Chapter L: F. Jacobi de Bismutho. Erford, 1697 (2)

My attention has been particularly directed to these pills, in
consequence of having lately seen, during the course of my
professional duty, several highly respectable persons, who had been
induced to make trial of their efficacy. Their inventor, if I am
rightly informed, resides at Ipswich, where, for the benefit of
suffering humanity, he prepares these wonderful pills, and, with the
alacrity of his patron deity, Mercury, transmits them to every corner
of the United Kingdom. It appears from the printed directions which
accompany the “Restorative Pills,” that their use must be continued
for a very long period; but upon this occasion we must allow the
Doctor to speak for himself. “It may be necessary to observe, that in
some cases of Scrofula, especially when the seat of the disease is in
the feet, ancles, or hands, it may take a long time to effect a cure,
even two years, and it may be twelve or sixteen months, with seeming
little or no improvement, yet the cure is certain by perseverance.”
What—two years! and to be taken during a period of sixteen months
without any sensible benefit! Is it possible that persons can be found
with sufficient credulity and resolution to submit to so preposterous
a proposal? we have no doubt that Mr. Chamberlain can produce as great
a portion of cures _after_ such an ordeal, as was adduced in former
times, in proof of the efficacy of the Royal Touch, and for the same
obvious reason. (See page 16.)

Upon examining these said pills, I find them to consist of Cinnabar,
Sulphur, Sulphate of Lime, and a little vegetable matter, perhaps gum.
Each pill weighs a fraction less than three grains; upon dividing one
with a penknife, and examining the cut surface through a lens, it
exhibited the appearance of scoriæ of a brick red colour, having small
yellowish masses imbedded in its substance. When exposed on a piece of
platinum foil to the action of the blow-pipe, it yielded vapours of a
strong sulphureous smell, and left a residuum of a pearly white
matter, which consisted almost entirely of Sulphate of Lime. Upon
submitting a portion of the pill, in a glass tube, to the heat of a
spirit lamp, two distinct sublimates were produced, the first
consisting of Sulphur, the second of Cinnabar; and a small
carbonaceous deposit remained. The Pill was then assayed, _via
humida_; distilled water dissolved the Sulphate of lime, which was
identified by appropriate tests, and left sulphur and cinnabar on the
filtre. By the above experiments I feel warranted in considering the
composition of this pill as fully ascertained.

BOERHAAVE’S RED PILL. The basis of this nostrum is Cinnabar.

Footnote 534:

The anatomist employs it for giving colour to his injections; for this
purpose it is very essential that it should be quite free from red
lead, or his preparations will in a short time lose their splendour,
and ultimately become black. This has unfortunately happened with some
preparations which Dr. Baillie presented to the College of Physicians.
Mr. Accum, in his work entitled “Death in the Pot,” states a case of
poisoning from cheese which had been coloured with adulterated
Vermillion. I am ready to admit, however, that the source of this
information is of very doubtful authority; never did a work appear
which so little merited the attention it received; even the title,
which seemed to have some claim to originality, was borrowed from a
work by Mouchart, called “Mors in Olla.”

Footnote 535:

ANODYNE NECKLACES. The roots of Hyoscyamus are commonly strung in the
form of beads, and sold under this name, to tie round the necks of
children, to facilitate the growth of their teeth, and allay the
irritation of teething. The application of medicated necklaces is a
very ancient superstition. See page 13. Such remedies were sometimes
called Periapts, περιαπτον.

Footnote 536:

In many cases it is essential that the water should be at the boiling
point, a few degrees even less than this will often prove a source of
failure; this is well exemplified by the familiar fact of the weakness
of our Tea, when made by water that does not quite boil. The Monks of
St. Bernard, in the Alps, complain that they cannot make good
Bouillie; the case is simply this, that from the altitude of their
monastery, the water boils before it can arrive at a sufficiently high
temperature. Whence we may deduce this important inference, that the
solvent powers of water are affected by a very slight range of
temperature. See a fuller account of this subject in my work on
“Medical Chemistry.”

Footnote 537:

Where the vegetable matter contains much starch, if the water be of a
temperature higher than 165°, instead of dissolving, it will coagulate
the starch, and produce a very untractable mass. This fact is well
known to Brewers, who are extremely cautious in avoiding a too high
temperature.

Footnote 538:

MADDEN’S VEGETABLE ESSENCE. Is little else than the Infusum Rosæ comp:
with an increased proportion of Acid.

Footnote 539:

This fact has been lately confirmed by M. F. Cartier, who found 4 gr.
of oxide of iron in 1000 gr. of red roses.

Footnote 540:

A valuable paper upon this subject is to be found in the first volume
of “The Reports of the Philomatic Society of Paris:” by Bouillon La
Grange. It has been lately supposed, but without much probability,
that the griping property of Senna depends upon its admixture with
some foreign leaf.

Footnote 541:

SELWAY’S PREPARED ESSENCE OF SENNA. This is a concentrated infusion of
Senna, in combination with an alkali.

Footnote 542:

The plant yielding the Ipecacuanha of the shops, is more probably a
species of Viola than that of Callicocca. According to Linnæus, it is
not unfrequently obtained from the Psycotria Emetica. The word
Ipecacuanha signifies _any_ emetic substance.

Footnote 543:

A formula for its preparation is introduced into the new CODEX of
Paris, being the one used by M. Pelletier; it is as follows. Let ℥i of
the powder of Ipecacuan be macerated in ℥ij of æther with a gentle
heat for some hours, in a distilling apparatus; let the portion which
remains be triturated and boiled with ℥iv of alcohol; it having been
previously macerated in it; filter and let the remainder be treated
with fresh portions of alcohol, as long as any thing is taken up from
the root; mix these alcoholic solutions and evaporate to dryness; let
this alcoholic extract be macerated in cold distilled water, in order
that every thing soluble in that menstruum may be dissolved; filter,
and evaporate to dryness; this extract is _Emetine_. In this state
however it contains a small quantity of gallic acid, but which is too
inconsiderable to affect its medicinal qualities.

