Chapter L: F. Jacobi de Bismutho. Erford, 1697 (1)

Footnote 432:

Journal de Medicine, 1786, T. 68. p. 49.

Footnote 433:

Vol. iv. p. 156.

Footnote 434:

In this country Bismuth has enjoyed for some years a reputation
exceedingly high. Dr. Samuel W. Moore, of New-York, was the first to
call the attention of the American medical public to it, in a valuable
dissertation which was published in the year 1810. In this Essay are
recorded a number of cases illustrative of the salutary effects of
this medicine in spasmodic pain and other troublesome affections of
the stomach. In addition to its use in gastric disorders, Dr.
Carmichael, of Virginia, has administered it with success in the
treatment of Intermittents. _Ed._

Footnote 435:

Very lately our attention has been particularly called to this plant
by Dr. E. G. Ludlow of New-York, who speaks of it in terms of high
commendation. He says “the diseases in which I have used it are
exclusively those of the Chylopoietic viscera, as dyspepsia, diarrhœa
and cholera. For the removal of pain and flatulence in the bowels,
which may be enumerated among the most frequent and distressing
symptoms of the first stage of indigestion, Calamus is superior to any
other carminative; by virtue of its aroma it creates a strong
sensation of warmth in the stomach, increasing its action without
sensibly augmenting the force of the circulation, while its powerful
bitter principle gives permanent tone to the relaxed state of the
fibres.” New-York Med. & Phys. Journal, No. 11. p. 321. The Tincture
is the preferable form of administering the Calamus. The dose is from
℥ss to ℥j. _Ed._

Footnote 436:

THE SPECIFIC OF HERRENSCHWAND, which formerly excited so much interest
in Germany, consisted of 10 grains of Camboge with 20 of Sub-carbonate
of Potass; although it is said, that on its being analyzed by order of
Elizabeth of Russia, there were also found in it both Mercury and
Arsenic.

Camboge is also the basis of the SPECIFIC OF CLOSSIUS.

GOLDEN SPIRIT OF SCURVY GRASS. This is merely a solution of Camboge in
the Spir: Armoraciæ comp:

Footnote 437:

Although the Camphor of commerce is generally furnished by the Laurus
Camphora, yet it is abundantly yielded by many other plants. It is
said that what is imported from Sumatra is the product of the
Dryobobans Camphora. It is also contained in the roots of the
Cinnamon, Cassia, and Sassafras laurels, and in those of Galangale,
Zedoary, and Ginger; in Cardamom seeds and Long Pepper. The essential
oils of Lavender, Sage, Thyme, Peppermint, Rosemary, and those of many
other labiate plants yield camphor by distillation. Camphor may be
also artificially formed by driving a stream of muriatic gas through
oil of turpentine; this factitious product, however, is to be
distinguished from native camphor in not being soluble in weak nitric
acid, and also in not being precipitated by water from its solution in
strong nitric acid.

Footnote 438:

The collection of the Materia Medica at the College of Physicians
contains a beautiful specimen of native Camphor in the wood: having
selected from it as perfect a crystal as I could find, I requested my
friend and publisher Mr. W. Phillips, well known for his researches in
crystallography, to undertake its examination; and he observes that
“The crystal of native Camphor (in the wood) appears as a flat
octohedron; but the primary form is a right rhombic prism of 51° 36′
and 128° 24′. by measurement with the reflective goniometer on
cleavage planes: the octohedral appearance arises from the deep
replacement of four of the solid angles of the prism, by as many
planes.”

Footnote 439:

AN ODONTALGIC REMEDY in great repute consists of a solution of camphor
in oil of turpentine; a fluid-ounce of which will dissolve two
drachms.

Footnote 440:

Although the London College, for reasons sufficiently weighty, were
induced on a former occasion to transfer the Blistering fly from the
genus Cantharis to that of Lytta, the Committee for revising the late
Pharmacopœia determined, on the authority of Latreille, to restore it
to its former genus. The work of Latreille, “Genera Crustaceorum et
Insectorum” holds the highest rank in Entomology of any hitherto
published.

Footnote 441:

Cantharidin may be obtained by the following process: Boil the
cantharides in water until all the soluble parts are extracted; filter
the decoction, and evaporate to the consistence of an extract. Digest
this extract in concentrated alcohol, then pour off the alcohol and
evaporate it; if sulphuric acid be then added to this extract, it will
take up the Cantharidin, which may be obtained in a tolerably pure
state by evaporation. The crystalline plates may be afterwards freed
from the adhering colouring matter by alcohol.

Footnote 442:

Annales de Chémie, tom. lxxvi.

Footnote 443:

It forms the basis of the once celebrated diuretic of Tulpius, called
Lithonthrypticum Tulpii, from its supposed efficacy in stone. The
other ingredients were Cardamoms, made into a Tincture with Rectified
Spirit, and Spirit of Nitric Æther.

Footnote 444:

He was cited before the censors of the College of Physicians in 1693,
and committed to Newgate by a warrant from the President; but he was
acquitted upon the plea that—bad practice must be accompanied with a
bad intention to render it criminal. He published his vindication in a
small tract, entitled “De tuto Cantharidum usu interno.” The issue,
says Dr. Quincey (Pharm: p. 152) ruined the unhappy Doctor, but taught
his prosecutors the safety and value of his practice. The following
was his formula. Of egg-shells calcined ʒss; Camphor ℈j; Spanish flies
℈ss; and Venice turpentine q, s, to make nine pills; three of which
were to be swallowed every three hours.

Footnote 445:

Not less than sixteen species of the genus Cantharis have already been
discovered in this country, by the industry of our Entomologists;
most, if not all, of which possess vesicating powers. Of these the
most common is the Lytta vittata, or potatoe fly. The medicinal
virtues of this insect were first discovered in 1797, and found to be
fully equal to those of the Spanish fly. Dr. Barton says “from
frequent employment of the two articles, I cannot hesitate to prefer
the American to the foreign fly. Long keeping, provided it be
carefully kept, does not materially impair the blistering property of
the Lytta vittata. At the end of three or four years after being
collected, I have found it equal in power to the shop Cantharides.” By
the late Dr. Dana, Prof. of Chemistry in the College of Physicians and
Surgeons of New-York, the Lytta vittata was made the subject of
analysis, and found to contain _Cantharidin_. _Ed._

Footnote 446:

Journal de Physique, p. 173, 1820.

