicious repast to a hungry
man is not more effectual in exciting it, than is the operation of
fear and anxiety in repressing and suspending it. Whence we are led to
believe, that the Hindoo Ordeal by Rice may have occasionally assisted
in the ends of Justice. This ordeal was conducted in the following
manner. The persons suspected of any crime being assembled in a ring,
a certain portion of dried rice was given to each, which they were
directed to chew for some minutes, and then to turn it out of their
mouths upon the leaves or bark of a tree. Those who were capable of
returning it in a pulpy form were at once acquitted, while those from
whose mouths it came out dry, were pronounced guilty. See Medical
Jurisprudence, Introduct. Vol. 1. p. viii.

Footnote 258:

The capacity of our digestive organs sufficiently testifies that
nature never intended them for the reception of highly concentrated
food, while this idea is farther strengthened by perceiving how
sparingly she produces concentrated aliment; the saccharine matter of
esculent fruits is generally blended with acidulous and mucilaginous
ingredients; and the oleaginous principle of seeds, kernels, and other
similar substances, is combined with farinaceous matter: the capacity
observable in the organs of graminivorous animals evidently shews that
they were also designed for a _large bulk_ of food, and _not_ for
provender in which the nutritive matter is concentrated; the
gramineous and leguminous vegetables do not present their nutritive
matter in a separate state, nor is the animal furnished with an
apparatus by which he can separate the chaff and straw from the
grain,—the obvious inference is, that he was intended to feed
indiscriminately on both.

Some years ago I constructed a Logometric scale of Equivalents,
analogous in principle to that which I have now introduced under the
title of the “MEDICINAL DYNAMETER,” to shew the relative nutritive
strength of different vegetables, and to work problems connected with
them; I soon found, however, that unless _bulk_ was taken into
calculation, it was incapable of furnishing even an approximation to
truth.

Footnote 259:

Med. Repos. Nov. 1822.

Footnote 260:

A Practical Inquiry into Disordered Respiration, p. 243.

Footnote 261:

D. Young’s Medical Literature, Edit. 2. p. 570.

Footnote 262:

The vegetable kingdom presents us with many natural compounds of this
kind; several of which might be pressed into the service of medicine
with much advantage. With respect to the number and variety of such
substances, it must be confessed that our Pharmacopœia contains but a
meagre bill of fare.

Footnote 263:

The same reasoning will explain why English hops, that contain more
Gallic Acid and Tannin than those imported from the Continent, are
found to be superior as preservatives of beer.

Footnote 264:

Therapeutics, vol. 2. p. 470.

Footnote 265:

This subject has been ably illustrated by Mr. R. Phillips, in his
translation of the London Pharmacopœia, by a series of vary striking
and instructive diagrams.

Footnote 266:

See my work on Medical Chemistry: Sect. Precipitation.

Footnote 267:

An ingenious application of this law has been made for the purpose of
purifying Epsom Salts. See _Magnesiæ Sulphas_; and also my work on
Medical Chemistry, _Art: Solution_.

Footnote 268:

Amœnitates Academ; T. 7. p. 307.

Footnote 269:

See also a paper in the MEDICAL TRANSACTIONS, vol. 2. entitled,
“Several extraordinary instances of the cure of Dropsy, by GEORGE
BAKER, M. D. Read September 9, 1771.”

Footnote 270:

The most subtle of all poisons,—_the matter of febrile contagion_,—is
certainly modified in activity by the degree of moisture in the
atmosphere influencing its solubility; the Plague is said to be most
common in Egypt after the inundation of the Nile, a period at which
the atmosphere is necessarily saturated with water; according to the
account of Sir Robert Wilson, the English and Turkish armies that
marched to Cairo escaped contagion, while the troops that remained
stationary on the moist shore of Aboukir, were very severely visited.
On the other hand, the _Harmattan_, a wind experienced on the western
coast of Africa, between the Equator and fifteen degrees _North
Latitude_, blowing from north-east towards the Atlantic, and which, in
consequence of its passage over a very extensive space of arid land,
is necessarily characterized by excessive dryness, puts an end to all
Epidemics, as the Small Pox; and infection at such a time does not
appear to be easily communicable even by art. _Philosophical
Transactions_, vol. 21.

The difficulty of communicating infection to animals during a dry
state of the air, as remarked on the Western Coasts of Africa, during
the blowing of the _Harmattan_, agrees with some observations on
Plague by the French physicians, as this complaint first made its
appearance in the French army during a moist state of the air in
Syria, when it lay under the walls of Jaffa in February, 1800.

It is a well known fact that volatile bodies are sooner converted into
a gaseous state by the presence of water in the atmosphere; this is
strikingly exemplified by the greater rapidity with which _Limestone_
is burnt and reduced to quick-lime in moist weather, and by the
assistance which is rendered in a dry season, by placing a pan of
water in the ash-pit; so again the perfume of flowers is most sensible
when the air is humid, as during the fall of the evening dew, or in
the morning when the dew evaporates, and is dissipated by the rays of
the rising sun; for the same reason the stench of putrid ditches and
common sewers, is conveyed to the organs of smell much more speedily
in summer previous to rain, when the air is charged with moisture.

Footnote 271:

They are previously calcined, but not burnt to lime, to an extent only
that may destroy their tenacity, and render them fit for levigation.

Footnote 272:

A similar custom is common to the Indians of the whole of Asia, and of
America; for the practice of the South American Indians, see
_Humboldt’s Personal Narrative_. In India, Betel, variously
compounded, is employed for the purpose above stated. The mixture more
commonly used in Ceylon consists of quick-lime, Arecanut, and Tobacco,
wrapped in Betel leaf. On ordinary occasions it is only masticated;
but to repress the painful calls of hunger, the juice is swallowed.