Footnote 544:

We agree with the author in his estimate of the value of _Emetine_. As
a general remedy, it possesses no advantage over the Ipecacuanha
itself, and will probably never supersede it. Cases may occur,
however, in which its use will be desirable, and it may then be given
in the following doses. As an Emetic, from four to five grains
dissolved in a couple of ounces of some aromatic water; as a
Diaphoretic, about half a grain repeated every four hours; and as an
Expectorant, one-fifth or one-fourth of a grain repeated every two or
three hours. These doses apply only to the impure or coloured Emetine,
the form in which it is commonly found. _Ed._

Footnote 545:

IPECACUANHA LOZENGES. Each Lozenge contains half a grain of
Ipecacuanha.

Footnote 546:

SAPO JALAPINUS. It is prepared by taking equal parts of Castille Soap
and of resinous extract of Jalap, and digesting them in a sufficient
quantity of alcohol, with moderate heat, and evaporating to the
consistence of a conserve.

Footnote 547:

The plant which yields Kino is at length satisfactorily proved to be
the Pterocarpus Erinacea; the London College have accordingly made the
alteration which I anticipated in the former edition of this work.

Footnote 548:

Dr. Pemberton makes the interesting statement in relation to the
operation of Kino upon the system, that unless Diarrhœa be actually
present, “it appears to have no tendency to confine the bowels. In
this drug, therefore,” he adds, “you have a medicine which exerts its
powers to restrain the discharges of the glands when they are
secreting too much, without exerting any such powers over them when
they are acting naturally.” Practical Treatise on the various diseases
of the abdominal viscera, p. 112, Am. Ed.

ED.

Footnote 549:

It was known to be a remedy for this disorder at least two hundred
years ago; for, in a work entitled, “The Surgeon’s Mate, or Military
and Domestic Medicine,” by John Woodall, master in Surgery, London,
1636, the author concludes his eulogium of lemon juice, by saying, “I
dare not write how good a sauce it is at meat, lest the chief in the
ship should waste it in the great cabin to save vinegar.”

Footnote 550:

ESSENTIAL SALT OF LEMONS. See Potassæ Super-tartras.

Footnote 551:

WARD’S ESSENCE FOR THE HEAD-ACHE.—Nothing more than Liniment. Camph.
Comp.

Footnote 552:

STEER’S OPODELDOC.—Castille Soap ℥j, Rectified Spirit, f℥viij, Camphor
ʒiiiss, Oil of Rosemary fʒss, Oil of Origanum fʒj. Solution of Ammonia
fʒvj.

BATES’S ANODYNE BALSAM.—It consists of one part of Tincture of Opium,
and two of Opodeldoc, i. e. Liniment. Sapon. comp.

FREEMAN’S BATHING SPIRITS.—Liniment. Saponis comp. coloured with
Daffy’s Elixir. JACKSON’S BATHING SPIRITS differs from the former in
the addition of some essential oils.

LYNCH’S EMBROCATION.—Olive oil impregnated with Bergamot and some
other essences, and coloured with Alkanet root.

Footnote 553:

Since the last edition of this work, Mr. Dalton has discovered the
very curious fact, that lime is more soluble in cold than in hot
water, and has given a table of quantities from which he concludes
that the quantity held in solution by water at 32° Fah: is nearly
double that retained by water at 212°. Mr. Phillips has lately taken
up the subject, and confirmed the statement of Mr. Dalton.

thus 10.000 gr. of water, at 212°, dissolve 7.8 of lime
10.000 gr. of water, at 32°, ———— 15.2 ————

Mr. Phillips attempts to account for this apparent anomaly “from the
effect which heat sometimes produces of increasing instead of
diminishing the attraction of cohesion. In the present case, he
continues, the affinities which are brought into play are, the
attractions of aggregation of the particles of the lime upon each
other, the attraction of the lime to form a hydrate with a small
portion of the water, and the mutual affinity existing between that
hydrate and the water of solution.” And at the high temperature he
thinks that the former affinities may be so heightened as to overpower
the latter.

Footnote 554:

Upon this fact Dr. Alton founded his ingenious process for preserving
water from putrefaction; in the first place he impregnated the water
with lime, which from its antiseptic property answered the purpose of
keeping it most completely, and then, in order to get rid of the lime,
he merely added the carbonate of magnesia, which by transferring its
carbonic acid, rendered the lime insoluble, and consequently the water
tasteless and fit for economical purposes. Mr. Henry, however,
proposed the introduction of a current of carbonic acid into the cask,
and this expedient has been found equally effective, and far more
economical.

Footnote 555:

MRS. STEPHEN’S REMEDY FOR THE STONE consisted of lime, which was
produced by calcining the shells of eggs and snails, and made into
pills with Soap. A decoction was also administered, consisting of
Chamomile, Fennel, Parsley and Burdock, together with a portion of
Alicant Soap. This is a very rational practice, and is very much what
the practitioners of the present day depend upon: the observations of
Mrs. Stephens respecting their administration, are equally judicious.
“If,” says she, “these medicines produce pain, it will be necessary to
give an opiate with them, and it must be at all times a principal care
to prevent a looseness, for if this should happen it would carry off
the medicines; under such circumstances the quantity of the Decoction,
since it is laxative, must be diminished, and other suitable means
must be taken by the advice of a Physician.” The credit of introducing
alkaline medicines for the cure of calculous disorders, does not
however rest with MRS. STEPHENS. It has been before stated in this
work, that Basil Valentine employed a fixed alkaline salt in such
cases; and I may here add, that SENNERTUS, in his Praxis Medica,
mentions a lithonthryptic that was in great esteem and general use in
his time, which consisted of one ounce of Salt of Tartar dissolved in
a pint of parsley water, and afterwards tinged yellow with orange
peel.

Footnote 556:

VIRGIN’S MILK. A preparation is sold under this name, which is a
Sulphate of Lead, and is prepared as follows. To a saturated solution
of Alum, add of Goulard’s extract one third part. Shake them
together;—see Benzoinum for a very different cosmetic bearing the same
name.

Footnote 557:

HANKAY’S LOTION, OR PREVENTIVE WASH. This famous nostrum for the
prevention of venereal infection, was nothing more than a solution of
caustic potass.

Footnote 558:

DR. CHITTICK’S REMEDY FOR THE STONE. This celebrated nostrum consisted
of a fixed alkali in veal broth; the broth was usually made by his
patients, and sent to him fresh every day, in order to be medicated.
A. D. 1766.