Footnote 447:

RYMER’S CARDIAC TINCTURE. In the earlier editions of this work an
erroneous account of this medicine has been given, in consequence of a
spurious specimen having been examined: the following analysis is now
confidently presented to the profession. It is an infusion of
Capsicum, Camphor, Cardamom seeds, Rhubarb, Aloes, and Castor in Proof
Spirit, with a very small quantity of Sulphuric acid.

Footnote 448:

LARDNER’S PREPARED CHARCOAL consists of cretaceous powder, or chalk
finely powdered, rendered grey by the addition of charcoal, or Ivory
black.

Footnote 449:

CONCENTRATED SOLUTION OF CHARCOAL. A preparation is sold under this
absurd name for cleaning the teeth, and is nothing more than a
tincture of Catechu. The name was probably suggested by the
experiments of Mr. Hatchett, who succeeded in producing artificial
tannin by the action of Nitric acid upon Charcoal.

Footnote 450:

In cases of obstinate constipation of the bowels, charcoal is one of
the most efficient remedies in the whole Materia Medica. Many cases
have yielded to it which had resisted every other cathartic medicine
previously used. Dr. Daniell, of Savannah, to whom we are indebted for
an interesting paper on this subject, states as the result of his
experience, “that the most speedy, as well as the most certain relief,
is to be obtained from the free use of Charcoal. If it does not wholly
relieve, it always very much mitigates the pain in six or eight hours
from the period of its first administration; and within my
observation,” he adds, “the patient has always been entirely composed
before the operation of the medicine upon the bowels.” “In relation to
the dose of this medicine,” he states that “the rule which I have
pursued is to give it as freely and as frequently as the stomach will
allow. The quantity required is considerable. It has a happy influence
in lulling the irritability of the stomach, when nothing else which I
have used, would control the nausea and vomiting of the patient; thus
fulfilling the double intention of first alleviating a very
distressing symptom, and then removing the disease itself. I usually
give from one to three table-spoonsful of Charcoal every half hour or
hour: whenever the stomach becomes overcharged with the medicine, the
excess is thrown off, and the stomach is again quiet. I give it in
lime water, milk, or water alone—the vehicle having appeared to me
unimportant.” Philadel. Journal of Med. and Phys. Science, Vol. 5. p.
120. Ed.

Footnote 451:

See an account of Charcoal, as a test for Arsenic, and remarks
thereon, p. 308.

Footnote 452:

Dr. Maton in a learned critical and botanical note to a paper on the
Cardamom, by Mr. White, Surgeon of Bombay, (Trans: Lin: Soc: v. x,
229,) called the genus, of which it consists, Elettaria, a
nomenclature which was accordingly adopted by the College in their
late Pharmacopœia; but, says Sir James Smith, as this name is of a
barbarous origin, (viz. from Elettaria, the Malabar name of the
plant.) we should greatly prefer that of Matonia; a suggestion which
has been since adopted by Mr. Roscoe of Liverpool, in his description
of the Scitamineœ. The College has therefore the gratifying task of
erasing the term Elettaria from their Materia Medica, and of
substituting for it a name no less known than respected by the Medical
profession.

Footnote 453:

ESSENCE OF COFFEE. The Cassia pulp is said to form the basis of this
article.

Footnote 454:

The ancients erroneously considered them as the testicles of the
beaver, and Æsop relates that the animal bit them off, when pursued by
the huntsman, whence some have derived its name, _a castrando_; the
true origin however of the word is from γαστωρ, i.e. animal
_ventriculosum_, from his swaggy and prominent belly.

Footnote 455:

BATEMAN’S PECTORAL DROPS consist principally of the Tincture of
Castor, with portions of camphor and opium, flavoured by anise seeds,
and coloured by cochineal.

Footnote 456:

It was formerly supposed to be a mineral production: and hence the
term Terra Japonica. Hagedorn and Boulduc were among the first who
opposed this error, and who established the fact of its vegetable
origin (Mem. de l’Acad. des Sciences de Paris, A. 1709. p. 228.)

Footnote 457:

So called from Chiron the Centaur, who is said to have employed it to
cure himself of a wound accidentally received by letting one of the
arrows of Hercules fall upon his foot.

Footnote 458:

KIRKLAND’S NEUTRAL CERATE. Is formed by melting together ℥ viij of
Lead Plaster with f℥iv of olive oil, into which are to be stirred ℥iv
of prepared chalk; when the mixture is sufficiently cooled f℥iv of
acetic acid, and ʒiij of pulverized Acetate of lead are to be added,
and the whole is to be stirred until nearly cold.

MARSHALL’S CERATE. ℞. Palm. Oil ℥v. Calomel ℥i, Acetate of Lead ℥ss,
Nitrate of Mercury ℥ij.

COLD CREAM (Ceratum Galeni.) Ol: Amygdal: ℔j, Ceræ alb: ℥iv; melt,
pour into a warm mortar, and add, gradually, Aq: Ros; oj. It should be
very light and white. Gray’s Supplement.

Footnote 459:

There are no less than twenty-five distinct species of Cinchona,
independent of any additions which we may owe to the zeal of Humboldt
and Bonpland; and Mr. A. T. Thomson, in his London Dispensatory,
states that in a large collection of dried specimens, of the genus
Cinchona, in his possession, collected in 1805, both near Loxa and
Santa Fé, he finds many species which are not mentioned in the works
of any Spanish botanist.

Footnote 460:

See London Medical and Physical Journal. Vol. v. p. 33.

Footnote 461:

ESSENTIAL SALT OF BARK. It is highly necessary that the public should
know that the preparation sold under this empirical title, has no
relation whatever to the late discoveries of Pelletier. It is merely
an extract prepared by macerating the bruised substance of bark in
cold water, and submitting the infusion to a very slow evaporation.

Footnote 462:

The designation of Cinchonin, consistent with the principles of
chemical nomenclature, must now have a termination in _a_, and the
name Cinchonia appears preferable to that of Cinchonina.