Footnote 273:

Vol. viii. p. 33.

Footnote 274:

Dr. MacCulloch, in illustration of this subject, states, that ink,
paste, and seeds, are among the common articles which suffer from such
a cause, and to which this remedy is easily applicable. With respect
to articles of food, such as bread, cold meats, or dried fish, it is
less easy to apply the remedy, on account of the taste; cloves,
however, and other spices whose flavours are grateful, may sometimes
be used for this end. It is notorious that gingerbread, and bread
containing caraway seeds, are far less liable to mouldiness than plain
bread. The effect of cloves in preventing the mouldiness of ink is
generally known; and the same result may be obtained by oil of
lavender in a very minute quantity, or by any other of the perfumed
oils. Russian leather, which is perfumed with the tar of the Birch
tree, is not subject to mouldiness, as must be well known to all who
possess books thus bound; they even prevent it from taking place in
books which are bound in calf, and near which they may happen to lie.
Paste is another perishable article, and although _Alum_ which is used
by the book-binder will certainly preserve it longer than it would
remain useful without it, still it is not very effectual. _Rosin_,
sometimes used by the shoemaker, answers the purpose better, and
appears to act entirely on this principle; it is however far less
effectual than even oil of turpentine; _Lavender_, and the other
strong perfumes, as _Peppermint_, _Anise_, and _Bergamot_, are
perfectly effectual, even in a very small quantity, and paste may be
thus preserved for any length of time.

Footnote 275:

Medical Logic, Edit. 2. p. 192, _note_.

Footnote 276:

It appears from what has been stated under Section I. B. with respect
to DIURETICS, that some medicines not only assist, but actually DIRECT
the operation of the substances with which they may be associated, and
that many remedies act in unison with those they are joined with; thus
_Nitre_ in conjunction with _Squill_ is diuretic; in conjunction with
_Guaiacum_, diaphoretic; for these reasons I hesitated whether I ought
not to have added a fifth _constituent_, and restored the “_Dirigens_”
of ancient authors; enough, however, has been said to enable the
practitioner to appreciate the importance of such a law of medicinal
combination.

Footnote 277:

Dr. Percival in his Essays, ingenuously exemplifies this error by
stating a case which occurred in his own practice. “I ordered,” says
he, “a combination of Camphor and Balsam of Copaiba in the form of
pills, but the apothecary informed me that he was unable to form them
into a mass, since they liquefied like treacle.” I may here observe
that the addition of a small portion of the coagulated yolk of an egg,
would have rendered the mixture practicable.

Footnote 278:

This would occur, if in making the Pilulæ Ferri Compositæ, we were to
substitute the Liquor Potassæ for the Sodæ Sub-carbonas.

Footnote 279:

The “Pharmacopœia Bateana” contains a Formula for a “Tinctura
Antiphthisica,” which is stated to be “a truly good medicament in
those consumptions which proceed from ulcers of the lungs.” The
following is the Receipt—℞. Sacch: Saturn: ℥ij—Sal Martis ℥j—Infus:
Spir: Vin: ℔j—Dose from twenty to forty drops. In this case an
insoluble Sulphate of Lead must be formed, which will render the
medicine, as far at least as its saturnine effects are concerned,
completely inert!

Footnote 280:

This fact has been very satisfactorily proved by the failure of the
practical attempts which were made by Dr. Macbride of Dublin, to
improve the art of tanning leather by the use of Lime-water, instead
of plain water, which he conceived would extract the virtues of Oak
Bark more completely. The reader who is desirous of a more detailed
account of this plan must refer to Phil. Trans. Vol. lxxiii. part 1,
Art. 8.

Footnote 281:

We trust these observations will not create any alarm in the worthy
Citizen; he may, with as much safety as pleasure, continue the
laudable practice of regaling himself and friends with a cup of strong
tea, in spite of the Turtle soup they may have taken, and that too
without the least danger of converting their stomachs into tanneries,
or their food into leather.

Footnote 282:

For a highly ingenious, and important extension of these views, see
Aqua Marina. (Note.)

Footnote 283:

M. Dive, an apothecary of Mont de Marson, has lately announced that a
current of carbonic acid, when passed through a solution of Tartrate
of Potass, partly decomposes it; and he ascribes to the same agent the
production of the Bi-tartrate in the juice of the grape during its
fermentation: accordingly, by mixing neutral tartrate with fermentable
materials, we shall produce Cream of Tartar in the fermented liquor.
Journal de Pharm. Octob. 1821. p. 487.

Footnote 284:

In one remarkable case related by this Physician, the operation of the
unbruised mustard-seed is stated to have been promoted by combining it
with a decoction of _Broom-tops_. Query, Was not the adjunct in this
case the only efficient part of the remedy?

Footnote 285:

The word “_Venenum_,” was employed by the ancients to signify both a
_poison_ and a _medicine_; in the former of these acceptations it is
used by Virgil in the following passage:

“Picus equum domitor, quem capta cupidine conjunx
Aurea percussum virga, versumque VENENIS,
Fecit avem Circe, sparsitque coloribus alas.”
Æneid. Lib. vii.

In the latter sense it is used by Plautus—

“Quia sorbitione faciam ego te hodie mea
Item, ut Medea Peliam concoxit senem,
Quem medicamentis, et suis VENENIS dicitur
Fecisse rursus ex sene adolescentulum
Item ego te faciam.”