Footnote 559:

Magnesia was originally a general term, expressive of any substance
which had the power of attracting some principle from the air, from
Magnes, the Loadstone. The peculiar body which we now denominate
Magnesia, was first sold as a panacea, by a canon at Rome, in the
beginning of the seventeenth century, under the title of Magnesia
alba, or Count Palma’s Powder.

Footnote 560:

DALBY’S CARMINATIVE. This consists of carbonate of magnesia ℈ij, oils
of Peppermint, ♏︎j, of Nutmeg, ♏︎ij, of Aniseed ♏︎iij, of the
tinctures of Castor ♏︎xxx, of Assafœtida ♏︎xv, Tincture of Opium, ♏︎v,
Spirit of Pennyroyal ♏︎xv, of the Compound Tincture of Cardamoms
♏︎xxx, Peppermint water f℥ij. There are cheaper compositions sold
under the same name. In examining the pretensions of this combination,
it must be allowed that it is constructed upon philosophical
principles; this however is no reason why the physician should
recommend it; the mischievous tendency of a quack medicine does not
depend upon its composition, but upon its application; we ought to
remember, says an eminent physician, that in recommending this nostrum
we foster the dangerous prejudices of mothers and nurses, who are
unable to ascertain the circumstances under which it should be given,
or even the proper doses; if its composition is judicious, why do not
physicians order the same in a regular prescription, rather than in a
form in which the most valuable remedy will be abused?

Footnote 561:

“Manna, vox chaldaica est, admirantis interjectio, deducta ab Hebraico
Manhu, sive quid est hoc?” Chrystom. Magneni Exercitat. de Manno.

Footnote 562:

HONEY WATER.—The article usually sold under this name is a mixture of
Essences coloured with Saffron; some add a small quantity of Honey,
the effect of which is to communicate a clamminess which retains the
scent longer.

Footnote 563:

ESSENCE OF PEPPERMINT.—A spirituous solution of the Essential Oil,
coloured green by Spinach leaves.

Footnote 564:

If the Gum arabic be adulterated with that of the Cherry-tree, the
solution will be ropy, in consequence of the presence of CERASIN. See
Mucilago Tragacanthæ. (Note.)

Footnote 565:

The mucilage is at the same time converted by this salt into a
beautiful peach blossom colour.

Footnote 566:

This variety of gum, which is characterised by its gelatinizing, but
not dissolving, in water, occurs in several vegetable substances; and
as it predominates in the Cherry-tree, Dr. John has distinguished it
by the name of CERASIN; but as Tragacanth consists almost entirely of
this substance, the term TRAGACANTHIN would have been much more
appropriate. Although Cerasin will not dissolve in pure water, it
undergoes solution in that menstruum, at the temperature of
ebullition, provided a portion of a mineral acid be added.

Footnote 567:

Sir Hans Sloane published a Paper in the Philosophical Transactions,
No. 249, Vol. xxi. p. 44, entitled “An account of the Nux Pepita, or
St. Ignatius’s Bean (Ignatia Amara, Lin.) A Simple in common use in
the Philippine Islands, as a Tonic medicine.”

Footnote 568:

That the active principle of the Nux Vomica expends its virulence upon
the spinal marrow has been already noticed. Page 133.

Footnote 569:

M. Henry has given us the most simple formula for the preparation of
this substance. It consists in boiling Nux Vomica in water, and
evaporating the decoction until it acquires the consistence of Syrup;
lime is then added, which unites with the acid, and liberates the
Strychnia; which may then be separated by means of alcohol, from which
it may be obtained by crystallization.

Footnote 570:

Ann: de Chimie et de Phys. x. 153.

Footnote 571:

M. Majendie has killed a dog with one eighth of a grain, and the
editor of the Edinburgh Med: & Surg: journ: has seen one die in two
minutes after the injection of one sixth of a grain into the cavity of
the pleura. The celebrated Java poison owes its activity to Strychnia.

Footnote 572:

Strychnia was obtained from the beans of St. Ignatius by the following
process: a portion of the beans being grated was heated in a close
vessel, under pressure, with sulphuric æther, by which an oily matter
was dissolved; the residuum then yielded by the action of alcohol, a
yellowish brown, very bitter substance, which being boiled in pure
magnesia and filtered, the colouring matter was washed out, and the
Strychnia and magnesia, in a state of mixture, remained on the filtre.
The Strychnia was then separated by alcohol, and thus obtained in a
state of great purity.

Footnote 573:

See note under the article Opium.

Footnote 574:

With regard to the use of Strychnia in paralysis, experiments
sufficiently numerous have now been made to enable us to judge of its
true value and efficacy. Like all other remedies it is by no means
infallible. In some cases it does no good, while in others it causes
effects which no other remedy is capable of producing. Every thing
depends upon the nature of the case. Whenever paralysis is the result
of some organic derangement of the brain, such as tumors pressing upon
the substance of that organ, diseased alterations in its structure, or
extravasations of fluid which cannot be absorbed, then this remedy
will be of no avail. On the other hand, where the paralysis depends
upon _simple diminished nervous excitement_, it may and has been
completely cured by the use of this article. In paraplegia it has
generally been found more successful than in hemiplegia. The first
effects of the remedy in all cases are convulsive twitchings of the
paralyzed parts, and no benefit is derived from its use until this
effect is produced and continued for some time. If plethora should be
present, this is to be corrected by venesection, purgatives, and other
appropriate treatment. It is a great advantage attending the use of
this powerful agent that it does not at all impair the tone of the
stomach; on the contrary, it has a tendency to increase the appetite
and promote digestion. In having recourse to the Strychnia, the best
way is to commence with small doses, increasing them gradually
according to the effect produced—one-eighth of a grain twice a day is
sufficient to begin with. This may be cautiously increased to 1/6,
1/4, or even ½ a grain twice a day. Should any unpleasant symptoms
occur, of course its use should be discontinued; and when the symptoms
subside, it may again be resumed. By observing these general
precautions there is no danger in using this otherwise potent agent.
The best form of giving it is in that of pill, made up with conserve
of roses.