Footnote 463:

The following is the process by which Cinchonia may be prepared. Take
a pound of Pale Bark, bruised small, and boil it for an hour in three
pints of a very dilute solution of pure Potass. After the liquid has
cooled, it must be strained through a fine cloth with pressure, and
the residuum be repeatedly washed and pressed. The cinchona, thus
washed, is to be slightly heated in a sufficient quantity of water,
adding muriatic acid gradually until litmus paper is slightly
reddened. When the liquid is raised nearly to the boiling point, it is
to be strained, and the cinchona again pressed. To the strained
liquor, while hot, add an ounce of sulphate of magnesia, and after
this add a solution of potass, till it ceases to occasion any
precipitate. When the liquor is cold, collect the precipitate on a
filtre, wash and dry it, and dissolve it in hot alcohol. On
evaporation of the spirit, the cinchona will crystallize.

Footnote 464:

Thus, as we have stated, 100 parts of Cinchonia unite with 13·021 of
Sulphuric acid, while the same weight of Quina requires for saturation
not more than 10·91 of the same acid.

Footnote 465:

SULPHATE OF QUINA. As this preparation is considered the most active
form of the salifiable principle of bark, I have subjoined the most
approved formula for its preparation. Boil for half an hour two pounds
of the appropriate bark in powder, in sixteen pints of distilled
water, acidulated with two fluid-ounces of sulphuric acid; strain the
decoction through a linen cloth, and submit the residue to a second
ebullition in a similar quantity of acidulated water; mix the
decoctions, and add by small portions at a time, powdered lime,
constantly stirring it to facilitate its action on the acid decoction.
(Half a pound is near the quantity requisite.) When the decoction has
become slightly alkaline it assumes a dark brown colour, and deposits
a reddish brown flocculent precipitate, which is to be separated by
passing it through a linen cloth. The precipitate, is to be washed
with a little cold distilled water and dried. When dry it is to be
digested in rectified spirit, with a moderate heat for some hours; the
liquid is then to be decanted, and fresh portions of spirit added till
it no longer acquires a bitter taste. Unite the spirituous tinctures,
and distil in a water-bath till three fourths of the spirit employed
has distilled over. After this operation there remains in the vessel a
brown viscid substance covered by a bitter, very alkaline and milky
fluid. The two products are to be separated and treated as follows. To
the alkaline liquid add a sufficient quantity of sulphuric acid to
saturate it; reduce it by evaporation to half the quantity; add a
small portion of charcoal, and after some minutes ebullition, filter
it whilst hot, and crystals of Sulphate of Quina will form. The brown
mass is to be boiled in a small quantity of water, slightly acidulated
with sulphuric acid, which will convert a large portion of it into
Sulphate of Quina. The crystals are to be dried by bibulous paper. Two
pounds of bark will, it is said, yield 5 to 6 drachms of the sulphate;
of which eight grains are considered equivalent to an ounce of bark.
It has been prepared in this country by several manufacturing
chemists, especially by Mr. Pope of Oxford Street, whose zeal and
industry in Pharmaceutic experiments entitle him to great
commendation. The superior price of the bark, however, from the duty
in this country, as well as that of alcohol, must prevent us from
entering into competition with the French in its manufacture, and it
has accordingly been found more œconomical to import, than to prepare
it.

Footnote 466:

Journal de Physiologie. No. 1, p. 90.

Footnote 467:

Upon this point however a difference of opinion has existed; M. Halle
entertained considerable fears on the subject, which were supported by
M. M. Larrey, Emery, Duponchel, and others, who communicated to the
Société Médicale d’Emulation, facts which excited their apprehensions.
The question, however, has been set at rest both in this country and
on the Continent. They are perfectly harmless.

Footnote 468:

Cinchonia has been detected in other vegetables besides the Bark, as
in the root of Cusparia, and in the berries of Capsicum, while in the
bark of Cascarilla, a substance bearing a much nearer relation in
medicinal effect to the Bark, its presence has not yet been
discovered. It is said that experiments have been lately made by M. M.
Robiquet and Petroz on the Bark of the Carapa, which has been
successfully used in several parts of America in the cure of agues,
and that they have found in that bark a salifiable basis analogous to
Quina.

Footnote 469:

In Brande’s Journal for January 1830, it is announced that Serturner
has discovered other vegeto-alkalies in the Bark, besides the
Cinchonia and Quinia.—One in particular he has ascertained, which he
calls _Chinioidia_, existing in combination with a resinous sub-acid
substance. This exists in the red and yellow bark with the Cinchonia
and Quinia. It has more alkaline power and capacity of saturation, as
well as greater medical power than any other vegeto-alkali in the
Cinchona, but it resembles them in its insolubility in water, its
colour and taste. According to Serturner, the febrifuge power of the
_Chinioidia_ is as superior to that of the Cinchonia and Quinia as
these are to the Bark.—In his hands it succeeded in many cases where
the Sulphate of Quinia had failed. _Ed._

Footnote 470:

It was under this form that the celebrated empiric Talbor used to
administer it in the paroxysms of Intermittents, and so successful was
his practice, that Louis XIV. was induced to purchase at a large price
the secret of his specific; and Charles the Second very unjustly
protected him against the power of the College, and appointed him one
of his physicians.

Footnote 471:

Mr. Thompson has suggested the probability of this circumstance having
arisen from the admixture of a species of bark, lately introduced into
Europe from Martinique, resembling the Cinchona Floribunda, and which,
by an analysis of M. Cadet, was found to contain iron. (London Disp.
Edit. 3. p. 247.)

Footnote 472:

This plant is found in abundance in Piedmont, principally in the
marshes, where of course it is most needed. Nature is very kind in
this respect, for the particular situation which engenders endemic
diseases, is generally congenial to the growth of the plants that
operate as antidotes to them.

Footnote 473:

Dr. Davy, in a letter to me upon this subject, says, “there are two
kinds of oil of cinnamon procured in Ceylon, one of greater, the other
of less specific gravity than water. In distillation they come over
together. On what the difference depends I do not know, nor am I aware
that the subject has yet been investigated.”