Footnote 286:

See the dissertation on the operation of _Emetics_, page 84.

Footnote 287:

Cases and Observations, illustrating the influence of the Nervous
System, in regulating animal heat, by H. Earle, Esq.; published in the
7th volume of the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions.

Footnote 288:

By the use of this word I wish to be distinctly understood as
expressing only certain _effects_, without any regard to the causes
that may produce them. The phenomena of _Accumulation_ may on some
occasions depend upon the absolutely increased quantity of the
substance in the body, as in the instance of mercurial action, while
in others they may perhaps arise from the system becoming more and
more sensible to its stimulus. The history of Poisons would afford
some interesting illustrations of these views, and in another work
(Medical Jurisprudence, Vol. 2, p. 148), I have proposed a subdivision
of these bodies, under the title of “_Accumulative_ Poisons.”

Footnote 289:

“Diary of an Invalid.”

Footnote 290:

Med. Transact. Vol. 1, p. 5.

Footnote 291:

See Historical Introduction.

Footnote 292:

The Mechanical Physicians attempted to adjust the doses of medicines
according to the constitution, by a mathematical rule; thus they say,
“the doses are as the squares of the Constitution.” And in the
Edinburgh Medical Essays, there is actually a formal attempt to
correct the errors of this rule. See “An Essay towards ascertaining
the doses of vomiting and purging Medicines, by Dr. CHARLES BALGUY,
Physician at Peterborough.” Vol. 1. 167.

Footnote 293:

While this sheet was passing through the press, an anecdote was
related to me, which is well calculated to illustrate the mischief
that may arise from abbreviated prescriptions. One of our most eminent
surgeons having occasion to direct the application of a Lead Plaster
(Emplast: Lythargyi. P. L. 1787), he abbreviated the term as
follows—_Emp. Lyth:_ in the haste of compounding, the _h_, perhaps
carelessly written, was easily mistaken for _t_, and the chemist
accordingly sent the _Emplast: Lyttæ_! As it was applied to the
Pudenda, it is not necessary to state the distress of the patient, and
the dismissal of the practitioner, which followed.

Footnote 294:

Camphor, unless it be presented to the stomach in a state of minute
division, is liable to occasion heat and uneasiness in that organ.
Fothergill’s Med. Observ. vol. i. p. 432.

Footnote 295:

In some cases the subject to be pulverized has been previously exposed
to heat, but the doubtful influence of exalted temperature upon
vegetable bodies, ought to afford us a lesson of extreme caution; the
astringency of the stalks of the Artichoke is entirely destroyed by
being gently heated in an oven, for after this operation they no
longer strike a black colour with the salts of iron: another example
is afforded us in the effects of heat upon Starch, which is thus
changed into a species of gum, no longer producing a blue colour with
Iodine, and which is known in commerce under the name of “British
Gum.”

Footnote 296:

It is perhaps not generally known, that the sugared plumbs sold to
children consist very frequently of Plaister of Paris; the
introduction of such a substance into the intestines may often prove a
source of mischief. I also understand, that it is no uncommon fraud to
adulterate biscuits with the same substance. I confess I felt a great
inclination to oppose the practice, lately suggested, of improving bad
flour by the addition of Magnesia; I object to the introduction of any
foreign and insoluble substance into our daily bread, and I am
satisfied that the result of medical experience will sanction such an
objection.

Footnote 297:

Edition 2. 1823.—I shall avail myself of the present opportunity to
recommend this work to the perusal of every student who is ambitious
to become acquainted with the Literature of his profession.

Footnote 298:

Dr. Davy informs me that the _Veddahs_, a savage race inhabiting the
wilds of Ceylon, even in that hot climate, effectually preserve their
venison in honey.

Footnote 299:

There is one circumstance which sometimes renders the powder of
liquorice objectionable upon such occasions; it is liable to irritate
the fauces and occasion coughing: for this reason I always avoid its
use in cases of pulmonary irritation.

Footnote 300:

Some extracts become so hard, that in the state of pill they pass
unchanged; this has occurred to me with the _extract of logwood_.
Astringent vegetable matter, in combination with iron, is frequently
characterised by a hardness that is not exceeded by ebony, and which
is perfectly insoluble; the action of iron upon the petals of the red
rose furnishes a very striking instance of this fact; if the petals be
beaten in an iron mortar, for some hours, they ultimately become
converted into a paste of an intensely black hue; which, when rolled
into beads and dried, is susceptible of a most beautiful polish, still
retaining the fragrance of the rose. I have seen a necklace of this
description; indeed these beads form an article of extensive commerce
with the Turks, and are imported into Europe, through Austria, under
the name of _Rose Beads_ or _Rose Pearls_.

Footnote 301:

Crell’s Annals, 1798. vol. 1.

Footnote 302:

A remedy may even owe its virtues to a precipitation, produced by
admixture, as I have already stated.

Footnote 303:

See my work on MEDICAL CHEMISTRY, Sect. Cohesion.

Footnote 304:

Clyster from κλύζω eluo, to wash out.

Footnote 305:

Practical Observations on the Treatment and Cure of several Varieties
of Pulmonary Consumption; and on the Effects of the Vapour of Boiling
Tar in that Disease. By Sir A. Crichton, M. D. F. R. S. &c. London,
1823.

Footnote 306:

Pliny (Nat Hist. Lib. xxiii. cap. 6.) has the following interesting
allusion to the subject of Tar fumes, “Silvas eas duntaxat quæ picis
resinæque gratia raduntur, utilissimus esse phthisicis aut qui longa
ægritudine non recolligent vires, satis constat; et illum cæliaëra
plus ita quam navigationum Ægyptiani proficere, plus quam lactes
herbedos per montium æstiva potus.”