From experiments made with _Brucia_, it is found to exert an influence
analogous to that of the _Strychnia_, only less energetic—one-fourth
of a grain of the latter equals in effect about six grains of the
former. It occasions violent tetanic attacks, and acts upon the nerves
without affecting the brain or the intellectual functions. From the
inferior energy of the Brucia, it may be used in cases where the
Strychnia would not be proper. The dose to begin with is gr. j. twice
a day, increased to three or four times a day. Unless it does some
good in five or six weeks its use should be discontinued.—ED.

Footnote 575:

HUILES ANTIQUES. The basis of the best of these oils, is the oil of
Ben, from the nuts of the Guilangia Moringa, or oil of hazel, which is
a very good substitute, since it is inodorous, colourless, and may be
kept for a considerable period without becoming rancid: it is
therefore well adapted to receive and retain the odour of those
vegetables that yield but a small proportion of essential oil.

Footnote 576:

OIL OF BRICKS. So called because this empyreumatic oil was sometimes
obtained by steeping hot brick in oil, and submitting it to
distillation.

Footnote 577:

ROCHE’S EMBROCATION FOR THE HOOPING COUGH. Olive oil mixed with about
half its quantity of the oils of cloves and amber.

STRUVE’S LOTION FOR THE HOOPING COUGH. This once famous nostrum
consisted of ʒj of Tartarized Antimony, dissolved in f℥ij of water, to
which was added f℥j of Tincture of Cantharides.

Footnote 578:

The editors have also unaccountably retained the Oleum de Lumbricis!

Footnote 579:

If the plates of the press be heated, the fixed oil from the bitter
almond will be odorous.

Footnote 580:

ESSENCE OR BITTER ALMONDS. The preparation sold under this name, for
the purposes of perfumery, &c. consists of one part of this essential
oil, and seven parts of Rectified spirit.

Footnote 581:

For such reasons there are but few wholesale houses who profess to
distil it. I have, however, through the civility and attention of Mr.
Johnson, chemist in Oxford-street, who frequently conducts the process
on a large scale, had several opportunities of witnessing the
interesting phenomena to which it gives rise. So powerful is the odour
developed upon these occasions that it fills the premises with an
almost insupportable atmosphere, occasioning head-ache, sickness and
cough; so that we may safely observe, that, whatever miracles the
prussic acid may perform, when applied to the coats of the stomach,
its application in the form of vapour to the lungs proves highly
irritating to those organs.

The concentrated vapour of this essential oil is almost instantly
destructive to animal life. I have seen flies drop lifeless to the
floor as they have passed over the still; thus, as it were, realizing
in miniature the fabled powers of Avernus.

“Quam super haud ullæ poterant impune volantes
Tendere iter pennis: talis sese halitus atris
Faucibus effundens supera ad convexa ferebat.”
Æn. VI. v. 239.

Footnote 582:

Some authors have considered the olibanum as the Λιβανος quasia Oleum
Libani, (_Thus_) of the ancients, but Dr. Maton has observed that he
cannot find any passage in the ancient authors sufficiently precise to
corroborate this conjecture. See Abietis Resina.

Footnote 583:

The Greeks and Romans attached a very different meaning to the terms
OPIUM and MECONIUM. The former signified the pure juice (οπος succus)
that flowed from the scarified poppies; the latter, the juice obtained
by bruising and pressing the poppy heads.

Footnote 584:

Annales de Chimie, vol. 45. Derosne first obtained a crystalline
substance from Opium in the year 1803, which dissolved in acids; but
he did not determine its nature or properties.

Footnote 585:

In 1804 Seguin (Ann. de Chim. vol. 92) discovered another crystalline
body in opium, and although he described most of its properties he
never hinted at its alkaline nature.

Footnote 586:

Sertuerner at Eimbeck, in Hanover, had at the same time as Derosne and
Seguin, obtained these crystalline bodies, (Ann. de Chim. et de Phy.
T. v.) but it was not until the year 1817, that he first unequivocally
proclaimed the existence of a vegetable alkali, and assigned to it the
narcotic powers which distinguish the operation of opium; to this body
he gave the name of Morphia, and it appears to be the same as the
essential salt noticed by Seguin. The salt of Derosne, now more
usually denominated Narcotine, is quite a different principle,
although it was constantly mistaken for one of the salts of Morphia,
till M. Robiquet (Ann. de Chim. & de Phy. T. v.) pointed out its
distinctive properties. It is an azotized substance, crystallizing in
beautiful pearly prisms or tables; soluble in fixed oil, and still
more so in æther and the acids; insoluble in water, and little soluble
in alcohol; destitute of action on the vegetable colours, and
incapable of neutralizing acids. There still exists, however, very
considerable confusion with respect to this salt, and farther
experiments are required to ascertain its chemical nature, as well as
its physiological action.

Footnote 587:

The discovery of an alkaline body in opium induced the French and
German chemists to examine the composition of other active
vegetables, with a view to detect the existence of an analogous
principle; and their labours have been rewarded with unexampled
success. They have accordingly obtained STRYCHNIA from the nut of
the Strychnos nux vomica;—BRUCIA from the bark of the Brucea
Anti-dysenterica (False Angustura Bark) VERATRIA from the Veratrum
album, V. Sabadilla and Colchicum Autumnale;—CINCHONIA from the bark
of the Cinchona Oblongifolia (Red Bark);—QUINA (or Kina) from that
of the Cinchona Cordifolia (Yellow Bark);—EMETA from the Callicocca
Ipecacuanha;—DELPHIA, from the Delphinium Staphisagria;—PICROTOXA
from the Menispermum Cocculus;—SOLANA from the Solanum Nigrum, and
S. Dulcamara; GENTIA, from Gentiana lutea;—ATROPIA from the Atropa
Belladonna;—HYOSCYAMA, from Hyoscyamus Niger. Besides which,
Capsicum, Piper nigrum, and SENNA, have been said to yield analogous
principles of a salifiable character. With respect to most of these
alkaline bodies farther experiments are required to establish our
confidence; it is more than probable that several of them will turn
out to be disguised modifications of each other; it has already been
questioned whether QUINA and CINCHONIA be not varieties of one
alkali; indeed it is possible that all these bodies may have the
same alkaline base, and that they differ from each other in
consequence of their combination with other principles, derived from
the vegetable in question, and impressing upon the salt its
characteristic virtues; and this idea receives material support from
the fact, that they are neutralized by a very small proportion of
acid. (See a paper on this subject in the 70th number of the
Edinburgh Med. and Surg. Journ.)