Footnote 474:

From experiments made with _Veratria_, it appears that its effects on
the human system are analogous to those of the Colchicum itself. In
chronic rheumatism comparative trials to a great extent were
instituted by Dr. Bardsley, and with very similar results. The
_Veratria_ was generally administered in doses of from 1/4 gr. to ½
gr. three times a day. _Ed._

Footnote 475:

With this opinion Mr. A. T. Thomson coincides, for in the 3d edition
of his Dispensatory, he says, “the thick old bulb begins to decay
after the flower is perfectly expanded, and the new bulbs, of which
there are always two formed on each old bulb, are perfected in the
following June; from which time until the middle of August, they may
be taken up for medicinal use.”

Footnote 476:

EAU MEDICINALE DE HUSSON. After various attempts to discover the
active ingredient of this Parisian remedy, it is at length determined
to be the colchicum autumnale which several ancient authors, under the
name of hermodactyllus, have recommended in the cure of gout, as
stated in the historical preface to this work. The following is the
receipt for preparing this medicine. Take two ounces of the root of
colchicum, cut it into slices, macerate it in four fluid-ounces of
Spanish white wine, and filter. See Veratri Radix (_note_).

Dr. WILSON’S TINCTURE FOR THE GOUT. This is merely an infusion of
colchicum, as Dr. Williams of Ipswich has satisfactorily shewn. Since
the discovery of colchicum being the active ingredient of the Eau
medicinale, numerous empirical remedies have started up, containing
the principles of the plant in different forms.

The expressed juice of the colchicum is used in Alsace to destroy
vermin in the hair: it is very acrid, and excoriates the parts to
which it is applied.

Footnote 477:

Dr. Davy, however, informs me that he is acquainted with a fatal
instance from an excessive dose of these seeds, viz. ʒj, taken by a
medical man for gout. On dissection, most of the viscera, more
especially the brain and intestines, exhibited great sanguineous
turgescence, and appearances of inflammation.

Footnote 478:

This preparation, or the Seeds, may be procured for trial, from the
house of Savory, Moore, and Davidson, of New Bond Street.

Footnote 479:

WARD was originally a footman, and, during his attendance upon his
master on the Continent, obtained from the Monks those receipts which
afterwards became his nostrums. It may be observed that this
Confection appears to be well adapted for the cure of that species of
Piles which probably attended the sedentary and luxurious habits of
the monks.

Footnote 480:

Dr. Chapman recommends the liberal use of the Copaiva in the very
commencement of Gonorrhœa, disregarding ardor ruinæ, chordee, and
every other symptom of inflammation that may be present. Than this, we
do not know a medical precept more erroneous in theory, or more
mischievous in practice. We are convinced that a great majority of
gleets may be traced to the premature use of balsam Copaiva, and other
stimulating articles in the inflammatory stage of the disease.—_Ed._

Footnote 481:

Cūbĕba—Indis Cubab; Avicennæ Kebâba. It makes short the penultima,
because Actuarius and other modern Greeks call it κουπεπερ, κόμπεπερ,
and κομβεβα.

Footnote 482:

See “Practical Observations on the use of Cubebs, in the cure of
Gonorrhœa,” by H. JEFFREYS, Esq.

Footnote 483:

It is very questionable whether Cubebs is entitled to any other
preference over the copaiva, than that it is not so liable to derange
the digestive organs. As a specific for gonorrhœa it has received
praise altogether too unqualified. The most convenient form in which
it can be given is that of Tincture. _Ed._

Footnote 484:

Cŭminum makes long the penultima, thus—

“Rugosum Piper et pallentis grana Cumini:”
Pers: Sat: v.

This line of the satirist also records an opinion which is worthy
notice, that Cumin will make those who drink it, or wash themselves
with it, or as some say, who smoke it, of a pale visage. This belief
is mentioned by Dioscorides; and Pliny informs us that the disciples
of Porcius Latro, a famous master of the art of speaking, were
reported to have used Cumin, in order to imitate that paleness which
their master had contracted by his studies; thus too Horace,

——Proh si
“Pallerem casu, biberent exsangue Cuminum.”
Epist. 19. Lib. 1, lin: 18.

Footnote 485:

It may be here observed that Copper, in its metallic form, exerts no
action on the system. A most striking instance of this fact occurred
during my hospital practice, in the case of a young woman who
swallowed six copper penny-pieces with a view of destroying herself;
she was attended by Dr. Maton and myself in the Westminster Hospital
for two years, for a disease which we considered visceral, but which
was evidently the effect of mechanical obstruction, occasioned by the
coin. After a lapse of five years she voided them, and then confessed
the cause of her protracted disease, during the whole course of which
no symptom arose which could in any way be attributed to the poisonous
influence of copper. Dr. Baillie, in his morbid anatomy, relates a
case, in which five halfpence had been lodged in a pouch in the
stomach, for a considerable time, without occasioning any irritation;
and Theodore Gardelle, after his conviction for the murder of Mrs.
King, in Leicester Square, swallowed a number of halfpence, for the
purpose of destroying himself, but without producing any ill effects.
Mr. A. T. Thomson relates also two cases of halfpence being swallowed
by children, in one of which the copper coin remained six months in
the intestines, and in the other two months. The filings of copper
were formerly a favorite remedy in rheumatism, a drachm of which has
been taken with impunity for a dose. It appears therefore that
metallic copper does not undergo any change in the digestive organs by
which it is converted into a poison, notwithstanding the presence of
substances, which, out of the body, would at once render it
destructive, as we have too many cases to shew, from the careless use
of copper utensils in cookery. It is, however, a very important fact,
that copper cannot be dissolved while tin is co-existent in the
mixture, hence the great use of tinning copper utensils; and farther,
it is asserted that untinned coppers are less liable to be injurious
when pewter spoons are used for stirring, than when silver ones are
employed for that purpose; the explanation of this fact is to be
sought for in the well-known principle of Electro-Chemistry, and which
has lately been applied with so much ingenuity by the illustrious
President of the Royal Society, for the protection of copper on the
bottom of ships, by the juxta-position of small discs of Tin or
Iron.[486] For the same reason, M. Proust has shewn that the tinning
of kitchen utensils, which consists of equal parts of tin and lead,
cannot be dangerous from the presence of the latter metal, since it is
sufficient that the lead should be combined with tin, in order to
prevent it from being dissolved in any vegetable acid. M. Guersent
therefore is wrong when, speaking of the tinning of copper vessels, he
says, “it is a light veil, which conceals the danger, instead of being
a true preservative, and that it only inspires a security often
fatal.” Some recent experiments however, of Dr. Bostock, have shewn
that, in consequence of the volatility of acetic acid, copper is not
protected by the juxta-position of discs of tin; since the acid under
such circumstances ceases to form a part of the galvanic circle. The
poisonous effects of the _salts_ of Copper have been strikingly
illustrated during the prosecution of Sir H. Davy’s experiments above
alluded to, for it is found that when the copper sheathing of ships is
not protected by the contact of another metal, they are uniformly free
from marine animals, but that where the solution of the copper is
prevented by galvanic action, the bottoms soon become covered with
every species of sea insect.