Footnote 307:

Εμβροκη, from βρεκω, _irrigo_.

Footnote 308:

_Illinire_, to besmear.

Footnote 309:

κολλυρὶον. This term was formerly applied to any medicament, solid or
liquid, employed to restrain defluxions; from κωλύω, _inhibo_ to stop,
and ῤοῦς _fluxio_, a running.

Footnote 310:

καταπλασσω _illino_, to besmear.

Footnote 311:

See _Pharmacopœia Chirurgica_.

Footnote 312:

Annales de Chimie, vol. xxxiii. p. 52.

Footnote 313:

A respectable Oilman of the name of STERRY, in the Borough, prepares a
plaster of this description, which is sought after with great avidity.
What a blessing it would be upon the community if every nostrum were
equally innocuous!

Footnote 314:

Persons who are exposed to fatigue by the standing posture, such as
washerwomen, &c. are particularly liable to sores of the legs, which
may be prevented and cured by affording this artificial support.

Footnote 315:

In my Lectures I have usually employed different colours for the
purpose of expressing the objects of each ingredient in a formula; in
this manner very useful and instructive charts might be constructed:
this hint may perhaps induce the industrious student, who is anxious
to become a master in the art of prescribing, to attempt a synopsis
upon this plan.

Footnote 316:

_In these Formulæ the Bark is decomposed, by the alkali; the
combination of the_ Kinic acid _and_ Cinchonia _being torn asunder;
but as the preparation is not filtered, the febrifuge principle is
taken into the stomach in a state of activity._

Footnote 317:

_This formula is introduced, as a combination supported by authority,
although it may be questioned whether its adoption can be sanctioned
upon principle. Let us decypher the intention of the different
ingredients by their_ KEY LETTERS. _The basis is Squill, to which
Digitalis is added, for the purpose we perceive of acting in unison
with it, and Calomel, which succeeds it, is intended to promote and
direct the diuretic Basis; two fœtid gums next present themselves to
our notice, and these are shewn by the bracket to exert a combined
action, depending, as the Key Letter announces, upon the medicinal
similarity, but acting in the general scheme of the formula, as shewn
by the exterior letter, for the purpose of fulfilling a second
indication, distinct and different from that which the Basis is
designed to answer, i. e. to produce, not a diuretic, but an
antispasmodic and stimulant effect; an important question then arises
for our consideration—Is the latter part of the formula consistent
with the former, or is the stimulant effect of the Gums compatible
with the sedative operation of Digitalis?_

Footnote 318:

Abĭes ab abeo, quod in cœlum longe abeat.

Footnote 319:

Dr. Maton, in his appendix to Mr. Lambert’s work on the genus _Pinus_,
observes that the _Thus_ of the ancients, (λὶβανος) does not appear to
have been the product of any species of Pinus, although we are
informed by Dioscorides (Lib. 1. c. 7.) that Pine resin was often
substituted for it. He describes, moreover, a method of distinguishing
between the two kinds; “Resin of the Pine,” says he, “when thrown into
the fire dissipates itself in smoke, whereas Frankincense burns with a
brisk flame, and with an odour that serves to detect the imposition.”
“Some authors, adds Dr. Maton, have considered the genuine λὶβανος
(_Thus_) to have been obtained from the Juniperus Lycia, and to
constitute the Olibanum of our shops, but I cannot find any passage in
the ancient authors sufficiently precise to corroborate this
conjecture.” Op: citat:

Footnote 320:

From α not, and ψὶντος pleasure.

Footnote 321:

Mouldiness is a peculiar plant, propagated by seeds, infinitely small;
Reaumur found the interior of an addled egg mouldy, hence the seeds
must have passed through the pores of the shell! Dr. Macculloch has
lately announced the curious fact, that the propagation of mouldiness
may be prevented by the presence of aromatic substances. See p. 177,
_Note._

Footnote 322:

This fact has enabled the Chemist to prepare an indelible ink, not
affected by acids.

Footnote 323:

KEYSER’S ANTIVENEREAL PILLS consist of this mercurial salt, triturated
with Manna.

Footnote 324:

Vinegar quenches the thirst, and is particularly refreshing after much
bodily exertion. It was this property that invigorated the soldiers of
Hannibal in their progress over the Alps; it is absurd to imagine that
Livy meant to assert that the rocks were _dissolved_ by Vinegar: the
expression is only metaphorical. See Sodæ Murias.

Footnote 325:

The varieties of vinegar known in commerce, are three, viz. _Wine_
Vinegar, _Malt_ Vinegar, and _Sugar_ Vinegar; to which may now be
added that from wood, and which is described under the title of ACIDUM
ACETICUM FORTIUS, or Acidum Aceticum, _e ligno destillatum_.

Footnote 326:

I apprehend that the superior power of animal charcoal, over that of
vegetable origin, in removing colouring matter, depends upon the
peculiar texture of the former. At the same time it must be
acknowledged, that there are certain phenomena which would appear to
indicate the existence of a chemical difference in these substances;
thus if Lime water be boiled with _animal_ charcoal, the whole of the
lime will be abstracted from the water, whereas the same effect is not
produced by the action of charcoal of _vegetable_ origin. See Liquor
Calcis.

Footnote 327:

The Sulphuric acid is added for the purpose of preserving the vinegar
from decomposition.

Footnote 328:

This quantity includes the alkali necessary to saturate the Sulphuric
acid which is allowed to be added. 145 grains of alkali is the
standard fixed by act of Parliament, which will be found to coincide
with the atomic weights of these bodies.