They have all many properties in common, such as a degree of
bitterness varying in intensity in different species; they are
inodorous; are not altered by air or light, but are decomposed by a
moderate heat; most of them enter into fusion, but at different
temperatures, some for instance at below 212° Fahr. others not until
they are about to be decomposed; HYOSCYAMA will even resist a low red
heat. They are very sparingly soluble in water, but they are in
general rendered more so by the presence of resinous matter. They are
nearly all highly soluble in alcohol. Æther readily dissolves DELPHIA,
VERATRIA, EMETA, QUINA, and GENTIA; but MORPHIA, CINCHONIA, and
PICROTOXA, are very sparingly soluble: and STRYCHNIA and BRUCIA are
nearly insoluble in it; they combine with the acids; and, in general,
form neutral salts; but it appears that VERATRIA and EMETA always
unite with an excess of acid. All the combinations with the mineral
acids, excepting the salts of PICROTOXA, are exceedingly soluble in
water; and, with the exception of NITRATE OF CINCHONIA, and all the
salts of VERATRIA, they are crystallizable. The acetates too, with a
few exceptions, are also soluble, and they are disposed to form
super-salts. All the oxalates, except that of PICRATOXA, which is the
most soluble of its salts, and all tartrates, are rather insoluble,
and have likewise a tendency to unite with an excess of acid. The
action of concentrated nitric acid on these alkaline bodies is very
peculiar, converting the greater number of them into artificial
tannin; but it appears to peroxidate MORPHIA, STRYCHNIA, and BRUCIA,
rendering them less powerful as salifiable bases, and diminishing or
destroying their action on the animal body. See Edinburgh Med. & Surg.
Journ. supra citat.

By analysis, with the deutoxide of copper, these alkalies yield
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; but no azote, unless they have been
obtained by precipitation with ammonia, as in the process of
Sertuerner.

It would appear that these bodies exist in their native plants, in
combination with peculiar acids; some of them are found in the state
of Malates.

With respect to their physiological action it may be stated, that they
would appear to concentrate in themselves the characteristic
properties of the vegetables to which they belong, and yet, although
their effects are much greater than those of the undecomposed
vegetables, the same quantity of alkali is not so powerful in its pure
form, as in its natural state of combination. Thus one grain of
morphia produces no more effect than two grains of Turkey opium, which
do not contain more than a sixteenth part of the alkali. To explain
this loss of efficacy which usually attends our attempts at
concentration, the reader is referred to the observations which have
been already offered upon this subject in the first part of this work,
page 153.

Footnote 588:

The manufacture, however, of Indian Opium has been of late years
greatly improved by Dr. Fleming, under whose superintendance that
important department was placed by the Marquis Wellesley.

Footnote 589:

Forty thousand pounds weight of Opium are annually imported into the
Port of London.

Footnote 590:

It has been stated in the Historical Introduction to this work, (page
8) that the nepenthe, which Helen mixed with wine, and gave to the
guests of Menelaus, was probably opium; such was the opinion of
Sprengel, expressed in his History of Botany. Other authors have
entertained a different belief. Delile, in his “Flora Egyptiaca,”
considers it to have been a preparation of hyoscyamus albus. Dr.
Christen, in his late elaborate Dissertation on Opium, agrees with
Forbes, who states, in his Oriental Memoirs, that in Hindostan
Bendsch, i. e. nepenthe is prepared from the cannabis sativa of
Linnæus. Linder informs us that bangue is prepared from the dried
leaves of the wild cannabis, the smoke of which is said to be more
narcotic than even that of opium. There seems, however, to be good
reason for supposing that Indian bangue is a compound of several
ingredients. Ray says that he learned from Sir Hans Sloane, that the
principal ingredient was not hemp, but a plant somewhat like it.

Footnote 591:

The operation of Opium is not unfrequently attended with an itching,
or sense of pricking of the skin, which is sometimes terminated by a
species of miliary eruption.

Footnote 592:

Opium is the Quack’s sheet anchor. The various nostrums advertised as
“Cough Drops, for the cure of colds, asthmas, catarrhs, &c.” are
preparations of Opium very similar to paregoric elixir. PECTORAL
BALSAM OF LIQUORICE, and ESSENCE OF COLTSFOOT, are combinations of
this kind. GRINDLE’S COUGH DROPS, are a preparation of the same
description, only made with Rectified, instead of Proof Spirit, and
consequently more highly charged with stimulant materials. “The
mischief,” says Dr. Fothergill, “that has proceeded from the healing
anodynes of quacks can be scarcely imagined; for in coughs, arising
from suppressed perspiration or an inflammatory diathesis, Opiates
generally do harm.”

SQUIRE’S ELIXIR. Opium, camphor, serpentaria, sub-carbonate of potass,
anise and fennel seeds, made into a tincture, and coloured with
cochineal.

FORD’S BALSAM OF HOREHOUND. This nostrum may very properly be classed
under the present head. It consists of an aqueous infusion of
horehound and liquorice root, with double the proportion of proof
spirit or brandy; to which is then added, opium, camphor, benzoin,
squills, oil of aniseed, and honey.

Footnote 593:

LIQUOR MORPHII CITRATIS. ℞.Opii Crudi Optimi ℥iv; Acidi Citrici
(Cryst:) ℥ij; semel in mortario lapideo contunde, dein aquæ distillatæ
bullientis oj affunde; et intime misceantur; macera per horas viginti
quatuor; per chartam bibulosam cola.

Footnote 594:

THE BLACK DROP, or The Lancaster, or Quaker’s Black Drop. This
preparation, which has been long known and esteemed, as being more
powerful in its operation and less distressing in its effects than any
tincture of opium, has until lately been involved in much obscurity;
the papers however of the late Edward Walton, of Sunderland, one of
the near relations of the original proprietor, having fallen into the
hands of Dr. Armstrong, that gentleman has obliged the profession by
publishing the manner in which it is prepared, and is as
follows:—“Take half a pound of opium sliced; three pints of good
verjuice (juice of the wild crab,) and one and a half ounce of
nutmegs, and half an ounce of saffron. Boil them to a proper
thickness, then add a quarter of a pound of sugar, and two spoonsful
of yeast. Set the whole in a warm place near the fire, for six or
eight weeks, then place it in the open air until it becomes a syrup;
lastly, decant, filter, and bottle it up, adding a little sugar to
each bottle.” One drop of this preparation is considered equal to
about three of the Tincture of Opium. P. L. It would appear that an
Acetate of Morphia is formed, which is more active, and less
distressing in its effects, than any other narcotic combination.

The French Codex contains directions for preparing a compound very
similar to the Black Drop; viz.

VINUM OPIATUM FERMENTATIONE PARATUM, or Guttæ seu Laudanum Abbatis
Rousseau. Take of white honey twelve ounces; warm water, three pounds;
dissolve the honey in the water, pour it into a matrass, and set it
aside in a warm place: as soon as fermentation has commenced, add four
ounces of good opium, having previously dissolved, or rather diffused
it in twelve ounces of water; allow them to ferment together for a
month, then evaporate until ten ounces only remain, filter, and add
four ounces and a half of alcohol.

LIQUOR OPII SEDATIVUS. Under this name, Mr. Battley, a manufacturing
druggist, of Fore-street, London, has offered for sale a narcotic
preparation, which it is generally supposed owes its efficacy to the
acetate of morphia; on being kept, however, I found that it underwent
some important change, during which so much air was disengaged as to
blow out the cork from the bottle with violence. This is an objection
to its admission into practice, unless we can ensure recently prepared
portions as often as they may be required.

In publishing the above statement, I have unfortunately been the cause
of much unnecessary INK-SHED. A letter, by Mr. Battley, has been
industriously circulated through the different ranks of the
profession, purporting to be an apology for his preparation, but after
a careful perusal of it, instead of being able to discover any
argument in its favour, we receive a full acknowledgment of the
validity of the objection above stated. “I explained to Dr. Paris,
that the liability of the solution to undergo change, WAS A DEFECT in
the preparation, but that the addition of a little spirit would
prevent decomposition,” and yet in the next sentence he tells us that
in those cases in which it is most beneficial, “the addition of spirit
would be highly improper.” See Medical Repository, vol. xiii, p. 273.

But the circumstance which has excited the greatest indignation in the
mind of Mr. Battley, is my having applied the term NOSTRUM to his
preparation. Every medicine that is prepared by a secret process, and
sold for the private advantage of an individual, is properly
designated a NOSTRUM. And I am at a loss to discover any feature in
the present case that can entitle it to be considered as an exception
to this general rule; but perhaps Mr. Battley is inclined to be
hypercritical, and as the preparation is not indebted to him, but to
Wedelius or Le Mort, for its origin, is prepared to exclaim with the
Roman Poet:

“Quæ non fecimus ipsi vix ea NOSTRA VOCO.”

Mr. Battley also complains bitterly of my having inserted his
preparation under so odious a motto as “Arcana Revelata fætent,” for
my own part I cannot conceive any thing more appropriate to the case,
viz. Arcana, _these secret preparations_, revelata, _exposed to the
air_, fætent, _grow fœtid_. But, notwithstanding the objections which
I have thus felt it my duty to offer, I am disposed to speak
favourably of its mild and uniform effects, and in justice to Mr.
Battley, I will further state the same opinion has been formed by a
great number of respectable practitioners. The late Mr. Haden, who
during his protracted illness took a large quantity of this
preparation, states, in his Translation of the Formulary of Dr.
Majendie, that it is devoid of exciting, and almost of constipating,
properties. He made a very good substitute, “by macerating the dregs,
remaining after making tincture of opium, in a solution of Tartaric
acid.” The preparation formed a tolerably deep tincture, and 40 drops
acted, he thought, in all respects, like 20 of the liquor opii
sedativus. It neither stimulated, nor produced costiveness.

Footnote 595:

GODBOLD’S VEGETABLE BALSAM. In the specification of the Patent for
this nostrum forty-two different vegetables are directed to be
distilled “for the purpose of extracting their essences, which are to
be preserved separately and apart from each other, in syrups, and are
to be mixed with the following gums and drugs, viz. Gum Dragon, Gum
Guaiacum, Gum Arabic, and Gum Canada, these being dissolved in double
distilled vinegar, with a quantity of Storax dissolved in Spirits of
Wine and Oil of Cinnamon. It is to be bottled off, and kept three
years before it is fit to be administered for the CURE of Consumption,
or any Asthmatic Complaint.” It is hardly necessary to observe, that
no such directions ever are, or indeed ever could be followed; in
short the “BALSAM” is little else than simple oxymel. It is, however,
not a little curious that amongst the forty-two plants enumerated,
there should be several that would on distillation yield Prussic acid,
such as the Bays. We wonder that this accidental circumstance has not
been noticed, and turned to account, by some of those worthy disciples
of Esculapius who live by the credulity of mankind, and, as Falstaff
expresses it, “Turn diseases to a commodity.”

Footnote 596:

“It is in this manner, I apprehend, that stimulating syrups will
frequently remove hoarseness.”

Footnote 597:

Although it has been long known that the seeds of the poppy, and the
oil obtained from them by expression, do not possess any of the
narcotic properties of the plant, and that they were even baked into
cakes and used as an article of food by the ancients, yet has there
been in later times very considerable contention respecting the
propriety and safety of using such oil. The cultivation of the Poppy
for the sake of the oil of its seeds, as an article of food, has been
long carried on in France, Brabant, and Germany; and more recently in
Holland. At about the beginning of the 17th century, the opposition to
this use of the Poppy manifested itself in France, and became so
violent, that the Lieutenant General of the Police of Paris ordered
the medical faculty of that city to make the strictest examination
concerning this point, and they accordingly reported that, as there is
nothing narcotic or prejudicial to health in the oil, the use of it
might be permitted. But this decision was unsatisfactory; and popular
clamour determined the Court to pass a decree in 1718, prohibiting the
sale of Poppy Oil, whether mixed or unmixed! The sale of the article,
however, notwithstanding this most singular decree, was clandestinely
encouraged, and it gradually increased until the year 1735, when the
Court issued a severe decree, enjoining the superintendent to mix a
certain quantity of the extract of Turpentine, with every cask
containing 1100 lbs. of this oil, of which no less than 2000 casks
were consumed in Paris alone. But the secret demand for it increased
until 1773, when a Society of Agriculture undertook to examine the
question, and the result of their labours had the effect of reversing
the prohibition, and of convincing the multitude that their fears were
entirely unfounded, and that there was really no narcotic power, nor
any secret mischief in the article.

Footnote 598:

As these pills are liable to become hard and insoluble by being kept,
it is better to keep the ingredients in powder, and to form them
extemporaneously with a little syrup.

Footnote 599:

The Pix Arida of the late Pharmacopœia.

Footnote 600:

Tar water was also at one period celebrated as an antisiphylitic
remedy. M. Acharius, in his work “On the Use and advantages of Tar
Water in Venereal Complaints,” enumerates the cases of a number of
patients cured by this remedy alone in the Hospital of Stockholm,
without any Mercury.

Footnote 601:

Dr. Mudge in the year 1782 had recommended the fumigation of balsams,
in a pamphlet on the subject of his Inhaler; little or no notice
however was taken of this recommendation, a circumstance which cannot
excite our surprise when we consider the extravagant terms in which
the pretensions of the remedy were supported. “I believe,” says he,
“that much of the benefit which consumptive persons experience from
sea voyages, is derived from the tar vapour constantly present on
board a ship!”

A Radical and Expeditious Cure for a recent Catarrhous Cough. By J.
Mudge, Plymouth, 1783.

Footnote 602:

Litharge. The word is derived from λὶθος, _Lapis_, a stone, and
ἄργυρος, _Argentum_, Silver; from the fact of the lead being thrown
off in this state during its application for the refinement of Silver.

Footnote 603:

That the oak cask imparts astringent matter to the contained spirit,
is shewn by the facts enumerated under the history of Brandy, see
Spiritus Tenuior.

Footnote 604:

Sir George Baker considered the dry-belly-ache, which is common to
drinkers of new Rum, in the West Indies, entirely referable to its
contamination with Lead.

Footnote 605:

See next Note.

Footnote 606:

I uniformly adopt this plan; the acetic acid is the best guard that
can be selected to protect the salt from decomposition; even the
Tartrate of Lead, which is so insoluble in water, forms with vinegar a
soluble triple salt.

Footnote 607:

ROYAL PREVENTIVE.—This pretended prophylactic against venereal virus
is a solution of Acetate of Lead.

Footnote 608:

Peroxide of Potassium is produced by heating the metal in a
considerable excess of oxygen. It is an orange-coloured body, which,
upon being put into water effervesces, and gives off oxygen, and is
thus reduced to the state of protoxide.

Footnote 609:

Potass forms the basis of many of those preparations, sold as
Depilatories; in some instances combined with Lime. COLLEY’S
Depilatory appears to consist of Quick-lime, and a portion of
Sulphuret of Potass.

Footnote 610:

Sal Prunelle. Nitre, when coloured purple like a plum, has been long
esteemed in Germany as a powerful medicine, under this name.

M. Chevreul supposes the urinous taste attributed to fixed alkaline
bases not to belong to these substances, but to the ammonia, which is
set at liberty by their action on the ammoniacal salts contained in
the saliva; the proofs of which, he says, may be derived from the
facts that the sensation disappears upon pressing the nostrils; and
that the same odour is perceived when we smell to a mixture of recent
saliva and fixed alkali, made in a small glass or porcelain capsule.
(See my work on Medical Chemistry, § 8.)

Footnote 611:

See my “Elements of Medical Chemistry,” p. 157.

Footnote 612:

Ibid. p. 605.

Footnote 613:

I may take this opportunity to state that Sulphuretted Hydrogen, in a
state of simple solution, or in combination with other bodies,
possesses considerable powers as a remedy in many cutaneous disorders
of a chronic character. The “Gas-Water,” or that which remains after
the gas, used for illumination, has passed through the purifier, and
which consists of Hydro-Sulphuret and Hydro-bi-Sulphuret of Lime, has
been used with great success in such cases.

Footnote 614:

It may be termed a Boro-tartrate.

Footnote 615:

ESSENTIAL SALT OF LEMONS. The preparation sold under this name, for
the purpose of removing iron moulds from linen, consists of cream of
tartar, and super-oxalate of potass, or salt of sorrel, in equal
proportions.

Footnote 616:

See page 183.

Footnote 617:

His specification, lodged in Chancery, is as follows. “Take Antimony,
calcine it with a continued protracted heat, in a flat unglazed
vessel, adding to it from time to time, a sufficient quantity of any
animal oil and salt, dephlegmated; then boil it in melted nitre for a
considerable time, and separate the powder from the nitre by
dissolving it in water.”

JAMES’S ANALEPTIC PILLS. These consist of James’s powder, gum
ammoniacum, and the pill of aloes with myrrh, (Pil. Rufi) equal parts,
with a sufficient quantity of the tincture of castor to make a mass.

Footnote 618:

In consequence of the antimonial powder having proved inert in the
hands of Dr. Elliotson, although exhibited to the amount of a hundred
grains for a dose, Mr. Phillips was induced to examine more
particularly into the nature of the oxide which enters into its
composition. “After the well established fact,” says he, “that
peroxide of antimony is nearly or totally inert, it appears to me,
that if proof could be obtained, that the oxide of antimony is in this
state, the deficiency of power in the Pulvis Antimonialis would be
accounted for.” He then proceeds to detail his experiments, from which
he deduces the composition of this preparation to be as follows:

Peroxide of Antimony 35
Phosphate of Lime 65
———
100

which exist together in a simple state of mixture. Until the subject
be elucidated by farther experiments, it will be difficult for the
chemist to persuade the physician, that he can never have derived any
benefit from the exhibition of Antimonial Powder, although I am by no
means inclined to concede to it that extraordinary degree of virtue,
which many practitioners are so eager to maintain.

Footnote 619:

This plant is esteemed by the American Indians as a universal remedy,
and is always carried about with them. The members of the profession
have doubtless heard of an irregular practitioner, who has persuaded a
certain number of persons in this metropolis, that he possesses
remedies, obtained from the American Indians, by which he is enabled
to _cure_ Scrofula in its worst forms; it is to this Empiric that I
alluded in the note at page 33; and it may be worthy of notice that
the plant upon which he relies for success, is the Pyrola Umbellata.