Footnote 486:

For a further explanation of this curious fact the student may consult
my work on Medical Chemistry.

Footnote 487:

BATES’S AQUA CAMPHORATA.—Sulphate of copper is the base of this
preparation, which was strongly recommended by Mr. Ware. The following
was his recipe: ℞. Cupri Sulph. Boli Gallic, a. a. gr. xv. Camphoræ
gr. iv. solve. in aq. fervent. f℥iv, dilueque cum aquæ frigidæ oiv ut
fiat Collyrium.

Footnote 488:

It is said to have been introduced into this country from Ceylon. See
the observations made upon the subject of the narcotics used by the
Indians, _page 9_.

Footnote 489:

The seeds undoubtedly contain, in an eminent degree, all the
properties of the plant. It was in the seeds that Brandes first
discovered the Daturia.

Footnote 490:

The oriental beverage, Sherbet, from the Arabic word Sherb, to drink,
so celebrated in eastern song, is a decoction of barley-meal and
sugar, perfumed with roses, orange flower, violet, or citron.

Footnote 491:

LISBON DIET DRINK. Decoctum Lusitanicum.—℞. Sarsap: concis: Rad:
Chinæ, āā ʒj—Nucum Jugland: Cortice Siccatarum, No. xx. Antimonii
Sulphureti ℥ ij. Lapidis Pumicis pulverisat;—Aquæ distillat: lib:
x.—The powdered antimony and pumice stone are to be tied in separate
pieces of rag, and boiled along with the other ingredients. The use of
the pumice stone is merely mechanical, to divide the antimony.

Footnote 492:

It is said that M. Royer has lately succeeded in obtaining from
Digitalis its active basis; to which he has given the name of
_Digitalin_. It was procured by digesting the plant in æther, and
treating the solution with hydrated oxide of lead. It appears as a
brown pasty substance, capable of slowly restoring the blue colour of
reddened litmus paper; very bitter, and deliquescent. It was difficult
to obtain it crystallized, but a drop of its solution in alcohol,
evaporated on glass, over a lamp, when examined by the microscope,
exhibited abundance of minute crystals. (Bib. Univ. xxvi. 102.)
Farther experiments, however, are required to establish the truth of
this statement.

Footnote 493:

See London Medical Repository, Vol. xii. No. 67.

Footnote 494:

A person 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 495:

Pharmacopœia Chirurgica, p. 89.

Footnote 496:

Diachylon, a δὶα et χυλος succus, i. e. a Plaster prepared from
expressed juices. It has been asserted that all the pharmaceutical
names beginning with _Dia_, are of Arabian origin, this however is not
the fact; we frequently meet with the expression in Galen, η δὶα
δικτάμνου ὴ δια δυοἷν ἁριστολοχιοὶν ἠ δι, &c. &c.

Footnote 497:

At Apothecaries’ Hall, this plaster, as well as others, is made in a
steam apparatus which is so well regulated, that a uniform temperature
of 210° Fah. is insured during the whole process.

Footnote 498:

BAYNTON’S ADHESIVE PLASTER. (Strapping.) Differs only from this
preparation in containing less resin, six drachms only being added to
one pound of the litharge plaster. This excellent plaster is sold
ready spread on calico.

COURT PLASTER. Sticking Plaster. Black Silk is strained and brushed
over ten or twelve times, with the following preparation. Dissolve ℥ss
of Benzoin in f℥vi of rectified spirit: in a separate vessel, dissolve
℥j of Isinglass in oss of water; strain each solution, mix them, and
let the mixture rest, so that the grosser parts may subside; when the
clear liquor is cold, it will form a jelly, which must be warmed
before it is applied to the silk. When the Plaster is quite dry, in
order to prevent its cracking, it is finished off with a solution of
_Terebinth: Chia_, ℥iv, in _Tinct: Benzoes_ f℥vj.

CORN PLASTER. The green coloured plaster sold under this title is
usually composed of 3 parts of wax, 4 of Burgundy pitch, and 2 of
common turpentine; to which is added one part of verdegris.

Footnote 499:

Mystery is rarely practised but as the cloak of imposture; it is
therefore unnecessary to add, that Mr. Barry made no difficulty in
stating the following to be the formula by which it was prepared.

A tincture of Bark, made with rectified spirit, was distilled until
the whole of the spirit was driven off, the remaining solution was
then left to cool, after which the resin that floated on the surface
was removed, and the residuum inspissated at a low temperature.

Footnote 500:

BARCLAY’S ANTIBILIOUS PILLS. Take of the Extract of Colocynth ʒij,
Resin of Jalap (extract Jalap) ʒj, Almond Soap ʒjss, Guaiacum ʒiij,
Tartarized Antimony, grs. viij, essential oils of Juniper, Carraway,
and Rosemary, of each gtt. iv, of syrup of Buckthorn, as much as will
be sufficient to form a mass, which is to be divided into sixty-four
pills.

Footnote 501:

REFINED LIQUORICE. This article, which is sold in the form of
cylinders, is made by gently evaporating a solution of the pure
extract of liquorice with half its weight of gum arabic, rolling the
mass, and cutting it into lengths, and then polishing, by rolling them
together in a box: many impurities however are fraudulently introduced
into this article, such even as glue, &c.

Footnote 502:

The juices of the Iris root, and Bryony root, and those of many other
plants, allow their medicinal elements to separate and subside in a
similar manner, leaving the supernatant liquid perfectly inert; if we
must have a generic name to express such a substance, it should be
termed a feculence, rather than a fecula.

Footnote 503:

“Observations on the nature and preparation of the Elaterium,” read at
the Medical Society of London, April 24, 1819, and which were
published in the Medical Repository, vol. xii, No. 67.