Footnote 329:

By _real_ Acetic acid is meant such an acid as occurs in a dry
acetate; it cannot exist uncombined with water, or a base.

Footnote 330:

This is a very ancient preparation, thus Ausonius,

“Scillato decies si cor purgeris aceto
Anticipitesque tuum Samii Lucomonis acumen.”

Footnote 331:

In following the directions of the College the first pint is rejected,
and this, according to Mr. Phillips (Remarks on the Pharmacopœia)
contains a notable quantity of acid. Hence Distilled Vinegar can never
be so strong as the Vinegar from which it is distilled.

Footnote 332:

Or it may be detected, in very minute quantities, by the elegant test
lately employed by Dr. Marcet, and which I have frequently repeated in
my Lectures with considerable satisfaction. It consists in adding a
little sulphuric acid with a small quantity of muriate of soda, and
then immersing a little gold leaf in the mixture, when after boiling
it, if any nitric acid should have been present, the gold leaf will be
dissolved.

Footnote 333:

It had been long known that by the destructive distillation of any
kind of wood, an acid is obtained, which was formerly considered of a
distinct and peculiar nature, and termed Acid Spirit of Wood, and
afterwards Pyroligneous Acid. Glauber appears to have been the first
chemist who was aware of its true nature, for he speaks of it as the
“Vinegar of Wood.” It was however reserved for Fourcroy and Vauquelin
to demonstrate its composition by experiment, and they have
accordingly proved beyond doubt that it is merely the Acetic acid,
contaminated with Empyreumatic oil and Bitumen. The address of modern
chemists has at length enabled them to get rid of every trace of these
latter ingredients, and to furnish an acid perfectly devoid of any
foreign flavour. The crude pyroligneous acid, as it is first received,
is rectified by a second distillation in a copper still, in the body
of which about 20 gallons of viscid tarry matter are left from every
100. It has now become a transparent brown vinegar, having a
considerable empyreuma; it is then redistilled and saturated with
quick-lime, and the liquid acetate is evaporated to dryness and
submitted to gentle torrefaction, in order to dissipate the
empyreumatic matter, and lastly the calcareous salt is decomposed by
sulphuric acid, when a pure, perfectly colourless, and grateful
vinegar rises in distillation.

Footnote 334:

This instrument was invented by Messrs. Taylors for this particular
purpose; the principle consists in forming a neutral salt with dry
hydrate of lime and the acid to be examined, and then taking the
specific gravity of the solution. Act 58. G. III. c. 65, § 8.

Footnote 335:

It may be necessary to state, that the Pharmaceutist should never
purchase acetic acid of greater strength than that of 75° of the
Acetometer, when it is intended for dilution, for although he might
thus avoid the expense of carriage, the saving will be more than
counterbalanced by the excessive duty levied upon acids above that
standard. There is moreover a great loss in the preparation of strong
acids, so that the manufacturer cannot afford to sell them at a price
which is merely proportional to their strength. Acid of 75° is
regularly kept by Messrs. Beaufoy for dilution, and if mixed with
eleven parts of pure water is equivalent to the common distilled
vinegar of the Pharmacopœia.

Footnote 336:

It ought to have been 1·048 of 55° Fah: but the error lies in the
scale of Taylor’s Acetometer, which appears to be incorrect at this
point.

Footnote 337:

I believe that no manufacturer, except Messrs. Beaufoy, makes an acid
stronger than this; the College sample was obtained from that house.

Footnote 338:

The Reviewer of Mr. Phillip’s Translation of the Pharmacopœia, in the
Royal Institution Journal for July, 1824, has fallen into an important
error upon this subject, against which it may be necessary to caution
the reader; he says, “the term ‘_diluted acetic acid_’ is properly
enough applied to Distilled Vinegar, but the process of distillation
might well have been rejected; for all medical purposes a dilute acid,
composed of one part of the concentrated acid, contained in the
Materia Medica, and four parts of water, is preferable. Of this
mixture, or of distilled vinegar, the specific gravity should be
1·009, and 1000 grains should saturate 145 grains of Sub-carbonate of
Soda.” The reviewer has mistaken the acid of sp. gr. 1·043 mentioned
by Phillips, as the strongest he has met with, for the Pharmacopœia
acid of sp. gr. 1·046; for, should he dilute the latter with only four
times its weight of water, he would produce a compound containing
5·686 per cent. of real acid, or one considerably stronger than the
strongest malt vinegar, and twice the strength of distilled vinegar.
The reviewer takes this occasion to indulge his favourite passion for
abusing the Pharmacopœia, and he asks with an air of sarcasm, Where
was Dr. Paris during the late revision? I answer—engaged in the
discharge of my duty as a humble member of the Committee, and I can
assure him that nothing which he has yet urged has convinced me that I
have failed in its fulfilment, or erred in its execution:—but it is
now my turn to enquire, and I do so with perfect good humour, where
the reviewer could have been when he composed the above passage? that
he was _not at home_, is I think sufficiently evident from the
statement which I have just offered.