Footnote 620:

Philosophical Transactions, 1799.

Footnote 621:

WARNER’S CORDIAL. Rhubarb bruised ℥j; Sennæ ℥ss; Saffron ʒj; Powdered
Liquorice ʒiv; Raisins pounded ℔j; Brandy oiij; digest for a week and
strain.

MOSELEY’S PILLS. The stomachic Pills which are sold under this name,
consist merely of Rhubarb and Ginger.

Footnote 622:

Dr. Rehman asserts that it is the root of the same species as that
which produces the Turkey variety, but that it is prepared with less
care.

Footnote 623:

The seeds of this plant, from which the oil is expressed, are
variegated with black and white streaks, resembling in shape as well
as colour, the insect RICINIS or Tick, whence the name. These seeds,
from the acrid juice in their skins, are very drastic and emetic; they
were however used by HIPPOCRATES. MATHIOLUS attempted to correct their
emetic quality by torrefaction, but without success. GULIELMUS PISO
proposed a tincture of them, but the preparation is not only
uncertain, but unsafe in its operation. See Tiglii Semina.

Footnote 624:

For the derivation of the name _Castor_ oil, see p. 39.

Footnote 625:

The sugar cane is called in Arabic _Lukseb_. The produce of it,
_Assakur_, hence _Sugar_. Some authors have attempted to derive the
word from _Succus_ a juice; this is obviously an error.

Footnote 626:

For this purpose it may be added to certain ointments to prevent their
becoming rancid. For the reasons, however, above stated, it must not
be boiled with the ingredients, but added after they are cold.

Footnote 627:

In those districts where Soap is generally made from wood ashes, or
from Russian or American potass, unless Salt were added in large
quantities, it would not have any consistence. As Kelp and common
Barilla contain a sufficient quantity of it, no further addition is
required.

Footnote 628:

TRANSPARENT SOAP is made by carefully evaporating the alcoholic
solution. The solution itself is sold under the name of SHAVING
LIQUID, or “ESSENCE ROYALE POUR FAIRE LA BARBE.”

Footnote 629:

When a solution of soap and sub-acetate of lead are added together,
the potass of the former combines with the acetic acid of the latter,
and the fat and oxyd of lead are disengaged; the one rising to the
surface, while the other is precipitated; and yet notwithstanding this
complete decomposition, some surgeons are in the habit of using an
application which consists of a drachm of the Liquor Plumbi
Sub-Acetatis, and two ounces of the Linimentum Saponis! We cannot have
any hesitation in deciding upon the inefficacy of such a mixture.

Footnote 630:

GODFREY’S CORDIAL. The following receipt for this nostrum was obtained
from a wholesale druggist, who makes and sells many hundred dozen
bottles in the course of a year. There are however several other
formulæ for its preparation, but they are not essentially different.
Infuse ℥ix of Sassafras, and of the seeds of Carraway, Coriander, and
Anise, of each ℥j, in six pints of water, simmer the mixture until it
is reduced to four pints; then add ℔vj of Treacle, and boil the whole
for a few minutes; when it is cold, add f℥iij of the tincture of
Opium. The extensive and indiscriminate use of this nostrum in the
nursery, is a subject of national opprobrium, and is so considered by
foreign writers. See Fodéré, Medicine Legale, vol. iv. p. 22.

Footnote 631:

M. Virey says, “On observe que des acides châtrent, pour ainsi parler,
tout l’energie de la Scammonée.”

Footnote 632:

COUNT WARWICK’S POWDER. The purgative long known and esteemed under
this name, consisted of Scammony, Oxide of Antimony, and Cream of
Tartar. It is much extolled by Baglivi, and by Van-Swieten, as an
efficacious purgative in intermittent fevers.

Footnote 633:

The English physicians do not do justice to this valuable article. In
this country it enjoys a high and deserved reputation. As a remedy in
Croup it has long been esteemed as one of our most efficient
resources, and more recently it has been very warmly recommended as a
powerful emmenagogue. In Croup, it should not be given until after the
use of venesection and other evacuants. It may then be administered in
the form of decoction, prepared from half an ounce of the bruised root
boiled in eight ounces of water down to four. Of this a tea spoonful
is to be taken every hour or half hour as circumstances may require.
When used as an emmenagogue, the decoction is to be prepared by
simmering in a close vessel ℥j of the bruised root in a pint of
boiling water, until it is reduced about one third—of this four ounces
are to be taken daily, and to be increased as far as the stomach will
bear, at the menstrual period. _Ed._

Footnote 634:

It enters into the composition of Stoughton’s Elixir, for which see
Gentianæ Radix.

Footnote 635:

It is for this reason that the cake left after expression is so much
more pungent than the seeds, for the fixed oil can be easily separated
by pressure.

Footnote 636:

WHITEHEAD’S ESSENCE OF MUSTARD.—This consists of oil of turpentine,
camphor, and a portion of spirit of rosemary; to which is added a
small quantity of flour of mustard.

WHITEHEAD’S ESSENCE OF MUSTARD PILLS.—Balsam of Tolu, with resin!

READY MADE MUSTARD.—This is made up with currant wine, and sugar;
formerly Must, or grape juice, was employed for this purpose, whence
the name _Mustard_.

Footnote 637:

This term is also applied to the Sub-carbonate of Ammonia. The
objection to its use depends upon the solecism which it involves; the
division of an atom, which, according to chemical principles, is
indivisible; but this objection may be answered by stating, that the
term is one merely of convenience, and serves to express the
proportions of the acid and its base. The chemical difficulty is at
once solved by multiplying each by two, which will make the
proportions as 3 to 2. instead of 1½ to 1.

Footnote 638:

SODAIC POWDERS.—Contained in two distinct papers, one of which is
blue, the other white; that in the former consists of ʒss of the
carbonate of soda, that in the latter of grs. xxv of tartaric acid.
These powders require half a pint of water. It is very evident that a
solution of these powders is by no means similar to “Soda Water,”
which it is intended to emulate; for in this latter preparation, the
soda is in combination only with carbonic acid; whereas the solution
of the “Sodaic Powders” is that of a neutral salt, with a portion of
fixed air diffused through it.