Footnote 504:

When it has a dark green colour, approaching to black, is compact, and
very heavy, and breaks with a shining resinous fracture, we may reject
it as an inferior article.

Since the publication of my experiments upon the ordinary Elaterium of
Commerce, I have been favoured by Mr. Barry with the results of his
trials upon the Elaterium made by W. Allen &. Co. according to the
improved process of Dr. Clutterbuck; of the first sample, he found
that out of ten grains, 5·5 were soluble in spirit of the specific
gravity ·809, of the second 6·2, and of the third 6·4; of that
prepared by the same process at Apothecaries’ Hall, 6 grs. were
soluble. The residue, insoluble in the spirit, was administered to a
patient, and ascertained to be perfectly inert. This report confirms
beyond a doubt the great superiority of the Elaterium when prepared,
without pressure, according to the suggestion of Dr. Clutterbuck.

Footnote 505:

“I have the Cos Lettuce planted about eight inches asunder in rows,
between which there is sufficient space to enable persons to pass up
and down without injuring the plants. I commence my operations just
before the plant is about to flower, by cutting off an inch of the
stem; the milky juice immediately exudes, and is collected on pieces
of Wove Cotton, about half a yard square. As soon as this becomes
charged, it is thrown from time to time into a vessel containing a
small quantity of water, which when sufficiently impregnated is
evaporated at the common temperature of the atmosphere, by exposure in
a number of shallow dishes. The LACTUCARIUM, in a few hours, is found
adhering to the vessels in the form of an Extract, but differing from
every other in all its sensible properties: this method enables me to
collect LACTUCARIUM with great facility and dispatch, but it is still
attended with considerable expense, as the proportion of milky product
is necessarily very small, and the price of the medicine consequently
high, and therefore not within the reach of general practice. This
consideration led me to make farther experiments, for the purpose of
ascertaining whether an EXTRACT might not be obtained from the plant
possessing all the properties of LACTUCARIUM, when administered in
large doses, and which could be introduced at a comparatively trifling
cost. In prosecuting this enquiry, I found that the plants contain
most of the milky juice when they have flowered and the leaves are
beginning to assume a yellow hue, and I observed that when cut down,
the milky juice assumes for the most part a concrete form, having
subsided in the bark of the stalk and in the old leaves, a
circumstance which accounts for the extreme bitterness of these parts.
I was naturally led from these circumstances to choose the above
period for my operations, and to select those parts only of the plant
for my extract, rejecting the substance of the stalk, and the young
sprouts. My method of procuring the extract is as follows. I first
macerate the parts in water, for twenty-four hours, and then boil them
for two, after which I allow the clear decoction to drain through a
sieve, without using any pressure; this is then evaporated, as far as
it can be done with safety, and the process is finished in shallow
dishes, in the manner above described, for obtaining Lactucarium. This
extract, which I have called “EXTRACTUM LACTUCÆ CONCENTRATUM,” is of
course less powerful than Lactucarium, but it possesses all the
properties in larger doses, and it has been found equally useful in a
number and variety of cases, and is not more than a sixth part of the
price.”

Mr. Probart has retired from trade, but I have just learnt that the
same article is now prepared, by a similar process, by Mr. Selway,
Chemist, of New Cavendish Street, and the specimens which I have
received authorise me to recommend it for trial. A concentrated
tincture is also prepared.

The “Succus Spissatus Lactucæ sativæ,” of the shops, must of necessity
be almost inert, since it is commonly prepared at that period when the
plant contains none, or very little of the milky juice; and even if
the Lettuce be employed at a more mature season, it must still fail to
afford an extract of any strength, as it is merely the expressed
juice, and that too of the whole plant indiscriminately, and will be
found to contain a very minute proportion of Lactucarium, the great
bulk being nothing more than inspissated green juice.

Footnote 506:

Doctor Eights of Albany has related two cases of Neuralgia, in which
the use of the Carbonate of Iron was attended with complete success.
See New-York Medical and Physical Journal, Vol. I. p. 323.

ED.

Footnote 507:

This fact furnishes the Pharmaceutic Chemist with an easy and
effectual mode of cleansing the green crystals from the yellow
peroxide which forms upon their surface, viz. by washing them in
spirit.

Footnote 508:

By a parity of reasoning, Mr. Carmichael is led to prefer the
phosphate of iron to any other preparation of that metal, in cancer,
because he thinks iron, combined with an animal acid, enters the
system in greater quantity, and unites more intimately with the
juices.

AROMATIC LOZENGES OF STEEL. These consist of sulphate of iron with a
small proportion of the tincture of Cantharides.

Footnote 509:

FORGE WATER. This popular remedy as a lotion for Aphthæ and other
similar diseases, I am well satisfied possesses considerable efficacy.
It may, perhaps, be necessary to state that Forge-water is that in
which the Blacksmith has plunged his hot iron, for the purpose of
refrigeration. It is to be taken early in the morning, when, all the
mechanical impurities having had time to subside, it is beautifully
limpid. Upon examining some of this water I found it to contain
sulphate of iron. The sulphuric acid was probably derived from the
sulphur of the coals.

Footnote 510:

Besides the preparations of Iron mentioned by our author, there is
another which has recently been introduced into practice, by Dr.
Zollickhoffer of Maryland, and this is the _Prussiate of Iron_, or
_Prussian Blue_. Like the other forms of iron it acts as a powerful
tonic, and as a remedy in intermitting and remitting fevers, Dr. Z.
conceives it to possess many advantages over Cinchona. These he states
to be the following: “1. It is void of taste, and may therefore be
much more readily exhibited than the Cinchona Officinalis, which to
some is extremely unpleasant. 2. It may be given in every stage of the
disease, while the administration of bark is confined to the apyrexiæ.
4. The dose is much smaller, being from four to six grains twice or
thrice in twenty-four hours; or at morning, noon and night; while
bark, to be effectual, must be given in much larger doses. 4. It never
disagrees with the stomach, or creates nausea, even in the most
irritable state of this viscus; while bark is not unfrequently
rejected. 5. In its effects as a remedy calculated to prevent the
recurrence of future paroxysms, it is more certain, prompt, and
effectual, than the justly celebrated Cort. Peruvian. 6 and lastly, A
patient treated with this article will recover from the influence of
intermitting and remitting fevers, in the generality of cases, in much
less time than is usual in those cases in which bark is employed.” In
using the Prussiate of Iron, Dr. Zollickhoffer directs that care
should be taken to select that which is of a very dark blue colour,
approaching to a black, having a shining coppery fracture, and
adhering firmly to the tongue.

ED.

Footnote 511:

MATHIEU’S VERMIFUGE. This consisted of two distinct Electuaries, the
one for _killing_, the other for _expelling_ the Tapeworm. The former
of these was composed of an ounce of Tin Filings, six drachms of the
Fern root, half an ounce of Semina Santonici, a drachm of the resinous
extract of Jalap, and of Sulphate of Potass, and a sufficient quantity
of Honey to make an Electuary, of which a tea-spoonful was taken every
three hours for two days; after which the latter electuary was given
in the same dose, and consisted of two scruples of powdered Jalap, and
Sulphate of Potass, one scruple of Scammony, and ten grains of
Gamboge, made into an Electuary with Honey. The inventor of this
receipt received the title of Counsellor of the Court, as well as a
large pension for life, from the King of Prussia, for making it
public!

Footnote 512:

Seguin first proved that gallic acid, and tannin or the astringent
principle, are different substances; it is to the former that the
property of giving a black colour to the solutions of iron is owing.

Mr. Hatchett has shewn that tan or tannin may be artificially produced
by the action of nitric acid upon various vegetable substances.

Footnote 513:

By Dr. Bardsley the same quantity was taken and with similar results.
In many cases of Dyspepsia, attended with an irritability of stomach
that does not admit of the employment of bulky medicines, _gentiania_
may be used with much advantage. The preferable form is that of pill,
given in doses of one grain to be repeated two or three times a day.
Unlike the plant from which it is obtained, Gentiania has no tendency
to keep the bowels open. _Ed._

Footnote 514:

It takes its name from GENTIUS, king of Illyria, its discoverer, who
was vanquished by Anicius the Roman Prætor, A. U. 585. i. e. A.C. 167,
so that it is neither to be found in Hippocrates nor Theophrastus.

Footnote 515:

BRODUM’S NERVOUS CORDIAL consists of the tinctures of Gentian,
Calumba, Cardamom and Bark, with the Compound Spirit of Lavender, and
Wine of Iron.

STROUGHTON’S ELIXIR. Is a tincture of Gentian, with the addition of
Serpentaria, Orange Peel, Cardamoms, and some other aromatics.

Footnote 516:

PECTORAL BALSAM OF LIQUORICE. The proprietor of this nostrum gravely
affirms that f℥iss contains the virtues of a whole pound of Liquorice
root; but upon investigation it will be found to consist principally
of Paregoric Elixir, very strongly impregnated with the Oil of
Aniseed.

Footnote 517:

THE CHELSEA PENSIONER. An empirical remedy for the rheumatism is well
known under this name; it is said to be the prescription of a Chelsea
Pensioner, by which Lord Amherst was cured; the following is its
composition—Gum Guaiac ʒj—Powdered Rhubarb ʒij—Cream of Tartar
℥j—Flowers of Sulphur ℥j.—One Nutmeg finely powdered; made into an
Electuary with one pound of Clarified Honey. Two large spoonsful to be
taken night and morning.

WALKER & WESSEL’S JESUIT DROPS. This is nothing more than the Elixir
Antivenereum of Quincey, consisting of Guaiacum, Balsam of Copaiba,
and Oil of Sassafras, made into a Tincture by Spirit.

HATFIELD’S TINCTURE. Guaiac and Soap, equal parts, ʒij—Rectified
Spirit oiss.

HILL’S ESSENCE OR BARDANA. Guaiac ℥j—Spirit f℥iij.

Footnote 518:

MATTHEW’S PILLS,—STARKEY’S PILLS. Of the Roots of Black Hellebore,
Liquorice, and Turmeric, equal parts, purified Opium, Castille Soap,
and Syrup of Saffron, the same quantity, made into pills with Oil of
Turpentine.

BACHER’S TONIC PILLS. These are composed of equal parts of the Extract
of Hellebore, and Myrrh ℥j, with ʒiij of powdered Carduus Benedictus:
which are made into a mass, and divided into pills, each weighing one
grain; from two to six of which may be given three times every day,
according to the effects they produce.

Footnote 519:

Whence the decoctions of this substance have been termed Ptisans, from
πτὶσσω decortico, to peel.

Footnote 520:

A Compound, consisting of Extract of Quassia and Liquorice, is used by
fraudulent brewers to economise both malt and hops, and is technically
called “MULTUM.” An Extract of Cocculus Indicus is sold under the name
of “BLACK EXTRACT,” for imparting an intoxicating quality to the Beer.

Footnote 521:

Ὑδραργυρος of the Greeks, from its fluidity and colour.

Quicksilver. Quick in the old Saxon tongue signifies living, an
epithet derived from its mobility.

Mercury. Mythologists inform us that he was the winged messenger of
the Gods, and the Patron of Thieves,—What name therefore could be more
appropriate for the metal in question than that of this Deity? for it
is not only distinguished from all other metals by its mobility, but
its universal agency has rendered it the resource of those worst of
Thieves—Quacks and Nostrummongers.

Footnote 522:

There is indeed another purpose to which pure quicksilver has been
applied that deserves notice. Its administration has been proposed in
cases where silver coin has been swallowed, with a view of forming
with it an amalgam that would speedily pass through the alimentary
canal.

Footnote 523:

Foderé (Med. Leg. T. iii. p. 455) states that he has seen water, in
which mercury has been boiled, become purgative and vermifuge; and yet
the metal, in such cases, has not lost any of its weight.

Footnote 524:

If the quantity of Lime water be small, the precipitate will assume a
red colour, and will be found to be a Submuriate of the peroxide.

Footnote 525:

As this salt has been supposed to arrest the progress of syphilis more
rapidly, and at the same time, to excite the salivary glands less than
any other preparation of mercury, it generally forms the basis of
those dangerous nostrums, which are advertised for the cure of
Syphilis without Mercury. The contrivers hope also to elude detection
by the density and colour of the preparation.

GOWLAND’S LOTION, Is a solution of sublimate in an emulsion formed of
bitter almonds, in the proportion of about gr. jss to f℥j. A solution
of this mercurial salt in Spirit of Rosemary, is also sold as an
empirical cosmetic.

NORTON’S DROPS. A disguised solution of corrosive sublimate.

WARD’S WHITE DROPS. This once esteemed Anti-Scorbutic was prepared by
dissolving mercury in nitric acid, and adding a solution of carbonate
of ammonia; or frequently it consisted of a solution of sublimate with
carbonate of ammonia.

SPILSBURY’S ANTISCORBUTIC DROPS. Of Corrosive Sublimate ℥ij, Prepared
Sulphuret of Antimony ʒj, Gentian root and Orange peel, equal parts
ʒij, Shavings of Red Saunders, ʒj, made with a pint of proof spirit
into a tincture, which is to be digested and strained.

“THE ANTIVENEREAL DROPS,” so famous at Amsterdam, were analysed by
Scheele, who found they were composed of muriate of iron, with a small
proportion of corrosive sublimate.

MARSDEN’S ANTISCORBUTIC DROPS. A solution of sublimate in an infusion
of Gentian.

GREEN’S DROPS. The basis of these also is sublimate.

SOLOMON’S ANTI-IMPETIGINES. A solution of sublimate.

ROB ANTI-SYPHILITIQUE, par M. Laffecteur, Medicin Chemiste. This
popular nostrum of the French contains as a principal ingredient,
corrosive sublimate. A strong decoction of Arundo Phragmitis (the bull
rush) is made, with the addition of sarsaparilla and aniseeds towards
the end, which is evaporated, and made into a rob, or syrup, to which
the sublimate is added.

SIROP DE CUISINIERE. This consists of decoctions of sarsaparilla,
burrage flowers, white roses, senna, and aniseed, to which sublimate
is added, and the whole is then made into a syrup with sugar and
honey.

TERRE FEUILLETEE MERCURIELLE of Pressavin. This is Tartarized Mercury,
for it is made by boiling the oxyd of mercury (obtained by
precipitating it from a nitric solution, by potass) with cream of
tartar.

VELNO’S VEGETABLE SYRUP. There has been a great obscurity with respect
to the genuine composition of this nostrum; it has generally been
supposed to consist of sublimate rubbed up with honey and mucilage. I
have lately received from my friend Mr. Brodie a formula, by which a
medicine perfectly analogous in its sensible characters, and medicinal
properties, to the Syrup in question, may be prepared; and I am
assured that, wherever it has been tried, its effects are in every
respect similar to those produced by the original nostrum. Take of
Burdock root (young and fresh) sliced, ℥ij; Dandelion root ℥i; Spear
Mint (fresh) ℥j; Senna Leaves, Coriander Seeds (bruised), Liquorice
Root (fresh) of each ʒiss; Water oiss: boil gently until reduced to
oj; then strain, and, when cold, add ℔ of lump sugar, and boil it to
the consistence of a syrup, and add a small proportion of the solution
of Oxy-muriate of Mercury. Swediaur says that volatile alkali enters
into this nostrum as an ingredient; this alkali was proposed by Dr.
Peyrile, as a substitute for mercury, and it constitutes the active
ingredient of the following composition, which was proposed by Mr.
Besnard, Physician to the King of Bavaria.

TINCTURA ANTISYPHILLITICA. Sub-carb. potass, ℔j. dissolved in Aq.
Cinnam, oj. Opii puri, ℥ij. dissolved in Spir. cinnamom. f℥iv. mix
these separate solutions, and put them on a water-bath for three
weeks, taking care to shake the vessel frequently; to this add Gum
arabic ℥ij, Carb. Ammoniæ ℥j, dissolve in Aq. Cinnamomi; mix, filter,
and keep for use. Dose, twenty-four drops three times a day, in a
glass of the cold decoction of Marsh Mallow root.

The external use of these drops is also advised for local syphilitic
complaints!

Footnote 526:

By this simple and beautiful test, the late Mr. Archdeacon Wollaston
identified the presence of Sublimate in the yeast dumplings by which
Michael Whiting was poisoned at Ely; a case which I have recorded in
my work on Medical Jurisprudence, Vol. II. p. 265.

Footnote 527:

Ann. de Chimie et Phys. iv. 334.

Footnote 528:

For a more elaborate account of the various tests of Corrosive
Sublimate, see Beck’s Medical Jurisprudence, Vol. 2, p. 267.—_Ed._

Footnote 529:

For the origin of the term Calomel, see note, page 40.

Footnote 530:

Mr. William Phillips has favoured me with a model of this crystal cut
in wood; it is a rectangular prism whose solid angles are deeply
replaced by planes.

Footnote 531:

Many of the nostrums advertised for the cure of worms, contain Calomel
as the principal ingredient, combined with scammony, jalap, gamboge,
or some other purgative; they are uncertain and dangerous medicines;
the method of exhibiting them in the form of lozenges (worm cakes,) is
also attended with inconvenience, for the sugar and the gum generating
an acid, by being kept in damp places, may considerably increase the
acrimony of the mercury; besides which, the calomel is frequently
diffused very unequally through the mass, one lozenge may therefore
contain a poisonous dose, whilst others may scarcely possess any
active matter.

CHING’S WORM LOZENGES. These consist of yellow and brown lozenges, the
former are directed to be taken in the evening, the latter the
succeeding morning.

THE YELLOW LOZENGES. Take of Saffron ℥ss, of water oj, boil, and
strain; add of White Panacea of Mercury (Calomel washed in spirit of
wine) ℔j, white sugar, 28℔, mucilage of Tragacanth as much as may be
sufficient to make a mass, which roll out of an exact thickness, so
that each lozenge may contain one grain of Panacea.

THE BROWN LOZENGES. Panacea ℥ vij, resin of jalap, ℔iijss, white sugar
℔ix, mucilage of tragacanth q. s. each lozenge should contain gr. ½ of
panacea.

STORY’S WORM CAKES. Calomel and jalap made into cakes and coloured
with cinnabar.

Footnote 532:

For the origin of this term see page 39.

Footnote 533:

CHAMBERLAIN’S RESTORATIVE PILLS. “The most certain cure for the
Scrofula, or King’s Evil, Fistula, Scurvy, and all Impurities of the
Blood.”