Footnote 339:

A very useful practical application has been made of the Pyroligneous
Acid, for the purpose of correcting the excessive fœtor attendant upon
mortification. Dr. Samuel W. Moore of this city, (to whom we are
indebted for the suggestion,) has detailed the particulars of a case
of extensive mortification of the cheek, resulting from the use of
mercury, in which the acid was applied, and with the happiest success.
In a case of cancerous breast, it was also used with the same object,
and with similar effect. The mode of using it is simply to apply
pieces of lint or linen wet with the acid to the part affected. See
New-York Medical Repository, Vol. 22. p. 237.—_Ed._

Footnote 340:

AROMATIC VINEGAR is merely an acetic solution of camphor, oil of
cloves, of lavender, and of rosemary. The acetic acid used for this
purpose is about 145° of the acetometer, containing 68·5 per cent. of
real acid. A preparation of this kind may be extemporaneously made by
putting ʒj of Acetate of Potass into a phial with a few drops of some
fragrant oil, and in m xx of Sulphuric Acid.

THIEVES VINEGAR, or MARSEILLES VINEGAR, is a pleasant solution of
essential oils and camphor, in vinegar; the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia has
given a formula for its preparation under the title of “Acetum
Aromaticum.” The repute of this preparation as a prophylactic in
contagious fevers is said to have arisen from the confession of four
thieves, who, during the plague of Marseilles, plundered the dead
bodies with perfect security, and, upon being arrested, stated on
condition of their lives being spared, that the use of Aromatic
Vinegar had preserved them from the influence of contagion. It is on
this account sometimes called “Le Vinaigre des quatre voleurs.” It was
however long used before the Plague of Marseilles, for it was the
constant custom of Cardinal Wolsey to carry in his hand an orange,
deprived of its contents, and filled with a sponge which had been
soaked in vinegar impregnated with various spices, in order to
preserve himself from infection, when passing through the crowds which
his splendour or office attracted. The first Plague raged in 1649,
whereas Wolsey died in 1531. The French Codex has a preparation of
this kind, consisting of an acetic infusion of various aromatic herbs
and camphor, which is termed “Acetum Aromaticum Alliatum,” seu
“Antisepticum” _vulgo_ “des Quatre Voleurs.” p. 108. The German
Dispensatories abound with Medicated Vinegars, chiefly aimed against
Pestilential Diseases.

Footnote 341:

The more familiar of these are _Bitter Almonds_, the _Cherry Laurel_
(Lauro Cerasus,) the leaves of the _Peach tree_, the kernels of fruit,
pips of apples, &c. The prussic acid would appear to be most abundant
in the thin pellicle that envelopes the kernel; the fleshy parts of
these fruits do not contain it, and even the berries of the _Lauro
Cerasus_ may be eaten with impunity; and yet the distilled water, and
oil of this plant are the most destructive of all narcotic poisons, as
was evinced by the murder of Sir Theodosius Broughton, by Laurel
Water; and by the untimely fate of Dr. Price, of Guildford, in the
year 1782, who professing to convert Mercury into Gold, offered to
repeat his experiments before an adequate tribunal, but put a period
to his existence before the appointed day, by a draught of Laurel
Water. Consistent with theory, the watery extract of Laurel is
harmless, a fact easily explained, since the narcotic acid is entirely
volatilized before the fluid can assume the consistence of an extract.
The Laurel Water as a medicinal agent appears to have been long known.
Linnæus, informs us that it was frequently used in Holland, in
pulmonary consumption. (_Amænitat. Academ._ vol. iv. p. 40.) The Bark
of the _Prunus Padus_, or Bird Cherry Tree, was ascertained to contain
Prussic acid, by M. Bergemann, in 1811, and it is certainly a curious
fact, as Dr. Granville has observed, that superstitious people should
have selected the berries of this shrub to form necklaces, which are
hung round the neck of children to prevent fits and allay cough from
teething. For farther information upon this subject, the reader may
consult “The Chronological recapitulation respecting the Introduction
of the Prussic acid into the Practice of Physic,” in the work of Dr.
Granville, above cited.

Footnote 342:

See Journal of Science and the Arts, No. xxv.

The following table comprehends their results.

Quantity of liquid Acid. Specific Gravity. Real Acid per Ct.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
100·0 0·9570 16
66·6 0·9768 10·6
57·0 0·9815 9·1
50·0 0·9840 8·0
44·4 0·9870 7·3
40·0 0·9890 6·4
36·4 0·9900 5·8
33·3 0·9914 5·3
30·8 0·9923 5·0
28·6 0·9930 4·6
25·0 0·9940 4·0
22·2 0·9945 3·6
20·0 0·9952 3·2
18·2 0·9958 3·0
16·6 0·9964 2·7
15·4 0·9967 2·5
14·3 0·9970 2·3
13·3 0·9973 2·1
12·5 0·9974 2·0
11·8 0·9975 1·77
10·5 0·9978 1·68
10·0 0·9979 1·60

Footnote 343:

For a detailed account of this poison, see my work on Medical
Jurisprudence, vol. ii. p. 398.

Footnote 344:

It seems to be a contest for a shadow.

Footnote 345:

We agree with our author in the general estimate which he forms of the
Prussic Acid. The experience of practitioners in this country has by
no means confirmed the high expectations originally entertained of
this article. _Ed._

Footnote 346:

The only mineral substances in which this acid has been found is the
_Fer Azuré_ of Haiiy, and a new substance which is found accompanying
Welsh Culm, and of which I have given an account in the first volume
of the Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall,
although in this latter instance it is probably a product, not an
educt.

Footnote 347:

The following is the chemical reasoning upon which this process is
founded. “The prime equivalent of prussic acid is exactly one-eighth
of that of the mercurial peroxide. But as the prussiate of mercury
consists of two primes of acid to one of base, or is in its dry
crystalline state a _By-cyanide_, we have the relation of one to four
in the formation of that salt, when we act on the peroxide with cold
prussic acid.” Hence is derived the above simple rule of analysis.
(Journal of Science and the Arts.) Upon the same principle it has been
already stated, that the quantity of real acetic acid, in any given
sample of distilled vinegar may be discovered by the test of carbonate
of lime, see _Acid. Acetic. Fort._ They furnish beautiful
illustrations of the practical importance of the doctrine of Definite
Proportions.

Footnote 348:

This offers a striking example of the confusion produced by the
constant changes in chemical nomenclature; in the former editions of
this work, the term _Hydro_ was prefixed to _Muriatic Acid_, as an
epithet expressive of the presence of _water_, whereas the same word
is now used to denote the existence of _Hydrogen_ as one of its
elements.

Footnote 349:

Dr. Powell directs only _two_ parts of acid; but this is evidently too
little, for it appears by Dr. Wollaston’s scale, that 3 parts of salt
require 2½ of oil of vitriol for their decomposition; and in addition
to this, the oxide of manganese will require a farther addition to
convert it into a sulphate.

Footnote 350:

As Chlorine is by pressure condensable into a liquid, tubes containing
a small quantity of it, and hermetically sealed, might be very
usefully employed for this purpose, since by breaking off the
extremity, the chlorine would instantly assume the gaseous state, and
diffuse itself through the apartment.

Footnote 351:

There is a curious illustration of this fact in the German
“_Ephemerides_;” the case of a person is described who had taken so
much Elixir of Vitriol that his keys were rusted in his pocket, by the
transudation of the acid through his skin!

Footnote 352:

Nitric acid may be considered as one of the most efficient agents in
our possession for exciting prompt vesication. For this purpose, we
believe it was first used in the epidemic Cholera of the East Indies,
and the success which attended it in that fatal disorder suggested its
application in a variety of other diseases. The mode of using it is to
rub the surface intended to be vesicated, with the pure acid, and as
soon as pain is produced, to neutralize the acid by washing the part
with a solution of salt of tartar. If the object is to continue the
irritation, a common blister may be laid upon the part. _Ed._

Footnote 353:

_Nitrous acid gas_ is a combination of nitrous gas and oxygen.

Footnote 354:

ELIXIR OF VITRIOL. The preparation sold under this name is the Acid:
Sulph: Aromat: E. and is imperfectly ætherial in its nature. It is a
grateful medicine. A spurious article is often sold for it, which is
nothing but the diluted acid, coloured by the addition of a tincture.

I will take this occasion to state, that the term Elixir is of Arabian
origin, viz. Elechschir, or Elikscir, i. e. an Essence, or pure mass
without any dregs.

Footnote 355:

The Dublin college, on the authority of Willdenow, admits the A.
Neomontanum, as the species of Aconite which has always been used in
medicine; although the other colleges, in consequence of a botanical
error of Stöerck, who introduced it into practice, direct the A.
Napellus.

Footnote 356:

See note under the article opium.

Footnote 357:

Axunge, from its being used as the grease of wheels, ab Axe rotarum
quæ unguuntur.

Footnote 358:

DR. SMELLONE’S OINTMENT FOR THE EYES. It consists of half a drachm of
Verdigris finely powdered and rubbed with oil, and then mixed with an
ounce of yellow Basilicon, (Ceratum Resinæ, P. L.)

Footnote 359:

Alcohol is a term of Alchemical origin, and signified the pure
substance of bodies, separated by sublimation from the impure
particles, as Alcohol Antimonii, &c.

Footnote 360:

Garlic, leeks, and onions constitute a tribe of culinary vegetables
that has undergone great vicissitudes in reputation: amongst the
Egyptians the onion and leek were esteemed as divinities, thus
Juvenal,

“O sanctas gentes quibus hæc nascuntur in hortis
NUMINA!”

while by the Greeks, garlic was detested, although their husbandmen
had been from the most remote antiquity in the habit of eating it,
which Æmilius Macer explains by supposing that its strong odour was
useful in driving away the venomous serpents and insects by which they
were infested.

Horace alludes to this custom in his 3d Epode, which he composed in
consequence of having been made violently sick by garlic at a supper
with Macænas.

“Cicutis Allium nocentius
O dura Messorum ilia!”

The most powerful antidotes to the flavour of this tribe of vegetables
are the aromatic leaves and seeds of the UMBELLIFERÆ; thus the
disagreeable odour of a person’s breath after the ingestion of an
onion is best counteracted by parsley; and if leek or garlic be mixed
with a combination of aromatic ingredients, its virulence will be
greatly mitigated and corrected, nor does the fact seem to have
escaped the observation of the husbandman in Virgil,

“Allia, Serpyllumque, herbas contundit olentes.”
Eclog. 2. line 11.

And the fact itself offers an additional illustration of the important
principle of combination, discussed at page 148.

Footnote 361:

TAYLOR’S REMEDY FOR DEAFNESS. Garlic infused in oil of almonds, and
coloured by alkanet root.

Footnote 362:

Dr. Sibthorpe, in his Flora Græca, states that the Aloe Vulgaris is
the true Aloe described by Dioscorides.

Footnote 363:

From the action which aloes exercises over the large intestines it has
long been supposed that the continued use of it caused the production
of hemorrhoids. It would seem hardly possible that an opinion, so
generally received, could be without some foundation; and, no doubt,
in many cases it may produce such an effect. In my own experience,
however, I do not recollect to have met with it in a single instance,
even where its use had been continued for several months in
succession.

_Ed._

Footnote 364:

ANDERSON’S PILLS consist of the Barbadoes Aloes with a proportion of
Jalap, and Oil of Aniseed.

HOOPER’S PILLS.—Pil. Alöes cum Myrrha, (Pil. Rufi) Sulphate of Iron,
and Canella Bark, to which is added a portion of Ivory Black.

DIXON’S ANTIBILIOUS PILLS.—Aloes, Scammony, Rhubarb, and Tartarized
Antimony.

SPEEDIMAN’S PILLS.—Aloes, Myrrh, Rhubarb, Extract of Chamomile, and
some Essential Oil of Chamomile.

DINNER PILLS—LADY WEBSTER’S, OR LADY CRESPIGNY’S PILL. These popular
pills are the “Pilulæ Stomachicæ,” vulgo, “Pilulæ ante cibum” of the
Codex Medicamentarius Parisiensis. Editio Quinta, A.D. 1758. viz. ℞.
Aloes optimæ ʒvj, Mastiches, et Rosarum rubrarum āā ʒij, Syrupi de
Absinthio q, s, ut fiat massa,—the mass is divided into pills of 3
grains each. The operation of this pill is to produce a copious and
bulky evacuation, and in this respect experience has fully established
its value. It is difficult to explain the modus operandi of the
Mastiche, unless we suppose that it depends upon its dividing the
particles of the Aloes, and thereby modifying its solubility.

FOTHERGILL’S PILLS.—Aloes, Scammony, Colocynth, and Oxide of Antimony.

PETER’S PILLS.—Aloes, Jalap, Scammony, and Gamboge, equal part
ʒij—Calomel ʒi.

RADCLIFFE’S ELIXIR—℞. Aloes Socot: ʒvi, Cort:—Cinnamon et Rad: Zedoar:
āā ʒss—Rad: Rhei ʒi.—Coccinel: ʒss—Syrup: Rhamni f℥ij—Spirit: Tenuior:
oj—Aquæ Puræ f℥v.

BEAUME DE VIE, see Decoct: Aloes compositum.

THE ELIXIR OF LONGEVITY, of Dr. Jernitz of Sweden. This is an aromatic
tincture, with Aloes.

Footnote 365:

The best mode of using alum as a styptic is that of a _tepid saturated
solution_. In this form it proves much more efficacious in arresting
hemorrhage than in the usual way of applying it. Dr. Scudamore, to
whom we are indebted for this observation, has detailed some striking
and interesting experiments satisfactorily proving its correctness.
See “Scudamore on the Blood.” p. 157.—_Ed._

Footnote 366:

GODFREY’S SMELLING SALTS. This highly pungent preparation is obtained
by resubliming the common sub-carbonate of ammonia with pearlash, and
a proportion of rectified spirit. The sub-carbonate of potass in this
case, abstracts a fresh portion of carbonic acid from the ammoniacal
salt. Its atomic composition has not yet been ascertained, but it will
probably be found to consist of equal atoms of carbonic acid and
ammonia, and must therefore be a true Carbonate.

Footnote 367:

It appears that this is not the only article that has suffered in its
quality by the cheap materials which have been brought into the market
from those works. I understand that the practical chemist can obtain
little or no Naphtha from the Barbadoes Tar, owing to its adulteration
with the residue of the gas light process.

Footnote 368:

NOYAU.—Crème de Noyau. Bitter Almonds blanched 1 oz. Proof spirit half
a pint, Sugar 4 oz. It is sometimes coloured with cochineal. The
foreign Noyau, although differently prepared, is indebted to the same
principle for its qualities. It is a liqueur of a fascinating nature,
and cannot be taken to any considerable extent without danger; the
late Duke Charles of Lorraine nearly lost his life from swallowing
some “Eau de Noyau,” (water distilled from Peach kernels) too strongly
impregnated. Journal des Debats, 22, Decembre, 1814.

Footnote 369:

ALMOND PASTE. This Cosmetic for softening the skin and preventing
chaps, is made as follows: Bitter almonds blanched 4 oz.; the white of
an egg; rose water and rectified spirit, equal parts, as much as is
sufficient.

Footnote 370:

For the derivation of this term, and remarks thereon, see p. 38.
(Note).

Footnote 371:

The fecula of various grains are employed as articles of diet for the
sick, e. g. SAGO, prepared from the pith of the Cycas Circinalis, its
granular form is imparted to it by passing it, when half dry, through
a coarse sieve. SALOP, from the Orchis Mascula. TAPIOCA from the root
of the Jatropa Manhiot. By expressing the root of this plant, the
juice of which is extremely acrid, and baking the cake that is left,
an alimentary substance is prepared called CASSAVA, the peculiar merit
of which, like tapioca, is to swell and soften in water, and thus to
make an excellent pudding. ARROW ROOT is from the Maranta Arundinacea.
The arrow root however, usually sold, is the fecula of potatoes; 100
lbs. of which would yield about 10 lbs. of fecula, and it is worthy of
remark that for this purpose frozen potatoes answer as well as those
not spoiled by the frost. Dr. Ainslie, in his Materia Medica of
Hindostan, informs us that “an excellent Arrow root, if it may be so
called, is now prepared in the Travancore country from the root of the
Curcuma Angustifolia, no way inferior to that obtained from the
Maranta Arundinacea.”

Footnote 372:

The method of deducing the value of seeds, from their relative
weights, appears to have been one of the earliest instances of the art
of taking specific gravities; thus Pliny (Nat. Hist. lib. xviii.)
estimated the relative weights of several species of grain.

Footnote 373:

CHAMOMILE DROPS. The nostrum sold under this name is a spirit
flavoured with the essential oil of Chamomile. It is very obvious that
it cannot possess the bitter tonic of the flowers.

Footnote 374: