Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I (part 5 of 10)
A simple and ingenious method for the therapeutic administration of the serum of the blood of sheep and oxen has been lately devised by Dr Francis Vacher, the medical officer of Birkenhead. Dr Vacher takes the blood of these animals, allows it to stand until it clots, removes the clot, and dries it at a gentle heat in a hot-air chamber. By this means he obtains a nearly odourless and comparatively tasteless powder, which is ten times the strength of fresh serum. To this preparation he gives the name “serum sanguinis exsiccatum.” He believes that his dried serum will prove a valuable nutrient in consumption, scrofula, diabetes, and loss of flesh.
Uses, &c. That of bullocks is employed for the clarification of wines and syrups; also in the preparation of adhesive cements, as the vehicle in coarse paint for outdoor work, as a manure, as a bleaching powder, to make pure animal charcoal, and for several other purposes. The blood of sheep, pigs, and bullocks, mixed with flour or oatmeal, and seasoned, is eaten by the common people, but it is rather indigestible, and apt to induce disease. Gut-skins stuffed with this mixture form “black puddings.”
Bullock’s blood, dried by exposure in thin layers to a current of air, at a heat under 125°, and then reduced to powder, is exported in large quantities to the colonies, where it is used, as a ‘clarifier,’ in the sugar-works. Dried at a temperature ranging between 212° to 220°, then coarsely powdered, and the dusty portion sifted off, it is much used by fraudulent dealers to adulterate grain-musk. See CHARCOAL (ANIMAL), GLOBULIN, HÆMATOSIN, PLASMA, SERUM, STAINS, VISION, &c.
=Blood-purifying Tea, Gout and Rheumatic= (Franz Wilhelm, Neunkirchen). Equal parts of senna leaves, sarsaparilla root, liquorice, rad. tritici, red sandalwood, bittersweet stalks, cut small and mixed. (Hager.)
=Blood-purifying Tea= (F. Köller, Graz). Senna leaves, 32 parts; guaiacum wood, 10 parts; juniper wood, restharrow root, rad. tritici, dandelion root, chicory root, of each 8 parts; alder bark, 3 parts; sassafras, 2 parts; star-anise, 5 parts, dirty and worm-eaten, roughly chopped, and mixed. (Hager.)
=Blood, Spit′ting of.= See HÆMOPTYSIS.
=Blood, Vom′iting of.= See STOMACH DISEASES.
=BLOOD′-ROOT.= Syn. RED′-ROOT, PUCCOON′; SANGUINA′′RIA, L. The sanguinār′ia Canaden′sis (Linn.), a papaveraceous plant of North America; also its root (SANGUINA′′RIA, Ph. U. S.), which is the part used in medicine. Juice, blood-red, used in dyeing. In small doses (3 to 5 gr.) it is stimulant, diaphoretic, and expectorant; in large ones (10 to 20 gr.), narcotic, emetic, and purgative. The powder is sometimes used as an escharotic. See SANGUINARINE.
=BLOOD′STONE.= A hard compact variety of hæmatite used to form burnishers. The name is also applied by lapidaries to the heliotrope.
=BLOOM.= In perfumery, &c., a name given to several calorific skin-cosmetics, of which the following are examples:——
=Bloom of Almonds= (ah′-mŭndz). Syn. AL′MOND-BLOOM. Prop. Boil 1 oz. of ground Brazil-wood in 2-1/2 pints of soft water for 30 minutes, adding the juice of two lemons towards the end; strain, and add 3/4 oz. of isinglass, 1/4 oz. of powdered cochineal, 1 oz. of alum, and 1/2 oz. of borax; boil again for 4 or 5 minutes, and strain through muslin. Glass or earthenware vessels must be used, as metals injure its colour.
=Bloom of Roses.= Prep. 1. Dried red rose leaves, 1-1/2 oz.; boiling water, 1 pint; infuse in glass or earthenware for 2 hours, press out the liquor, and add the juice of 3 large lemons; the next day filter, or decant the clear portion. Both the above should be kept in a cool place, otherwise they soon spoil. A little spirit of wine (3 or 4 fl. oz. to the pint) is sometimes added to them to remove this objection. They are greatly inferior to the following:——
2. Carmine, 1/4 oz.; strong liquor of ammonia (not weaker than ·900), 1 oz.; put them into a stoppered bottle, set it in a cool place, and occasionally agitate it for two or three days, to effect a solution; then add of rose-water, 1 pint; and, after admixture, further add of esprit de rose, 1/2 fl. oz.; pure rectified spirit, 1 fl. oz.; again well agitate, and set the whole aside for a week; lastly, decant the clear portion from the dregs (if any), for use or sale. Very fine. A cheaper article is made by omitting a portion of the carmine, and the whole of the esprit and spirit; and a still inferior one by substituting 1-1/2 oz. of silver-grain cochineal (in powder) for the carmine, with digestion for a week in the ammonia previously diluted with one half of the water.
=Bloom of Youth, or Liquid Pearl= (G. W. Laird, New York). A colourless liquid holding in suspension 34 per cent. of zinc oxide entirely free from lead. (Chandler.)
=BLOTE.= To prepare or cure by drying and smoking; now only applied to fish.
=BLO′TER.= Syn. BLOAT′ER. A bloted fish; appr., a herring slightly salted, and only very slightly dried and smoked.
=BLOW′PIPE= (blō′-). Syn. CHALUMEAU, Fr.; LÖTHROHR, Ger. An instrument by means of which the flame of a candle or lamp, or a gas-jet, is directed upon any substance placed to receive it, which is thus subjected to an intense heat. The blowpipe is to the artist and the experimentalist what the wind-furnace is to the artisan; but it is proportionately more powerful, convenient, and economical.
Beginners are usually unable to maintain a continued stream of air from the jet of this instrument, although the doing so is really a very simple affair. The operation merely depends on a little artifice in using it, which is more difficult to describe than to acquire. The effect intended to be produced is a continual stream of air for many minutes, if necessary, without interruption, even for an instant. This is done by simply applying the tongue to the roof of the mouth, so as to interrupt the communication between the mouth and the passage of the nostrils; by which means the operator is at liberty to breathe through the nose, at the same time that by the muscles of the lips he forces a continued stream of air from the anterior part of the mouth through the blowpipe. When the mouth begins to be empty it is replenished by the lungs in an instant, while the tongue is withdrawn from the roof of the mouth, and replaced again in the same manner as in pronouncing the monosyllable tut. In this way the stream of air may be continued for a long time without fatigue, provided the flame be not urged too impetuously; and even should it be so urged no other inconvenience will be felt than that of slight fatigue of the muscles of the lips.
The hottest portion of the flame produced by the action of the blowpipe is at the tip of the outer white flame, which has also the property of rapidly burning or oxidising substances placed in it which are susceptible of such a change; and it is hence commonly called the OXIDISING FLAME. The interior blue flame is, for a like reason, called the DEOXIDISING or REDUCING FLAME, as it possesses the property of extracting oxygen from most bodies capable of being so affected.
Substances to be submitted to the action of the blowpipe-flame are placed on a support, which is either a piece of charcoal, or a wire or small spoon of platinum, gold, or silver, as the case may require. Sometimes a plate of cyanite is used. Pine-wood charcoal is preferred for this purpose; and the sides, not the ends of the fibres, are presented to the flame. When a very intense heat is required, the substance operated on should not exceed the size of half a peppercorn.
Several characteristic colour reactions may often be obtained in the examination of a substance for analysis, by fusing a small portion of it, with a bead of microcosmic salt, and exposing it for some time to the outer flame of the blowpipe. If the substance dissolve readily in the salt and rather copiously to a clear bead whilst hot, and is of a blue colour by candle light inclining to violet, it denotes COBALT. If it be green, upon cooling blue; in the reducing flame after cooling, red——COPPER. If green, particularly fine on cooling, unaltered in the reducing flame, CHROMIUM. If brownish red, on cooling light yellow or colourless; in this reducing flame, red whilst hot, yellow whilst cooling, then greenish——IRON. If reddish to brownish red, on cooling yellow to reddish yellow or colourless; in the reducing flame unaltered——NICKEL. If yellowish-brown, on cooling light yellow or colourless; in the reducing flame almost colourless, and blackish-grey on cooling——BISMUTH. If light yellowish to opal, when cold, rather dull; in the reducing flame whitish-grey——SILVER. If amethyst-red, especially on cooling; colourless in the reducing flame, not quite clear——MANGANESE. If the bead remains clear on cooling, ANTIMONY, ALUMINA, ZINC, CADMIUM, LEAD, LIME, and MAGNESIA are indicated, the latter five when added in somewhat large proportion to the microcosmic salt, give enamel white beads. The bead of oxide of LEAD saturated is yellowish. If the bead becomes enamel-white on cooling, even where only a small portion of the powder has been added to the microcosmic salt——BARYTA and STRONTIA are indicated.
If the substance dissolves in the microcosmic salt slowly and only in small quantity, the bead being colourless and remaining so after cooling, the undissolved portion looking semi-transparent, and if upon the addition of a little sesquioxide of iron it acquires the characteristic colour of an iron bead——this denotes SILICIC ACID.
For producing extreme degrees of heat the flame is blown with a jet of oxygen gas, the instrument being then called an OXYGEN BLOWPIPE; or a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen is burned, when it is called an OXY-HYDROGEN BLOWPIPE. The heat produced by the last is so great that no substance can stand exposure to it, even the most refractory native compounds being immediately fused. Gold is volatilised, and iron is rapidly consumed the instant it is placed in the flame.
The principal varieties of the blowpipe in general use are figured in the engravings above.
Beside the above there are several other varieties of the blowpipe occasionally employed; one in which the air is expelled by the pressure of a column of water, and hence called the HYDROSTATIC BLOWPIPE; another, in which the flame is blown with the vapour of boiling alcohol, is named the SPIRIT-BLOWPIPE.
=Blowpipe, Herapath.= For sealing and bending glass tubes and constructing glass apparatus of various forms, it is convenient to have the blowpipe mounted on a fixed support, and when a flame of considerable power is required, the blast must be supplied by bellows worked with the foot. A very convenient form of blowpipe for these purposes is that invented by Herapath, and represented in the following figure, a is a flexible tube attached to a stop-cock (b), which communicates with a tube (c d), bent at right angles at d, where a T-shaped tube (e f g) slips on by means of the piece f. The blow-pipe jet (h i) passes into the longer arm of the T-piece, and fits somewhat tightly; k l is a second piece of flexible tube, terminating in a mouthpiece, or connected with a blowing apparatus. On turning on the gas, it passes in the direction marked by the arrows, and is to be inflamed at e. On blowing with the mouth, or by means of a pair of bellows, into the tube k l, the ignited gas takes the form of a blow-pipe flame of great power, the nature of which is entirely under control by means of the stop-cock b, and also by regulating the quantity of air supplied through the tube (k l). The T-shaped piece is movable at f, so that the jet may be directed to any position. The apparatus may be mounted on a heavy foot, and connected with the gas-supply, by means of the flexible tube, so that it can be placed in any required position on the laboratory table; or it may be permanently fixed on a table specially devoted to the purpose, and having beneath it a pair of bellows worked by a treadle.
A simple and inexpensive apparatus for supplying a continuous blast of air for blowpipe or other purpose is figured below.
It consists essentially of a tin tube (to which is fixed a branch tube open to the air), through which water may be driven from a supply tap into a properly fitted bottle. Air becomes thus entangled with the water in its course through the tube, and carried with it into the bottle. The water is then got rid of by means of a syphon, and the air is conducted by an elastic tube to the blow-pipe.
To set the apparatus in action, connect the tube C D with a water tap by means of a piece of elastic tubing, and turn on the water; pinch the tube M for a few moments between the thumb and finger until the syphon has begun to act. A blast of air will at once be felt at the extremity of M.
=BLUB′BER.= Syn. AD′EPS BALÆNA′′RUM, L.; GRAISSE DE BALEINE, Fr. The soft fat of whales, and of other large sea-animals, from which the oil (TRAIN′ OIL, WHALE′ OIL) is obtained by heat.
=Blubber, Sea.= The popular name of several species of marine animals of the genus medusa, having a body resembling a large mass of jelly. They are very plentiful in some parts of the coast of England, and are said to form a rich and cheap manure for pasture and arable land. They are used at the rate of about 1 ton to every 20 or 30 loads of mould, together with a chaldron of lime, per acre. In 3 or 4 months the land is usually found in prime condition. Pilchards, and other fish that swarm upon our coasts, and for which there is not a ready market, may be used in the same way, and are much richer, being, when properly managed, but little inferior to guano.
=BLUE= (bl′ōō). Syn. CÆRU′LEUS, L.; BLEU, Fr.; BLAU, Ger. Of the colour of the clear sky, or of any shade of it, whether lighter or darker; subst., a blue colour, blueness (COL′OR CÆRU′LEUS, L.); or a blue, colouring material or pigment (CÆRU′LEUM, L.).
=Blue Dye=. Syn. TEINTE BLEUE, Fr.; BLAU FARBE, Ger. The most permanent blue is that given by indigo, and particularly by what is called the ‘indigo-vat.’ A variety of shades, of great beauty, and considerable permanence, may also be given by the ‘Prussian-blue process.’ Cheaper blues are commonly dyed with logwood. Each of these is noticed at length under their respective heads. The following are also employed, and are well adapted for common goods, on the small scale and for domestic use.
1. Give the goods a mordant of alum, or of acetate of alumina (‘red liquor’), then rinse them well, and boil them in a bath of logwood, to which a small quantity of blue vitriol has been added; lastly, rinse and dry.
2. Boil the goods for a short time in a bath of logwood; then add to the liquor tartar and verdigris, in the proportion of 1 oz. of each to every lb. of logwood employed; and again boil for a short time.
3. Give the goods a mordant of tartar; lift, add a little chromate of potash; again work for 15 or 20 minutes, and rinse; next boil in a bath of logwood, adding towards the last a few grains more of the chromate; again boil, and finish. The whole quantity of chromate used should not exceed 1/4 oz. to each lb. of logwood taken for the bath. Very dark.
4. Bilberries, elder-berries, mulberries, privet-berries, and several other like vegetable substances, may be used to dye blue, as above, instead of logwood.
Obs. By increasing the proportion of alum or red-liquor the colour verges on purple; and by employing a little acetate of iron or green copperas, the darker shades of blue are produced. Verdigris, blue vitriol, and alkalies, turn it more on the blue; whilst a mordant of tin imparts a violet cast. If much more chromate be used than that ordered the result is a blue-black. See DYEING, INDIGO, LOGWOOD, MORDANTS, PRUSSIAN BLUE, &c.
=Blue Pig′ments=. Syn. CÆRU′LEA, &c., L. The preparation of the principal blue pigments of commerce is described under their respective names. In the following list those for which directions are given are of a miscellaneous and less usual character.
=Az′ure.= Syn. Azure Blue. A name frequently given to smalts. That of the oil-painter is ultramarine; that of the ancients is noticed below. See ULTRAMARINE, &c.
=Blue, Barth’s=. See INDIGO, SULPHATE OF.
=Blue, Berlin.= Prussian blue.
=Blue, Bice.= Native blue carbonate of copper, prepared by grinding and elutriation. That of the shops is generally a factitious compound made from smalts.
=Blue, Carmine.= See CARMINE and INDIGO, SULPHATE OF.
=Blue, Char′coal.= Carbonised vine-stalks are triturated with an equal weight of salt of tartar or pearlash, the mixture put into a crucible, and heated over the fire until it ceases to swell, the mass being kept well stirred all the time; when cold, it is dissolved in water, and the excess of alkali saturated with dilute sulphuric acid. The liquid becomes blue, and a dark precipitate falls down, which turns of a brilliant blue colour when dried and cautiously heated.
=Blue, Chi′na.= Syn. Roy′al Smalts. The crude oxide of cobalt, or zaffre, is ground with an equal weight of potash, and about eight times its weight of felspar, the mixture submitted to fusion in a crucible, and when cold reduced to an impalpable powder. Used to paint pottery, and as a blue pigment.
=Blue, Co′balt.= Syn. Cobalt′ic Az′ure. This is commonly prepared by one or other of the following formulæ:——
1. Zaffre, 1 lb., is dissolved in nitric acid (diluted with an equal weight of water), 3/4 lb., by digestion for some hours; the solution is evaporated nearly to dryness, and the residuum redissolved in warm water; to this solution, after filtration, a solution of phosphate of soda is added as long as a precipitate forms; this last is collected on a filter, washed with cold water, and mixed, whilst still moist, with 8 times its weight of fresh-precipitated hydrate of alumina; the paste is then dried, and exposed to a cherry-red heat in a crucible, after which the mass is cooled and reduced to a very fine powder.
2. A solution of nitrate of cobalt is precipitated with ammonia-alum, and the precipitate washed, dried, and exposed to a cherry-red heat, as before. The products of the above formulæ are very beautiful and permanent. See COBALTO-ULTRAMARINE.
=Egyp′tian Az′ure.= Alexan′drian Frit, Azure of the Ancients. A mixture of carbonate of soda, 1 lb.; calcined flints, 1-1/2 lb.; copper filings, 1/4 lb. (all in fine powder); fused together in a crucible for 2 or 3 hours, and when cold, reduced to an impalpable powder. A beautiful and unchangeable sky-blue colour. Used in both oil and fresco painting; and as a substitute for smalts, of which, indeed, it is a variety.
=In′digo= (which see).
=Blue, I′ron.= Fer′ric blue. Ordinary phosphate of iron prepared by precipitating a solution of protosulphate of iron with another of phosphate of soda, the resulting powder being washed, and dried at a gentle heat. A lively sky-blue colour, but without much depth or body.
=Blue, Lake.= See LAKES and INDIGO, SULPHATE OF.
=Blue, Molybde′num.= From sulphuret of molybdenum, dissolved in nitric acid, and some tin filings and a little muriatic acid added. After digestion for some time the clear liquid is poured off, and evaporated to dryness. The resulting powder is then mixed with moist hydrate of alumina (as in making cobalt blue), heated to a very dull red, and when it has again become cold, reduced to powder. Used both as a paint and an enamel-colour.
=Blue, Moun′tain.= Native carbonate of copper, mixed with more or less earthy matter, reduced to fine powder. That of the shops is often factitious.
=Blue, Par′is.= Prussian blue.
=Blue, Pow′der.= Smalts.
=Blue, Prus′′sian= (which see).
=Blue, Queen’s.= See THUMB-BLUE (below).
=Blue, San′der’s.= Ultramarine-ashes.
=Blue, Sax′on.= Saxon Az′ure. A compound of hydrate of alumina and Prussian blue, prepared as follows:——
1. To sulphate of iron, 1 oz.; and alum, 8 oz.; dissolved in water, 1 gall.; add, simultaneously, separate solutions of prussiate of potash and common pearlash, until they cease to produce a precipitate; after repose collect the deposit, wash it well with water, and dry it.
2. A solution of sulphate of iron is precipitated with another of prussiate of potash, and instantly mixed with the precipitate which has just been obtained by treating a solution of alum with a solution of pearlash; the mixed precipitates being finally treated as before.
=Smalts= (which see; also CHINA-BLUE and EGYPTIAN AZURE, above).
=Blue, Thénard’s.= See ULTRAMARINE (Cobaltic).
=Blue, Thumb′.= Cake′-blue, Crown′-blue, Fig′-blue, Knob′-blue, Mech′lenburg-blue, (mēk′-), Queen’s-blue, Stone-blue, &c. Names given to the lump-blue used in laundries, which vary according to the quality and the particular form given to it.
Prep. 1. A mixture of powdered starch with sufficient indigo (in impalpable powder) to give the necessary colour, made into a stiff dough with starch-paste, and then formed into lumps or cakes of the desired size and shape, and dried. This forms the ordinary ‘washerwoman’s blue’ of the shops.
2. As the last, but substituting cæruleo-sulphate of potassa or blue carmine[226] for the ‘powdered indigo’ ordered in the last formula. Very fine.
[Footnote 226: See INDIGO (Sulphate of).]
3. As No. 1, but substituting whiting for the powdered starch and weak size, or a decoction of Irish moss for the starch-paste. Inferior.
Uses, &c. Employed by laundresses to impart a faint blue tinge to linen, in order to increase its apparent whiteness. The common forms given to it are that of small balls of about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter; the same, but rather larger, and pinched with the thumb and finger in three directions, so as to leave corresponding depressions (THUMB-BLUE); and cakes, which are cut out of the mass, previously rolled into a sheet, by a suitably shaped cutter.
=Blue, Turnbull’s.= Ferridcyanide of iron (which see; also TURNBULL’S BLUE).
=Blue Verditer.= See VERDITER.
=Ultramarine′= (-rēne′), U.-blue. See ULTRAMARINE.
=BLUSH′ING.= Syn. RU′BOR, RUBE′DO, L. In physiology, &c., the red glow on the cheeks or face occasioned by confusion, bashfulness, surprise, or shame.
Blushing is caused by a sudden increase in the quantity and velocity of the blood in the capillaries, occasioning their turgescence; and, consequently, a heightening of the natural pale-reddish hue of the skin. It is referable to sudden mental emotions of an exciting character, such as surprise, confusion, consciousness of slight, injury, or indignity, and the like. Emotions of a depressing character frequently produce an opposite effect. This is termed pallor, and depends on the rush of blood from the skin and surface of the body upon the internal organs. The first, though often unpleasant, is never dangerous; the last always so. The cure of the habit of blushing consists in persisting efforts to maintain a sufficient degree of presence of mind and self-confidence to permit of reflection, or a calm view of the exciting circumstance, instead of sinking into a state of temporary mental imbecility and helpless confusion.
‘=BLUTANDRANG UND LUFTROHREN-VERSCHLEIMUNG=’ (remedy for congestion and obstruction of the air-vessels), manufactured and sold by the inventor, C. Tänzer, 18, Kesselstrasse, Berlin,’ is the title of a twelve-page pamphlet. For cold in the head, the apparatus, which consists of a small linen cushion to bind over the mouth, is moistened with 10 to 15 drops of the fluid. The fluid (150 grammes) is a mixture of spirit of wine and acetic ether, in which some arnica, milfoil, &c., have been macerated. (Hager.)
=BLUTHENHARZ——FLOWER RESIN= (Kwizda, Kornenburg). Against barrenness in domestic animals. A mixture of 9 parts powdered Bergundy pitch with 1 part pine pollen, 3/4 oz. (Hager.)
=BOARDS, to make White.= Boards may be rendered white and clean by scrubbing them, instead of with soap, with a mixture composed of one part of freshly slaked lime and three parts of white sand.
=BOCKBIERESSENZ=, for the artificial imitation of bockbier. A tincture of 1 part lupulin, 2 parts pyroligneous acid, and 8 parts spirit of wine. (Hager.)
=BOG SPAVIN.= In horses, a distension of the bursa or sheath of the true hock joint. Mr Finlay Dun prescribes rest; high-heeled shoe, fomentation, cold water, spring truss, counter-irritation, firing-iron; seton.
=BOIL= (boyl). Syn. FURUN′CULUS, L.; FURONCLE, Fr.; BEULE, EITERSTOCK, Ger. In surgery, a well-known inflammatory tumour, of a superficial and more or less temporary character, which generally terminates by suppuration.
Boils (furun′culi) generally attack the healthy and robust during the period of youth and early manhood, and seldom trouble persons who have arrived at the middle age of life.
Treatm., &c. When boils begin to appear, and exhibit persistency by daily enlargement and increasing pain, suppuration should be promoted by warm poultices of bread and linseed-meal, to which a little fat or oil may be added, to prevent their getting hard. If poultices are inconvenient, warm and stimulating embrocations, or exposure to the vapour of hot water, or the application of stimulating plasters, may be adopted instead. When the tumour is sufficiently ‘ripe,’ the matter should be evacuated by gentle pressure, and the wound dressed with a little simple ointment spread on a piece of clean lint or linen. The diet may be full and liberal until the maturation of the tumour and the discharge of the matter, when it should be lessened, and the bowels kept gently open by saline purgatives, as Epsom-salt or cream of tartar. When there is a disposition in the constitution to the formation of boils, the bowels should be kept at all times regular, and tonics, as bark or steel, had recourse to, with the frequent use of sea-bathing when possible. An occasional dose of the Abernethy medicines (which see) also often prevents their recurrence. A course of sarsaparilla may be likewise taken with advantage. See ABSCESS, TUMOURS, &c.
Dr Sydney Ringer prescribes a 1/16th grain of sulphide of sodium, mixed with sugar of milk, three or four times a day on the tongue; but this should only be administered under medical supervision.
Treatment for HORSES and CATTLE.——Fomentations; poultices containing belladonna, cold water, carbolic acid dressing, counter-irritants, laxatives, sulphites, and chlorates.
=BOIL′ERS.= See INCRUSTATION and STEAM.
=BOIL′ING.= In cookery, the operation of dressing food in water at the point of ebullition, or one very closely approaching it. The practice of cooking animal food by boiling, although exceedingly simple, and often most convenient, is neither judicious nor economical when the broth or liquid in which it has been dressed is to be rejected as waste; as in this way the most nutritious portion of the flesh of animals, consisting of soluble saline and other matter required for the formation of bone, and the nutrition of the muscular tissues, &c., is to a great extent lost. This particularly applies to small pieces so dressed, and to those presenting a large surface to the action of the water in proportion to their weight. Large pieces of meat suffer less in proportion than smaller ones, for the same reason; but even with them the outside should be rejected, as it is both insipid and innutritious compared with the interior portion. To reduce the solvent and deteriorating action of the water to the lowest possible point, the articles to be boiled should not be put into the water until it is in a state of full ebullition, which should be maintained for 5 or 6 minutes afterwards, by which time the surface and the parts lying immediately beneath it will have become, to a certain degree, hardened, and will then act as a protective shield to the inner portion of the mass. The boiling being continued for 5 or 6 minutes cold water is added, until the temperature becomes about 150° F., and the cooking of the joint is carried on at this heat until the meat is done: meat loses nearly a fourth of its weight in boiling, salt meat, which is intended to be eaten cold, should be allowed to cool in the water in which it has been boiled. The practice of dressing meat by putting it into cold water, which is then gradually raised to the boiling-point, cannot be too much censured. A 1/4 of an hour per lb. for dressing young meat, poultry, and small pieces, and 20 minutes per lb. for old, tough, and larger ones are the usual times allowed by cooks for the purpose. See BOUILLI, FOOD, &c.
=BOIL′ING-POINT.= See EBULLITION.
=BOIS DURCE= (bwah dŭr-sā). [Fr.] The substance invented in France, and to which this name is given, is made from sawdust, which, under the influence of a high temperature and the enormous pressure of 600 tons, acquires a degree of hardness very much exceeding that of ordinary wood. It has a very fine grain, and is unaffected by atmospherical variations; but its principal merit is its adaptation to moulding, so that by the most economical processes forms and impressions are given to it which it would require, in any other way, considerable labour and workmanship.
=BOLAS.= Sweet light cakes which, according to Mrs Rundell, are prepared as follows:——Into flour, 2 lbs., pour of warm milk, 3/4 pint, a small teacupful of yeast, and 6 eggs; make a dough, add of butter 1 lb. (by degrees), and set it in a warm place to rise for an hour; then mix in of powdered sugar 1 lb.; and make the mass into cakes; put these into cups or tins previously well buttered, and ornament the top with candied orange or lemon peel; lastly bake them. See CAKES.
=BOLDO= (nat. ord. Monimiaceæ). A shrub growing in the Chilian Andes. The bark is used in tanning, and the wood makes a good charcoal. It is reported to be useful in affections of the liver and digestive organs. It has been employed as a tonic in cases where quinine is inadmissible. In large doses it provokes vomiting. The powder of the dried leaves is a sternutatory. See a paper by M. Claude Verne, translated into the ‘Pharm. Journ.,’ 3rd series, v, 405.
=BOLE.= Syn. BO′LUS, L.; TERRE BOLAIRE, &c., Fr. The name of several argillaceous minerals, varying in colour from white to yellow, red, and brown, which they owe chiefly to iron. See OCHRES and RED and BROWN PIGMENTS.
=BOLOG′′NA PHI′AL= (-lawn′-yă). See PHIALS.
=BO′LUS=, [L., Eng.] Syn. BOL, Fr. Boluses, in pharmacy and medicine, are small, roundish masses of medicinal substances, which are taken in the same manner as pills, which they resemble, except in their larger size. Those persons who object to swallowing them in their common state may wrap them in soft paper, or introduce them into the emptied husks of raisins or grapes.
Boluses (bo′lī, L.) are prepared with the same ingredients, and in a similar manner to pills (which see).
=Bolus, Guaiacum= (HORNE). Guaiacum resin 1/2 drachm, elder rob, enough to make into a bolus. Formerly given in quinsy.
=Bolus for Ague.= (The bolus ad quartanum of the French Hospital). Peruvian bark 1 ounce; carbonate of potash 1 drachm; tartarised antimony 15 grains; syrup, a sufficient quantity, one to be taken every four hours during the intermission.
=Bolus, Vermifuge= (Dr Campbell). Basilie powder one scruple, conserve of wormwood, a sufficient quantity to make into one bolus for an adult. (FOY.) Powdered pomegranate root 1 drachm, assafœtida half a drachm, croton oil 3 or 4 drops, syrup sufficient. Divide into 15 boluses; 5 daily for tapeworm. (FRENCH HOSPITAL.) Wormseed 1 scruple, calomel 5 grains, camphor 15 grains, syrup sufficient. Make into 3 doses; one, two, or three in the day.
=BON′-BON= (bōn_g_′-bōn_g_). [Fr.] A sugarplum. See CONFECTIONERY and SUGARPLUMS.
=BONBONS VERMIFUGES OF GAROZ.= A bonbon containing 15 centigrammes of scammony, and 2 centigrammes of santonin. (Reveil.)
=BONE.= Syn. Os, L., Fr.; BEIN, KNOCHEN, Ger.; BÁN, Sax. The hard substance forming the interior skeleton of animals, or any single part of it.
Comp. According to Berzelius:——
Human bones. Ox bones.
Animal matter soluble in boiling water 32·17} 33·30
Vascular substance 1·13}
Phosphate of calcium, with a little fluoride of calcium 53·04 57·35
Carbonate of calcium 11·30 3·85
Phosphate of magnesium 1·16 2·05
Chloride of sodium and other salts 1·20 3·45 -------- -------- 100· 100·
The soluble animal matter is chiefly fat and gelatin.
Uses, &c. The bones of animals are employed for various purposes in the arts, manufactures, and domestic economy. Those of good meat form most excellent materials for making soups and gravies, as is well known to every cook. In France, soup is extensively made by subjecting bruised bones to a steam heat of 2 or 3 days’ continuance. In England the same is commonly effected in an iron Papin’s digester. When the earthy matter of a bone is dissolved out by digesting it in a large quantity of very dilute hydrochloric acid, a lump of gelatine is obtained, which, after being well washed with water, is equal to isinglass for all the purposes of making soups and jellies. The following is the process recommended by Proust for making the best of bones, in hospitals, gaols, and similar establishments:——
The bones, crushed small, are to be boiled for 15 minutes in a kettle of water, and the fat (which is fit for all common purposes) skimmed off as soon as cold. The bones are then to be ground, and boiled in 8 to 10 times their weight of water (of which that already used must form a part), until half of it is wasted, when a very nutritious jelly will be obtained. Iron vessels should alone be used in this process, as the jelly and soup act upon copper, brass, and the other common metals. The bones of fresh meat are the most productive; those of boiled meat come next, whilst those of roasted meat scarcely afford any jelly. As ‘boning’ meat before cooking is now a very general practice, a quantity of fresh bones may always be obtained.
Bones are, for the most part, WROUGHT, TURNED, BLEACHED, and DYED in a similar manner to ivory, but with less care, owing to their inexpensive and coarser character. Before being submitted to any of these operations they are, however, first submitted to long boiling, to deprive them of grease.
The bones of living animals may be dyed by mixing madder with their food. The bones of young pigeons may thus be tinged of a rose colour in 24 hours, and of a deep scarlet in 3 days; but the bones of adult animals take a fortnight to acquire even a rose colour. The bones nearest the heart become tinged the soonest. In the same way extract of logwood tinges the bones of young pigeons purple. See BLEACHING, DYEING, IVORY, &c.
In all manufacturing processes in which bones are operated upon, foul vapours, unless special precautions are observed, will be thrown off, to the great annoyance and discomfort of those living near the building where the operations are performed.
To avoid this the offensive vapours should always be carried by a flue made for the purpose into the furnace-fire, and there consumed. But this will not remedy another source of annoyance which arises from the disgusting stench caused by the putrefaction of the flesh adhering to the bones, which lie in heaps about the premises.
The trade of a bone-boiler comes under the head of offensive trades (see ‘Public Health Acts,’ s. 112-114), and is under the control and regulation of an urban sanitary authority, which has also the power of preventing the bone-boiling being carried on within its district if it thinks proper.
=BONE′-ASH.= Impure triphosphate of calcium, obtained by calcining bones to whiteness, and reducing the ash to fine powder. Used to make pure phosphate of calcium, to form cupels, &c.; also sold for burnt hartshorn.
=BONE′-DUST.= Syn. BONE-MANURE. Bones (previously boiled for their grease) ground to different degrees of coarseness, in a mill. It is sown along with the seed in a drill. Wheat thus treated is said to yield 30 to 50 per cent, more weight in straw and grain than by the common methods. Turnip and other light soils it renders more than ordinarily productive. Bone manure is much used in the west of Yorkshire, Holderness, and Lincolnshire. The usual quantity per acre is 70 bushels, when used alone; but when mixed with ashes or other common manure, 30 bushels per acre is said to be enough. When coarse, and applied in the same manner as other manures, it has been found to remain upwards of seven years in the ground, the productiveness of which it has increased during the whole time.
=BONE′-GLUE.= See GELATIN.
=BONE′-GREASE.= From refuse bones, bruised, boiled in water, and the broth skimmed when cold. Prod. 1/8th to 1/4th of the weight of the dry bones. (Proust.) Used for making soap and candles. See CHARCOAL, ANIMAL.
=BONE′-PHOSPHATE.= See TRIBASIC PHOSPHATE OF LIME.
=BONE′-SHAVINGS.= Syn. BONE′-DUST (Turners’), BONE-TURNINGS. This, by boiling with water, yields a beautiful jelly, which is nearly equal to that produced from hartshorn and ivory shavings, for which it is very frequently sold. Used to make jellies and blancmanges, to stiffen straw bonnets, &c.
=BONE-SPAVIN.= A bony enlargement on the antero-internal parts of the hock in horses. In recent cases it is best to apply cold applications, but in protracted and chronic cases, hot fomentations will be found best. In case of these failing, recourse should be had to blistering or firing, or if need be to a seton.
=BOOK′BINDING= (-bīnd-). Although a full description of the various operations of this well-known art, or handicraft, does not properly fall within the province of this work, a brief notice of them will probably, in many cases, prove useful to the amateur and the emigrant:——
The process of binding books is divided into several distinct operations, which, in large establishments, are usually performed by different persons; such a method being found to produce greater expedition, and better work, than when the whole is done by one person.
The sheets received from the hands of the printer are——
1. Folded, which is done correctly by observing the ‘marks’ or ‘signatures’ at the bottom of the pages. As the sheets are folded they are laid upon each other in proper order, and are ready to undergo——
2. The operation of beating. This is performed by either laying them upon a large stone and striking them with a heavy smoothed-faced hammer, or by passing them through a rolling-press. The former method is usually adopted in the small way, and the latter on the large scale.
3. The sheets are next fastened to bands, which is done by taking them up one by one, and sewing them to pieces of cord, stretched in a little frame screwed or fastened to the counter or table, called the sewing press. (See engr.) The number of bands used is generally 6 for a folio, 5 for a quarto, and so on proportionally, less than 4 being seldom employed even for small sizes. The ends of the cords being cut off to within about 2 inches of the back, the sheets are ready for——
4. Glueing. The back being knocked into shape with a hammer, and the sheets placed in the cutting-press, which is then slightly screwed up, melted glue is thinly and evenly applied. After a short time, to permit it to become sufficiently set and hard, the book is removed from the press, and the back properly adjusted with a hammer, when it is again put into the cutting-press, where it is screwed up very tight, and is then ready for——
5. Cutting. The instrument employed for this purpose is of a peculiar shape, and called a plough or plough-knife, which consists of a stout flat knife, double-edged at the ‘cutting point,’ firmly set in a kind of frame, in which it may be adjusted by screws.
6. Affixing the boards. The bands are now scraped out fine at the ends, and fastened to the pasteboard intended to form the covers, which is then properly adjusted, and further shaped, if necessary, with a large pair of shears. The edges now undergo the operation of——
7. Sprinkling, gilding, or other adornment. The first is performed with a stiff brush made of hog’s bristles, dipped in the colour; the brush being held in the one hand, and the hairs moved with the other, so as to scatter the colour in minute drops equally over the surface.
8. The external covering of leather, fancy cloth, or paper, is now applied, having been previously soaked in paste, to make it properly adhere. One or more of the blank leaves of the book are next pasted against the inside of the cover, to screen the ends that are turned over when the book is finished; or for choice work, is handed to a ‘finisher’ for——
9. Lettering, gilding, &c. Ordinary gold-leaf is applied by means of white of egg, the pattern being given by pressure with heated brass tools, having the design or letters on their surfaces. The whole is then glazed over with white of egg and polished.
10. Burnishing book edges. This is performed with a wolf’s or dog’s tooth, or a steel burnisher. Place the books in a screw press, with boards on each side of them, and other boards distributed between each volume. First rub the edges well with the tooth to give them a lustre. After sprinkling, or staining, or when the edges have become dry, burnish the front; then turning the press, burnish the edges at the top and bottom of the volume. Burnish the gilt edges in the same manner, after having applied the gold; but observe in gilding to put the gold first upon the front, and allow it to dry; and on no account commence the burnishing until the gold is quite dry.
The succession of the above operations sometimes slightly varies with the workmen, and with the nature of the binding. The examination of a bound book during their perusal will, however, render the whole quite familiar to the reader.
There are several varieties of binding, of which only the following deserve notice here:——
BOARDS. A book rather loosely done up, without cutting the edges, and covered with coloured paper or cloth, is said to be in ‘boards.’
CLOTH, CLOTH-BINDING. This is the style of binding in which the majority of works are now issued. It admits of great neatness and even beauty, is cheap, and when well executed is very durable.——The prepared cloth (hard-glazed or varnished calico), cut by a pattern to the proper size, is passed rapidly between the engraved cylinders of a rolling-press, by which the design is given to it. Paste is now applied to each piece of cloth, which is then placed over the volume previously prepared to receive it. In many cases the covers are prepared separately before being embossed, and are afterwards fastened in the finished state to the book by means of a piece of canvas or calico previously affixed to its back for the purpose, when all that is required is to paste the ends of it to the inside of the boards, with the last blank leaf over it. Books in cloth are seldom cut at the edges, unless they are otherwise highly finished.
HALF-BINDING. Books forwarded in boards, and finished with leather backs and corners, are said to be ‘half-bound.’
LEATHER-BINDING. A book is only said to be ‘bound,’ or ‘fully-bound,’ when both its backs and sides are wholly covered with one piece of leather.——The leather is wetted by immersion in water, wrung or squeezed, stretched on a smooth board, cut to the proper size, pared thin on the edges, and covered with paste. It is then applied to the book (previously forwarded in boards, and cut), drawn tightly over it, turned down on the inside, rubbed smooth with a folding-stick, and otherwise adjusted; after which it is placed in some suitable situation, at a distance from a fire, to dry.
Rough calf requires to be damped on the grain side with a sponge and water before pasting and covering.
Russia-leather is well soaked in water for an hour, taken out, beaten, and rubbed; after which the paste is well worked into the flesh side before covering.
Morocco is first ‘grained’ by rubbing it on a board, with the grain side inside, and, after being pasted, left to soak for about a quarter of an hour; after which it is drawn on with a piece of woollen cloth, to preserve the grain.
Roan is either soaked in water, or left to soak when pasted.
SCHOOL-BINDING. Originally applied to school-books strongly sewn and ‘done up’ in sheep-skin, which was either left of a plain brown, or sprinkled or marbled with copperas water. Similar works of a cheaper class are now often ‘done up’ in canvas, brown-holland, and even coarse and strong coloured glazed calico.
Concluding Remarks. Numerous patents for improvements in binding books, several of which possess very great merit and usefulness, have been obtained during the last 30 years. Among these, one known as ‘Hancock’s Patent Binding,’ from its extreme novelty, simplicity, durability, and inexpensiveness, deserves a passing notice here. By Mr Wm. Hancock’s method the sheets are folded in double leaves, and by being properly placed together and adjusted (by setting them vertically, with the edges forming the back of the book downwards, in a concave mould so formed that whilst giving shape it may leave the whole breadth, and nearly the whole length exposed), and firmly secured by a few turns of packthread, the book is subjected to the action of a press, and a strong and quick-drying solution of india rubber is smeared over the back with the finger, when the whole is left for 3 or 4 hours, or longer, to dry. The operation is repeated as often as necessary, after which fillets of cloth are cemented on with the same varnish, and the book is ready to have the boards attached. The sheets of books that cannot be folded in ‘double leaves’ may be strongly stitched through, separately, before adjusting them in the mould. In this way several of the usual operations of binding are dispensed with. We most willingly bear testimony to the strength and durability of this method, as well as to the great convenience it affords in allowing the books to open perfectly flat upon a table, or to be distorted in any possible manner, without injury to their backs. It is, undoubtedly, the best way of binding books for travellers. The Editor of the last edition of this work once had a large trunk of books, among which was a massive volume bound on Hancock’s plan. All the rest were nearly torn to pieces by a few months’ journey, but this one remained uninjured even after five years, during which time it accompanied him in his travels, extending, collectively, to upwards of 23,000 miles. See GILDING, MARBLING, SPRINKLES, STAINS, &c.
=BOONEKAMP OF MAAGBITTER.= Dried orange berries, 100 grammes; bitter orange peel, 30 grammes; gentian root, 60 grammes; cascarilla bark, 30 grammes; turmeric, 15 grammes; cinnamon, 25 grammes; cloves, 15 grammes; rhubarb, 7-1/2 grammes; 90 per cent. spirit, 750 grammes: water, 1650 grammes; star-anise oil, 40 drops; sugar, 250 grammes; digested, expressed, and filtered. (Hager.)
=BOOTS and SHOES.= The cleaning of boots and shoes forms no unimportant part of the domestic duties of a large establishment; as on it being properly performed depend both their appearance and durability. A votary of St Crispin, in whom we place considerable reliance, assures us that to effect this object in the best style, all that is necessary is to employ very little blacking (merely enough to moisten the surface of the leather), and to brush it off whilst still damp. Never make the surface wet, nor allow the blacking to dry before applying the polishing brush. For this purpose a portion only of the boot or shoe should be attended to at a time. The dirt is, of course, to be carefully brushed off before applying the blacking. When it is desired to restore the shape of a boot or shoe, as well as to clean it, boot trees may be used. Of the brushes, we are told that there should be at least three——one (dirt brush) with bristles stiff, but not wiry nor scratchy, to remove mud and dirt; another (blacking-brush), with fine, flexible hair, and plenty of it, for applying the blacking; and a third (polishing-brush), covered with long, fine, springy, and slightly stiff hair, for giving the polish. The employment of inferior or worn-out brushes is said to be false economy, and proves particularly destructive to the lighter classes of leather.
The occasional use of a little oil or grease to the uppers of boots and shoes increases their softness and durability, as well as the ‘depth,’ but not the brilliancy of the polish, from common blacking. For this purpose some good tallow or ‘dubbing’ may be used; the absorption being aided by a very gentle heat. The soles or bottoms of new boots and shoes may be thoroughly saturated with similar substances, by which means their durability will be fully doubled. The common practice among the shoemakers is to moisten the surface of the leather with a wet sponge before applying the oil or grease; by which (they say) its pores are opened and its absorbent powers increased.
Varnish for Boots and Shoes.——1. Boil together in a pipkin one pint of linseed oil; 1/2 lb. of mutton suet, the same quantity of beeswax, and a small piece of resin; and when the mixture becomes milk-warm, apply it with a hair brush. After two applications the articles will become waterproof. Great caution must be exercised in melting the above ingredients, lest the mixture boils over, and so give rise to a conflagration.
2. Common tar may be made warm and brushed over the soles of boots or shoes. These latter are then put near the fire so that the tar may be absorbed. When the absorption has taken place, a second or third application may be given with advantage. This application is not suitable for the upper leathers.
3. India-rubber varnish will be found very useful for anointing the upper leather of boots and shoes; but the lower parts, which are exposed to the wear and tear caused by friction with the ground, are but little benefited by its application.
Patent-leather boots and shoes are best cleaned with a little sweet oil or milk (preferably the first), the dirt having been previously removed in the usual way.
India-rubber goloshes and overshoes may be cleaned with a sponge or brush, and water, care being taken not to wet the linings. The same applies to gutta percha. See BLACKING, LEATHER, WATERPROOFING, &c.
The reasons why boots and shoes so commonly cause corns, and fatigue, and give pain in wear, are explained in our article on the FEET (which see).
Paramount in importance to the appearance of boots or shoes on the wearer is the desideratum, not only of having them so made as to ensure personal comfort in walking, but additionally to have them so constructed as to protect the feet from wet during damp and rainy weather. The evils arising from getting the feet damp cannot be overstated; amongst them are to be included——cold, cough, bronchitis, inflammation of the lungs, and rheumatism. In those inheriting a constitutional consumptive taint, a cold caught from wearing damp or leaky boots has very frequently been known to have precipitated the disease, that has ended in more or less speedy death. Hence arises not only the duty of changing damp boots or shoes as soon as ever the opportunity offers, but the wisdom of adopting the preventive precaution of wearing them of such stout construction as to be impervious to water during rainy weather. If the dangers arising from a neglect of this advice are visited with such serious consequences upon adults and grown persons, they affect infants and children with even far greater intensity, because of the much more tender and sensitive organisation of the latter. It therefore behoves every mother not only to see that her children are shod with good thick boots or shoes, but to take especial care that whenever these are damp they are removed at once.
Mr Chavasse, in his excellent work, ‘Counsel to a Mother,’ recommends “boots for walking out of doors and shoes for the house.” He adds, “that the constant wearing of boots in the house is weakening to the ankles, as weakening as tight lacing is to the waist; indeed it acts much in the same way, namely, by wasting away, by pressure, the ligaments of the ankles, as stays waste away the muscles of the waist.” In support of his argument he quotes Dr Humphrey, who says, “The notion is in both instances fortified by the fact that those persons who have been accustomed to the pressure either upon the ankle or upon the waist, feel a want of it when it is removed, and are uncomfortable without it. They forget, or are unconscious, that the feeling of the want has been engendered by the appliance, and that had they never resorted to the latter, they would never have experienced the former. The deduction to be drawn from Dr Hutchinson’s opinion is that no more fertile source of weak ankles exists than that of wearing laced boots during childhood. Boots with elastic sides, as exerting much more equal pressure, and allowing full scope for the ankles to play, are far preferable to tightly laced-up boots.
=BOOT-POW′DER.= French chalk reduced to powder by scraping or grating. Used to facilitate the ‘getting on’ of new or tight boots, a little of it being rubbed on the insides of the backs, heels, and insteps.
=BOOT-TOP LIQ′UID.= Syn. BOOT′-TOP COMPOSI′′TION. There are numerous articles of this class extant, but, with few exceptions, they are most unchemical mixtures, not infrequently containing ingredients which are either unnecessary, or opposed to the action of the rest. The following are examples:——
Prep. a. WHITE-TOP:——1. Oxalic acid and white vitriol, of each 1 oz.; water, 1-1/2 pint; dissolve. It is applied with a sponge, the leather having been previously washed with water; after a short time it is washed off with water, when the boot-tops are either dried in a current of air or by a gentle heat; they are lastly either polished with a brush, so as to appear like new leather, or they are left rough, as the case may require.
2. Sour milk, 1 quart; butter of antimony, cream of tartar, tartaric acid, and burnt alum, of each 2 oz.; mix.
3. Sour milk (skimmed), 3 pints; cream of tartar, 2 oz.; alum and oxalic acid, of each 1 oz.
4. Alum, cream of tartar, magnesia, and oxalic acid, of each 1 oz.; salt of sorrel and sugar lead, of each 1/4 oz.; water, 1 quart. The preceding are for white tops.
b. BROWN-TOP:——Alum, annatto, and oxalic acid, of each 1 oz.; isinglass and sugar of lead, of each 1/2 oz.; salt of sorrel, 1/4 oz.; water, 1 quart; boil for 10 minutes.
c. Saffron, 15 grains; boiling water, 2 oz.; infuse and strain. Add tincture of rhubarb 1-1/2 oz.; concentrated infusion of rhubarb, to make up to 4 oz.
=BORACIC ACID= (-răs′-). H_{3}BO_{3}. Syn. BORIC ACID, SEDATIVE SALT†, S. S. OF VIT′RIOL†; ACIDUM BORACICUM (-răs′-), L.; ACIDE BORACIQUE, A. BORIQUE, Fr.; BORAXSÄURE, &c., Ger. The pure acid is obtained from common borax. That of commerce is extracted from the boracic acid lagoons of Tuscany.
Prep. 1. Borax, 1 part; boiling water, 4 parts; dissolve, and add sulphuric acid until the solution acquires a distinctly acid reaction, for which purpose about 1/2 the weight of the borax will be required. As the solution cools, crystals of BORACIC ACID will be deposited. These may be purified by placing them on a filter, and washing them with a little very cold water, followed by re-solution, in boiling water, and recrystallisation. Nearly pure.
2. As the last, but substituting hydrochloric acid for the sulphuric acid, there ordered. Very nearly pure.
3. By exposing the product of the first crystallisation of either of the preceding formulæ to heat in a platinum crucible, and redissolving and recrystallising the residuum. Chemically pure. Used in analysis.
Prop., &c. Odourless; bitter-tasted; dissolves in 25 times its weight of cold water, and in 3 times its weight of boiling water; very soluble in alcohol, which then burns with a bright green flame; reddens litmus; browns turmeric-paper (properties characteristic of this substance); when strongly heated it forms a brittle glass (VITRIFIED BORACIC ACID) on cooling. The crystallised acid contains 3 atoms, or 43·5% of water. Its salts are called BO′′RATES.
Uses. Boracic acid was once administered internally, in large doses, as an anodyne, antispasmodic, and sedative, but is now scarcely ever employed as a medicine. The crude acid is used in the manufacture of borax; the pure acid in the manufacture of certain chemicals.
Boracic acid is extensively used in Sweden and other countries for the preservation of milk. Meat which has been soaked in a solution of the acid for a few seconds, and milk to which a small quantity has been added, will keep much longer than they would otherwise do. In Sweden alone boracic acid to the amount of 75,000_l._ was consumed in one year. It is said to be a perfectly harmless antiseptic.
=BORACIC ANHYDRIDE.= See BORIC ANHYDRIDE.
=BORATE.= [Eng., Fr.] Syn. BO′′RAS, L.; BORAXSÄURE SALZE, Ger. A salt in which the hydrogen of boracic acid is replaced by a basic radical. The borates may be formed by either digesting the hydrate of the base in a solution of the acid, with the assistance of heat, or from a solution of borax and a soluble salt of the base, by double decomposition. They are all decomposed by the stronger acids.
Tests. The borates may be tested by digesting them in a slight excess of oil of vitriol, evaporating the resulting solution to dryness, powdering the residuum, and dissolving it in alcohol; the resulting solution possesses the property of burning with a green flame if the sample examined was a borate, or contained a notable quantity of one. See BORACIC ACID.
=BORAX.= [Eng., Fr.; Ger., L., B. P.] 2NaBO_{2}.B_{2}O_{3}. Syn. BIBO′′RATE OF SO′DA, BO′′RATE OF S*, SUBBO′′RATE OF S.†, GOLD SOLDER†*, REFINED′ TINC′AL†*; SO′DÆ BIBO′′RAS, S. BO′′RAS, L.; CHRYSOCOLLE, &c., Fr.; BORAXSAURES NATRON, &c., Ger. COMMERCIAL BIBORATE OF SODA. Borax is obtained either by purifying native borate of soda (TINC′AL, TINC′AR), or by saturating crude boracic acid with the alkali. It is never prepared on the small scale unless for chemical analysis.
Prop. Crystals, six-sided prisms, which contain 10 equiv. of water, and effloresce in dry air; soluble in 20 parts of cold, and in 6 parts of boiling water; solution has an alkaline reaction on test-paper; by heat it loses its water of crystallisation, and at a higher temperature fuses to a glass-like substance (see below).
Pur. This may be ascertained by determining the quantity of sulphuric acid required to neutralise a given weight of the sample under examination, as indicated by litmus paper. Common salt and alum are frequently mixed with borax to lower the value. The first may be detected by a solution in hot water giving a curdy-white precipitate with nitrate of silver, soluble in ammonia; the last, by water of ammonia, giving a bulky-white pulverulent precipitate. The former must be distinguished from the white pulverulent precipitate of borate of silver, which is thrown down from pure borax.
Uses, &c. Borax is extensively employed as a flux for metals, for soldering, and in medicine. Internally it is diuretic, sedative, emmenagogue, and refrigerant, in doses of 15 to 40 gr.; externally, made into a gargle for sore throat, and in powder as a detergent in aphthæ, and ulcerations of the month. Dissolved in rose-water, it is used as a cosmetic; and mixed with about 8 times its weight of lard, forms a useful ointment in piles and sore nipples.
The ‘Comptes Rendus’ (lxxx, 473) contains the results of some experiments made by M. Schnetzler, with the view of testing the antifermentative and anti-putrefactive properties of borax.
When the leaves of the Elodea Canadensis were plunged into a concentrated solution of borax, the living matter of the cell was killed, and the same result followed with the fresh leaves and spores of the Vaucheria clavata, the spores of the grape fungus (Oidium sacchari), and of yeast moulds, &c. Infusoria, rotifera, and entomostraca, placed in water containing borax, quickly ceased to move and then died. The larvæ of frogs placed in a solution of borax were killed in less than an hour after immersion. M. Schnetzler thinks the deduction to be drawn from these facts is that borax ought to act antagonistically to fermentation, if this latter be a chemical phenomenon accomplished under the influence of the life of the yeast. To test the correctness of this hypothesis experiments were undertaken with a view of determining the action of borax upon fermentable matters.
Ripe grapes and currants after being kept two years in a concentrated solution of borax, in a closed vessel, presented no trace of fermentation, although, however well preserved, they were not eatable. As a counter test grapes were placed in a well-closed vessel filled with ordinary water, when after a time, according to the temperature, fermentation took place, with evolution of carbonic acid. Thirty cubic centimètres of fresh milk were placed in a test tube with one gram of borax. The cream quickly formed a rather thick layer on the upper portion. Although the test tube was closed by a cork a mould was formed upon the cream, but the remainder of the liquid underwent no acid fermentation, and retained during several months the appearance of very clear creamed milk, and although afterwards under the influence of summer heat the liquid became perfectly limpid, and deposited the casein as a soft white matter, neither the deposit nor the liquid had an acid taste, and after three months they still had the odour of fresh milk. Fresh milk put into a well-closed tube without borax underwent fermentation in two or three days. A piece of sheep’s brain treated with powdered borax, after eight days, although it evolved sulphuretted hydrogen, gave no indications of putrefaction, and after retaining a soft consistence during some months, became hard and almost horny without any disagreeable smell.
A pound of beef was placed in a concentrated solution of borax, in a tin case not hermetically sealed.
The liquid into which the colouring matter of the blood, and some of the soluble nitrogenous substances of the meat had diffused, was three times removed during a year and a half, and the meat washed with cold water; but at the end of the above time it had not the least odour of putrefaction. It was of a yellowish colour, but soft and tender as fresh meat. Removed from the borax solution the meat remained in the same state in the air. Beef, veal and portions of sheeps’ brains were placed in a vessel which was filled with solution of borax and hermetically sealed. The liquid soon became clear red, and this colour remained during several months without alteration. The meat presented not the least disagreeable smell as long as excess of air was prevented. Meat placed in water in a flask hermetically sealed became rotten in a few days.
The peculiar odour of the meat preserved in borax in contact with air the author considers to be due to the decomposition of matters which result from the metamorphosis of substances that constitute the muscular and intermuscular fibre. Although probably the use of borax will not be applicable to the preservation of meat for culinary purposes, the author considers that it may be economically substituted for alcohol in the preservation of anatomical specimens. Moreover, its power of suspending life in the lower organisms would seem to indicate its probable utilisation in the treatment of wounds, &c.
In support of the above views as to the antiseptic properties of borax, M. Schnetzler refers to a letter from an English traveller in California, who there observed that in a soil containing borax the carcass of a horse had, for four months, remained without decomposition, the flesh continuing perfectly fresh, and the eye retaining its clearness and brightness. For most of the proposed applications of salicylic acid to the preservation of milk, and the products derived from it, it is affirmed that borax is equally efficacious, and has the advantage of being cheaper and more convenient.
=Borax, Glass of.= Borax dried at a gentle heat, and then melted by increasing the heat until it forms a vitreous mass on being cooled. Used in soldering, and as a flux, particularly in blowpipe experiments.
=BO′′RIC ACID.= See BORACIC ACID.
=BORIC ANHYDRIDE.= B_{2}O_{3}. Syn. ANHYDROUS BORACIC ACID, BORACIC ANHYDRIDE, BORIC OXIDE. The only known oxide of boron. It can be produced by burning boron in oxygen, in the air, or in nitrous oxide, but is most easily and economically prepared by strongly heating boracic acid so as to deprive it of water. It is a brittle vitreous solid, not volatilised by heat except in the presence of water. Dissolves in water, forming boracic acid. Its alcoholic solution burns with a green flame, like that of boracic acid.
=BO′RON.= B. The base of boracic acid. It was discovered by Homberg in 1702; but, from attracting little notice, was soon forgotten. It was rediscovered, almost simultaneously, by Sir H. Davy and by Gay-Lussac and Thénard, in 1807-8.
Prep. Boron is prepared by a process similar to that employed to obtain silicium:——Potassium and perfectly dry boracic acid, or, preferably, boro-fluoride of potassium, intimately mixed together, are placed in a glass adopter-tube, and submitted to a low red heat. When cold, the loose cork that fastened its mouth is removed, and hot water poured in, in successive portions, until the whole matter is detached and all its soluble portion dissolved; the liquid is next allowed to settle, and the precipitate washed first with a solution of sal-ammoniac, and afterwards with alcohol; the residuum (boron) is lastly dried in a capsule, and put into a well-stoppered phial.
Prop., &c. A solid, tasteless, and inodorous powder, of a dark greyish-brown colour. With sulphur it unites at high temperatures, forming sulphurets (sulphides of boron); and when placed in chlorine gas it spontaneously inflames, and a gaseous chloride of boron is formed. The compounds of boron with basic radicals are termed BORIDES.
Obs. Among the most remarkable of the recent discoveries in chemistry are those of MM. Wohler and Deville, relative to silica and boron. Each of these substances is now proved to exist in three very different states, analogous to the three known states of carbon, namely, charcoal, graphite, and diamond. The last of these states is, of course, the most interesting. Crystallised boron possesses a hardness, brightness, and refractive power comparable to those of the diamond; it burns in chlorine, without residue, and with circumstances resembling those of the combustion of diamond in oxygen; it is not acted on by any of the acids, and appears to be the least alterable of all the simple bodies. Its powder is already used in the arts, instead of diamond-dust; and it seems not improbable that, when obtained by the chemist in crystals of a larger size, it may rival even the diamond as a gem.
Some late experiments by Wohler and Deville seem to have established the fact, that the so-called “graphitoidal” boron is really a boride of aluminium. Its formation on fusing aluminium with amorphous boron or boric oxide appears to take place more particularly when the heat applied is neither very strong nor long continued.
=Boron, Terflu′oride of.= See FLUOBORIC ACID.
=BOTHRIOCEPHALUS CORDATUS.= Leuckart was the first to describe this creature, which is a parasitic worm infesting the human intestines. It is, however, much more commonly met with in dogs than in man. The annexed engraving depicts——b, the head (back view), magnified five diameters; b′, upper part of body and head, magnified two diameters; a is a portion of the worm, natural size. See BOTHRIOCEPHALUS LATUS.
=BOTHRIOCEPHALUS LATUS.= A parasitic worm infesting the human intestines. Although classed with the tapeworms, it differs essentially from tænia. The head is of an elongated form, compressed with an anterior obtuse prominence into which the mouth opens.
The animal has the power of elongating and contracting the neck, so that it appears sometimes short, sometimes long. The joints or segments commence about three inches from the head; the anterior ones are nearly square, but the remainder are much elongated transversely. Each segment contains on its flat surface two orifices, the anterior connected with a male, the posterior with a female organ of generation. The parasite is of a brown colour, and from six to twenty feet in length.
Those who are affected by this worm never pass the single segments from the bowels, but void them in chains of many links. The ova are also frequently to be met with in the fæces; they are of an ovoid shape; the capsule is perfectly translucent, and the yolk is distinguishable. The yolk undergoes segmentation, and ultimately develops an embryo with six hooks at the anterior extremity, cased in a mantle studded with vibratory cilia, and the lid of the capsule then opens up; and the embryo escapes. If they do not obtain access to the intestines of an animal within a week, they lose their ciliated mantle and perish. Drinking-water is supposed to be the chief if not the only medium through which the parasite gains admissions to the intestines in man. It seems to be unknown in England, except when imported; but is common in Russia, Sweden, Norway, Lapland, Finland, Poland, and Switzerland.
=BOTS.= The larvæ of the gad-fly. The eggs are deposited by the female fly on the horse’s shoulder and on parts of the body within reach of the tongue, by which they are carried to the mouth and find their way to the stomach. They usually resist all attempts to expel them. The most promising treatment consists in rubbing down in hot water about 2 or 3 drms. each of aloes and assafœtida; and when the solution has cooled, adding to it 1 oz. each of turpentine and ether. Repeat this dose two or three times a week, omitting the aloes if necessary.
=BOT′TLES= (bŏt′lz). See GLASS, INFANCY, LACTATION, PHIALS, &c.
=BOTT′LING= (bŏt′l-ĭng.) See CORKS, MALT LIQUORS, WINE, &c.
=BOUGIE= (bōō′-zhē). [Fr.] Syn. CE′REUS, CERE′OLUS,[227] CANDE′LA PROBATO′′RIA*, L. In surgery, a long slender instrument, originally of wax,[228] introduced into the urethra, œsophagus, or rectum, in stricture and other diseases of those organs.
[Footnote 227: Properly, a ‘little bougie.’]
[Footnote 228: Hence the name.]
Prep. 1. (Prof. Pickel’s.) Amber (melted), 1 part; boiled oil, 3 parts; mix, cool a little, and further add of oil of turpentine, 1 part; spread the mixture, at 3 successive intervals, upon loose spun-silk cord or web; dry in a heat of 150° Fahr., and repeat the process until the instrument has acquired the proper size; lastly, polish it, first with pumice-stone, and afterwards with tripoli and oil. This is the original receipt of the once celebrated French professor Pickel, and is still generally used, slightly modified, on the Continent. At the present time, in Paris, a little caoutchouc, equal to about 1/20th of the weight of the oil employed, is generally added. For the best ELAS′TIC BOUGIES the process usually occupies from 6 to 8 weeks, to allow full time for the drying and hardening of the composition. When the bougie is required to be hollow, a piece of polished metallic wire is introduced into the axis of the silk; or tin-foil is rolled round the wire and the composition applied as before. When dry and hard the wire is withdrawn.
2. (Hunter’s.) Yellow wax, 2 parts; red lead, 3 parts; olive oil, 6 parts; slowly boiled together until combination takes place; strips of soft linen (rather wider at the one end than the other) are then dipped into the composition, rolled up firmly, and finished off on a polished slab.
3. (Piderit’s.) Olive oil, 1 part; wax, 6 parts; as before.
4. (Bell’s.) Lead-plaster, 11 parts; yellow wax, 4 parts; olive oil, 1 part.
5. (St. B. Hosp.) Wax, 12 parts; Chio turpentine, 4 parts; red sulphide of mercury, 1 part.
6. CAOU′TCHOUC BOUGIES:——In France, where ether is comparatively inexpensive, these are made by applying an ethereal solution of india rubber to the silk or foil prepared as before. In England, naphtha was, until recently, employed instead of ‘ether,’ but it furnishes a very inferior product. Now bisulphuret of carbon is generally used as the solvent. Sometimes strips of india rubber, previously boiled in water, or that have had their edges softened by moistening them with a little ether, or bisulphuret of carbon, are wound round the ‘wire or foil,’ and kept in their place by a piece of tape applied over them. They are afterwards carefully smoothed off and polished.
7. GUTTA-PER′CHA BOUGIES:——These are formed of gutta percha (previously softened by immersion in boiling water), by rolling it between plates of polished glass or marble. When skilfully prepared from the best (uncoloured) gutta percha, they are admirable instruments. A bougie of this description, of moderate size, and slightly oiled, or wetted with glycerin or gum-water, may be passed through the whole length of the urethra of a healthy person without causing the slightest pain. Gutta-percha catheters (hollow bougies) are still more flexible and easily introduced, and may remain in the urethra for a long time without causing irritation; an important advantage in such matters. The reader cannot, however, be too careful to avoid those made of coloured gutta percha, which, unfortunately, rapidly become very brittle by age. Those originally manufactured in this material were coloured black, and were constantly breaking whilst in use——a disaster from which several serious and even fatal cases ensued. There is no such danger to be dreaded from those made of the uncoloured material when of good quality.
=BOULES DE NANCY.= See BALLS (Martial).
=BOUILLI.= [Fr.] A name frequently applied by cooks to dishes of boiled or stewed meat, as a refinement on its plain English synonymes. Thus, beef bouilli, beef in bouilli, &c., mean stewed or boiled beef, &c. As, however, the name is à la français, so must be the ‘accompaniments,’ which generally consist of herbs and vegetable seasoning in greater quantity and variety than is usually deemed essential for an humble dish of English boiled or stewed meat.
=BOUILLON= (bōōl′-yon_g_). [Fr.] In cookery, broth, soup.
=BOUQUET′= (bōō-kā′). [Fr.] A nosegay. In perfumery, highly scented spirits (esprits) adapted for the handkerchief are commonly called bouquets. The following are examples:——
=Bouquet d’Amour.= Prep. From esprits de rose, jasmin, violette, and cassie (flowers of acacia farnesiana), of each 2 parts; essences of musk and ambergris, of each 1 part; mix, and filter.
=Bouquet de la Reine.= Prep. 1. Essence of bergamot, 1 dr.; English oil of lavender, 25 drops; oil of cloves, aromatic vinegar, and essence of musk, of each 10 drops; alcohol, 1 fl. oz.; mix.
2. Oils of bergamot and lavender, of each 30 drops; neroli, 15 drops; oils of verbena and cloves, of each 5 drops; essences of musk, ambergris, and jasmin, of each 1/2 dr.; rectified spirit of wine (strongest, scentless), 2 fl. oz.; mix. A much-esteemed perfume.
=BRA′GRAS.= Tar, black resin, and the dregs of strained resin, melted together.
=BRAIN= (brāne). Syn. BRAINS‡; CER′EBRUM, L.; CERVEAU, Fr.; GEHIRN, HIRN, Ger. The soft whitish mass of nerve-matter contained in the skulls of animals, and, in man, supposed to be the seat of the soul and the mind.
=Brains.= (In cookery.) There appears to be scarcely anything which is at all eatable that the ingenuity and taste of the modern cook does not appropriate to his purposes, and clothe with delectability, or transform into something execrable. We observe that our chef de cuisine——no unimportant personage——has taxed every viscera and brought together every novelty and dainty to humour and excite the appetite. Animals which were guiltless of brains whilst living, are found by him to possess excellent ones when dead, from which he prepares a variety of miniature dishes which are truly novel and inviting. Let frugal housewives for the future carefully value their brains, and apply them to useful purposes in a double sense. When cleaned, washed, blanched, and flavoured with the necessary seasoning, they may be formed into a variety of hors-d’œuvres creditable to any table. Mrs Rundell tells us that “beat up with a little white pepper and salt, a sage-leaf or two (scalded and finely chopped), and the yelk of an egg, and fried, they make excellent cakes, fritters, &c.”
=BRAMAELIXIR——GENUINE ASIATIC STOMACH BITTER= (Ch. Rama Ayen, Hamburg). Cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, of each 15 grammes; galangal, ginger, zedoary, pepper, of each 30 grammes; wormwood oil, 15 drops; 90 per cent. spirit, 830 grammes; water, 330 grammes; digest and filter. (Hager.)
=BRAN.= Syn. FUR′FUR, L.; BRAN, SON, Fr.; KLEIE, Ger. The inner husk or proper coat of the cereal grains, sifted from the flour; appr., that of wheat. Comp. 100 parts of bran contain albuminoid bodies, 13·80; oil, 5·56; starch, fibre, &c., 61·67; ash, 6·11; water, 12·85.
Uses, &c. The bran of wheat, diffused through hot water, is largely employed by the calico-printers to remove the colouring matter from those parts of their goods which are not mordanted. A handful mixed with a pail of warm water forms an excellent emollient foot-bath. Infused in hot water (bran-tea), and sweetened, it forms a popular demulcent, much used in coughs and hoarseness, and which, taken in quantity, proves gently laxative. It also forms an excellent manure, and, from containing the ammonio-magnesian phosphate, is especially adapted as a ‘dressing’ for potatoes. It is frequently mixed with flour, and made into bread (bran-bread), which is eaten by the poorer orders for economy, and by the higher classes because it is recommended by the faculty as being more wholesome than white wheaten-bread.
=Bran Mash.= Put half a peck of bran or pollard into a bucket and pour on to it enough scalding water to wet it thoroughly; stir well with a stick or work with the hands; and let it stand, covered up, till new-milk warm. If a horse is not in work on Sunday, it is a good custom to give it on Saturday evening a bran mash in lieu of a feed of corn. Bran mash is cooling and slightly laxative. The bran should always be freshly ground. When intended to be nutritive, oats should be scalded with the bran.
=BRANDISH’S ALKALINE= (Liqueur de potasse des Anglais, Solutio Alkalina Anglica), used in England to add to meat and vegetables about to be cooked, to help in “drawing” tea and coffee, and as a medicine to neutralise acidity of the stomach and lubricate the digestive passages [die Verdanungswege schlüpfriger zu machen]. Preparation:——Crude carbonate of potash 3 parts, wood ashes 1 part, quicklime 1 part, warm water 40 parts. Add to the water the lime, carbonate, and ashes, digest one day, and filter. (Hager.)
=BRANDRETH’S PILLS=, much used as a purging pill in North America, consist of gamboge, podophyllin, the inspissated juice of pokeberries, saffron adulterated with turmeric, powdered cloves, and peppermint oil. Gamboge is stated to be present in Brandreth’s pills on the authority of two American druggists and one dealer. The action of the pills does not, however, correspond with that ingredient, for in two persons five pills produced no loose stools. (Hager.)
=BRAN′DY.= Syn. SPIR′ITUS GAL′LICUS, S. VI′NI GAL′LICI (-sī; B. P.), A′QUA VI′TƆ*, L.; EAU-DE-VIE, Fr.; BRANNTWEIN, COGNAC, Ger.; BRAN′DYWINE†. A well-known spirituous liquor obtained by the distillation of the wine of grapes. The name is also often, though improperly, given to the spirit distilled from other liquors, and particularly from the fermented juice of fruits; but in this case usually with some qualifying epithet.
When first distilled, brandy, like other spirituous liquors, is colourless (WHITE BRANDY), and continues so if kept in glass or stoneware; but if stored in new oak casks, as is usually the case, it gradually acquires a yellowish tint from the wood (PALE BRANDY). The deep colour that this spirit frequently possesses when it reaches the consumer is imparted to it by the addition of a little burnt sugar (caramel). Catechu, or terra japonica, in powder or solution, is also sometimes added to give a roughness to the spirit. The original intention was merely to imitate the appearance acquired by brandy from great age, when kept in wood; but in process of time the thing has come to be overdone. The natural colour which the spirit receives from the cask, however long it may be kept in it, never exceeds a light amber tint, about equal to that of pale Jamaica rum. Nothing, however, will now please the public taste but a spirit of lively and full ‘brandy-colour,’ as it is called. The consequence is that more colouring is commonly added than is compatible with a rich appearance or a very fine flavour.
The brandies most esteemed in England are imported from France, and are those of Cognac and Armagnac, the preference being generally given to the former. The brandies of Rochelle and Bordeaux come next in quality; while those obtained from Portugal, Spain, and Italy are very inferior.
The constituents of pure brandy are alcohol and water, together with small quantities of a volatile oil, acetic acid, acetic ether, œnanthic ether, colouring matter, and tannin. It is from the presence of the two ethers that the spirit derives its characteristic smell and flavour. The amount of absolute alcohol in brandy varies from 45 to 55 per cent. When first imported it is generally 1 or 2 over-proof, but its strength decreases by age, and by the time it is taken from the bonded store for sale, it is seldom stronger than 3 or 4 under-proof. Pure brandies of the best quality, even when new, seldom exceed proof, and are generally a little below it. The reason of this is that they are but slightly rectified, as redistillation tends to injure the ethereal oils, upon which the flavour of the brandy depends.
The quality and flavour of the brandy imported from France vary, and often considerably, from that which is drunk at the best tables on the Continent; this principally arises from it being prepared, or, as it is technically termed, ‘made up,’ for the London market; which means lowering it by the addition of plain spirit, colouring, &c. This is done to any extent desired by the English purchaser, and the quantity and prices of the substances so added are regularly set out in the invoice. The strength at which foreign brandy is sold in England varies from proof to 33 under-proof. In large quantities, and from bond, the strength, of course, depends much upon the age and quality of the spirit; a fine old brandy being, perhaps, 15 or 17 u. p., while one of the last year’s vintage, of a commoner quality, may be as strong as 2 u. p., or even 1 u. p. These matters are familiar to every experienced brandy dealer.
In France there are several varieties of brandy, which are known by names descriptive of their qualities, source, and strengths:——
“Eau-de-vie supérieure” is obtained from pale white wines by skilful distillation, and is remarkable for its rich and delicate flavour. It forms the finest variety of COGNAC BRANDY, both ‘white’ and ‘pale,’ of the English drinker, being seldom artificially coloured. Its deepest tint, though long kept in wood, never exceeds a pale amber; and hence, even when thus coloured, it is frequently called ‘white brandy’ by the uninitiated.
“Eau-de-vie ordinaire,” or common brandy, is distilled from inferior or spoilt white or red wines; average sp. gr. about 0·9476 (from 22 to 27 u. p.). It forms the ‘ordinary brandy’ of the taverns and hotels; and, after being ‘made up’ with plain spirit to 1 or 2 u. p., a very large portion of that which is exported.
Of each of the above varieties there are numerous degrees of qualities, which are further increased in number by their admixture, and by the addition to them of plain spirit.
“Eau-de-vie de marc.” From the lees of sour, damaged, and inferior red wines, the marc or cake of grapes, &c., distilled by a quick fire, to drive over as much essential oil and flavouring matter as possible. Coarse flavoured and inferior. Used chiefly to mix with other brandy, or to flavour plain spirit.
“Eau-de-vie seconde.” The weak spirit that passes over, after the receiver has been changed. Very weak and inferior.
“Eau-de-vie à preuve d’Hollande.” Sp. gr. ·941 to ·942 (18 to 20 u. p.). The common strength at which brandy is retailed in France, and that at which it stands the ‘proof’ or ‘bead.’
“Eau-de-vie à preuve d’huile.” Sp. gr. ·9185 (about 23° Baumé, or 1-1/4 o. p.); pure, olive oil just sinks in it. It is the strongest brandy kept for retail sale in France.
“Eau-de-vie forte.” From common brandy distilled at a low temperature. It answers to our spirit of wine. Sp. gr. ·839 (38° Baumé, or 55° o. p.).
“Esprit de vin” is brandy or spirit, carefully rectified to ·861 (28° Baumé, or 42 o. p., and upwards).
Pur., &c. The method of determining the strength of brandy is explained under ‘ALCOHOLOMETRY,’ Of the large quantity of this liquor consumed in England, we can assure the reader that a small fraction only escapes adulteration. Pure French brandy is indeed an article quite unattainable by the small consumer. The brandy of our shops and taverns is not only systematically ‘lowered’ a little (with spirit of wine or British brandy) by the wholesale dealer, but it undergoes a like process, but to a much greater extent, at the hands of the retailer. The only method to obtain perfectly pure brandy is either to take it direct from the bond store, or to buy it of some known respectable party, and to pay a price that offers no inducement to dishonesty. When this cannot be done, British brandy had better be at once purchased, by which money will be saved, and a more wholesome article obtained.
French brandy, as already noticed, is commonly ‘lowered’ with water, malt brandy, and spirit of wine, by which its original flavour is more or less weakened and injured. This species of adulteration is best detected by the palate. Another, and no very uncommon fraud practised by the retailers, is to reduce their brandy with a large quantity of water. As a natural consequence their liquor suffers so greatly in flavour, and its deficiency in alcohol becomes so apparent, that they soon see the necessity of either abandoning the nefarious practice, or resorting to others of a less harmless character to disguise it. The latter alternative is commonly adopted. An excess of burnt sugar is immediately introduced into the spirit, followed by sundry portions of cayenne pepper, grains of paradise, horse-radish, acetic ether, &c., to give it a pungency and ‘make-believe strength’ that “passes muster” with the petty consumer. This fraud may be detected by gently evaporating a little of the suspected liquor in a spoon or glass capsule, when the acrid matter, colouring, and sugar will be left behind, and may be readily detected by their flavour, sweetness, glutinosity, &c. A little perfectly pure brandy evaporated in a similar manner (on a watch-glass, for instance), merely leaves a trifling discoloration on the surface of the glass. Genuine French brandy always reddens blue litmus paper, from containing a little acetic acid; the old coloured varieties are also blackened by a solution of a persalt of iron. Another test for caramel (burnt sugar) is, let a small quantity of the brandy be well shaken with one sixth of its volume of white of egg, and the precipitate formed allowed to deposit, or be removed by filtration; the clear liquid ought to be colourless. Should caramel be present, however, it will retain its colour. Sometimes brandy is contaminated with a small quantity of lead or copper derived from the apparatus or utensils with which it has been prepared or measured. Sugar of lead has also sometimes been used by the ignorant dealer to clarify it. The presence of these highly deleterious substances may be detected in the following manner:——
1. COPPER:——a. A small piece of clean polished iron or steel immersed in the suspected liquid for a short time (with agitation) becomes coated with a film of metallic copper, when that metal is present. To facilitate the precipitation of the metal, the sample under examination may be slightly acidulated with a few drops of pure acetic acid. Minute traces of copper may sometimes be detected on the surface of the iron with a lens, which would be passed over unnoticed by the naked eye.
b. (Böttger.) A little of the brandy is to be agitated with a few drops of pure olive oil. The latter will acquire a green colour if copper be present.
2. LEAD:——a. Hydrosulphuric acid and sulphide of ammonium produce a black precipitate or discoloration in brandy containing lead.——b. A solution of sulphate of soda (Glauber-salts), or water soured with sulphuric acid, produces a heavy white precipitate, which turns black when moistened with sulphide of ammonium.
3. Methylated spirit is detected by rubbing a little of the suspected brandy on the hands, and then drawing a long breath with the hands over the mouth. The peculiar odour of the methylated spirit, if present, then becomes evident. This is a test, however, requiring practice and experience.
4. TO DETERMINE THE ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH.——Put 100 c. c. of the brandy into a small retort, or into a flask, with a lateral tube, and distil to dryness, or nearly so, condensing the distillate by means of a suitable receiver, and let the alcohol by means of the processes detailed under ALCOHOLOMETRY. The brandy may be roughly tested for fusel oil by burning a little of it in a dish, and depressing over the flame a saucer or other cold piece of porcelain. If a black stain is left, some of the lower alcohols are very probably present, and should be looked for by distilling half a pint of the spirit, and examining the later for heavier products. The vinic alcohol being the most volatile comes over first, the heavier fusel oil remaining until the later stages.
Concluding Remarks. In the ‘trade,’ the addition of water (‘liquor’) to spirit is technically called ‘reducing,’ whilst absolute adulteration is known under the questionable name ‘improving.’ Both of these operations have now been so long practised with impunity as to form the leading qualifications demanded in a cellarman.
The following formulæ for ‘reducing’ brandy are those of two large wholesale dealers, who consider themselves much more honest than their brethren in the same line:
1. Cognac brandy (10 u. p.), 20 galls.; British brandy (17 u. p.), 5 galls.; water, 4-1/2 galls. Strength of mixture, 25 u. p.
2. To 72 galls, of full-flavoured French brandy (5 u. p.) are added 10 galls, of spirit of wine (58 o. p.); 25 galls. of water, and 1 pint of good colouring. The whole is then well ‘rummaged up,’ and allowed to stand for two days, when it is fit for use. Strength of mixture, 22 u. p.
A liqueur, sold in London under the name of “brandy improver,” or “brandy essence,” consists of a thin sugar syrup, flavoured with acetic ether and essence of cayenne, and coloured with burnt sugar. It is said to heighten the true Cognac flavour, and restore lost alcoholic strength.
=Brandy, British.= Syn. MALT BRANDY, &c. For a long time this liquor was distilled from spoiled wine and the dregs of wine, both British and foreign, mixed with beer-bottoms, spoiled raisins, and similar substances. Malt and molasses spirit were afterwards employed, as at the present day, for the purpose; but it was long considered as “an unpardonable and wicked misuse of these articles.” Modern experience, however, has proved that pure malt spirit is, in this country, the most convenient, if not the best kind, to form the basis of an imitation brandy.
Prep. 1. To 12 galls. of malt spirit (finest and flavourless) at proof, add, of water, 5 galls.; crude red tartar or wine-stone, 3/4 lb. (previously dissolved in 1 gall. of boiling water); acetic ether, 6 fl. oz.; French wine-vinegar, 2 quarts; French plums (bruised), 5 lbs.; sherry wine-bottoms, 1/2 gall.; mix in a sherry or French-brandy cask, and let them stand for about a month, frequently ‘rummaging up’ the liquor with a stick; next draw over 15 galls. of the mixture from a still furnished with an agitator. Put the ‘rectified spirit’ into a clean, fresh-emptied Cognac-brandy cask, and add of tincture of catechu, 1 pint; oak shavings, 1 lb.; and spirit colouring, 1/2 pint; agitate occasionally for a few days, and then let it repose for a week, when it will be fit for use. Prod., 15 galls, of BRANDY, 17 u. p. Age greatly improves it.
2. Malt spirit (as before), 99 galls.; red tartar (dissolved), 7 lbs.; acetic ether, 1/2 gall.; wine-vinegar, 5 galls.; bruised raisins or French plums, 14 lbs.; bitter-almond cake (bruised and steeped for twenty-four hours in twice its weight of water, which must be used with it), 1/4 lb.; water, q. s.; macerate as before, and draw over, with a quick fire, 120 galls. To the distilled spirit add a few lbs. of oak shavings; 2 lbs. of powdered catechu (made into a paste with hot water), and spirit-colouring q. s.; and ‘finish’ as in the last. Prod., 120 galls, of spirit, fully 17 u. p. Equal in quality to the last.
3. Clean spirit (17 u. p.), 100 galls; nitrous ether, 2 quarts; cassia buds (ground) 4 oz.; bitter-almond meal, 5 oz.; orris-root (sliced), 6 oz,; powdered cloves, 1 oz.; capsicum, 1-1/2 oz.; good vinegar, 3 galls.; brandy colouring, 3 pints; powdered catechu, 2 lbs.; full-flavoured Jamaica rum, 2 galls. Mix in an empty Cognac ‘piece,’ and macerate for a fortnight, with occasional stirring. Prod., 106 galls., at 21 or 22 u. p.
4. Malt spirit (17 u. p.), 100 galls.; catechu, 2 lbs.; tincture of vanilla, 1/2 pint; burnt sugar colouring, 1 quart; good rum, 3 galls.; acetic or nitrous ether, 2 quarts. Mix as the last.
5. Clean spirit (17 u. p.), 89 galls.; high-flavoured Cognac, 10 galls.; oil of cassia, 2 dr.; oil of bitter almonds, 3 dr.; powdered catechu, 1 lb.; cream of tartar (dissolved), 1-1/4 lbs.; Beaufoy’s concentrated acetic acid, 1/2 gall.; sugar colouring, 2 to 3 pints; good rum, 1 gall. When the above mixtures are distilled, the French brandy, colouring, and catechu, should be added to the distilled spirit.
6. To plain spirit (coloured), at 17 u. p., add a little tincture of catechu, and a sufficient quantity of eau-de-vie de marc, or of the oil distilled from wine-lees, to flavour it.
Obs. The oil referred to in the last formula is obtained by distillation from the lees of wine, either dried and made up into cakes, or in their wet state, mixed with about 7 or 8 times their weight of water. This oil should be kept dissolved in alcohol, as it is otherwise apt to lose its flavour. Brandy from any part of the world may be very closely imitated by distilling the oil from the lees of the wines produced in that particular district. Where black tea is cheap, as in the United States of America, it is very commonly employed to impart the roughness of brandy to the coloured spirit, and the subsequent addition of a little ‘flavouring’ greatly improves it. A really good article of cider-spirit thus treated forms a passable ‘mock brandy.’ In conclusion, we may remark that, as the strength and quality of ingredients frequently vary, and success depends greatly on skill in manipulation, much must be left to the experience, judgment, and discretion of the operator. In all cases he must recollect that a certain degree of ‘age’ is absolutely necessary to give a high character to any spirit. Indeed, to age in the one case, and its absence in the other, may be referred the reasons why French brandy and British brandy, apart from mere shades of flavour, so materially differ.
The production of a flavoured British spirit closely resembling French brandy is a subject well worthy of the attention of the ingenious chemist, rectifier, and cellarman, as a matter of profit; and of the amateur, as affording an interesting field for useful and amusing experiment.
=Brandy, Car′away.= A species of cordial commonly prepared as follows:——1. Caraway-seeds (bruised), 4 oz.; lump sugar, 2 lbs.; British brandy, 1 gall.; macerate a fortnight, occasionally shaking the bottle.——2. Sugar, 1 lb.; caraways (bruised), 1 oz.; 3 bitter almonds (grated); spirit-colouring, 1 oz.; plain spirit or gin (22 u. p.), 1/2 gall.; as before. Some persons omit the colouring.
=Brandy, Cher′ry.= Prep. 1. Brandy and cherries (crushed), of each 1 gall.; let them lie together for 3 days, then express the liquor, and add 2 lbs. of lump sugar; in a week or two decant the clear portion for use.
2. To the last add 1 quart of raspberry juice, and 1/2 a pint of orange-flower water. Both the above are excellent.
3. Treacle, 1 cwt.; spirit (45 u. p.), 41 galls.; bitter almonds (bruised), 1 lb. (or more or less to taste); cloves, 1 oz.; cassia, 2 oz.; macerate a month, frequently stirring. This is the article now commonly vended in the shops and at stalls for cherry brandy.
4. German cherry juice 15 galls.; pure rect. spirits, 20 galls.; syrup, 5 galls.; oil of bitter almonds, 1 drachm.
Obs. Equal part of fully ripe Morello cherries and black cherries produce the richest cordial. Some persons prick each cherry separately with a needle instead of crushing them; in which case they retain them in the liquor, and serve up a few of them in each glass. The plan named in the first formula is, however, that usually adopted. On the small scale, the fruit is commonly bruised between the fingers. A portion only (if any) of the stones in the cherries should be crushed, to impart a nutty flavour. See LIQUEURS.
=Brandy, Ci′der.= From cider and perry; also from the marc of apples and pears fermented. It is very largely manufactured in the United States of America and Canada, where it may be purchased for about 2_s._ 1_d._ a gallon. See BRITISH BRANDY (above).
=Brandy, Dant′zic.= From rye, ground with the root of calamus aromaticus. It has a mixed flavour of orris and cinnamon.
=Brandy, Guern′sey.= Beet-root spirit flavoured.
=Brandy, Lem′on.= Prep. 1. Fresh lemons (sliced), 1 dozen; brandy, 1 gall.; macerate for a week, press out the liquor, and add of lump sugar, 1 lb.
2. Proof spirit, 7 galls.; essence of lemon, 3 dr.; sugar, 5 lbs.; tartaric acid, 1 oz.; (dissolved in) water, 2 galls.; turmeric powder or spirit-colouring, a dessert-spoonful; as before. Sometimes milk is added to the above, in the proportion of 1 quart (boiling hot) to every gallon.
=Brandy, Malt.= See BRITISH BRANDY.
=Brandy, Or′ange.= As lemon brandy, but employing oranges.
=Brandy, Pale.= This article has been already referred to. (See p. 337.) That of the gin-shops and publicans is generally a spurious article, made by mixing together about equal parts of good brown French brandy, clean spirit of wine, and soft water, and allowing the whole to stand until the next day to ‘fine down.’ If the first is 9 u. p., and the second 58 o. p., the product will be 17 u. p. Any deficiency of strength is made up by adding a little more spirit of wine.
=Brandy, Pat′ent.= The article so much bepuffed under this name, by certain houses, is merely very clean malt-spirit mixed with about 1-7th of its bulk (or less) of strong-flavoured Cognac, and a little colouring.
=Brandy, Peach.= From peaches, by fermentation and distillation. Much used in the United States, where peaches are very plentiful, and consequently cheap. A cordial spirit under the same name is prepared as follows:——
1. From peaches, sliced and steeped in twice their weight of British brandy or malt-spirit, as in making cherry brandy.
2. Bitter almonds (bruised), 3 oz.; proof spirit (pale), 10 galls.; water, 3 galls.; sugar, 5 or 6 lbs.; orange-flower water, 1/2 a pint; macerate for 14 days. Add brandy-colouring, if required darker.
=Brandy, Rais′in= (rā′zn). See SPIRIT (Raisin).
=Brandy, Rasp′berry= (răz′-). From raspberries, as directed under CHERRY BRANDY. Sometimes a little cinnamon and cloves are added. The only addition, however, that really improves the flavour or bouquet is a little orange-flower water, a very little essence of vanilla, or a single drop of essence of ambergris.
=Brandy, White.= See BRANDY (p. 337) and PALE BRANDY (antè).
=BRASS.= Syn. ÆS, Æ′′RIS METAL′LUM, L.; AIRAIN, LAITON, CUIVRE JAUNE, Fr.; ERZ, MESSING, Ger.; BRÆS, Sax. A well-known alloy of copper and zinc.
Prep. Brass is now generally manufactured by plunging copper, in slips, into zinc melted in the usual manner. The former metal rapidly combines with the fluid mass, and the addition is continued until an alloy somewhat difficult of fusion is formed, when the remainder of the copper is at once added. The brass thus obtained is broken into pieces, and remelted under charcoal, and a proper addition of either zinc or copper made, to bring it up to the colour and quality desired. It is next poured into moulds of granite. Before being submitted to the rolling-press for reduction to thin plates it undergoes the operation of annealing.
The proportions of the metals forming this alloy are varied according to the desired colour, and the purposes to which it is to be applied. The following formulæ are founded chiefly on analyses of standard brasses and yellow metals, made expressly for this work. Small fractions are omitted; the nearest whole numbers being generally taken:——
a. FINE BRASS:——1. Copper, 2 parts; zinc, 1 part; either combined, as explained above, or the two metals separately melted, suddenly poured together, and united by vigorous stirring.
2. Copper, 7 parts; zinc, 3 parts. Bright yellow; malleable.
3. Fine copper, 4 parts; zinc, 1 part. Deeper coloured than the last; an excellent and very useful alloy.
b. MALLEABLE BRASS:——1. Copper, 33 parts; zinc, 25 parts; as before.
2. Copper, 3 parts; zinc, 2 parts. These alloys are malleable whilst hot.
c. RED BRASS. This name is commonly applied to all those alloys which do not contain more than 18 to 20% of zinc. In the deeper-coloured foreign varieties (RED TOM′BAC) the per-centage of copper occasionally amounts to 88, 90, or even 92%.
d. YELLOW BRASS. See FINE BRASS (above).
e. BUTTON-BRASS:——1. Copper, 8 parts; zinc, 5 parts. This is the ‘PLATIN’ of the Birmingham makers.
2. Yellow brass, 16 parts; zinc, 2 parts; tin, 1 part. Paler than the last.
3. Copper, 25 parts; zinc, 20 parts; lead, 3 parts; tin, 2 parts. Pale; used for common buttons.
f. FOR FINE CASTINGS:——1. As fine brass, according to the colour desired. (See above.)
2. Copper, 62 parts; zinc, 35 parts; lead, 2 parts; tin, 1 part.
3. Copper, 60 parts; zinc, 36 parts; tin, 4 parts. Both the last two are rather pale and brittle.
4. Copper, 90 parts; zinc, 7 parts; tin, 2 parts; lead, 1 part. Rich deep colour.
5. Copper, 91 parts; zinc, 5 parts; tin, 3 parts; lead, 1 part; as the last.
g. For GILDING:——1. As fine brass (above).
2. Copper, 64 parts; zinc, 32 parts; lead, 3 parts; tin, 1 part.
3. Copper, 82 parts; zinc, 18 parts; tin, 3 parts; lead, 1 part.
h. For SOLDER:——1. Fine brass, 12 parts; zinc, 6 parts; tin, 1 part; melted together.
2. Brass, 2 parts; zinc, 1 part; as before.
3. Brass, 3 parts; zinc, 1 part. Very strong. Used for soldering tubes and other like purposes requiring great strength. The above alloys form the ‘HARD SOLDER’ of the braziers. For certain purposes a little silver is added to them, when the compound receives the name of ‘SILVER-SOLDER,’
i. For TURNING:——1. Fine brass, 98 parts; lead, 2 parts; melted together.
2. Copper, 61 parts; zinc, 36 parts; lead, 3 parts.
3. Copper, 65 parts; zinc, 33 parts; lead, 2 parts.
j. For WIRE:——1. Copper, 72 parts; zinc, 28 parts; the resulting alloy being subsequently properly annealed.
2. Copper, 64 parts; zinc, 34 parts; as before.
3. To the last add of lead, 2 parts.
Anal. This may be briefly described as follows:——
a. 100 gr. of the alloy is digested in nitric acid. The insoluble portion is peroxide of tin, every 74 gr. of which, when washed and dried, contain 58 gr. of metallic tin.
b. Sulphuric acid is added to the nitric solution as long as a white precipitate falls; after a time the precipitate is collected on a filter, washed with a mixture of water and alcohol, and ignited in a porcelain crucible. Every 152 gr. of the residuum represents 104 gr. of metallic lead.
c. The liquid filtered from the precipitate of sulphate of lead is treated with a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen; the precipitate is collected on a filter, washed with water mixed with a little sulphuretted hydrogen, dried, and digested in pure nitric acid until the sulphur which separates acquires its natural full yellow colour; the resulting solution is next diluted with water, and reprecipitated with potassa, the whole being boiled until the precipitated oxide of copper becomes of a deep brown or black; it is then collected on a filter, washed, dried, ignited in a platinum crucible, and weighed therein immediately after it becomes cold. Every 40 gr. of oxide of copper thus obtained represents 32 gr. of pure copper.
d. The liquid poured from the precipitate of sulphide of copper is boiled for about a minute, when it is precipitated with a solution of carbonate of sodium; the whole is then boiled for a few minutes, and the precipitated oxide of zinc collected, washed, dried, and ignited. Every 40 gr. of this oxide contains 32 gr. of metallic zinc.
Concluding Remarks. In the adoption of his formula the operator should be entirely led by the object he has in view. The larger the proportion of copper, the deeper will be the colour, and the greater the density, and, within certain limits, the toughness of the alloy. Zinc lessens the specific gravity and colour. Tin gives it hardness and grain; whilst lead toughens it, and renders it fitter for turning. These facts are known to every experienced brass-founder. See ALLOYS, COPPER, MOSAIC GOLD, PRINCE’S METAL, TOMBAC, &c.
=BRASS BATH= (FOR ELECTRO-PLATING). For steel, wrought and cast iron, and tin; using ordinary cyanide of potassium. Dissolve together in 14 pints of distilled or rain water:——Bisulphite of soda, 7 oz.; cyanide of potassium (containing 75 per cent. of real cyanide), 17 oz.; carbonate of soda, 34 oz.
To this solution add the following, made up to 3-1/4 pints of water:——Acetate of copper, 4-1/2 oz.; neutral protochloride of zinc, 3-1/2 oz.; the two liquors become colourless when mixed. Ammonia must not be used for brass electro-plating baths for iron, especially for solutions worked in the cold.
=BRASS BATH= (FOR ELECTRO-PLATING). For zinc. Pure or rain water, 4-1/2 gallons; bisulphite of soda, 24-1/2 oz.; cyanide of potassium (containing 75 per cent. of cyanide), 35 oz. To this add the following solution:——Water, 9 pints; acetate of copper and protochloride of zinc, each 12-1/2 oz.; liquid ammonia, 14 oz.
The filtered bath is colourless, and gives, under the action of the battery, a brass deposit of a very fine shade, varying from red to green, by increasing the proportion of copper or that of zinc.
=BRASS′-COLOUR.= Syn. BRASS-PIGMENT, B.-BRONZE. Prep. 1. Grind copper filings, or the precipitated powder of copper, with a little red ochre. Red-coloured.
2. Gold-coloured brass, or Dutch leaf, reduced to a very fine powder. Yellow or gold coloured.
Obs. Before application these powders are mixed up with pale varnish, no more being worked up at once than is wanted for immediate use. They are also applied by dusting them over any surface previously covered with varnish to make them adhere.
=BRASS-PASTE.= Prep. 1. Soft soap, 2 oz.; rotten-stone, 4 oz.; beaten to a paste.
2. Rotten-stone made into a paste with sweet oil.
3. Rotten-stone, 4 oz.; oxalic acid (in fine powder), 1 oz.; sweet oil, 1-1/2 oz.; turpentine, q. s. to make a paste.
Obs. The above are used to clean brass-work, when neither varnished nor lacquered. The first and last are best applied with a little water; the second with a little spirit of turpentine or sweet oil. Both require friction with soft leather. See BRASS-WORK, PASTES, &c.
=BRASS PLATING.= By simple dipping. A colour resembling brass is given to small articles of iron or steel by a long stirring in a suspended tub containing the following solution:——Water, 1 quart; sulphate of copper, and protochloride of tin crystallised, about 1-5th of an oz. each. The shades are modified by varying the proportions of the two salts.
=BRASS-STAIN.= Prep. 1. Sheet-brass (cut into small pieces) is exposed to a strong heat for 2 or 3 days, then powdered, and again further exposed in a like manner for several days; the whole is then reduced to fine powder, and exposed, a third time, to heat, testing it occasionally, to see if it be sufficiently burnt. When a little of it, fused with glass, makes the latter swell and froth up, the process is complete. It imparts to glass a green tint, passing into turquoise.
2. Equal parts of plate-brass and sulphur are stratified together in a crucible, and calcined, until they become friable; the whole is then reduced to powder, and exposed to heat as before. This imparts a calcedony red or yellow tinge to glass by fusion; the precise shade of colour being modified by the mode of using it.
Obs. The common practice in the glass-houses is to conduct the calcination by exposing the metal, placed on tiles, in the leer or annealing arch of the furnace; a plan both convenient and economical.
=BRASS′-WORK.= Articles of brass and copper, when not varnished or lacquered, may be cleaned and polished with sweet oil and tripoli, rotten-stone, or powdered bath-brick, applied with friction on flannel, and ‘finished off’ with leather; due care being taken to ensure the absence of anything gritty, which would scratch and disfigure the surface of the metal. A strong solution of oxalic acid in water gives brass a fine colour. Vitriol and spirits of salts make brass and copper very bright, but the polish thus obtained soon tarnishes, and the articles consequently require more frequent cleaning. A strong lye of roche alum and water also improves the appearance of brass. In all cases where acids or saline matter has been used, the metal should be at once well rinsed in clean water, and then wiped dry, and finally dry polished with soft leather.
BRASS INLAID-WORK may be cleaned with tripoli and linseed oil, applied by a rubber of felt or leather; the whole being afterwards thoroughly rubbed off, and then finished with clean soft leather. The ornaments of a French clock, and similar articles, are said to be best cleaned with bread-crumb, carefully rubbed, so as not to injure the wood-work. ORMOLU CANDLESTICKS, LAMPS, and BRANCHES, may be cleaned with soap and water. LACQUERED and GILDED ARTICLES are spoiled by frequent rubbing, and by acids and alkaline leys.
1. A fine colour may be given to BRASS ORNAMENTS, when not gilt or lacquered, with a little sal-ammoniac, in fine powder, moistened with soft water. The articles must be afterwards rubbed dry with bran and whiting. Another plan is to wash the brass-work with a strong lye of roche alum (1 oz. to water 1 pint), and after rinsing it in clean water and drying it, to finish it off with fine tripoli. These processes give to brass the brilliancy of gold. See BRASS-PASTE.
2. A gold varnish for giving a beautiful gilding to brass and bronze objects is prepared from 16 grams of shell-lac, 4 grams of dragon’s blood, 1 gram of turmeric-root, and 332 grams of rectified spirit of wine. The varnish is thinly stroked over the surface with a sponge, the metal being warmed over a small coal fire.
The surface at first appears dull, but soon after it appears as if most beautifully gilded. The ready-prepared spirituous varnish must be preserved in well-stoppered vessels.——Dingler’s Journal.
=BRASS′ING.= Syn. BRASS-COATING. 1. Copper-plates and copper-rods may be covered with a superficial coating of brass by simply exposing them, in a heated state, to the fumes given off by melted zinc at a high temperature. The coated plates and rods are rolled into thin sheets or drawn into wire. The spurious gold wire of Lyons is said to be made in this way.
2. Vessels of copper may be coated with brass, internally, by filling them with water strongly soured with hydrochloric acid, adding some amalgam of zinc and cream of tartar, and then boiling the whole for a short time. This plan may be usefully applied in certain cases to copper boilers in laboratories, and to other purposes.
3. By the electrotype (which see).
=BRAUNETINCTUR——QUINSY OR BROWN TINCTURE= (Netsch, Rauschau), an embrocation for the larynx, is a mixture of 3 parts oil of cloves and 1 part creosote. (Hager.) According to Leimbach 1 part creosote with 3 parts of a spirituous tincture of cochineal perfumed with oil of cloves.
=BRAWN.= A boar or its flesh. When young, the horny parts feel moderately tender. If the rind is hard, it is old. (Mrs Rundell.) Also in cookery, the flesh of the boar, or of swine, collared so as to squeeze out as much of the fat as possible, boiled, and pickled.
=Brawn, Mock.= Prep. (Mrs Rundell.) Take the head and belly-piece of a young porker, well saltpetred; split the head and boil it; take out the bones and cut it to pieces; then take 4 ox-feet, boiled tender, and cut them in thin pieces; lay them in the belly-piece with the head cut small; roll it up tight with sheet tin, and boil it 4 or 5 hours. When it comes out set it up on one end, put a trencher on it (within the tin), press it down with a heavy weight, and let it stand all night. The next morning take it out of the tin and bind it with a fillet, put it in cold salt-and-water, and it will be fit for use; it will keep a long time, if fresh salt-and-water are put into it about once every four days.
=BRAXY.= Inflammation of the bowels in sheep, chiefly affecting young sheep. It is most frequent during winter, and occurs in exposed wet localities. The symptoms are restlessness, thirst, tenderness along the spine or belly, and constipation.
Treatment. Bleed early, and give 3 oz. castor oil; 8 grains of calomel; 1/2 oz. of laudanum; 3 oz. treacle; beat up with two eggs, and mixed with about 6 oz. of warm water; let this be repeated in half doses every six hours.
This should be combined with clysters and hot fomentations to the belly. If, after two days, no benefit should be derived, give thrice daily, 5 grains of calomel, 20 grains of carbonate of ammonia, and 1-1/2 dram of laudanum, in gruel. The animal should be removed to a shed or sheltered place.
=BRAZIL NUTS.= The particular tree yielding these nuts (the Bartholetia excelsa) is a native of Brazil, whence the nuts are exported to the yearly annual amount of about 60,000 bushels.
When the kernels of the nuts are submitted to pressure they yield an oil in great repute for domestic purposes and for export, each pound of the nuts yielding nine ounces of the oil, valued at two shillings the pound. According to Martius, this oil consists of 74 per cent. of eldein, and 26 per cent. of stearin. The finely laminated inner bark of the trunks is also a valuable article of commerce, especially adapted for the caulking of ships and barges, and is worth about eighteen shillings the cwt.
The following analysis by Corenwinder gives the composition of the kernels taken from the nuts when in a fresh condition:
Water 8·00 Oil 65·60 Nitrogenous matters 15·31 Non-nitrogenous organic matters 7·39 Phosphoric acid 1·35 } Lime, potash, silica, &c. 2·35 } 3·70 —————— 100·00
=BRAZIL′-WOOD= (-zēle′-). Syn. BRAZIL‡; LIG′NUM BRAZILIEN′SE, L.; BOIS DE BRÉSIL, Fr. A dye-stuff furnished by several species of trees of the genus cæsalpin′ia, and much used in dyeing various shades of red. The usual practice is to boil it for some hours in hard spring-water, and to keep the resulting decoction for some time, or until it undergoes a species of fermentation; as it is thus found to yield more permanent and beautiful colours than when employed fresh. The following are examples of its application:——
a. For COTTON:——
1. The goods are first boiled in a bath of sumach, next worked through a weak mordant of solution of tin, and then run through the Brazil bath lukewarm. This gives a bright red.
2. The goods are alumed, rinsed, next mordanted with solution of tin, rinsed again, and then turned through the Brazil dye bath. This gives a rose colour.
b. For LINEN:——This, for the most part, is similar to that adopted for cotton.
c. For SILK:——The goods, after being alumed in the same way as wool, but at a lower temperature, are rinsed, and passed through the Brazil-wood bath lukewarm.
d. For WOOL:——The goods are first steeped or boiled in a weak mordant of alum and tartar, for 1 hour, and then allowed to lie in the cold liquor for 2 or 3 days, with frequent moving about; they are lastly boiled in the Brazil-wood bath for about 1/2 an hour.
Obs. The shades of colour given with Brazil-wood may be modified by varying the strength of the bath, the mordant, &c. The addition of a little alum turns it on the purple. A little alkali added to the bath, or passing the goods, after being dyed, through water holding a little alkali in solution, produces what is called false crimson. A deep crimson is obtained by adding a little logwood to the Brazil-wood bath. 1 lb. of Brazil-wood, 1/2 oz. of alum, and 2 oz. of tartar, are sufficient to dye from 20 to 28 lbs. of cotton, according to the depth of shade required. See DYEING, RED DYES, &c.
=BRAZI′LIN.= Syn. BREZE′′LĬNE, SAPAN′ĬNE. The colouring matter of Brazil-wood. It forms small orange-coloured needles, soluble in both water and alcohol. Alkalies turn it violet; acids, yellow. Bolly has shown it to be identical with the colouring matter of Sapan-wood.
=BRA′′ZING.= The operation of uniting pieces of copper, brass, iron, &c., by means of hard solder.
Proc. The edges, after being filed or scraped quite clean, are covered with a mixture of hard solder and powdered borax, made into a paste with water. The whole is then allowed to dry, and is afterwards exposed, in a clear fire, to a heat sufficient to melt the solder. See AUTOGENOUS, SOLDERING, SOLDERS, &c.
=BREAD= (brĕd). Syn. PA′NIS, L.; PAIN, Fr.; BROD, Ger.; BROOD, Dut.; BRÖD, Dan., Swed.; BREOD, Sax. Loaves or cakes made from ground corn, and constituting the staple article of food of all civilised nations.
This important article of food is made of the flour of different cereal grains, but only those that contain gluten admit of conversion into light or spongy bread. In this respect wheat-flour is superior to all others. When this flour is made into a paste or dough with water, and the dough, previous to baking, is left for some time in a moderately warm place, a state of fermentation comes on, owing to the sugar of the flour gradually undergoing the process of conversion into alcohol, in every respect similar to that which takes place during the fermentation of wine and beer. In this process a large quantity of carbonic acid gas is liberated, and the toughness of the dough preventing its escape, the whole mass becomes puffed up and spongy, and a light porous paste is formed, the porosity of which is still further increased by the heat of the oven. The natural process of fermenting the dough just described is, however, tedious and uncertain, whilst the dough has a tendency to run into the acetous fermentation, and to acquire a sour and disagreeable taste, by which it is rendered less nutritious and less easy of digestion. This has led to the use of a ferment which produces a similar condition more speedily, and with greater certainty. Leaven or dough was originally employed for this purpose, and the bread so made was hence called LEAVENED BREAD. At the present time barm or yeast is almost universally used for this purpose. All that is essential to make a loaf of bread is to add a proper quantity of yeast to the dough, and to allow it to remain for a short time in a warm place, and as soon as it rises or becomes spongy, to subject it to the process of baking.
In preparing his dough, the modern baker takes a part of the water needed for the batch, and having rendered it tepid or lukewarm (80° to 90° Fahr.) by the addition of boiling water, dissolves his salt in it, and adds the yeast, together with a portion of the flour. With these he forms a thin dough, which he sets aside in a moderately warm place provided for the purpose, and technically called the ‘kneading trough,’ ‘prover,’ or ‘tryer,’ where it soon begins to ferment and swell up. This process is called ‘setting the sponge,’ and according to the proportion the water in it bears to the whole quantity that is to be used, it receives the name of ‘whole,’ ‘half,’ or ‘quarter sponge.’ Here the sponge heaves and swells, and ultimately the surface bursts and subsides, and if not checked swells again and again in a similar manner and would continue to do so until the whole of the ‘saccharine matter’ was destroyed, and the dough had become sour. The baker is careful, however, to stop it before it has communicated a sourness to the mass. After the first, or, at the furthest, after the second or third ‘dropping of the sponge,’ he adds the remaining quantity of flour, water, and salt, necessary to form the ‘batch,’ and then kneads the whole until it becomes sufficiently tough and elastic to bear the pressure of the hand without adhering to it. The ‘dough’ is now left to itself for a few hours, during which the fermentation still goes on. The inflated mass is then again kneaded, cut into pieces, weighed, and shaped into loaves. In an hour or two these unbaked loaves swell up to nearly double their former size, and are then placed in the oven and baked. During this operation they continue for a time to increase in size, in consequence of the dilation of the pent-up gas by the heat. At length the fermentation is checked, and the dough becomes too solid to admit of further alteration.
Such are the principles and practice of the art of baking. The operations are precisely the same on both the small and the large scale, and therefore need not be separately described.
The kneading of the dough by hand is not only a very laborious process, but it is unhealthy and additionally objectionable on account of its being uncleanly. Added to this, the uniform quality of the dough is not to be depended upon. Although it is impossible to perform by machinery any labour which absolutely requires the touch of the human hand, bread-kneading machines have been introduced wherever the making of only one and the same kind of bread is required. Amongst the numerous kinds of machines devised for bread-making, is Clayton’s. (See cut.)
The constituents of the dough are placed in the cylinder, A, mounted in the framework, b b, and provided with hollow axles, c and d, turning in their bearings at e. The interior of the cylinder is fitted with the framework, f, which may be made to revolve by the aid of the axles, g and h. The two halves of this framework are connected together by the diagonal knives i, i, which, when the machinery revolves, work up the dough; the trough or outer cylinder revolves in the opposite direction to the revolution of the framework. The crank, o, is connected with the axle of the trough or outer cylinder, the crank, p, with that of the inner framework; as the two cranks are turned in opposite directions, they impart opposite movements to trough and framework. The revolving of the machinery may be performed by one man by the aid of one crank, since the axle, h, of the crank, o, which is fitted to the inner frame by means of the hollow axle-tree, and revolves along with it, carries a conically shaped wheel, m, fitted to the wheel k, which, being connected with l, causes the trough also to revolve; when therefore the wheel m turns towards the right, the wheel t will revolve towards the left. Another kneading machine is that of Mr Stevens. It is employed at the Holborn Union, where more than 5000 lbs. of bread are made every week by one man and two boys.
Adult. The adulteration of both flour and bread is carried to a fearful extent, more especially in London. The baker’s flour is very often made of the worst kinds of damaged foreign wheat; and other cereal grains, and particularly beans, are mixed with them in grinding them into flour. In this capital no fewer than six distinct kinds of wheaten flour are brought into the market——fine flour, seconds, middlings, fine middlings, coarse middlings, and twenty-penny flour.
Among the principal substances which have been proved to have been used to adulterate wheat-flour and bread are the following:——
**Alum. *Ammonia (Sesquicarbonate). **Beans. *Bone dust. *Chalk. Clay. Copper (Sulphate). Lime (Sulphate from the soda water makers). *Magnesia (Carbonate). *Plaster of Paris. *Potash (Carbonate and bicarbonate). **Potatoes. **Rice. **Soda (Carbonate and sesquicarbonate). *Starch (Potato). **Water (in excess). Zinc (Sulphate).
Of these substances, those marked thus (*) are very frequently used; and those marked thus (**) almost universally so.
In the absence of chemical analysis the unalumed loaf may be roughly distinguished from the alumed one by the following characteristics: it is neither so white, so bulky, nor so symmetrical; it bites shorter, and it is free from the sour taste which accompanies the presence of alum. Again, unalumed bread a day or two old will be found to crumble with great readiness; alumed bread, however old, crumbles, on the contrary, with difficulty.
According to Mr Accum, the smallest quantity of alum that can be employed with effect to produce white, light, and porous bread, from the inferior kinds of flour commonly used by the bakers, is from 3 to 4 oz. to a sack of flour weighing 280 lbs. But Dr P. Markham states that the ordinary bread of the London baker is made of one sack or 5 bushels of flour; 8 oz. of alum; 4 lbs. of salt; 1/2 gall. of yeast; and about 3 galls. of water. Our own analyses, extending to many hundred samples of London bread, as well as those of other chemists, show that even this large quantity of alum is often very much exceeded by the bakers.
Alkaline substances, as the carbonates of ammonia, soda, and potash, are often employed to realise the important consideration of producing light and porous bread from spoiled, or, as it is technically called, sour flour. The first salt becomes temporarily converted into a gaseous state during the operation of baking, causing the dough to swell up in minute bubbles, which thus render it light and porous; the salt itself being at the same time, for the most part, volatilised. Alum is added, not only with a like intention, but also to enable the dough to carry more water. There are several instances of convictions on record of millers and bakers having used gypsum, chalk, and pipeclay in the manufacture of their goods. A gentleman lately writing from the North of England says that he found in one sample of flour which he recently examined upwards of 16% of gypsum; and in another, 12% of the same earth.
A few years since it was discovered that some of the bakers in France and Belgium added blue vitriol to their dough to make it take more water, in the same way as the English baker uses alum. 1 oz. of this sulphate was dissolved in a quart of water, and a wine-glassful of this solution added to the water necessary to make about 50 4-lb. loaves. This enormous crime was soon detected, and deservedly caused the ruin of its heartless perpetrators.
Exam. The following are the methods employed for the discovery of the principal sophisticants of bread, and as the chief of these, and the one most difficult of identification is alum, we have given prominence to the processes now generally adopted for the detection of this article:——
1. ALUM:——a. (Robine and Parisot.) About 1/4 lb. of the suspected bread (somewhat stale or dry) is reduced to crumbs, macerated for 2 or 3 hours in cold water, and then squeezed through a clean piece of white linen. The liquid is next evaporated to dryness at a steam-heat, the residuum redissolved in a little hot water, and the solution filtered. Liquor of ammonia or a solution of sal-ammoniac, and a solution of chloride of barium added to the filtered liquid, give a white precipitate when ALUM is present.
When nearly the whole of the alum has suffered decomposition in the loaf, as is frequently the case, the following process is required:——
b. (M. Kuhlman.) 4 or 5 oz. of bread are reduced to ash, which is powdered and treated with nitric acid, the mixture evaporated to dryness, and about 1 oz. of hot water added. A little caustic potassa is added to the last solution (unfiltered), the whole boiled a few minutes, and passed through a filter. The filtrate is next tested with a solution of sal-ammoniac, and the whole again boiled for 2 or 3 minutes. If a precipitate forms it is alumina; every 50 gr. of which are equivalent to 332 gr. of crystallised alum.
c. The suspected sample is wetted with a weak solution of logwood, or, preferably, of cochineal. Pure bread is only slightly stained by this solution; bread containing alum strikes a lavender, lilac, or purple colour, according to the quantity of the adulterant present. If it acquires a pearl-grey or bluish tint, some alkali (potash, soda, or ammonia) is present.
d. (J. A. Wanklyn.) 100 grams of bread are incinerated in a platinum dish, capable of holding the whole quantity at once. The incineration is managed at a comparatively low temperature, and takes some four or five hours; the platinum dish being heated by means of a large Bunsen burner, abundantly supplied with air. It is well to continue the ignition until the bread-ash is nearly completely burnt, and it is advisable to weigh the dish containing the ash. The weight of the ash should not sensibly exceed 2 grams. The ash having been obtained is then moistened with 3 c. c. of pure strong hydrochloric acid, and then some 20 to 30 c. c. of distilled water is added, and the whole is boiled, filtered, and the precipitate washed several times with boiling water. In this manner a precipitate consisting of a silica, together with some unburnt carbon, is left on the filter, whilst the filtrate contains the phosphates. The precipitate, which, after being burnt, consists of silica, is weighed. The filtrate is mixed with 5 c. c. of ammonia (sp. gr. 0·880), whereby it is rendered powerfully alkaline and opaque, owing to the precipitation of the phosphates. It is finally mixed gradually with some 20 c. c. of strong acetic acid, and as the acid is being poured in, it is to be observed that the liquid is alkaline and opaque, until some 5 c. c. of the acid have been added; that when about 10 c. c. have been added the liquid is acid and much clearer, and that at least 10 c. c. of strong acetic acid are added after the establishment of a distinctly acid reaction. The liquid is then boiled and filtered, and the precipitates, consisting of phosphates of alumina and iron, well-washed with boiling water, ignited and weighed. The last step is the determination of the iron in the weighed precipitate, and this is accomplished either by reduction and titration with standard solution of permanganate in the well known manner, or else by a colour process, viz., by trituration with ferrocyanide of potassium. Having ascertained the amount of iron in the precipitate of mixed phosphates, it is only necessary to calculate it into phosphate of iron, and to subtract the weight of phosphate of iron from the total weight of the mixed phosphates, and the difference is the phosphate of alum yielded by 100 grams of the bread. The following results have been obtained by applying the above-described process to samples of bread presumed to be free from alum:——
From 100 grams of Bread.
Precipitate Bread-ash. Silica. insoluble in acetic acid. Grams. Grams. Grams. A 1·408 ... 0·010 B 1·378 ... 0·006 C 1·730 0·018 0·010 D 1·620 0·032 0·014 E ... ... 0·012 (1)F 1·383 0·030 0·012 (2)F 1·324 0·025 0·014
The precipitate insoluble in acetic acid contained in every instance a large proportion of iron, but in some cases at least did not wholly consist of phosphate of iron. On deducting the quantity of phosphate of iron from the total phosphates insoluble in acetic acid, there remains a residue of some five or six milligrams. It would therefore appear that unalumed bread is liable to contain a minute trace of alumina, which, expressed as phosphate of alumina (Al_{2}O_{3}PO_{5}), equals five or six milligrams per 100 grains of bread, or 0·005 per cent. If the alum corresponding to this phosphate be calculated, it will be seen that 100 grams of unalumed bread may appear to contain 0·022 grams of alum; or expressed on the 4-lb. loaf, there may appear to be 6 grams of alum in it. This agrees very fairly with Dr Dupré’s observation.
e. (J. C. Thresh.) The author states that this process requires only a few hours, and quotes experiments, showing the accuracy of the results:——
Take 1250 gr. of bread (from middle of loaf) or flour, and char thoroughly in a platinum dish or on foil over a gas lamp. Powder the char and mix it with sufficient pure strong hydrochloric acid to make a thin cream. Boil gently for a few minutes, then add 100 c. c. of water, and continue the ebullition a few minutes longer. Dilute to 150 c. c., stir well, and filter off 120 c. c., which will contain the alumina from 1000 gr. of the bread or flour. To this filtrate add a slight excess of solution of ammonia, boil for a few seconds. Then let the precipitate subside, and decant the supernatant fluid. Add boiling water to the sediment, and again set aside to settle, and decant the clear fluid. Pass the fluids through a small filter to collect any particles of the precipitate which may have been suspended therein, and throw the filtrate away. Now add to the partially washed precipitate about a gram of pure caustic potash (or soda), warm, and pass the solution through the same filter employed for the previously decanted fluids. Wash the filter with hot water, to which a little KHO may be added, and proceed to precipitate the alumina in the filtrate by adding a few drops of dilute phosphoric acid and excess of pure acetic acid. Heat the solution and precipitate to the boiling point, and then wash the latter by decantation and filtration. Finally dry, ignite, and weigh. The weight of the resulting Al_{2}PO_{4} in grams, multiplied by 400, will give the amounts of ammonia alum in grains present in one pound of the bread or flour.
f. (Mr Crookes.) The bread of which at least 500 grains should be taken is first to be incinerated on a platinum or porcelain dish, until all volatile organic matter has been expelled, and a black carbonaceous ash remains. The temperature must not be raised much beyond the point necessary to effect this. Powder the coal thus obtained and add about thirty drops of oil of vitriol, and heat until vapours begin to rise; when sufficiently cool, add water, and boil for ten minutes. Filter and evaporate the filtrate until the fumes of sulphuric acid begin to be evolved, when 10 gr. of metallic tin and an excess of nitric acid must be added, together with water, drop by drop, until action between the acid and metal commences. When all the tin is oxidised, add water, and filter. Evaporate the filtrate until fumes of sulphuric acid are again visible, when more water must be added, and the liquid again filtered if necessary. To the clear solution now add tartaric acid, then ammonia in excess, and sulphide of ammonium. Evaporate the liquid containing the precipitate suspended to it, in a dish, until all the smell of sulphide of ammonium has disappeared. Filter, evaporate to dryness, and ignite to get rid of the organic matter. Powder the black ash, boil it in moderately strong hydrochloric acid, filter, add a crystal of chlorate of potash, and boil for a minute. Now add chloride of ammonium and ammonia, and boil for five minutes. If at the end of that time any precipitate is observed, it will be alumina. From the filtered solution, if oxalate of ammonia be added, the lime will be precipitated; and if to the filtrate from this, ammonia and phosphate of soda be added, the magnesia will come down.
Dr Dupré is of opinion that no baker should be fined in whose bread the amount of alumina found corresponds with less than 10 grains of potash alum in the 2-lb. loaf, unless there is direct evidence of adulteration by alum independent of the result of analysis.
Mr Crookes says, “By treatment with a trace of alum, flour with a doubtful soundness is endowed with soundness. For this purpose a proportion of alum is required which does not exceed 20 grains to a 4-lb. loaf.
2. COPPER:——a. Moisten the suspected bread with a few drops of a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium. It will assume a pinkish-brown colour if copper be present.
b. A little of the bread may be steeped in hot water, or, better still, in water soured with a little nitric acid, and the clear liquor squeezed or poured off, and tested with ferrocyanide of potassium, as before.
3. MAGNESIA:——Bread adulterated with magnesia, on digestion in hot water acidulated with sulphuric acid, furnishes a liquid which gives a white precipitate when tested with a solution of either carbonate of potassa or of carbonate of soda, especially on boiling.
4. SODA; POTASSA:——Hot water after digestion on the ashes or charcoal turns turmeric paper brown. The liquid may be evaporated to dryness, redissolved in distilled water, slightly acidulated with hydrochloric acid, and tested with bichloride of platinum. If a yellow crystalline precipitate forms, either at once or after some hours, it is potash; otherwise the alkali present is soda.
5. CHALK, WHITING, BURNT BONES, PLASTER OF PARIS, and similar substances are easily detected by calcining a little of the flour or bread in a clean open vessel, when the amount of ash left will indicate the quantity of adulteration. The quantity of the ash left by genuine bread or flour is very trifling indeed, about 2%.
=Microscopic Characters of Bread.= When bread is placed under the microscope, starch cells, broken up into angular masses, or greatly enlarged, and stringy masses of gluten are usually visible; besides these, when a microscope of high power is employed, bacteria of the rod-shaped variety may frequently be detected, the source of these being, probably, the yeast. Great caution and diligent observation are necessary to guard against the falling into the serious error of mistaking the many curious forms the broken-up wheat starch presents for adulterants. By practice and the constant examination of the characters of unadulterated bread, combined with a practical knowledge of the appearance different starch grains present, after being more or less changed in shape by cooking, the microscopist may identify rice-flour, bean-flour, and Indian millet. Barley flour and potatoes, however, are very difficult of detection. There is very little difference in the shape of the barley-starch granule and that of the wheat, and in the process of bread-making the potato granules are so changed as to confuse all their distinctive characters. Bone-dust and a few other mineral adulterations may be detected by the microscope.
Concluding Remarks. A number of processes are used by cooks and confectioners to make the different varieties of fancy bread, cakes, puddings, &c., which vary according to the peculiar characteristic it is desired to communicate to them; but none of these articles properly belong to the trade of the common baker. Thus, some kinds of cakes and pastes are made to eat ‘short,’ as it is called, or are rendered less tenacious, and a species of brittleness imparted to them by the addition of starch, rice-flour, or sugar. In pastry a similar effect and peculiar lightness is produced by butter or lard, whilst in some articles white of egg, gum water, isinglass, and other adhesive substances, are added to produce an exceedingly light and porous mass.
The chief varieties of bread at present in use in this country are known according to their shapes, as——BRICKS, COBURG, COTTAGE, BATCH, FRENCH ROLLS, and RYE BREAD. These vary in their quality, chiefly according to the flour of which they are formed, and their various flavours depend upon the heat of the oven in baking. The best WHITE BREAD is made from the purest wheat-flour; ordinary WHEATEN BREAD, of flour containing a little of the finest bran; SECONDS, from flour containing a still larger proportion of bran; and common HOUSEHOLD BREAD, from flour produced by grinding the whole substance of the grain, without any separation of the bran. The last variety is undoubtedly the most wholesome and nutritious, although that least frequently used. SYMNEL-BREAD, MANCHET or ROLL-BREAD, and FRENCH BREAD are varieties made of the purest flour, from the finest wheat, a little milk being usually added for rolls, and butter and eggs for choicer purposes. Several other minor kinds of bread are also made, varied by the addition of sundry trifles, as sugar, currants, and other palatable ingredients. The SCOTCH SHORTBREAD is made from a very thick dough, to which butter, sugar, orange-peel, and spices are added, according to the taste of the maker.
In the manufacture of white bread from damaged or inferior flour a large quantity of alum is employed by the fraudulent baker, as already noticed; but with the ‘best flour’ no alum is required. The utmost beauty, sponginess, and sweetness may be given to bread without the addition of one particle of alum, provided the best materials alone enter into its composition. As such materials are seldom employed by the bakers, the usual practice is to introduce 4 or 5 oz. of alum to every sack of flour, or about 1 oz. to each bushel; and very frequently fully double this quantity of alum is employed. But even this enormous quantity is often not the whole of the alum present in common bread; for the miller, in order to cheat the baker, puts in the ‘doctor,’ in the shape of 4 to 6 oz. of alum to the sack, whilst the baker, unconscious of this victimisation, subsequently uses a double dose of alum in order to cheat his customers.[229] The method of detecting this pernicious adulteration has been already explained. The proper quantity of salt is 4 lbs., and never more than 5 lbs., to the sack, or 1 lb. per bushel. One sack of the best flour, with 4 or 5 lbs. of salt, yields about 360 lbs. of good bread; and a sack of seconds, 345 to 350 lbs. of bread; each being moderately baked. If the loaves are well-baked or over-baked, the product will be from 345 to 350 lbs. only; but if they are slack-baked or under-baked, from 370 lbs. to 385 lbs. of crumbling bread may be obtained from 1 sack of good white flour.
[Footnote 229: The common excuse of the bakers for using alum is, that without it the bread is not sufficiently white to please their customers, and that the batches are not easily parted into loaves after baking; but Liebig has shown that clear lime-water, which is perfectly harmless, will effect the same object if substituted for the simple water used to make the dough.]
The attention of chemists has, at various times, been directed in search of some method to rectify or lessen the effects of bad harvesting and improper storage on grain, so that a damaged or inferior article might be rendered serviceable, and available for human food. Prof. E. Davy recommends the addition of 1/4 oz. of carbonate of magnesia to about every 3 lbs. of sour, melted, heated, and similarly damaged flour. This substance materially improves the quality of the bread, “even when made from the worst new seconds flour;” whilst it is said to be perfectly harmless; and the bread so prepared, for temporary use, is certainly unobjectionable. What effects would arise from the daily consumption of such bread for several months has not been determined; but it is doubtful whether it would prove salutary. Indeed there are sufficient reasons for condemning the adoption of such bread in the general diet of a people for any very lengthened period.[230] Our own experiments in bread-making, extending over a long period of years, lead us to prefer carbonate or bicarbonate of soda for the purpose. Theoretically, the corresponding salts of potassa would be preferable. A mixture of equal parts of the bicarbonates of potassa and of soda will, perhaps, ultimately be found to be more useful than either substance used separately.
[Footnote 230: See GOITURE, MAGNESIA, &c.]
In times of scarcity and famine various substances, besides the flour of the cereals, have been made into bread, or have been mixed with it, in order to lessen the quantity of the former required by the people. For this purpose, almost every amylaceous vegetable at once plentiful and cheap has, in its turn, been eagerly appropriated. Acorns, beech-mast, the leguminous seeds, numerous starchy bulbous roots, and similar substances, have been employed, either in the form of meal, or made into an emulsion or jelly, which has been used instead of water to form the flour of bread-corn into a dough. At such times bran, the most nutritious and valuable portion of the grain, although usually rejected as worthless, has been retained in the flour, and has even been added to it in excess. Birkenmayer, a brewer of Constance, during a period of scarcity, succeeded in manufacturing bread from the farinaceous residue of beer (brewer’s grains). 10 lbs. of this substance, rubbed to a paste, with 1/2 lb. of yeast, 5 lbs. of ordinary meal, and a handful of salt, produces 14 lbs. of BLACK BREAD, which is said to be “both savoury and nourishing.” The nutritious quality of brewer’s grains is shown by their extensive employment at the present day as food for pigs and cattle, and particularly for milch cows. In like manner Iceland, Carragheen, and other mosses, have been made into bread, either alone, or mixed with flour or meal. They are used, in the first case, in the state of meal, in the same way as flour; in the second case, 7 lbs. of moss are directed to be boiled in 10 or 12 galls. of water, and the resulting glutinous liquid or jelly to be employed to make 70 lbs. of flour into dough, which is then fermented and baked in the usual way. It is said that flour thus produces fully double its weight of good household bread. A simpler plan is to mix 1 lb. of lichen meal with 3 or 4 lbs. of flour; the bitterness of the lichen having been first extracted by soaking it in cold water. Bread so prepared has of late been highly recommended for the delicate and dyspeptic. The modern baker is in the habit of mixing large quantities of potatoes with his bread, whenever he can purchase them at paying prices. Mealy potatoes are selected, and are carefully mashed or pulped, and the dry flour is worked into this pulp or dough, which is then mixed with the sponge in the usual manner. For inferior bread, equal weights of potato pulp and dry flour are often used. Bread so prepared eats ‘short,’ and is deficient in sponginess, and in that fine yellowish-white tint which forms one of the characteristics of pure wheaten bread, More recently, rice boiled with water to a jelly has got into very extensive use among the bakers. A ‘sponge’ is made with a portion of the jelly thickened with some flour, and the whole process is conducted in the ordinary manner, except that the fermentation is generally more slowly conducted and allowed to proceed for a longer period. Flour so treated yields fully 50% more bread than when merely mixed up with yeast and water. This constitutes the process of Messrs Morian, Martin, and Journet, of Paris, which was tested, a few years since, at Marylebone Workhouse. The experiment succeeded, but the only result to the public has been, that the common bakers have adopted the plan, and now very generally surcharge their bread with such an excess of water that, in many cases, it only possesses two thirds the amount of nourishment which it did before the publication of the system just referred to. Unfortunately, the cupidity of dishonest tradesmen appears to be continually impelling them to avail themselves of the exertions of philanthropists and the discoveries of science, in order to increase their profits, regardless alike of the quality of their commodities and the health of their customers. Bread containing an excess of water rapidly becomes sour and mouldy, and is apt to disorder the digestive functions of those who eat it.
From the experiments of Dr Colquhoun, it appears that the starch of flour is partially converted into sugar during the process of fermenting and baking the dough, and thus contributes to the sweetness of the bread. He proposes to add to the flour, arrow-root, the farina of potatoes, and similar amylaceous substances, made into a jelly with hot water, for this purpose. Dr Percival has recommended the addition of salep with the same intention. 1 oz. of salep, dissolved in 1 quart of water; 2 lbs. of flour; 80 grs. of salt; and 2 oz. of yeast, gave 3 lbs. 2 oz. of good bread. The same weight of materials, without the salep, gave only 2-3/4 lbs. If too much salep is added, it gives its peculiar flavour to the bread.
In reference to the above substitutions, and to the relative quantity of bread produced from any given weight of flour, the reader should remember that the mere increase of the weight or bulk of the product does not carry with it a corresponding increase of the nutritive elements contained in the flour. These remain the same in all cases; and just in proportion as the product, in bread, is greater, will be the decrease in the value of such bread as food. So also with potatoes, rice, and other farinaceous and pulpy substances used as substitutes for wheat-flour. Their poverty in nitrogenous matter, or flesh-formers, is so great, that the greatly increased quantity required as food to support the body, apart from mere inconvenience, more than compensates for their apparent low price. Thus, good wheaten bread, at 2_d._ per lb., is more than twice as cheap as potatoes at 1_d._; for, assuming 2 lbs. of the first as a day’s food, 10 lbs. of the last will be required for the same purpose; and even this large quantity will scarcely effect the desired object. Liebig has demonstrated that, regard being had to the nutritive power of wheat, it is, under all ordinary circumstances, the cheapest article of food provided by nature for man.
We have not entered into particulars respecting oven management, because, on the large scale, it is thoroughly understood by every practical baker. For the instruction of the busy housewife, however, we may state that the oven should always be sufficiently heated before the bread is put into it, in order that the gas contained in the cells of the ‘sponge’ may be expanded as rapidly as possible by the heat, and the resulting light mass quickly rendered sufficiently solid to prevent its subsequent collapse. The heat should also be maintained at nearly the same temperature during the whole of the time the bread is submitted to its action. In general, with ordinary kitchen ovens properly heated, 30 minutes’ baking is sufficient for one-pound loaves and cakes; and 15 minutes in addition for every pound after the first for larger ones. Thus, a 1 lb. loaf requires 1/2 hour; a 2 lb. loaf 3/4 hour; and a 4 lb. loaf, 1-1/4 hour.
It is the common ambition of the English baker to give that peculiar tint to the crust of his bread in the process of baking which is so highly esteemed by connoisseurs, and so successfully produced by the Viennese and Parisians. It has been long known at Vienna that if the hearth of an oven be cleaned with a moistened wisp of straw, the crust of bread baked in it immediately afterwards presents a beautiful yellow tint. It was thence inferred that this peculiarity depends on the vapour, which being condensed on the roof of the oven, falls back on the bread. At Paris, in order to secure with certainty so desirable an appearance, the hearth of the oven is generally laid so as to form an inclined plane, with a rise of about 11 inches in 3 feet; and the arched roof is built lower at the end nearest the door, as compared with the further extremity. When the oven is charged the entrance is closed with a wet bundle of straw. By this arrangement the steam is driven down on the bread, and a golden-yellow crust is given to it, as if it had been previously covered with the yolk of an egg.
Pure wheaten bread is one of the most wholesome articles of food, and has been justly termed the ‘staff of life,’ and a certain proportion of it should be taken at every meal.
New and Stale Bread.——As has been just stated, bread which has been kept for 24 hours after baking is more digestible, and therefore preferable to that which has been newly baked. This latter exhibits a well-known elastic appearance, and possesses a certain degree of moisture which renders its taste more agreeable to most persons than bread which has been kept for a day or two, and has become firmer and drier in appearance, and which is commonly termed stale. It is very generally supposed that this change in properties in bread which has been kept for a few days, is owing to the loss of water.
This, however, is not the case. The crum of newly baked bread when cold contains about 45 per cent. of water, and that of stale bread contains almost exactly the same proportion.
The difference in properties between the two is due simply to difference in molecular arrangement. Boussingault found that a loaf which had been kept for six days, though it had become very stale, had not lost more than 1 per cent. of its weight when new. The same loaf was then placed in the oven for an hour, and at the end of that time it had acquired all the properties and appearance of new bread, although during the second baking it lost 3-1/2 per cent. of water. In another experiment a portion of bread was allowed to become stale when enclosed in a tight case, to prevent loss of water by evaporation; it was then heated, and was thus restored to the condition of new bread; these effects were produced alternately, many times in succession, upon the same piece of bread; a heat of about 131° F. was found to be sufficient to convert stale into new bread. Every person who has seen a thick slice of stale bread toasted may have satisfied himself that the crum has during this operation been converted into the same condition as that of new bread.
Fungi. When bread has been kept a few days and has become stale, certain species of fungi show themselves in it: these are the penicillium glaucum, which is the green mould of cheese; the fermentum cerivisiæ or yeast fungus; the oidium auriantiacum or orange-red mould; the puccinia graminis and others. Excess of salt added to the bread prevents the development of these fungi.
Diseases arising from the employment of unsound Flour and Bread.——The flour may be ergotised or grown, and fermenting from the presence of fungi. All the poisonous symptoms of ergot are induced from continuously partaking of bread made with ergotised flour. Dry gangrene is one of the most virulent forms of poisoning caused by partaking of ergotised bread. Severe intestinal derangement is an accompaniment of the milder forms of poisoning. Ergot is more frequently present in rye flour than in wheat. Fermenting bread is a fertile source of dyspepsia, whilst acid bread causes diarrhœa. This latter malady is also caused by the presence in bread of the oidium aurantiacum. Professors Varnell and Tuson state that mouldy oats, the mould being caused by a fungus (the aspergillus), have given rise to paralytic symptoms in horses, so that the presence of these fungi in oats used for making bread should always be regarded with considerable caution.
It has not been demonstrated that the acarus so common in flour has had any injurious effect when eaten. When well fermented and baked bread is very easy of digestion. It should never be eaten until it has stood at least 24 hours after being taken out of the oven. When newer, bread is apt to disagree with the stomach, frequently producing indigestion, biliousness, diarrhœa, dyspepsia, and other like ailments. Bread prepared from meal containing the whole of the bran is the most nutritious and digestible, and should alone be given to children and growing persons, and eaten by the dyspeptic and delicate. Young infants should never be fed upon bread. See ALEUROMETER, ALUM, FLOUR, WHEAT, &c.
=Bread, Aërated.= The best description of unfermented bread is that manufactured by the process of Dr DAUGLISH. The method of manufacture has this advantage:——During the whole of the operation neither the flour nor the dough comes into contact with the flesh of the workman. For a full description of the method of preparing this article, see Watts’ ‘Dic. of Chemistry.’ See BREAD, UNFERMENTED.
=Bread, Amer′ican.= From American barreled flour. “14 lbs. of American flour will make 21-1/2 lbs. of bread; whereas the best sort of English flour produces only 18-1/2 lbs. of bread.” (Mrs Rundell.) This arises from the superior quality of the wheat used in its production; and also from its being kiln-dried before grinding, by which much water is driven off.
=Bread, Bee.= The matter collected by bees to form the bottom of the hive. It resembles a mixture of resin and wax. Its fumes were formerly thought to be anti-asthmatic.
=Bread, Bran.= 1. From the whole meal, without sifting out any of the bran.
2. By adding about 3 oz. of bran to every lb. of ordinary flour.
=Bread, Cassava=, is made from the root of the manihot, by first expressing the juice, then grinding the residue into a coarse meal, and baking it in the form of cakes upon thin iron plates. When steeped in oil, and flavoured with cayenne, and slightly broiled upon a gridiron, it is not unpalatable.
=Bread, Extemporaneous.= See BREAD, UNFERMENTED.
=Bread, French.= Prep. 1. From fine flour, as the best white bread. For the better kinds, and for those intended for rolls and small fancy bread, the sponge and dough is commonly wetted with milk and water, and, occasionally, a very little butter is added. “When the rolls or small fancy loaves have lain in a quick oven about a quarter of an hour, turn them on the other side for about a quarter of an hour longer. Then take them out and chip them with a knife, which will make them look spongy, and of a fine yellow; whereas rasping takes off this fine colour, and renders their look less inviting.”
2. FRENCH SOUP-BREAD. From fine flour, but employing fully double the usual quantity of salt. It is baked in thin loaves, so as to be nearly all crust, by which means it becomes more soluble in hot soup.
=Bread, Hick’s Pat′ent.= This is ordinary bread baked in an oven so arranged that the vapours arising during the process are condensed in a suitable receiver. The condensed liquor is a crude, weak spirit, produced during the fermentation of the dough, and possesses little commercial value; indeed, insufficient to pay for the expenses attending its collection. Besides which, the bread prepared under this patent was rejected by the vulgar, who flocked to the shops of the neighbouring bakers, who professed to sell their bread with “the gin in it.”
=Bread, Household.= This name is commonly given to bread made with flour from which only the coarser portion of the bran has been removed; and to bread prepared from a mixture of flour and potatoes. The following are examples:——
1. (Rev. Mr Haggett.) Remove the flake-bran from flour, 14 lbs.; boil the bran in 1 gall. of water until reduced to 7 pints; strain, cool, and knead in the flour, adding salt and yeast as for other bread. Very wholesome.
2. Flour, 7 lbs.; mealy potatoes (well mashed), 3 lbs.; as before. Objectionable for the reasons already given.
=Bread, Leav′ened.= (lĕv′-). Using leaven instead of yeast, and in the same way. About 1 lb. to each bushel of flour is usually sufficient. The more leaven used, the lighter the bread made with it will be; and the fresher and sweeter the leaven, the less sour will it taste. Leaven, except among the Jews and sailors, is now superseded by yeast.
=Bread, London White.= The common proportions of the London bakers are——Flour, 1 sack; common salt, 4-1/2 lbs.; alum, 5 oz.; yeast, 4 pints; warm water for the sponge (about), 3 galls. The process has been already noticed.
=Bread, Paris White.= The following has been handed to us as the plan commonly adopted by the Paris bakers for their best white bread:——On 80 lbs. of the dough (before the yeast was added) from yesterday’s baking, as much lukewarm water is poured as will be required to make 320 lbs. of flour into a rather thin dough; as soon as this has risen, 80 lbs. are taken out and reserved in a warm place as leaven for the next day’s baking; 1 lb. of dry yeast, dissolved in warm water, is then added to the remaining portion, and the whole lightly kneaded; as soon as it has sufficiently risen, it is made into loaves, and shortly afterwards baked; the loaves being placed in the oven without touching each other, so that they may become crusty all round.
=Bread, Unfermented.= Syn. EXTEMPORANEOUS BREAD. Prep. 1. From Jones’s patent flour. Very wholesome and excellent; indeed, when skilfully made and baked, almost equal to French bread.
2. From Sewell’s patent flour. Slightly inferior to the last.
3. To each lb. of flour add, separately, 1-1/4 dr. of bicarbonate of soda, and 1 dr. of tartaric acid (both perfectly dry, and in very fine powder); rub them well together with the hands until thoroughly incorporated; then form the whole into a dough with water, as quickly as possible, and at once bake in a quick oven. About 8 or 9 oz. of water are required for every lb. of flour. Answers well when expertly managed.
4. Flour, 1 lb.; bicarbonate of soda, 1 dr.; mix; make a dough with water, q. s., to which 1 dr. of hydrochloric acid (commercial) has been added, and further proceed as before.
5. Whiting’s PATENT BREAD:——This closely resembles the last. The proportions are——Flour, 7 lbs.; carbonate of soda and hydrochloric acid, of each 1 oz.; water, 2-3/4 pints. This method was suggested by Dr Henry in 1797, and was patented by Dr Whiting in 1836. If the proportions be not observed, or the mixture be not perfect, the quality of the bread suffers. The action of the acid on the soda forms common salt in the loaf.
6. AMMONI′ACAL BREAD:——Carbonate of ammonia, 3/4 to 1 oz.; cold water, q. s.; dissolve, add of flour, 7 lbs.; and make a dough, which must be formed into loaves and baked immediately, as before.——Obs. To ensure success the carbonate should be recent, and free from bicarbonate, the presence of which is known by its being white and powdery, and of inferior pungency. If any of the last salt be present, the bread will have a yellowish colour, and a slightly alkaline or urinous flavour. The process answers best for small loaves, cakes, and fancy bread. By employing pure carbonate of ammonia instead of the commercial sesquicarbonate, the process succeeds admirably, and the resulting bread is most wholesome. A late writer recommends the use of bicarbonate of ammonia, but evidently does so in ignorance, as in practice it is inapplicable, as the author verified by numerous carefully conducted experiments.
7. It has been at various times proposed to knead the dough with water highly charged with carbonic acid, on which Dr Ure observes that “the resulting bread will be somewhat spongy.” He states that he endeavoured to make bread in this way, but never could succeed in producing a light spongy loaf. The quantity of gas in the water is much too trifling for the purpose, and the greater part of it escapes in the process of making the dough, even though all the materials be well cooled, and the operation conducted in a cold place. The only way of obviating the difficulty is to conduct the kneading in a trough under considerable atmospheric pressure, and at a very low temperature, by means of machinery, as is done by Dr Dauglish, whose method is now protected by letters patent. This method is not, however, adapted either to domestic use or the small scale.[231]
[Footnote 231: For a full description of Dauglish’s process, see Watts’ ‘Dic. of Chemistry.’]
Obs. Unfermented bread has been strongly recommended as being more wholesome, and generally better adapted to bilious and dyspeptic patients, than fermented bread. It must, however, be confessed, that the unfermented bread commonly met with has a slight ‘raw-grain’ taste, which is very disagreeable to some persons. But this taste is not necessarily present, being chiefly dependent on bad manipulation, the use of inferior flour, and insufficient baking. The process of fermentation doubtless modifies the condition of the starch and gluten of the dough, and renders them easier of digestion. This species of bread is sadly adulterated with a variety of indescribable messes. See BISCUITS, BREAD (antè), FLOUR, GINGERBREAD, &c.
=Bread Fruit= (Artocarpus incisa, nat. order Graminaceæ). The tree yielding the bread-fruit is a native of Central America, the South Sea Islands, and the Islands of the Indian Archipelago. It is principally composed of starch, sugar, and water, every 100 parts containing 80 of water. The fruit is gathered when the starch is in a mealy condition; it is then peeled, wrapped in leaves, and baked by placing it between hot stones. It then has the taste of sweetbread.
The natives of the countries where this fruit is found practise a method for preserving it, which consists in allowing the nitrogenous parts of the fruit to putrefy in water-tight pits. They thus obtain a mass resembling soft cheese in consistence, and this, when required to be eaten, is baked in the same manner as the fresh fruit.
=BREAK′FAST= (brĕk′-). Syn. JENTACULUM L.; DÉJEÛNER, DÉJEÛNÉ, Fr.; FRÜHSTÜCK, Ger. The first meal of the day; or the food served at it.
The morning meal——the ‘early bit’ of the Germans——is perhaps the most important one of the day. According to Erasmus Wilson, it is usually “taken at eight or nine.” The proper time for the purpose must, however, depend upon that at which the party rises. About an hour, to an hour and a half, after leaving the bed, will generally be found the most appropriate time for breakfast, and appears to be the one pointed out by nature, and the most conducive to health. By that time the powers of the system have fully recovered from the inactivity of sleep, and the functions of the stomach and other viscera have again come into full play. The appetite is excited and seeks appeasing, and both instinct and reason direct us to the social board. If abstinence be now prolonged, the physical and mental energies, unsupported by the supply of food which indirectly gives them birth, gradually lessen, and incipient exhaustion ensues. The fluids of the stomach and the smaller intestines begin to act upon the coats of those viscera instead of on the food, and an unpleasant feeling of hunger or a loss of appetite comes on, with all its depressing consequences. When breakfast cannot be taken within a reasonable period after rising, the gap should be filled up by chewing a crust, a biscuit, or the like. A raw egg or two, sucked from the shell, or broken into a teacup and drank, will be found most valuable for this purpose. Raw milk, cheese, salted food, and other indigestible matter, should be particularly avoided at this early period of the day.
The articles of food to be chosen for the breakfast-table must depend entirely on the state of the health, the occupations, &c., of those assembled round it. Coffee appears to be, by common consent, the favourite beverage. For the delicate, the bilious, and the young, it should neither be taken too strong, nor very weak, and should be softened down with milk or cream, and well sweetened with sugar. Tea is more apt to affect the nerves and stomach than pure unchicoried coffee. Green tea, taken thus early in the day, often acts as an absolute poison, though a slow one. We have seen severe fits of vomiting and exhaustion follow its use.
The solid food for breakfast should be easy of digestion, and nutritious. Females, children, and persons leading a sedentary life, should confine themselves to a sufficient quantity of good meal-bread with only a moderate quantity of butter, to which an egg, or a small rasher of mild bacon, may be advantageously added. For very young children there is no better breakfast, where it agrees with them, than scalding-hot new-milk poured on sliced bread, with a slice or two of bread and butter to eat with it. Parties engaged in active occupations may extend their exploits somewhat farther, and add to this bill of fare a little ham or cold meat. When an undue time will elapse before the luncheon or dinner, and particularly during the colder season of the year, the broiled leg of a fowl, an under-dressed mutton chop, or a little tender beef-steak, will be found, by the parties last referred to, most useful; nay, in many cases, invaluable. But excess must be particularly avoided. The object is to take enough food to maintain the system in full energy and vigour, and particularly to avoid offending the stomach by overloading it; a misfortune easily effected at the breakfast table. Old commercial travellers——men wise in the mysteries of life and its enjoyments——are scrupulously careful to make a good, but not a heavy breakfast, before commencing the arduous duties of the day. See DÉJEÛNER, MEALS, &c.
=Breakfast Pow′der.= Syn. RYE′-COFFEE, DILLEN′IUS’S C., HUNT’S ECONOM′ICAL BREAKFAST POWDER, &c. Rye, roasted along with a little fat, after the manner of coffee. It was once sold at 2_s._ 6_d._ the lb., and was formerly extensively used as a substitute for foreign coffee, of which it is one of the cheapest and best. Since the reduction of duty on coffee it has nearly fallen into disuse, unless it be by the grocers to adulterate that article.
=BREAST (Sore).= See NIPPLES.
=Breast Pang.= Syn. ANGINA PECTORIS. Symptoms.——A sudden pain occurring in the parts covered by the breast-bone and the throat, accompanied with a feeling of suffocation, and the apprehension of immediate death. The pain sometimes extends down the arms and through the back. Summon a medical man without a moment’s loss of time. Pending his speedy arrival give a drachm of ether with one third of a grain of acetate of morphia. Apply hot applications to the chest and stomach; likewise friction to the chest, back, and sides with spirits. If the relief be only partial, the dose of ether may be repeated after twenty minutes.
=BREATH (Fetid).= Scarcely anything is more disagreeable or disgusting than a stinking breath. Various means have been proposed to remove this annoyance, depending principally on the administration of aromatics, which by their odour smother it for a time; but these require continual repetition, and are liable to interfere with the functions of digestion. The real cause of stinking breath may generally be traced to a diseased stomach, or to decayed teeth. When the former is the case, mild aperients should be administered; and if these do not succeed, an emetic may be given, followed by an occasional dose of the Abernethy-medicines. When rotten teeth are the cause, they should be thoroughly cleansed, and then ‘stopped,’ or if this is impracticable, they should be removed. When this is impossible or inconvenient, the evil may usually be lessened by keeping them scrupulously clean. Dirty teeth also often cause the breath to smell; and hence the use of the tooth-brush should be a daily habit. Occasionally rinsing out the mouth with a little clean water to which a few drops of solution of chloride of lime, or of chloride of soda, has been added, is often an effective method. Mouth-washes of Condy’s fluid, and also of carbolic acid, both very greatly diluted, form useful remedies; as do also chlorate of potash and tannic acid in the form of mouth-washes. As a tooth-powder, fresh-burnt charcoal, and particularly areca-nut charcoal, is without comparison the best. Lozenges, such as the following, have been strongly recommended to sweeten and purify the breath:——Gum-catechu, 2 oz.; white sugar, 5 oz.; orris powder, 1 oz.; neroli, 5 or 6 drops; make them into a paste with mucilage, and divide the mass into very small lozenges. 20 or 30 drops of oil of cloves may be substituted for the orris and neroli, at will. One or two may be sucked at pleasure. When the breath of a child or infant, usually so sweet and fresh, smells unpleasantly, it indicates stomach derangement of some sort. Very frequently it is indicative of worms. See CACHOU AROMATISÉ, PASTILS, &c.
=BREW′ING.= The art of making beer.
The only ingredients allowed by law to enter into the composition of beer are malt, sugar, hops, or any substitute for hops, and water, together with a little yeast.
The apparatus and utensils required under the common system, in brewing beer, are——
1. A copper or boiler capable of holding fully two thirds of the quantity proposed to be brewed; with a gauge-stick to determine the number of gallons of fluid at any given depth therein; and a wooden cover to place over it before the boiling commences, or when not in use. A copper capable of holding not less than 140 galls. is a convenient size for brewing a quarter of malt, and is commonly known as a one-quarter copper.
2. A mash-tub or mash-tun capable of containing one third more than the copper.
3. One or more tuns or vessels, to ferment the beer in.
4. Three or four shallow coolers, to reduce the wort as rapidly as possible to a proper temperature for fermentation.
5. One or two copper or wooden bowls, for baling, &c.
6. A thermometer with a scale reaching from below 32° to a few degrees above the boiling-point of water (say to 225° or 230° Fahr.).
7. A saccharometer, for taking the density of worts and beer.
8. A suitable number of casks (clean and sweet), to contain the beer.
9. One or more large funnels or tunners.
10. Two or more clean pails.
11. A hand-pump of a size proportionate to the brewing.
12. A mill, for crushing the malt. Brewers, for sale, are restricted by law to the use of mills with plain metal rollers.
These articles will vary in value from £10, upwards to many hundreds, or even thousands, according to the extent of the brewing; but the whole of them necessary for a private family may be bought for less than the former amount, as the mill, pump, &c., may then be dispensed with, and the rest may be of the simplest and least expensive character possible. By proper care they will last for 30 or 40 years, and still continue in a useful state.
Preliminary proceedings:——
The malt is chosen according to the intended character of the brewing——pale, amber, roasted, or any mixture of them, as the occasion may require. It is bruised or crushed in a mill (malt-mill) before employing it in brewing, that it may be the more readily acted on by the water. It should not be ground too small, as it would then make the wort thick, and cause it to run with difficulty from the mash-tun. The crushed malt may advantageously lie for a few days in a cool situation, by which it will attract a considerable quantity of moisture from the air, and be the more easily exhausted by the water used in mashing. Pale malt may be used coarser than amber or brown malt. A bushel of good malt should measure 1-1/4 bushel when ground; and a quarter should yield between 9-1/2 and 10 bushels, the quantity slightly varying according to the degree of bruising it has undergone. On the large scale, malt is ground in crushing mills furnished with plain iron rollers; on the small scale, by wooden rollers or mills worked by hand. For private brewing, the malt is generally bought ready crushed or ground, for convenience sake.
The hops, after being taken from the ‘pockets’ or ‘bag,’ are crumbled with the hands ready to be thrown into the copper. For general purposes those grown in Kent, and of the present season, are preferred. For the finer sorts of ale, East Kent hops are commonly used; and when it is intended to keep the liquor for a long time, those known by the names of Country’s, Alton’s, or Farnham hops, are employed.
The quantity of hops required by a given measure of malt varies from 2 lbs. to 22 lbs. per quarter, according to the strength or gravity of the wort, the character of the beer intended to be brewed, and the climate which the beer may have to sustain. Export beer requires, as a rule, an exceptionally large amount of hops to enable it to bear without injury the heat of the country to which it is shipped. The following are the usual proportions:——
Table beer 2 lbs. 1 qr. Mild ale or porter 4 ” 1 ” Brown stout 5 ” 1 ” Scotch ale (best) 5 ” 1 ” Strong ale (ordinary) 5-1/2 ” 1 ” ” (keeping) 8 ” 1 ” Bitter ale 10 to 14 ” 1 ” East India ale (export) 12 ” 22 ” 1 ”
When a strong, coarse hop is used, a less quantity suffices for the same strength brewed, but the flavour is always inferior.
The water, which should be clear, and free from all traces of decomposing animal and vegetable matter, must be provided in abundance. Of late years hard water has been preferred by many brewers, on the ground that beer brewed with it is self-fining, and hence requires no artificial clarification either in the vat or cask.
Hard water is also much to be preferred to soft in brewing stock beers; since by its rendering the albuminous matters contained in the mash insoluble, it prevents the fermentation to which these would otherwise give rise, and so assists in the preservation of the beer, and in keeping it free from acidity.
The German brewers, however, who do not brew beverages intended to be kept for any time, on the contrary, employ a soft water, by which means the albuminous substances contained in the malt are rendered soluble, and become diffused throughout the beer, and possibly add in some measure to its nutritive qualities. Hard waters are said to have the property, over soft ones, of enabling the beer to retain more saccharine matter, and hence to improve its flavour and to give it more body. The ales of Burton are pre-eminent for their excellent quality and keeping properties. In the neighbourhood of Burton there are extensive beds of new red sandstone and gypsum, by sinking wells into which the Burton brewers obtain the water from which they make their beers. From the subjoined analyses of Burton well waters it will be seen that this water is a very hard one, and contains, besides other salts, a very large quantity of sulphate of lime.
Analysis of the water used in Messrs ALLSOPP’S brewery (Dr Böttinger):——
Amount of ingredients in the imperial gallon, represented in grains.
Chloride of sodium 10·12 Sulphate of potash 7·65 Sulphate of lime 18·96 Sulphate of magnesia 9·95 Carbonate of lime 15·51 Carbonate of magnesia 1·70 Carbonate of iron 0·60 Silica 0·79 —————— 65·28
Analysis of water from a well at the brewery of Messrs BASS (Cooper):——
Carbonate of lime 9·93 Sulphate of lime 54·40 Chloride of calcium 13·38 Sulphate of magnesia 0·83 —————— 78·54
The whole of the water used in the Burton breweries is obtained from wells, and not from the river Trent, as was at one time erroneously supposed. A factitious Burton water may, it is said, be obtained by adding sulphate of lime and salt to any soft water, in the proportions stated in the above analyses.
Dr C. Graham is of opinion that, although the properties of the Burton well waters are very greatly due to the large quantity of sulphate of lime contained in them, the chlorides of sodium and calcium are also important constituents.
The yeast must be fresh and good; and all the vessels and utensils perfectly sweet and clean. If the latter be neglected, even the most skilful brewing will prove a failure.
Process of brewing:——
1. MASHING:——The ground or bruised malt placed in the mash-tun is macerated for some time in hot water, and the infusion (wort) drawn off from a hole in the bottom, over which a strainer or false bottom is placed, to prevent the malt passing out along with the liquor. During the process of mashing a peculiar principle contained in the malt, called diastase, reacts upon the starch with which it is associated, and converts it into grape-sugar. The more completely this conversion is effected the richer will be the resulting wort in sugar or “saccharine,” and the stronger and more alcoholic the beer produced by its fermentation. It is, therefore, a desideratum with the brewer to mash at the temperature which most fully promotes this important object. The best temperature for this purpose ranges between 150° and 170° Fahr. When more than one mash is made, the first should be something lower than the first-named temperature; the second may be from 175° to 185°; and the third as high as 200° Fahr.
If the first mashing has been rightly conducted, the whole of the starch will be converted into sugar, and the action of the second and third mashings is merely to wash out any of the remaining saccharine matter still existing in the crushed grain.
In practice, as soon as the water in the copper acquires the temperature of 170°, 45 galls. are run into the mash-tun, and 1 quarter of crushed malt gradually added to it. The whole is now thoroughly mixed with the mash liquor, by means of oars, or machinery, the agitation (mashing) being continued for 30 or 40 minutes, when 36 galls. more water from the copper are added, and the whole again well agitated, as before. The mash-tun is now closely covered up, and the mash allowed to repose for about two hours, in order that the diastase may exert its saccharifying power upon the unconverted starch of the malt. At the end of this time the tap is set, and the wort run into the ‘underback.’ It generally amounts to about 50 galls. The second mash is then made with about 60 galls. of water, at 185° F., and the whole process repeated as before. After an hour the liquor is drawn off, and the malt drained ready for the third mash. This time only 35 galls. of water are added at 200° F., and the whole is seldom allowed to stand longer than half an hour. It is then run off, and the malt allowed to drain as dry as possible.
In some cases the worts of the first and second mashes only are used for strong beer; that of the third mashing being kept for table beer, or as liquor to mash a fresh quantity of malt.
Pale malt and mixtures of malt and raw grain should be mashed for a longer time, and at a somewhat lower temperature than brown or high-dried malt.
Instead of making second and third mashes as above described, it has long been the practice in Scotland, and is now becoming common in England, to sprinkle the surface of the grains in the mash-tun with water, at or about the temperature of 180° Fahr., by means of a simple revolving instrument termed a ‘sparger,’ and to let the liquor drain through the goods and run off by the tap with the last portions of the first wort. By this means the whole surface of the grain is continuously and regularly sprinkled with hot water.
When sugar is used it may be either mixed with the malt in the mash-tun, at the time of mashing, or put into the underback, just before setting the taps, and the hot wort run upon it. The proportions of malt and sugar vary according to the quality of the latter, but, on an average, from 170 lbs. to 200 lbs. of good raw sugar may be taken as the equivalent of a quarter of malt.
2. BOILING:——The wort is next transferred from the underback to the copper, and heated to the boiling-point as soon as possible, the object of this expedition being to prevent the formation of acid in the wort, by exposure to the air, before undergoing the changes which take place in the copper. As soon as the boiling of the wort commences the hops are added, and the boiling is continued for about 2 or 2-1/2 hours. A longer boiling is highly objectionable, owing to the extraction of a heavy, resinous bitter from the hop, and the danger of losing the volatile oil upon which the aroma depends. For mild beers the worts are seldom boiled so long; for strong keeping ales, sometimes a little longer. The boiling is known to be completed when the liquor ‘clears,’ as it is called, and albuminous flocks sink to the bottom of the copper.
The hops, strained from each wort, are returned into the copper with the following one.
The average loss by evaporation in the process of boiling varies from 1/6th to 1/7th of the original bulk of the wort. The gravity increases at the same time in about the ratio of 5 to 4; so that if the gravity be, at first, say 32 lbs. per barrel, it will at the end of the operation have risen to about 40 lbs.
3. COOLING:——The wort, under the common system, is ‘run off’ from the copper into the ‘hop-back,’ through a strainer which keeps back the hops. It is then pumped into large square shallow vessels called ‘coolers,’ where it is freely exposed to a current of air to reduce its temperature as quickly as possible, in order to avoid acidity or ‘souring.’ In 6 or 7 hours, or sooner, the temperature should fall to about 60° Fahr. In warm weather the depth of the liquor in the coolers should not exceed 3 or 4 inches; and in cold weather not more than 5 or 6 inches. As soon as the temperature has fallen to about 60° the liquor is ‘tunned’ and ‘yeasted.’
The loss by evaporation and condensation in the coolers varies from 13 to 18 galls. per quarter.
4. FERMENTATION:——The cooled wort is next run into the fermenting tuns or vessels (gyle-tuns). In small brewings these may be casks with one of their heads removed; but under any form they must not be more than 2/3rds filled. The yeast, previously mixed with a little wort, and kept until the whole has begun to ferment (technically termed ‘lobb’), is now added, and after agitation the vessel is covered up, and kept so, until the fermentation is well established. By this time the temperature has risen from 9° to 15°.
The quantity of yeast employed, and the temperature of the wort when it is added, differ in different breweries and for different kinds of beer. It seldom exceeds 2 lbs. per barrel unless the weather is unusually cold, or the yeast old or stale, when a larger proportion is required. The Scotch brewers generally take only 1 gall. of yeast to fully 4 hhds. of wort.
In England, the temperature at which the yeast is added varies from 55° to 65° Fahr. In Scotland, the common temperature is 51° to 52°. In cold weather the heat may be 5° or 6° higher than in mild and warm weather, and a little more yeast may also be advantageously employed. In cold weather ale is commonly tunned at 60°, porter at 64°, and weaker beers at 65° or 70° Fahr. In ‘warm weather’ strong beer should be 4° or 5°, and other beers 7° or 8° cooler than the ‘heats’ just mentioned. On the small scale, 1 to 1-1/4 pint of yeast may be used to every barrel of strong-beer wort, and 3/4 pint to every barrel of mild-beer wort.
The commencement of the fermentation is indicated by a line of small bubbles forming round the sides of the tun, and in a short time extending over the whole surface. A ‘crusty head’ soon forms, and then a ‘fine rocky head,’ followed by a ‘light frothy’ one. At length the head assumes a yeasty appearance, the colour becomes yellowish brown, and a vinous odour is developed. As soon as this last head begins to fall, the tun is skimmed every 2 or 3 hours, until no more yeast is formed. The object of this is, not only to check the violence of the fermentation, but also to remove a peculiar bitterness, with which the first portion of the yeast is impregnated. The beer is then put into casks, or ‘cleansed,’ as it is called. A minute attention to every stage of this process is necessary to secure a fine flavour and a brilliant beverage.
It may be regarded, as a rule, that the lower the temperature, and the slower, more regular, and less interrupted the process of fermentation, the better will be the quality of the brewing, and the less likely to change by age. A little more yeast is required in winter than in summer. When the fermentation becomes slack in the ‘gyle-tun,’ a little more ‘lobb’ is generally added, and the whole is well ‘roused up,’ On the contrary, if the temperature rises considerably, or the fermentation becomes too brisk, the wort is cooled a little and skimmed, or at once cleansed.
5. CLEANSING:——This consists in running the beer from the gyle-tun into casks, or other vessels, set sloping, so that the yeast as it forms way work off the one side of the top, and fall into a vessel placed below to receive it. In small brewings the beer is often at once transferred from the gyle-tun to the ‘store-casks,’ which are sloped a little until the fermentation is over, when they are skimmed, filled, and bunged.
The process of cleansing is generally commenced as soon as the ‘saccharine’ in the fermenting wort falls to about 10 lbs. per barrel, a degree of attenuation which it usually reaches in about 48 hours. Some brewers add a little wheat-flour or bean-flour (about 1/4 lb. per barrel) to the beer in the gyle-tun, shortly before cleansing, to quicken the discharge of yeast; but it is not clearly ascertained whether such a plan is advantageous, or the contrary.
6. STORING:——As soon as the fermentation is concluded, which generally takes from 6 to 8 days, or longer, the clear liquor is pumped into the store-casks or vats, which are then closely bunged, and deposited in a cool cellar, if not already there, to mature. The preference, which at present exists in most parts of the United Kingdom, is for mild, freshly-brewed malt liquors; the good old or mature-vatted beer being now seldom met with. This, of course, is a source of increased profit to the brewer, as it enables him to turn over his capital more rapidly, and saves the risk and expense attendant on long storage.
7. RIPENING:——After a period varying from one to twelve months or longer, according to the nature of the brewing, and the condition of the cellar, the liquor will have become fine, and sufficiently mature for use. During this period the casks, &c., should be occasionally examined to see that there is no leakage, and to open the vent-holes, should any oozings appear at the joints. As equable a temperature as possible should be maintained in the cellar, by ventilation, on the one hand, and the employment of artificial heat on the other, as circumstances and seasonal changes may render necessary.
8. FINING or CLARIFYING:——Beer which has been badly brewed or badly stored, or which from other causes may be thick or muddy, requires clarifying by artificial means. For a barrel about 1 to 1-1/2 pint of brewer’s finings (isinglass or fish-gelatin dissolved in sour beer) is put into a bucket, and some of the beer being gradually added, the whole is violently agitated with a whisk until a frothy head is formed. The mixture is then thrown into the cask of beer, and well ‘rummaged up,’ after which the bung is replaced, and the liquor allowed to repose for a week or ten days.
Sometimes the above method is found to fail with weak and bad-conditioned beer. When such is the case, the addition of a teaspoonful of sulphuric acid, or a table-spoonful of powdered catechu (previously dissolved in 1/2 a pint of boiling water), followed by agitation for a quarter of an hour, will generally cause the ‘finings’ to clarify the liquor; 2 or 3 oz. of tincture of catechu (mixed with a little water) may be used in the same way. A handful of hops, previously boiled for five minutes in a little of the beer, and then added to the barrel, and the whole allowed to stand for a few days, before proceeding to clarify it, will generally have a similar effect, and cause the ‘finings’ to act with certainty. It is the absence of the proper quantity of astringent matter in beer that usually renders them ineffective.
M. Brescius employs tannin for the clarification of beer. To 1000 litres of beer he adds 140 grains of tannin dissolved in 3/4 of a litre of water, which is thoroughly stirred up. After three or four days he adds one litre of isinglass or two of gelatin in the proportion of 1 kilo. to 100 litres. The complete clarification requires about eight days.
Gen. commentary. The preceding is a concise account of all the essential operations of the system of brewing at present practised in this country. On the large scale, extensive and costly apparatus and machinery are employed for the purpose. On the small scale, various modifications, of a minor character, or the several processes herein detailed, are frequently adopted according to the circumstances or ingenuity of the operator. The principles and practice of brewing beer are, however, essentially the same under all the conditions here referred to. In Scotland, only one mash is made, and that at a temperature of about 180° Fahr., with one third of the quantity of the water required for the brewing. The ‘mash-tun’ is then covered up for about half an hour, when the wort is drawn off, and the operation of ‘sparging’ begun. This operation is continued until the density of the mixed worts becomes adapted to produce the quality of the ale then under process of manufacture. The ‘gyle-tun’ (fermenting-tun) is set at from 50° to 60° Fahr., the fermentation being continued slowly for fifteen to twenty days; and the ale is not ‘cleansed’ before the degree of attenuation falls to about 1/2 lb. per day, and not more than one fourth of the original gravity of the wort remains. Scotch ale is justly celebrated for its superior quality. Its usual original gravity is from 34 to 45 lbs. per barrel.
In Bavaria, a country remarkable for the excellence of its beer, the wort is made to ferment at a low temperature, until all the substances which favour acetification have been rendered insoluble, and have separated from the liquor. The fermentation is conducted in wide, open, shallow vessels, which afford free and unlimited access to atmospheric oxygen; and this in a situation where the temperature does not exceed 45° to 60° Fahr. A separation of the nitrogenous constituents thus takes place simultaneously on the surface, and within the whole body of the liquid. The clearing of the fluid is the sign by which it is known that these matters have separated. The fermentation usually occupies three or four weeks, and is conducted during the cooler portion of the year only, and in a situation removed as much as possible from the influence of atmospherical changes of temperature. The sedimentary yeast (unterhefe), and not the surface yeast (oberhefe), of the Bavarian fermenting backs is employed.
The beers of England and France, as well as most of those of Germany, become gradually sour by contact with the air. This defect, as observed by Liebig, does not belong to the beers of Bavaria, which may be preserved, at pleasure, in half-full casks, as well as in full ones, without suffering any material alteration. This precious quality must be ascribed to the peculiar process employed for fermenting the wort, called by the German chemists ‘untergährung,’ or fermentation from below; and which “has solved one of the finest theoretical problems that had long taxed the ingenuity and patience of both the scientific and practical brewer.” (Liebig.)
The ‘Comptes Rendus,’ lxxvii, 1140-1148, contains a paper by M. Pasteur on the manufacture of an ‘unalterable beer.’ In this communication he states that the liability of beer to turn sour, ropy, &c., is due to the presence of special ferments derived from the air, and from the materials used. By boiling the infusion of malt and hops, cooling out of contact with air, and fermenting with pure yeast[232] in vessels to which only carbonic acid or pure air is admitted, a beer is produced of superior quality, which may be preserved without trouble for any time. Even a partial adoption of these precautions is attended with valuable results. In preparing pure yeast to start with, the author makes use of the fact that oxygen favours the growth of true yeast, but hinders the propagation of the other ferments. Pure yeast being obtained, the beer is afterwards fermented in an atmosphere nearly destitute of oxygen, as its quality is thereby improved. Pure yeast when kept in pure air undergoes no change, even at summer temperature. The mycoderma vini does not, as the author once thought, become changed into beer-yeast on submersion in a nutritive fluid; under these circumstances it acts as an alcoholic ferment, but does not propagate itself.
[Footnote 232: M. Pasteur does not state how this is to be obtained.]
“In the ordinary fermentation of grape-juice and worts these liquids do not furnish a quantity of alcohol equivalent to the sugar which they contain; and this because a certain portion of the sugar serves for the oxidation of the gluten, and is not transformed like the rest. But wherever the liquor has arrived at the second period of transformation, the product in alcohol ought to be equivalent to the quantity of sugar present, as actually happens in all fermentations (sedimentary) which are not accompanied with a formation, but a disappearance of the yeast. According to Dr Ure, worts furnish, in the Bavarian breweries, from 10% to 20% more alcohol than they do by the ordinary process of fermentation (obergährung), or that excited by the use of ‘oberhefe’ or top-yeast.”
East-India Ale or Pale Ale, for exportation, is brewed from worts of a sp. gr. of from 1·063 to 1·070. For the best varieties, 15 to 16 lbs. of the finest East Kent hops are used to every quarter of pure malt. The pale ale or bitter beer of the publicans is commonly a very weak liquor (mere table beer), highly bittered with the hop, and too often with quassia, wormwood, and other still more objectionable substances. The process now adopted by the great brewers of pale ale at Burton-on-Trent combines all the most admirable points of both the Bavarian and Scotch systems of brewing.
Berlin White ale or Pale beer is brewed from wheat-malt mixed with about 1/6th part of barley-malt, the ‘wort’ being boiled with hops, 1/2 lb. to the bushel, and slightly fermented with ‘top-yeast,’ at a rather higher temperature.
The desire of evading the duty led to the discovery of its being only necessary to employ 1/3rd, or less, of the grain, in the form of malt; this portion being sufficient to convert into sugar, in the process of mashing, the starch of the unmalted grain forming the other part. This plan answers well when the wort is merely intended for the production of ‘grain spirit,’ but beer so made is insipid and inferior in quality to that brewed wholly of malt. Inferior kinds of beer have also been made from other ingredients than barley-malt, among which may be named the grain of the cheaper cereals, bran, potatoes, turnips, beet-root, carrots, parsnips, pea-shells, and other vegetable substances rich in starch and sugar, all of which will produce beer by being mashed with water in the common way, with about 9% or 10% of barley-malt.
One quarter of the best barley-malt yields, by skilful mashing, fully 84 lbs. of ‘saccharine,’ or soluble sweet extractive matter. This concentrated within the compass of one barrel (33 galls.) gives a sp. gr. of 1·234. In the process of mashing about 4/7ths of this quantity of saccharine (or 48 lbs.) is generally carried off in the first wort; 2/7ths (or 24 lbs.) in the second wort; and 1/7th (or 12 lbs.) in the third wort; the strengths of the worts being to each other respectively as 4, 2, 1. The average gravity obtained by the common brewers from malt of current quality ranges from 80 to 81 lbs. Sugar may be used as a partial substitute for malt, with, in most cases, some degree of saving to the brewer, and without injury to the quality of the beer. The kind of sugar to be used will depend on the quality of the beer to be brewed, but it should be remembered that a bad sugar will not, any more than bad malt, yield a sound palatable beer. From 170 lbs. to 200 lbs. of good raw sugar may be taken as the average equivalent of a quarter of malt.
When the process of mashing has been properly conducted, the wort, after leaving the cooler, should not be turned blue by tincture of iodine, or by iodide of potassium mixed with a few drops of nitric acid. If it turns blue some of the starch has escaped conversion into sugar, and is dissolved in the liquor.
By multiplying the decimal part of the number representing the specific gravity of a wort by 360 (the weight in pounds of a barrel of pure water), we obtain the quantity of saccharine per barrel, corresponding to the given sp. gr.; and by dividing the joint weight of saccharine and water, per barrel, by 360, we obtain the specific gravity. Thus——
Suppose a sample of wort to have a specific gravity of 1·055, then——
Decimal of sp. gr. ·055 × 360 = 19·8 lbs. per barrel.
Again, a barrel of wort weighs 379·8 lbs., that is, 360 lbs. for the weight of a barrel of water, and 19·8 lbs. for the weight of saccharine in the water, then——
297·8 ÷ 360 = 1·055 specific gravity.
It is usually stated in works on brewing that certain temperatures must be reached by each variety of beer, during the progress of the fermentation, in order for the liquor to acquire its characteristic flavour. Thus, it is stated that mild beer begins to acquire flavour when the heat of fermentation arrives at 75° Fahr., increases at 80°, and is highest at 90°, but sometimes even reaches 100°. Old ale is said to obtain its best flavour at a temperature not exceeding 75°; and porter at 70° Fahr. In order to reach these temperatures the worts are directed to be set at from 10° to 15° lower, the rise being due to the heat generated during the fermentation. That these statements refer principally to the old methods of brewing is shown by the fact that some of the brewers of Bavaria, Scotland, and Burton-on-Trent produce rich and high-flavoured liquors at temperatures vastly below those above enumerated. Still, however, the fact must not be concealed, that since the introduction of the new German system of brewing into England the general character of its beers, as they reach the consumer, are inferior in strength and flavour to those of a former period. We may now seek almost in vain for the fine vinous, high-flavoured, invigorating old beers vended in our early days by the common publicans and tavern-keepers, of whom the larger majority were their own brewers. Under the new system of chemical brewing, as worked by those huge monopolists, the ‘great brewers,’ the only object appears to be to obtain the largest quantity possible of saccharine out of the quarter of malt, and to convert this into the largest possible quantity of beer, with little regard to flavour or quality, but an excessive one for their own profits. In due course this liquor is forced on their helpless tenants the publicans, who, in their turn, ‘reduce’ and ‘doctor’ the liquor, until, by the time it reaches the consumer, its insipidity and low strength would have led even a brewer’s drayman of the last century to cast it into the kennel.
The best times for brewing are the spring and autumn; as at those periods of the year the temperature of the air is such as to permit of the easy cooling of worts sufficiently low, without having recourse to artificial refrigeration, or to the use of machinery for the purpose. Old ale cannot be conveniently brewed in summer.
Beers are classed by the brewers into——
Small beers——made from worts not exceeding the sp. gr. 1·025, or 9 lbs. per barrel. Middlings——made from worts of the sp. gr. 1·030 to 1·050, and averaging about 14 lbs. per barrel. Strong beers——made from worts of the sp. gr. 1·040 to 1·080, extending from about 35 lbs. per barrel upwards.
The densities of the worts employed for different kinds of beer vary considerably, as will be seen by the following table:——
TABLE of the Densities of Beers.
|----------------------------------------------------| | | Pounds | | | Description. | per | Specific Gravity. | | | barrel. | | |----------------------------------------------------| |Burton ale, Class 1 |40 to 43 | 1·111 to 1·120 | | ” ” 2 |35 ” 40 | 1·097 ” 1·111 | | ” ” 3 |28 ” 33 | 1·077 ” 1·092 | |Ordinary ale |25 ” 27 | 1·070 ” 1·075 | |Common ” | 21 | 1·058 | |Scotch ale, Class 1 |40 to 44 | 1·111 to 1·122 | | ” ” 2 |33 ” 40 | 1·092 ” 1·111 | |Porter (ordinary) | 18 | 1·050 | | ” (good) |18 to 21 | 1·050 to 1·058 | | ” (double) |{?} to 22| 1·055 ” 1·060 | |Brown stout | 23 | 1·064 | | ” (best) | 26 | 1·072 | |Table beer |12 to 14 | 1·033 to 1·039 | |Small ” (com.) | 6 | 1·017 | |----------------------------------------------------|
EXPORTATION OF BEER:——When beer is exported from any part of the United Kingdom, either as merchandise or ships’ stores, the brewer or exporter of such beer is allowed a certain drawback of duty. The amount is proportional to the quantity of malt or sugar inferred to have been used in the brewing of the beer. Thus, if the original specific gravity of the worts from which the beer was brewed were not less than 1·040, a drawback is granted of 4_s._ 3_d._ per barrel. This is equivalent to a return of the duty on 1-1/2 bushels of malt, with an allowance of 3_d._ for licence duty, now charged in lieu of the abolished hop duty. For every additional 5 degrees of specific gravity, from 1040° to 1125° inclusive, a further sum of 5_d._ per barrel is allowed.
[For further information connected with the above subject the reader is referred to the separate articles——ALE, BEER, DEXTRINE, DIASTASE, FERMENTATION, MALT LIQUORS, PORTER, SACCHAROMETER, SPECIFIC GRAVITY, WORT, YEAST, &c.]
=Brewing Uten′sils.= The cleansing and preservation of brewing utensils, beer casks, &c., has frequently engaged the attention of practical men and brewers’ chemists. To preserve them sweet they should always be thoroughly cleaned before setting them aside. Contact with soap, or any greasy material, should be carefully avoided. A scrubbing-brush and scalding-hot water are generally sufficient to clean them. Great care should be taken to remove every particle of yeast or fur on the sides and bottom; and after being well drained they should be stowed away in some clean and cold situation, properly exposed to the fresh air. Should they become tainted or mouldy, a strong lye of pearl-ash, common salt, or quick-lime, may be spread over them, scalding hot, with a broom or scrubbing-brush. Washing them with oil of vitriol diluted with about 7 or 8 times its bulk of water, is another excellent and very effective method. Fresh-burnt charcoal has also been employed for the same purpose. In each case the vessels must be subsequently thoroughly washed out with clean water, as before. Steam, assisted by the action of a chain, has been successfully applied to clean casks in several breweries. Bisulphite of lime has, within the last few years, been highly recommended for sweetening and cleaning vats, casks, &c. It is also said to prevent beer from developing acidity. See CASKS, VATS, SPOROKTON, &c.
=BRICKS.= Brick-making scarcely comes within the province of this work. In connection with hygiene, however, we may call the reader’s attention to the superior advantages of both hollow and waterproof bricks; the first, for ventilation and lightness; the last, for preserving the dryness and integrity of our homes under all the vicissitudes of climate, season, and weather, either on damp soils or dry ones. Workman’s “Patent Waterproof Bricks” received a strong commendatory notice from the Commissioners of the “Great International Exhibition” of 1851.
=BRILLIANTINE.= 1. Castor oil, 1 part; eau de Cologne, 4 parts. Mix. 2. Honey, 1 oz.; glycerin, 1/2 oz.; eau de Cologne, 1/2 oz.; spirit of wine, 2 oz. Mix.
=BRINE= (for Meat). Prep. 1. A nearly saturated solution of common salt, 1 lb.; and saltpetre, 1 oz.; in soft water.
2. To the last add of sugar or treacle, 1/2 lb. Bay-salt is recommended when the meat is to be kept for a very long period. Meat preserved in brine that has been used for curing several times is said to become poisonous. See PICKLING, &c.
=Brine, Red-Cabbage.= Red-cabbage leaves steeped in a strong solution of common salt. Used as a test for acids and alkalies.
=Brine, Vi′olet.= From the petals of the blue violet, as the last. Used as a test for acids.
=BRIOCHE PASTE= (bre-ōsh′). In cookery, a species of paste, or crust, prepared of eggs and flour, fermented with yeast, to which a little salt, a large quantity of sugar, and about half as much butter as the weight of the flour used, are afterwards added, and well worked in. Used as an addition to soup, and as a casing for lobsters, patties, eggs, &c.
=BRISK′NESS.= The natural briskness and sparkling of fermented liquors depends on the gradual evolution of carbonic acid gas within the body of the fluid, by the process of fermentation. See MALT LIQUORS, PORTER, WINES, &c.
=BRIS′TLES= (brĭs′lz). The stiff hair of swine, &c. They are commonly stiffened by immersion for a short time in alum-water; and are dyed by steeping them for a short time in any of the common dyes used for cotton or wool.
=BRITAN′NIA METAL.= Syn. TUTANIA. A superior species of pewter, used for teapots, spoons, &c.
Prep. 1. Plate-brass, bismuth, antimony, and tin, equal parts, melted together, and the resulting alloy added at discretion to melted tin, until it acquires the proper degree of colour and hardness.
2. To the first alloy, prepared as in No. 1, add one fifth of its weight of metallic arsenic, before mixing it with the melted tin.
3. Antimony, 1 part; brass, 4 parts; tin, 5 or 6 parts; melted together. See QUEEN’S METAL (ALLOYS), PEWTER, &c.
4. Tin, 150 parts; copper, 3 parts; antimony, 10 parts.
5. Tin, 46-1/2 parts; copper, 1 part; antimony, 3 parts.
=Britannia Metal for Casting.= a. Tin, 100 parts; hardening (see below), 5 parts; antimony, 5 parts. b. Tin, 105 parts; copper, 2 parts; antimony, 12 parts.
=Britannia Metal (Best) for Handles.= Tin, 140 parts; copper, 2 parts; antimony, 5 parts.
=Britannia Metal, Hardening for.= Tin, 1 part; copper, 2 parts.
=Britannia Metal (Best) for Lamps, Pillars, and Spouts.= Tin, 75 parts; copper, 1 part; antimony, 3-3/4 parts.
=Britannia Metal for Registers.= Tin, 25 parts; antimony, 2 parts; hardening, 2 parts.
=Britannia Metal for Spinning.= Tin, 25 parts; antimony, 1 part; hardening, 1 part.
=Britannia Metal (Best) for Spoons.= Tin, 20 parts; antimony, 2 parts; hardening, 1 part.
=Britannia Metal for Spouts.= Tin, 46-1/2 parts; copper, 1 part; antimony, 2 parts.
=BRITANNIA SILVER.= Under this name there is, or was, offered to the public at Vienna, and probably elsewhere, under the misleading recommendation that it is a perfect substitute for silver, a heterogeneous metallic composition, in the form of spoons, forks, candlesticks, cups, &c. The Britannia silver is sometimes, or always, light, silvered, Britannia metal (an alloy of 86 tin, 10 antimony, 3 zinc, 1 copper; or of 2 copper, 6 zinc, 21 antimony, 71 tin; or of 1·84 copper, 81·90 tin, 16·25 antimony, and 1 zinc). One firm announces that Britannia silver is silver-white throughout, a colour which can only be obtained in similar alloys by the addition of arsenic. Another firm sells candlesticks of inferior packfong as Britannia metal, and another actually sells tinned Bessemer steel-plate cups as guaranteed Britannia silver. (Ackerman.)
=BRIT′ISH GUM.= See GUM.
=BRITISH WINES.= See WINES.
=BROC′COLI.= [Eng., L., Ger.] Syn. BROCOLI, Fr.; BROCCOLO, It. A well-known sub-variety of cauliflower. The qualities, and the mode of dressing broccoli, are similar to those of cabbages, noticed elsewhere. See VEGETABLES (Culinary), &c.
=BROKEN KNEES= (IN HORSES). The wound should first be thoroughly washed, and then sewn up, and fomented with tepid water. Afterwards cold-water dressings containing a little carbolic acid may be applied. Perfect rest is essential, and, where necessary, splints and slings must be had recourse to. After the wound has thoroughly healed blisters are recommended for restoring the hair.
=BROKEN WIND= (IN HORSES). Of the many remedies said to be useful in this malady few, if any, appear to exercise any permanent advantage. There is no reason, however, why a horse affected with broken wind should not be made serviceable if the precaution be taken to put him to moderately slow work, if the following precautions be followed. His food should be given him in small quantity and at frequent intervals. The oats should be bruised and the hay cut small, and both be slightly damped before he partakes of them. This dietary may be varied by small doses of carrots or turnips.
The amount of fluids should be restricted, and he should be fed and watered at least an hour before going to work. A mild physic ball should also be occasionally administered.
Dogs suffering from asthma should be subjected to the same treatment. To a full-sized dog ten drops each of ether and tincture of belladonna may be given every hour during an attack of spasm until the breathing becomes easier.
=BRO′MA.= Prep. 1. Pure cocoa, 1 lb.; sugar and sago-meal, of each 4 oz.; mix. British arrow-root (i. e. carefully prepared potato-starch) is often substituted for the sago.
2. As the last, but using fine wheat flour in lieu of sago-meal. Made into a beverage in a similar way to cocoa.
=BRO′MAL.= C_{2}Br_{3}HO. A colourless, oily liquid, obtained by the action of bromine on alcohol. Sp. gr. 3·34; boiling point above 212° F. Like chloral it yields a solid hydrate with water. Because of its powerful irritant properties it seems unlikely to prove useful, either as a hypnotic or as an anæsthetic.
=BRO′MIDE= (-mĭd). Syn. BRO′MURET*, HYDROBRO′MATE*; BROMI′DUM, BROMURE′TUM, HYDROBRO′MAS, L.; BROMIDE, BROMURE. Fr. A chemical compound of bromine with another radical.
Prop., &c. The soluble bromides give white precipitates with nitrate of silver, acetate of lead, and protonitrate of mercury. That from the first of these is insoluble in dilute nitric acid and in ammonia water unless concentrated; and it has a slight yellowish tinge, changing to a violet on exposure to the light. A few drops of liquid chlorine poured upon a bromide, followed by agitation of the mixture with a little sulphuric ether, furnishes an ethereal solution of bromine. [For the other bromides see the respective bases.]
=BRO′MINE= (-mĭn), (bromos, a stink). Br. Syn. BROME*; BRO′MIUM, BROMIN′IUM, L.; BRÔME, Fr. An elementary substance, discovered by M. Balard, of Montpellier, in 1826.
Prep. 1. A current of gaseous chlorine is passed through the uncrystallisable residuum of sea-water called bittern, which then assumes an orange tint, in consequence of bromine being set free from its combinations; sulphuric ether is then agitated with it, and the mixture is allowed to stand, in a close vessel, until the ethereal portion floats upon the surface. This is a solution of crude bromine, and for common purposes the ether may be at once evaporated by a very gentle heat. To render it pure, caustic potassa is added in excess to the ethereal solution, or the latter is agitated with a solution of potassa, by which means bromide and bromate of potassium are formed. The whole is evaporated to dryness, and submitted to a dull red heat. The residuum is next powdered and mixed with pure peroxide of manganese; the mixture having been placed in a retort, sulphuric acid (diluted with half its weight of water) is poured in. Red vapours immediately arise, and condense into drops of bromine, which are collected by plunging the neck of the retort nearly to the bottom of a small receiver containing a little very cold water. The bromine forms a stratum beneath the water, and may be collected and at once put into a stoppered bottle; or it may be further purified by distillation from dry chloride of calcium.
2. Leisler’s patent for a method of obtaining bromine consists in decomposing the lye containing the bromine salt by heating it with hydrochloric acid and bichromate of potash in a leaden still having an earthenware head. The volatilised bromine with the vapour of water is conducted into a receiver containing iron turnings, bromide of iron, which dissolves in the water contained in the receiver, being formed. The bromide of iron so produced is either converted into other metallic bromides by the usual processes, or the bromine is obtained in a separate state from the iodide by treatment with sulphuric acid and bichromate of potash.
3. Large quantities of bromine are extracted from the mother liquor of carnallite, a double chloride of magnesium of potassium occurring in enormous quantities in a bed of clay in the neighbourhood of Stassfurt, near Magdeburg. The mother liquid of the carnallite at 35° B. is first freed as much as possible from the chloride of calcium it contains, by means of refrigeration. It is next evaporated down until it acquires a density of 40° B. Frank says it cannot be concentrated to the above extent, because of a waste of bromine resulting from the formation of hydrobromic acid produced by the decomposition of the lye, owing to its being overheated at the bottom of the pan. Upon being cooled to 25° C. a quantity of chloride of magnesium crystallises out, whilst the remaining liquor contains from 0·3 to 0·5 of bromine as bromide of magnesium. The liquor is then put into a sandstone apparatus such as is used for the preparation of chlorine, and the requisite quantity of manganese and hydrochloric acid being added, steam is poured into the apparatus. After about a quarter of an hour the bromine is evolved in the form of vapour, which becomes condensed by being made to pass through a leaden worm cooled in water, and is finally collected as liquid bromine in Woolff’s bottles.
The crude bromine so obtained is purified by redistillation in glass retorts. It is stated that the sandstone apparatus can be charged six times in 24 hours. In order to free the bromine from the presence of any chloride it is shaken up with a solution of bromide of potassium.
The chlorine unites with the potassium, forming chloride of potassium and liberating an equivalent quantity of bromine in so doing. Dr Frank suggests the use of earthenware worms in preference to leaden ones, these latter being acted upon and corroded by liquid bromine. In Dr Frank’s bromine works at Stassfurt the distillation is conducted in cubic stoneware vessels, having a capacity of about three cubic metres. These vessels are surrounded with belts of iron, in case of the occurrence of fracture. It was found that few stones answered the purpose required of them, as by reason of their porous nature they permitted the chloride of manganese formed during the distillation to ooze through. To remedy this the stones had to be coated with tar, a process which entailed a very serious loss of bromine, from the formation of bromine compounds with the hydrocarbons of the tar, as well as a contamination of the bromine with the tar. Subsequently Dr Frank found in the neighbourhood of Porta Westphalia a stone which answered the purpose without requiring the previous objectionable and expensive preparation with tar.
It seems that the workmen discard the respirators which are provided for their use in the bromine works, and merely tie a cloth over the mouth and nose (sometimes neglecting this precaution) when decanting the bromine.
To lessen the evil effects of the vapours upon the health of the workmen under these circumstances, the building is rendered as airy as possible by being thoroughly ventilated throughout. No workmen afflicted with asthma or with any catarrhal affection are employed, whilst those engaged are strictly prohibited from taking spirituous liquids in any form, a custom which begets an irritability of the mucous membranes, which is found to be exceedingly dangerous; on the contrary, a generous diet, and one consisting of an abundant use of bacon and butter, was found very beneficial.
Bromine is sometimes contaminated with chlorine, iodine, and occasionally bromide of carbon. A small quantity of the bromine agitated with a solution of soda, in such proportion that the fluid is made very slightly alkaline, forms a colourless solution, which, if coloured by the further addition of a small quantity of the bromine, does not become blue on the subsequent addition of a cold solution of starch. This shows the absence of iodine. Chlorine may be detected by adding a small quantity of the suspected bromine to some warm solution of potash in a capsule, evaporating, drying the residue, and distilling with bichromate of potash and sulphuric acid. Bromide of carbon has a higher boiling-point than pure bromine.
Prop., &c. A dark, reddish-coloured, volatile liquid, having an odour intermediate between that of chlorine and iodine, but much more suffocating and offensive. It solidifies at about 19°, and boils at about 145° Fahr. It is slightly soluble in water, more so in alcohol, and abundantly so in ether. Its aqueous solution bleaches like chlorine, but less powerfully. With hydrogen it forms HYDROBRO′MIC ACID; and with the bases, compounds called BRO′MIDES. Its sp. gr. is 2·976; that of its vapour, 5·39.
Tests. It is readily recognised by its colour, odour, and volatility, and by the colour of its vapour; by its giving a yellowish-white precipitate with nitrate of silver, which is turned violet by the action of light; and by its solutions giving an orange or yellow colour to starch, and a red tinge to solution of chloride of gold.
Uses, &c. Bromine possesses very similar medicinal properties to iodine, and has been administered in goitre, scrofula, &c., in the form of an aqueous solution composed of 1 part of bromine to 40 of water, of which 5 or 6 drops is the dose; but it is more usually given under the form of bromide of potassium (which see). The compounds of bromine are also largely used in photography in the manufacture of certain coal-tar colours, and in scientific chemistry the solution has also been used as a lotion. Bromine is a good disinfectant. It is very poisonous; the antidotes, &c., resemble those for iodine. See BROMIDE, SOLUTIONS, &c.
=BROMOCHLORALUM= (Tilden & Co., New York), for the removal of bad smells, as a disinfectant, and antiseptic. A fluid, sp. gr. 1·43, containing 27·5 per cent. of solid matter. The latter consists of 18·5 per cent. of aluminium chloride, with chalk and a considerable quantity of alkaline salts. Free bromine is not present. (H. En{?}demann.)
=BROMOFORM= (CHBr_{3}). A colourless liquid obtained by distilling bromide of calcium with alcohol. It has a sp. gr. of 2·90; and boils at 305·6° F., emitting a vapour having a density 8·632. It is somewhat similar in properties to chloroform, but much more irritating; hence it has been rarely employed medicinally.
=BROMTHEE——BRAMBLE TEA= (?)——is a mixture of 5 parts lime flowers cum bracteis, 5 parts senna leaves, 5 parts acacia flowers, 8 parts cort. frangulæ, and 2 parts sassafras chips. (Hager.)
=BROHCHI′TIS= (brŏng-kī′). [L.; prim. Gr.] In pathology, inflammation of the mucous lining of the bronchia or smaller ramifications of the windpipe. In its milder form it is popularly called a ‘cold on the chest.’
Symp. The usual symptoms are hoarseness, dry cough, and a slight degree of fever, followed by expectoration of mucus, at first thin, and afterwards thick and copious. In the severer forms there is more fever, cough, and oppression at the chest, &c.
Treatm. It generally yields to small and repeated doses of ipecacuanha and antimonial diaphoretics; a light diet and mild purgatives being at the same time adopted, but in every case it is safer to have recourse to medical aid.
HORSES.——Finlay Dun prescribes the following:——Tincture of aconite, inhalation of the vapour of water, ether and belladonna, carbolic acid, sulphurous acid, mash diet, salines, chlorate of potash, the salts of ammonia, chloral hydrate, mustard externally, warm clothing, but cool air. Symptoms very similar to those of bronchitis are frequently caused in calves and young cattle by the presence in the bronchii of threadworms or filaria. The cause is generally removed by the administration of a dose or two of oil of turpentine, given at intervals of a day or two.
=BRON′CHOCELE= (brŏng′-ko-sēle). See GOITRE.
=BRONZE.= [Eng., Fr., Ger.] Syn. ÆS, L.; BRONZO, It. An alloy of tin and copper, remarkable for the exactness of the impressions which it takes by moulding and stamping, as well as for its great durability. It has hence been always extensively employed in the casting of buts, medals, statues, &c. In ancient times, when the manufacture of steel was ill-understood, cutting instruments were commonly made of it. It was also the general material of coins of small value; a use which, of late years, has been revived in several of the states of Europe, and still more recently in the coinage of these realms. Bell-metal, gun-metal, and speculum-metal are mere varieties of bronze.
Prep. On the small scale this alloy is prepared in crucibles; but for statues and larger works on reverberatory hearths. The fusion of the mixed metals is conducted as rapidly as possible under pounded charcoal, and the melted mass is frequently stirred together to produce a perfect mixture before casting.
The proportions of the materials so vary in different castings that it is almost impossible to say precisely what quantities are the best. The following are given as examples:——
a. For EDGE-TOOLS:——Copper, 100 parts; tin, 14 parts. When skilfully hardened and tempered this alloy is capable of receiving an edge nearly equal to that of steel.
b. For GILDING:——1. Copper, 82 parts; zinc, 18 parts; tin, 3 parts; lead, 2 parts.
2. From copper, 83 parts; zinc, 17 parts; tin, 2 parts; lead, 1 part.
c. For MEDALS:——1. Copper, 89 parts; tin, 8 parts; zinc, 3 parts. This alloy assumes a beautiful antique appearance by age, and takes a sharp impression by stamping.
2. (M. Chaudet.) Copper, 95 parts; tin, 4 or 5 parts. This is also excellent for any small castings.
d. For MORTARS:——Copper, 93 parts; lead, 5 parts; tin, 2 parts.
e. For STATUARY:——1. Copper, 88 parts; tin, 9 parts; zinc, 2 parts; lead, 1 part.
2. Copper, 82-1/2 parts; zinc, 10-1/2 parts; tin, 5 parts; lead, 2 parts. These are very nearly the proportions of the celebrated statue of Louis XV.
3. Copper, 90 parts; tin, 9 parts; lead, 1 part.
4. Copper, 91 parts; tin, 9 parts.
For a gold varnish for bronze objects refer to BRASS.
Obs. Several analyses have been made of ancient cutting instruments, from which it appears that the proportion of tin varies from 4% to 15%; a fact which tends to prove that more depends upon the exact mode of tempering the alloy than on the relative proportions of the ingredients. Lead and zinc are inadmissible in bronze for this purpose. One or two per cent. of iron may, nevertheless, be added with advantage. The ancient bronze used for springs contained only 3% to 4% of tin. The edges and lips of bronze mortars must be carefully tempered by heating them to a cherry red, and then plunging them into cold water, as unless so treated they are very apt to be broken in use. See BELL-METAL, BRASS, GUN-METAL, &c.
=Bronze′-powder.= Syn. BRONZE. A name given to various powders having a rich metallic appearance, which they retain when applied on varnish, or when mixed with it, as in surface bronzing.
Prep. 1. GOLD-COLOURED:——a. From Dutch-foil, reduced to an impalpable power by grinding. Cheap and looks well, and is very durable when varnished.
b. From gold-leaf, as the last.
c. Precipitated powder of gold.
d. From verdigris, 8 oz.; tutty powder, 4 oz.; borax and nitre, of each 2 oz.; bichloride of mercury, 1/4 oz.; grind them together, make the mixture into a paste with oil, and then fuse it; when cold, roll it into thin sheets or leaves, and grind it as in No. 1.
2. IRON-COLOURED:——Plumbago, in fine powder.
3. RED:——Sulphate of copper, 100 parts; carbonate of soda, 60 parts; mix, and apply heat until they unite into a mass; then cool, powder, and add of copper filings, 15 parts; again well mix, and keep the compound at a white heat for about twenty minutes; lastly, when cold, reduce the ‘residuum’ to an impalpable powder, wash it in pure water, and dry it.
4. SILVER:——Bismuth and tin, of each 1 oz.; melt them together, and add of quicksilver, 1 to 1-1/2 oz.; when cold, powder it.
Obs. The above are used by painters, japanners, &c. See BISULPHIDE OF TIN (TIN), POWDERS, &c.
=BRONZ′ING.= The process of giving a bronze-like, or an antique metal appearance, to the surface of copper, brass, and other metals. The following methods are recommended for this purpose:——
1. To the surface of the article, first thoroughly cleaned and polished, evenly apply with a brush the common crocus powder (‘jewellers’ rouge’), previously made into a smooth paste with water. When dry, place it in an iron ladle, or on a common fire-shovel, and expose it over a clear fire for about one minute; lastly, when sufficiently cold, polish it with a plate-brush. This gives a very rich appearance, similar to that on tea-urns; the shade depending on the duration and the degree of heat employed.
2. As the last, but substituting finely powdered plumbago for crocus powder. Equally beautiful, but deeper coloured and more permanent than that produced by No. 1.
3. As the preceding, but employing mixtures of plumbago and crocus in various proportions according to the shade desired.
4. A dilute solution of liver of sulphur (sulphurated potash), or of hydrosulphate of ammonia is applied with a camel-hair pencil to the metal previously slightly warmed; when dry, the surface is either left rough or brushed off. If liver of sulphur has been used, it will be better to wash it first in clean hot water; but without the slightest friction. This gives the appearance of very antique bronze.
5. Verdigris, 2 oz.; and sal-ammoniac, 1 oz.; are dissolved in vinegar, 1 pint; and the mixture is diluted with water until it tastes only slightly metallic, when it is boiled for a few minutes, and filtered for use. Copper medals, &c. (thoroughly clean) are steeped in the liquor at the boiling-point until the desired effect is produced. Care must be taken not to keep them in it too long. When taken out they are carefully washed in hot water, and dried. Effect as the last.
6. Verdigris and vermilion, of each 2 oz.; alum and sal-ammonia, of each 5 oz. (all in fine powder); vinegar, q. s. to form a thin paste. This is spread over the surface of the copper, which is then uniformly warmed by the fire, and afterwards well washed and dried. The tint may be deepened by repeating the process. The addition of a little blue vitriol inclines the colour to a chestnut-brown; and a little borax to a yellowish-brown. Used by the Chinese for copper tea-urns, &c.
7. Sal-ammonia, 1 oz.; cream of tartar, 3 oz.; common salt, 3 oz.; hot water, 1 pint; dissolve; then add of nitrate of copper, 2 oz., dissolved in 1/2 a pint of water; mix well, and with it repeatedly moisten the article (placed in a damp situation) by means of a soft brush. Produces a very antique appearance.
8. Salt of sorrel, 1 oz.; sal-ammoniac, 3 oz.; distilled vinegar, 1 quart; dissolve. As the last. Much used for bronze figures.
9. A very weak solution of bichloride of platinum, applied with a hair pencil or by immersion. Used for binding screws, holders, and other small articles of copper and brass.
10. Sulphate of iron and sulphate of copper, of each 1 oz.; water, 1 pint; dissolve; wash the surface of the articles with it; let them dry; then apply a solution of verdigris, 2 oz. dissolved in strong vinegar, 1/4 pint; when dry, polish them with a soft brush, and either some plumbago or colcothar. Used for tin castings.
11. The articles (properly cleaned) are either immersed in, or washed over, with a solution of sulphate of copper or of verdigris. In a short time they acquire a coating of pure metallic copper, and are then washed. This only answers with iron and steel goods. It is admirably suited for iron castings.
12. An antique appearance may be given to silver by either exposing it to the fumes of hydrosulphate of ammonia, or immersing it for a very short time in a solution of hydrosulphate of ammonia, or in dilute nitric acid.
=Bronzing, Sur′face.= A term commonly applied to the process of imparting a bronze-like or metallic appearance to the prominent portions of the surfaces of figures made of paper, wood, plaster of Paris, &c. It is effected by first giving them a coat of oil-varnish or size, and when this is nearly dried, applying, with a ‘dabber’ of cotton, or a camel-hair pencil, any of the ordinary metallic bronze-powders before referred to. Sometimes the powder is placed in a little bag of muslin, and dusted over the surface. The articles should be afterwards varnished.
Paper is bronzed by mixing the bronze-powders up with a little weak gum-water, and burnishing the surface when dry and hard.
=Electrotypes, to Bronze. Green.= Steep the medal or figure in a strong solution of common salt, or sugar, or sal-ammoniac, for a few days; wash in water, and allow to dry slowly; or suspend it over a vessel containing a small quantity of bleaching powder, and cover over. The length of time it is allowed to remain will determine the depth of colour.
=Brown.= Add four or five drops of nitric acid to a wine-glassful of water. The object is rubbed over with this gently, and allowed to dry, and when dry subjected to a gradual and equal heat; the surface will be darkened in proportion to the heat applied.
=Black.= Wash the surface over with a little dilute solution of hydrosulphate of ammonia, and dry at a gentle heat.
=BROOM.= The common name of the plant spar′tium scopa′′rium. A useful diuretic; of great service in dropsy. See DECOCTION.
=Broom Ashes.= From broom-stalks burnt. Formerly used as a diuretic in dropsy.
=Broom, Salt of.= Obtained by dissolving broom ashes in water, and filtering and evaporating the solution. It consists principally of carbonate of potassa. It was formerly used in dropsy, and as an antacid, &c.
=BROSSÉ DE CORAIL.= [Fr.] The root of lucerne (medicago sativa), cleaned, dried, and hammered at the end. Used as a tooth-brush.
=BROTH.= Syn. JUS (coctis carnibus), JUS′CULUM, L.; BOUILLON, JUS, Fr.; FLEISCHBRÜHE, Ger. In cookery, the liquor in which flesh has been boiled. Broth is distinguished from soup by its inferior strength and quantity of seasoning, &c. It contains much of the nutriment of the meat. We extract the following from Dr Letheby’s work ‘On Food’:——
“A nutritious broth, containing the albumen of the meat or chicken, may be obtained by infusing a third of a pound of minced meat or chicken in 14 oz. of cold water, to which a few drops (4 or 5) of muriatic acid and a little salt (from 10 to 18 grains) have been added. After digesting for an hour or so, it should be strained through a sieve, and the residue washed with five ounces of water, and pressed, The mixed liquids thus obtained will furnish about a pint of cold extract of meat, containing the whole of the soluble constituents of the meat (albumen, creatin, creatinin, &c.), and it may be drunk cold, or slightly warmed, the temperature not being raised above 100° F., for fear of coagulating the albumen.”
=Broth, Scotch.= This, which is in very general use amongst the middle and working classes of Scotland, is made as follows:——Put into a pot three quarts of cold water along with a cupful of Scotch barley, and let it boil; add two pounds of neck of mutton. Allow it to stew gently for an hour, skimming occasionally. Then add turnips cut in squares, and onions sliced, and carrots and turnips uncut. The half of a small cabbage chopped in moderately fine pieces may be put in instead of all these vegetables; and leeks may be used instead of onions. Stew the whole for an hour longer. The broth is now ready. Season with salt and serve in a tureen. The meat is served in a separate dish, with the uncut pieces of turnip and carrot and a little of the broth as gravy. Any meat may be employed in the same way. Broths and soups contain the greater part of the saline matter of the meat, the crystalline principles, viz. creatin and creatinin, some of the albumen and fat, and an amount of gelatin, dependent upon the duration of the boiling process. They also contain nearly all the odorous matters of the meat. Cold water extracts from one sixth to one fourth of the solid ingredients of meat. The presence of a large quantity of highly nitrogenous crystalline principles in broths and soups accounts for their restorative powers. These, which are the creatin and creatinin, bear a close resemblance to the thein of tea and coffee, and the theobrominæ of cocoa, in their physiological effects.
Broth is contra-indicated for children at the breast, as it not unfrequently induces sickness, disorders the bowels, and induces fever. The same applies to beef tea. When, however, broth and beef tea are used as clysters in such quantities that can be retained, they act most beneficially. See BOILING, SOUP, &c.
=BROWN DYE.= Every shade of brown may be produced, almost at will, by mixtures of reds and yellows with blues and blacks; or directly by simple dyes. The following are examples:——
a. For COTTON:——
1. Give the goods a mixed mordant of acetate of alumina and acetate of iron, followed by a bath of madder or of madder and fustic. Excess of acetate of alumina turns it on the AMARANTH TINT; the acetate of iron darkens it.
2. First ‘gall’ the goods, then turn them for a short time through the black bath; next give them a mordant of sulphate of copper, then pass them through a decoction of fustic, afterwards through a bath of madder, and again through the solution of sulphate of copper; drain, dry, rinse well, and finish with a boil in soap and water. This gives a CHESTNUT-BROWN.
3. First give the goods a mordant of alum, then a bath of madder, and next a bath of fustic to which a little green copperas has been added. This gives a CINNAMON-BROWN.
b. For LINEN:——This varies little from that commonly employed for cotton.
c. For SILK:——
1. One of the above mordants is followed by a bath made by mixing equal parts of the decoctions of logwood, fustic, and Brazil-wood. The shade may be varied by altering the proportions of the decoctions; Brazil-wood reddening, logwood darkening, and fustic yellowing, the tint.
2. Annotta, 4 oz.; and pearlash, 1 lb.; are dissolved in boiling water, q. s.; the silk is passed through it for two hours, then taken out, and squeezed dry; it is next passed through a mordant of alum, and then through a bath of Brazil-wood, followed by another of logwood to which a little green copperas has been added.
d. For WOOL:——
1. Boil the cloth in a mixed mordant of alum, common salt, and water, then dye it in a bath of logwood to which a little green copperas has been added. 2 oz. of alum, and 1 oz. of salt, are required for every lb. of wool.
2. Boil the goods in a mordant of alum and sulphate of iron, then pass them through a bath of madder. The more copperas the darker will be the dye. Good proportions are 2 parts of alum and 3 of copperas.
3. Give a mordant of alum and tartar, then pass the goods through a madder bath; next run them through a bath of galls and sumach or logwood to which a little acetate or sulphate of iron has been added.
4. Mordant the cloth as last, dye in a madder bath, remove the cloth, add a little acetate or sulphate of iron, and again pass it through the bath as long as necessary.
5. Give the cloth a light blue ground with indigo, and then a mordant of alum; rinse, and lastly run it through a bath of madder.
6. A mordant of alum and tartar, followed by, first a bath of madder, and afterwards a bath of weld or fustic to which a little iron-liquor has been previously added. In this way every shade, from MORDORÉ and CINNAMON to DARK CHESTNUT, may be produced.
7. Boil fustic-chips, 1 lb., for 2 hours; pass the cloth through the bath for 1 hour; take it out and drain; add of green copperas, 1-1/4 oz.; good madder, 4 oz.; boil for a short time, and again pass the cloth through the bath, until it acquires the proper tint. BRONZE-BROWNS, and every similar shade, may be thus given by varying the proportions.
e. The following are called SUB′STANTIVE or DIRECT BROWNS:——
1. Decoction of oak-bark. It dyes wool of a fast brown of various shades, according to the quantity employed. A mordant of alum brightens it.
2. Infusion or decoction of walnut-peels. Dyes wool and silk a brown, which is brightened by alum.
3. Horse-chestnut-peels. A mordant of chloride of tin turns it on the BRONZE; and sugar of lead, on the REDDISH-BROWN.
4. Catechu or Terra Japonica. For cottons. Blue vitriol turns it on the BRONZE, and green copperas darkens it, when applied as mordants. Acetate of alumina as a mordant brightens it. The French colour, CARMELITE, is given with 1 lb. of catechu, 4 oz. of verdigris, and 5 oz. of sal-ammoniac.
5. Sulphate or chloride of manganese. Dissolved in water with a little tartaric acid, it gives the bronze tint called SOLITAIRE. The stuff, after being passed through the solution, is turned through a weak lye of potash, and afterwards through another of chloride of lime, to heighten and fix it.
6. Prussiate of copper. This gives a fine BRONZE or YELLOWISH-BROWN to silk. A mordant of blue vitriol is commonly first given, followed by a bath of prussiate of potash.
=BROWN PIG′MENTS.= The principal and most useful of these are——umber, terra di Sienna (both burnt and raw), Spanish brown, and some of the ochres. Brown, of almost any shade, may be made by the admixture of blacks with reds and yellows, or with greens, in different proportions. See BISTRE, BLACK, NEWCASTLE,[233] OCHRES, SEPIA, &c.
[Footnote 233: Under BLACK PIGMENTS.]
=Brown, Span′ish.= See OCHRES.
=BROWN PINK.= See YELLOW PIGMENTS.
=BROWN′ING.= In cookery, a fluid preparation used to colour and flavour gravies, soups, &c.
Prep. 1. Sugar, 4 oz.; and butter, 1 oz.; are melted in a frying-pan or ladle with about a tablespoonful of water, and the heat is continued until the whole has turned of a deep brown; the heat is then lowered a little, and some port wine (about 1 pint) is gradually poured in; the pan is now removed from the fire, and the mixture well stirred until the roasted sugar is entirely dissolved; it is then put into a bottle, and 1/2 oz. each of bruised pimento and black pepper, 5 or 6 shalots (cut small), a little mace and finely grated lemon peel, and 1/4 pint of mushroom catsup, added. The bottle is shaken daily for a week, and the clear liquid, after 5 or 6 days’ repose, decanted into another bottle. Rich flavoured, but expensive.
2. As the last, but using strong beer, or water, instead of wine. A glassful of spirit may be added after bottling it.
3. Sugar-colouring, 1 pint; salt, 1/4 lb.; mushroom-catsup, 1/2 pint; spice, q. s. Excellent for all ordinary purposes.
4. Lump sugar (powdered), 2-1/2 lbs.; salad oil, 1/2 lb.; heat as before; then add, of port wine, 1 quart; Cape wine, 3 quarts; shalots, 6 oz.; mixed spice, 4 oz.; black pepper, 3 oz.; mace, 1 oz; salt, 1 lb.; lemon juice, 1 pint; catsup, 1 quart; mix well.
5. Good spirit-colouring or sugar-colouring and mushroom catsup, of each 1 gall.; Jamaica pepper, black pepper, and shalots, of each 4 oz; cloves, cassia, and mace, bruised, of each 3/4 oz.; boil in a covered vessel for 5 minutes; digest for 14 days, and strain.
6. Colouring, 3 pints; mushroom catsup, 1 pint; common salt, 3/4 lb.; Chili vinegar (strongest), 1/2 pint; spice, q. s. Half a pint of British brandy or rum may be added.
Obs. The above are excellent additions to gravies, soups, &c.; and of themselves form most admirable sauces for fish, meat, and game.
=Browning= (for Gun-barrels). Prep. The following are current formulæ:——
1. Blue vitriol, 4 oz.; tincture of chloride of iron, 2 oz.; water, 1 quart; dissolve, and add aquafortis and sweet spirit of nitre, of each 1 oz.
2. Blue vitriol and sweet spirit of nitre, of each 1 oz.; aquafortis, 1/2 oz.; water, 1 pint; as last.
3. Butter of antimony and sweet oil, equal parts; well shaken together. To be applied to the iron previously warmed.
Obs. The above fluids are rubbed on the barrel (previously well polished and cleaned off with whiting to remove the oil), and allowed to remain on for some hours, or until the next day, when they are rubbed off with a stiff brush. The process may be repeated, if necessary. The barrel is next washed in water in which a little pearlash or soda has been dissolved, and afterwards well rinsed in clean water; it is then polished, either with the burnisher, or with a brush and beeswax. Sometimes a coat of tough shell-lac varnish is applied.
=BRUCEA= (-sh′ă). False cusparia (which see).
=BRUCHBALSAM——RUPTURE BALSAM= (Dr Tänzer).——No. 1. Compound rosemary cerate, nutmeg cerate, red Johannis oil, yellow wax, of each 1 part; fat, 5 parts. No. 2. Mixture of nutmeg cerate, 50 parts; tallow, butter, of each 10 parts, melted and mixed with 25 parts strongest liquor potassæ. No. 3. Compound rosemary cerate, oil of bayberries, of each 2 parts; nutmeg cerate, 4 parts; red Johannis oil, 6 parts; yellow wax, 3 parts; tincture of myrrh and tincture of aloes, of each 1/2 part; tr. opii, 1/4 part, melted and heated until the spirit has evaporated. (Hager.)
=BRUCHPFLASTER——RUPTURE PLASTER= (Krüsi Altherr). A spread plaster, the mass consisting of 5 parts Bergundy pitch and 2 parts turpentine. (Walz and Hager.)
=Bruchpflaster——Rupture Plaster= (Caspar Menet). Machine-made paper covered with thin gauze, and thinly spread with a mass of 9 parts wax, 3 parts turpentine, and 1 part elemi. (Hager.)
=BRUCHSALBE——RUPTURE CERATE= (Gottlieb Sturzenegger, Herisau, Canton Appenzell). A mixture of 50 parts fat and 1 part oil of bayberries. (Hager.)
=BRUCHE=, ruptures cured without medicine, operation, or pain, by Lavedan, chemist. A pelotte containing in it zinc and copper plate on which a solution of the “poudre electrochimique” (common salt) is dropped. (Hager.)
=BRU′CIA.= C_{23}H_{26}N_{2}O_{4}. Aq. [Eng., Fr.] Syn. BRU′CINE; BRU′CINA, L. An alkaloid discovered by Pelletier and Caventou, in the bark of bru′cia antidysenter′ica, and afterwards associated with strychnia, in nux vomica.
Prep. Ground nux vomica, or the bark of brucia antidysenterica, is boiled in dilute sulphuric acid, and the resulting decoction mixed with hydrate of lime (in excess); the crude precipitate thus obtained is boiled in alcohol (sp. gr. ·850), and the tincture filtered whilst hot. A mixture of crude strychnia and brucia is deposited as the fluid cools, and the remainder is obtained by evaporation. This is powdered and digested in cold alcohol, which dissolves out the brucia; the solution furnishes crystals on spontaneous evaporation. It may be further purified by recrystallisation from alcohol.
Prop. Soluble in 850 parts of cold, and about 500 parts of hot water; freely soluble in alcohol; added to the dilute acids until they are neutralised, it forms crystallisable salts, easily obtained by evaporation.
Tests. It is distinguished from strychnia, which in many respects it resembles, by its ready solubility in both dilute and absolute alcohol, and its insolubility in ether. With nitric acid it strikes a fine red colour, which is removed by sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphurous acid. Iodic acid, chloric acid, and chlorine, also turn it red.
Professor Sonnenschein has succeeded in converting brucia into strychnia. He says——“Brucia C_{23}H_{26}N_{2}O_{4} and Strychnia C_{21}H_{22}N_{2}O_{2} differ apparently considerably in their composition; but the former may easily be converted into the latter. Referring to the formulæ it will be seen that strychnia is produced by combining brucia with 4O, and eliminating 2H_{2}O_{1} and 2CO_{2}. This is effected as follows:——Brucia is moderately heated with 4 to 5 times its weight of diluted nitric acid, when a red colouration will be produced and gases evolved, which cause in a mixture of barium chloride and ammonia a white precipitate of carbonate of barium.
The red solution is concentrated in a water-bath, super-saturated with potassa, and agitated with ether, which, on spontaneous evaporation, leaves a reddish mass, containing a red colouring matter, a yellowish resin, and an alkaloid which is obtained pure by dissolving in an acid and crystallising. This base has the intensity, bitter taste, and other properties of strychnia, gives the characteristic reactions with potassium chromate, cerium oxide, and sulphuric acid, and yields with chlorine the sparingly soluble compound. The muriate crystallises in fine silky needles, from which 9·20 per cent. of chlorine was obtained.
The conversion of brucia into strychnia is not only highly interesting, but it is likewise of great importance in forensic analysis, proving again that in such cases the employment of oxidising agents is admissible only with great caution. A student who had received for analysis a mixture containing, among other substances, brucia and nitrate of lead, employed the process of Stas and Otto for the separation of the alkaloids, and found strychnia instead of brucia which had been oxidised by the liberated nitric acid.
“If strychnia is heated with a strong base like potassa, soda, or baryta, for some time, in a sealed glass tube placed in a water-bath, a body is obtained which no longer shows the reactions of strychnia, but resembles brucia in its reactions. The experiments on this decomposition, which is likewise of importance in forensic analysis, are not yet concluded.”
=BRUISE= (brōōze). Syn. CONTU′SIO, CONTU′SUM, L.; CONTUSION, MEURTRISSURE, Fr.; BRAUSCHE, QUETSCHUNG, &c., Ger. A contusion; but in popular language applied chiefly to cases in which there is an extravasation of blood owing to the rupture of the minute vessels, with consequent discoloration or tumefaction of the part.
Treatment.——In common cases, sufficiently serious, bruises may be rubbed with a little opodeldoc or soap-liniment; or, if the inflammation be considerable, they may be bathed with a little weak goulard water, or with vinegar and water. In more severe cases leeches may be applied. See CONTUSION.
Treatment for Animals.——The same as for man.
=BRUNS′WICK BLACK.= See VARNISHES.
=BRUNS′WICK GREEN.= See GREEN PIGMENTS.
=BRUSHES.= Brushes may be best washed in a moderately cold weak solution of borax. They should afterwards be rinsed in cold water and dried.
=BRUSTBONBONS——PECTORAL BONBONS= (Fr., Stollwerck, Cologne). Carageen, 3 parts; Iceland moss, 2 parts; red poppy petals, 1-1/2 parts; coltsfoot, 1 part; liquorice, 2 parts; marshmallow root, 2 parts; daisy (Bellis perennis), 1-1/2 parts; Souchong tea, 1 part; boiled with 24 parts of water till reduced to half, and the fluid afterwards mixed with refined sugar.
=BRUSTGELEE——PECTORAL JELLY= (Daubitz, Berlin). A yellowish-brown nearly clear jelly, with a sweet, weak anise, followed by a somewhat bitter taste, made of gelatin, 12 grammes; sugar, 60 grammes; and a herbal infusion, 120 grammes; the latter made from anise, star-anise, Iceland moss, &c.
=BRUSTPULVER——PECTORAL POWDER= (Beliol, Paris). For chronic pains in the chest. A mixture of 75 parts milk-sugar, 20 parts gum arabic, 5 parts Rochelle salt. (Mayer).
=BRUSTSAFT PRAPARIRTER——PREPARED PECTORAL JUICE= (Rudolph Büttner, Berlin). For coughs, hoarseness, tightness of the chest, &c. An ordinary pectoral tea made of an infusion of red poppy petals, which is boiled to a syrup with sugar (Hager).
=BRUSTSYRUP WEISER MAYERSCHER——WHITE PECTORAL SYRUP= (G. A. W. Mayer, Breslau). 4 parts powdered radish extracted with 5 parts water (according to others rose-water), the liquor expressed and filtered. 6 parts of the clear liquor digested with 10 parts of sugar to make a syrup. (Hager.) Frequently nothing but a simple solution of sugar.
=Brustsyrup——Pectoral Syrup= (Dr Moth). A mixture of syrup of marshmallow, 1000 parts; extract of horehound, 30 parts; oxymel of squills, 50 parts; aq. amygd. amar., 25 parts; aqua. foenic, 100 parts; spirit of ether, 10 parts.
=BRUSTWARZEN——MITTEL ZUR HEILUNG WUNDER.= Miraculous remedy for healing sore nipples. (From Paris.) A dirty brownish-yellow, somewhat turbid liquid, smelling of vinegar, and with a taste both sour and sweet. A solution of 1-1/4 parts litharge in 100 parts vinegar. (Wittstein.)
=Brustwarzen——Mittel Gegen Wunde.= Sore nipple preventive. (From Paris.) Acetic acid, 1 part; sugar of lead, 3 parts; camphor, 5 parts; water, 100 parts. (Terreil.)
=BRUSTWARZENBALSAM, RIGAER——RIGA’S NIPPLE BALSAM.= A mixture of the yolk of one egg with 10 to 12 grammes balsam of Peru.
=BRY′ONIN= (-nĭn). A peculiar bitter principle extracted from the root of white bryony (bryonia dioica, Jacq.). It is obtained from the dry extract of the expressed juice, by solution in alcohol, filtration, and cautious evaporation.
Prop., &c. A yellowish-white mass. It is a drastic purgative; and, in large doses, poisonous. It enters into the composition of several quack medicines.
=BUBBLE-AND-SQUEAK.= In cookery, a species of olla podrida variously prepared, as the materials and fancy of the maker dictate.
Prep. (Rundell.) Take slices of cold meat, fry them quickly until brown, and put them into a dish to keep them hot. Then clean the pan from the fat; put in it greens and carrots (previously boiled and chopped small); add a little butter, pepper, and salt; make them very hot, and put them round the beef with a little gravy. Cold boiled pork is a better material for bubble-and-squeak than beef. In either case the slices should be very thin and lightly fried.
=BUB′BLE FEVER‡.= See PEMPHIGUS.
=BU′CHU= (-kū). The plant dios′ma crena′ta (which see).
=BUCK′BEAN= or =BOG′BEAN=. The menyanthes trifoliata. See INFUSIONS.
=BUCKINGHAM’S DYE= for the whiskers; manufactured by R. E. Hall & Co., Nashua, N.H. This whisker dye is an ammoniacal solution of nitrate of silver, and consists of 1/2 gramme nitrate of silver, 2-1/2 grammes solution of ammonia, and 40 grammes distilled water. (Dr Schacht).
=BUCK′THORN.= Syn. RHAM′NUS, L. The rham′nus cathar′ticus (Linn.). Berries (BAC′CÆ RHAM′NI, L.), cathartic; juice of the berries (SUC′CUS R., L.) is officinal in the B. P. See RHAMNINE, SYRUPS, &c.
=BUCK′WHEAT.= See WHEAT.
=BUG.= Syn. CI′MEX, L.; PUNAISÉ, Fr.; WANSE, Ger. A name popularly and very loosely applied to a vast number of insects that infest houses and plants; in zoology, hemipterous insects of the genus ‘cimex,’ of which there are many hundred species; appr., the bed-bug.
=Bug.= Syn. BED′-BUG, HOUSE′-B., WALL-B., WALL′-LOUSE*, &c.; CI′MEX DOMES′TICUS, C. LECTULA′′RIUS (Linn.), L.; PUNAISE, Fr.; BETTWANZE, HÄUSWANSE, Ger. An insect too well known in all the larger towns of Europe and America, and in the huts of squalid poverty everywhere, to require a description here. It is almost the only species of the bug kind that has undeveloped wings. Its introduction to England is believed to have occurred soon after the great Fire of London (A.D. 1666). Human blood appears to be its favourite food; but it will also eat grain, seed, flour, dried paste, size, soft deal, beech, osier, &c. Cedar, mahogany, and the odorous and harder woods are usually avoided by this insect. Aromatics, perfumes, and strong odours generally are unfavorable to its propagation.
Exterm., &c. Various means have been adopted to prevent the accession, and to destroy or drive away, these enemies of “tired nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep.” Among the most certain of these is thorough cleanliness and ventilation. The furniture brokers put articles infested with these insects into a room with doors and windows fitting quite close, and subject them to the fumes of burning sulphur or chlorine gas. In the small way poisonous washes are commonly resorted to. For this purpose nothing is more effective than chloride of lime or chloride of zinc; the latter being preferable to the other on account of its being comparatively scentless.
The following mixtures are in common use, or have been recommended for this purpose:——
1. Corrosive sublimate (in powder) and hydrochloric acid, of each 1 oz.; hot water, 3/4 pint; agitate them together until the first is completely dissolved. It is applied with a paint-brush, observing to rub it well into the cracks and joints. This is the common ‘bug-wash’ of the shops. It is a deadly poison!
2. As the last, but substituting 2 oz. of sal-ammoniac for the hydrochloric acid.
3. Oil of turpentine, 1 pint; camphor, 2 oz.; dissolve. Very cleanly and effective.
4. Tobacco-water, made by steeping 2 oz. of good shag in 1 pint of warm water for a few hours.
5. Crude pyroligneous acid.
6. Coal-tar naphtha. This, as well as No. 3 (above), should never be used by candle-light, as it is excessively inflammable. When the smell of the common naphtha is objectionable, benzol or benzine may be used instead. The celebrated nostrum vended under the name of ‘Insecticide’ is said to be nothing but benzol.
7. Sulphurated potash (in powder), 6 oz.; soft soap, 1/2 lb.; oil of turpentine, 1/4 pint or q. s. to make a species of soft ointment. The odour of the last three (Nos. 5, 6, 7) is rather persistent and disagreeable; but they are very effective.
8. Strong mercurial ointment, soft soap, and oil of turpentine, equal parts, triturated together. Rather greasy and dirty.
9. Scotch or Welsh snuff, mixed with twice its weight of soft soap.
10. Sulphur, or squills, in impalpable powder, blown into the cracks or joints, or scattered in a fine cloud, by means of a hollow ball or balloon of vulcanised india rubber filled with it and furnished with a small wooden jet or mouth-piece, or in any other convenient manner. Very cleanly and effective. Dumont’s ‘Patent Vermin Killer,’ as well as the whole host of imitations of it, is of this kind.
Obs. Out of the above list there is ample room for selection. The common practice is to take the bedstead or other piece of furniture to pieces before applying them.
These pests exist only in dirty houses. A careful housewife or servant will soon completely destroy them. The surest method of destruction is to catch them individually when they attack the person in bed. When their bite is felt, instantly rise and light a candle and capture them. This may be troublesome, but if there be not a great number a few nights will finish them. When there is a large number, and they have gained a lodgment in the timbers, take the bed in pieces, and fill in all the apertures and joints with a mixture of soft soap and Scotch snuff. A piece of wicker-work, called a BUG-TRAP, placed at the head of the bed, forms a receptacle for them, and then they may be daily caught till no more are left. Oil-painting a wall is a sure means of excluding and destroying them. It has been asserted that these insects are so fond of narrow-leaved dittany or pepperwort (lepidium ruderale), that if a bunch of it be suspended near their haunts they will settle in it, and may be thus easily captured. It is said to be commonly used as a bug-trap in some of our rural districts. Water, poured boiling from the spout of a kettle into the cracks and joints, is a cleanly and certain remedy, which we have often seen employed; so also is a jet of steam; they are both destructive to all insects, and will be found particularly so to beetles.
The proper time for attacking these pests is early in March, or shortly before they are revived from their dormant state by the warm weather. See INSECTS.
=Bug, Harvest.= See ACARI.
=BU′GLE= (bu′gl). An elongated cylindrical glass bead. See BEAD.
=BUILDING STONES.= Amongst the calcareous and magnesian stones used for building many of the fine-grained and porous varieties are liable to split into flakes after a few years’ exposure to the atmosphere, owing to the absorption by the stone of water, which, becoming frozen during severe weather, fractures the stone by its expansion. Brard invented a simple means of ascertaining whether a building stone is liable to this defect, which consists in taking a smoothly-cut block of the stone, one or two inches square, and placing it in a cold saturated solution of sodic sulphate. The temperature of the solution is gradually raised to the boiling point; it is allowed to boil for half an hour, and then the stone is left to cool in the liquid. When cold it is suspended over a dish, and once a day for a week or a fortnight plunged for a few moments into a cold saturated solution of sodic sulphate, and it is then again freely suspended in the air. The sulphate crystallises in the pores of the stone and splits off fragments of it. A similar experiment is made upon an equal-sized mass of stone which is known to be free from this defect. By the comparative weight of these fragments in the two cases the tendency of the stone to the defect in question may be estimated.
A stone that is placed in a building in a position similar to that in which it is found in the quarry, that is, with its seams lying horizontally, is found to resist the weather much more successfully than one that has not been so placed.
=BUN.= A well-known kind of light, sweet cake.
Prep. 1. BATH-BUNS:——As 6, but adding a little candied lemon and orange peel, and putting a little grated peel and a few caraway comfits on the top of each.
2. CROSS-BUNS:——Flour, 2-1/2 lbs.; sifted sugar 1/2 lb.; coriander seeds, cassia, and mace, of each (powdered) a sufficiency; make a paste with butter, 1/2 lb.; (dissolved in) hot milk, 1/2 pint; work with three table-spoonfuls of yeast; set it before the fire for an hour to rise, then make it into buns, and set them before the fire on a tin for half an hour; lastly, brush them over with warm milk, and bake them to a nice brown in a moderate oven.
3. MADEIRA-BUNS:——Butter, 8 oz.; 2 eggs; flour, 1 lb.; powdered sugar, 6 oz.; half a nutmeg (grated); powdered ginger and caraway seeds, of each 1/2 teaspoonful; work well together, then add as much milk as required, and ferment; lastly, bake on tins in a quick oven.
4. PLAIN BUNS:——Flour, 2 lbs.; butter, 1/4 lb.; sugar, 6 oz.; a little salt, caraway and ginger; make a paste with yeast, 4 spoonfuls, and warm milk, q. s.; as before.
5. PENNY-BUNS:——To the last add of currants, well washed, 1/2 lb.; and water, stained by steeping a little saffron in it, q. s., to give a light yellow tinge to them.
6. RICH BUNS:——Fine flour, 3 lbs; sugar, 1 lb.; butter, 2 lbs. (melted and beat with) rose water, 4 oz.; currants, 1 lb.; yeast, 1/4 pint; as before.
Obs. The great secret in producing good buns is the use of sweet yeast and the best currants only, and thoroughly washing these last in a sieve or colander, to remove grit, before adding them to the dough.
=BUNION= (-yŭn). A species of corn or swelling on the ball of the great toe, resulting from pressure, and irritation by friction. The treatment recommended for corns applies also to bunions; but in consequence of the greater extension of the disease, the cure is more tedious. A bunion may often be effectually stopped and removed by poulticing it, and, at the proper time, carefully opening it with a lancet. See CORNS.
=BURETTE.= A graduated glass vessel employed in volumetric analysis for measuring liquids.
1. The first burette was invented by Gay-Lussac, a drawing of whose instrument is given below.
It rarely, if ever, has a capacity greater than 50 cubic centimetres, and consists of a narrow tube fused on to a wider one. The larger tube is about 33 centimetres long, the graduated portion occupying about 25 centimetres, and its internal diameter measures 15 millimetres; the narrow tube has a diameter of 4 millimetres, which in the upper bent end decreases to 2 millimetres. When used the instrument should be held in the left hand, the bottom part being allowed to lean a little against the chest. The operation is aided by giving the instrument from time to time a slight turn in the direction of its longitudinal axis, thereby placing the curve of the stout alternately in a more vertical, alternately in a more horizontal position. The volume must not be read off before the surface of the liquid has attained a constant height.
2. Geissler’s burette. This instrument differs from Gay-Lussac’s in having the narrow tube inside, instead of outside the wider one. It is found very convenient in use, and is less liable to fracture than Gay-Lussac’s.
3. Mohr’s burette, which can be more easily and readily managed than either of the two preceding ones, is described and figured under ALKALIMETRY.
In volumetric analysis the method of taking the readings of the burette is an operation of great importance, requiring considerable method and practice.
The first proceeding is to bring the eye to a level with the fluid, and to adopt a fixed and unalterable standard of what is to be considered the surface.
If you hold a burette partly filled with water between the eye and a strongly illumined wall, the surface of the fluid presents the appearance shown in fig. a. If you hold close behind the tube a sheet of white paper with a strong light falling on it, the surface of the fluid will present an appearance similar to that shown in fig. b.
In both cases you have read off at the lower border of the dark zone, this being the most distinctly marked line. Its distinctness may be heightened by adopting Mohr’s contrivance which consists in pasting on a sheet of very white cardboard a broad strip of black paper, and when reading off holding this close behind the burette in a position to place the border line between white and black from 2 to 3 millimetres below the lower border of the dark zone as shown in figure c.
Great care must be taken to hold the paper invariably in the same position, since if it be held lower down, the lower border of the black zone will move higher up.
To test the correctness of the graduation of a burette proceed as follows:——Fill the instrument up to the highest division with water at 60·8° F., then let the cubic centimetres of the liquid flow out into an accurately weighed flask, and determine the weight of these ten cubic centimetres in the usual way; then let another quantity of ten cubic centimetres flow out, and weigh again, and repeat the operation till the contents of the burette are exhausted. If the instrument is correctly graduated, every ten cubic centimetres of water at 60·8° F. must weigh 9·990 grammes.
=BURG′LARIES.= The common precautions of locks and bolts, alarum-bells and fire-arms, are frequently found useless in preserving houses from burglars; but a light in the upper part of the house, or a small dog on the ground-floor, with the means of running into a place of safety from its enemies, has been seldom known to fail. A combination of the two would undoubtedly be doubly effective. The bark of the dog and the fear of detection by the approach of the light would deter the majority of rogues of common pluck and feeling. A dog out of doors, and consequently accessible, however large and fierce, is easily pacified or silenced by men of the class referred to.
=BURLS, REMOVAL OF, from Cloth and Wool.= Introduce the wool or the woollen goods into 100 litres of sulphuric acid at 6° B., in which 500 grams of alum and 250 grams of salt have been dissolved. Work in this bath for one or two hours, drain in the centrifugal, and hang up at 100° to 120°. Wash for an hour and a half in clear water, treat for two hours with fuller’s earth, soda and lime, and wash again for two hours. Sulphuric acid is adapted only for whites and indigo blues. For coloured goods solutions of chloride of tin, and chloride of manganese at 6° B., are recommended.
=BURNS[234] and Scalds.[235]= Treatm. When the injury is superficial and slight, a little creosote may be applied to the part. If a scald, the vesicle should be first pierced with a needle, or what is better, snipped with a pair of scissors, and the water which it contains should be then gently squeezed out. When creosote is not procurable, a liniment formed of equal parts of soft soap, basilicon ointment, oil of turpentine, and water, may be used instead. When the part feels very hot and painful, a poultice may be applied, on the surface of which a few drops of creosote, or of the liniment, should be spread with a knife. This treatment will generally succeed in allaying the pain. It may be followed by a dressing of zinc ointment, or any other like simple emollient or unctuous preparation. Creosote, contrary to what is commonly asserted, produces scarcely any smarting or pain; whilst it rapidly removes the burning sensation, and the charred surface soon assumes a dry scabby appearance, which, by dressing with simple ointment, soon comes off and leaves the part beneath in a sound and healthy state. If a poultice be applied it is best to keep it on until the next day. Plunging the part into very cold water immediately after the receipt of an injury of this kind will frequently prevent any further remedy being required. Flexible collodion painted over a burn forms a good protective envelope. In all cases cooling laxatives should be administered; and the diet should be rather low until the inflammatory symptoms subside.
[Footnote 234: BURN, s. sing.; AMBUS′TIO, L. BRÛLURE, Fr.; BRAND, BRANDMAHL, Ger.]
[Footnote 235: See SCALDS (under S).]
Treatment for Animals. Carbolic dressing, exclusion of air, cotton wool, linseed oil and lime water.
=BURNING-GLASS.= See LENS.
=BUTEA FRONDOSA=, Roxb. (Ind. Ph.) Syn. BENGAL KINO TREE. Habitat. Common all over India.——Officinal part. The inspissated juice obtained from the stem by incision (Buteæ Gummi, Kino Bengalensis, Bengal kino). It occurs in the form of irregular shining fragments, seldom as large as a pea; more or less mixed with adherent pieces of greyish bark; of an intense ruby colour and astringent taste; soluble, but not freely so, in water and in alcohol. Its astringency is due to the presence of tannic and gallic acids.——Prop. & Uses. Similar to those of kino, for which it has been found an efficient substitute.——Prep. Same as those of kino.
=BUTTER.= [Eng., Ger.] Syn. BUTY′RUM, L.; BEURRE, Fr.; BUTER, BUTERA, Sax. The fatty matter obtained from cream by churning it.
Manuf. The process of making butter by the common operation of churning is extremely simple, and is well known. The chief objects to attend to are maintaining a proper temperature, and a certain degree of exposure to the air. Extreme cleanliness must also be observed; the churn and other utensils being frequently scalded out with water. When the butter is ‘come,’ it should be put into a fresh-scalded pan, or tub, which has been standing in cold water, cold water poured on it, and after it has acquired some hardness, it should be well beaten with a flat board until not the least taste of the butter-milk remains, and the water, which must be often changed, becomes quite colourless and tasteless. A little salt may then be worked into it; after which it may be weighed and made into ‘forms,’ which should then be thrown into cold water contained in an earthen pan provided with a cover. In this way nice and cool butter may be obtained in the hottest weather.
At Dumbarton the newly separated butter is put into a clean vessel, and a corn sickle is drawn several times crosswise through it, to extract any hairs that may adhere to it. This operation is performed in very cold spring water, and is followed by thoroughly washing it therein. 10 oz. of salt are now added to every stone-weight of the butter, and well mixed in.
In Devonshire the milk is generally scalded in copper pans over a charcoal or wood fire, and the cream collected as soon as it rises, or, and more frequently, when the whole has got cold. It is then churned in the usual way. On the small scale the butter is commonly obtained from this cream by patiently working it with the hand in a shallow pan or tub. Without care the cream is apt to absorb some of the fumes from the charcoal, which impart a peculiar taste to the butter. This is the reason why some of the Devonshire butter has a slight smoky flavour. It may be removed by thorough washing in cold water. Of late years, in the large dairy-farms of Devonshire, covered flues, with openings to receive the bottoms of the pans, have superseded open fires, by which the danger of contamination from the fumes is removed.
Choice. Fresh butter has a pleasant odour and is of an equal colour throughout its substance. If it smells sour, the butter-milk has not been well washed out; and if it is streaked or veiny, it is probably mixed with stale butter or lard. A good way to try butter is to thrust a knife into it, which should not smell rancid and unpleasant when withdrawn. Rancid and stale butter, when eaten in quantity, is capable of producing dangerous symptoms.
Pur. The cheaper kinds of butter are frequently adulterated with common wheat-flour, oatmeal, pea-flour, lard, and is sometimes mixed with suet and turnips, as well as with a large quantity of salt and water. The trick is concocted between the Irish factors and the London dealers. The higher priced article is seldom mixed with anything beyond an excess of salt and water, notwithstanding the assertions of alarmists to the contrary. The presence of lard may be detected by the flavour and paleness of the colour. A little of the sample adulterated with the other substances named, if melted in a glass tube or phial, will separate into strata, which are very marked when cold.
Quantitative Analysis of Butter.——1. The following process for the analysis of butter, by Mr A. H. Allen, is extracted from the ‘Chemical News’ (xxxii, 77):——The Society of Public Analysts has adopted 80·00 per cent. as the lowest limit of fat contained in a genuine butter.
The amount of water is best ascertained by heating 5 grams of the butter in a small weighed beaker to a temperature of about 110° or 120° C. for an hour or so. Some chemists merely heat the butter on a water bath. According to the author’s experience, perfect drying is next to impossible at that temperature.
The dried butter is next treated in the beaker with anhydrous ether, or commercial benzoline. The former liquid is expensive and inconveniently volatile, while it must be used in a perfectly anhydrous condition (to avoid solution of the salt), and except when boiling has but a limited solvent power for butter, especially when adulterated. Benzoline dissolves fat more readily than ether; it does not volatilise so rapidly at ordinary temperatures, it is always anhydrous and has the advantage of low price. The “benzoline” employed by the author is made by redistilling the commercial article from a retort immersed in a bath of boiling water. About one third of the original bulk usually comes over readily at 100° C., and has a gravity of 0·689.
On warming the beaker containing the benzoline the dry butter readily dissolves. The liquid is poured on a small dry filter and washed with warm benzoline, the filtrate being collected in a small wide beaker. If the filter had been previously weighed, its increase of weight, after careful drying, will of course give the quantity of curd and salt in the 5 grams of butter taken. Except in cases in which extreme accuracy is desired, it is preferable to scrape the residue off the filter and weigh it separately.
The error (owing to imperfect removal) only amounts to one or two tenths per cent. of the butter taken. As the salt is accurately estimated afterwards, the loss falls on the curd. The salt may be determined by careful ignition of the filter and residue, the incombustible matter consisting almost wholly of common salt, while the curd is ascertained by loss of weight. This method is not to be recommended; for without great care some of the salt will be volatilised and lost, the error causing the amount of curd to appear excessive.
Ignition also renders any further examination of the curd an impossibility. A far preferable plan is to return the weighed curd and salt to the filter, and to wash them with cold water. The filtrate is made up to 100 c. c., and the salt is estimated in a half of it by titrating with decinormal nitrate of silver. The remaining portion of the solution can be employed for the estimation of sugar, if desired. This is effected by inverse titration with Fehling’s copper solution, in the same way as grape sugar. The estimation of sugar may sometimes be of interest, as a means of ascertaining whether the aqueous portion of the butter consisted of mere water or of serum of milk. In other words, the estimation of the sugar may furnish a means of ascertaining whether an excess of water in the butter is due to insufficient removal of the butter-milk, or to subsequent incorporation of water. Every 0·001 gram of milk sugar represents about 0·022 of average milk serum.
The residue insoluble in cold water usually consists almost wholly of casein. If, however, the butter has been adulterated with mashed potatoes, flour, or other starchy matters——said to be occasionally employed——they will be found here. The presence of starch in the residue will, of course, be readily indicated by treating it with hot water, and testing the cooled liquid with solution of iodine. By pressing out a small portion of the butter between two slips of glass, so as to obtain a thin film, and observing it under the microscope (or by observing the caseous residue after treatment with cold water), the nature of the starch may be ascertained.
The solution of the fatty matter in benzoline is evaporated at 100° C. till it no longer decreases in weight. The average proportion of fatty matter in butter is about 85 per cent. If less than 80 per cent. the butter must be considered adulterated. It is evident that a careful estimation of the per-centage of fatty matter would often render separate estimations of the water, curd, and salt unnecessary; for unless the sum of the three latter constituents exceeded 20 per cent. the butter could not be considered as adulterated, unless by an admixture of other fats.
An easy and rapid method of estimating the fat in the undried butter is therefore a great desideratum; but unfortunately no satisfactory method is at present known. The indirect estimation of the fat, by subtracting the sum of the per-centages of water, curd, and salt from 100·00, ought to agree with the direct estimation of fat within 0·5 per cent., and the variation is often much less.
2. Dr Dupré adopts the following method: About 5 grams of the dry filtered butter fat are weighed in a small strong flask; 25 c. c. of a normal alcoholic soda solution are added; the flask is closed by means of a well-fitting cauotchouc stopper, firmly secured by a piece of canvas and string, and heated in a water-bath for about an hour. When cool the flask is opened, the contents——which are semi-solid——carefully liquefied by heat, and washed into a flask with hot water. This flask is now heated for some time on a water-bath to expel the alcohol, some more hot water is added, and 25 c. c. of diluted sulphuric acid somewhat stronger than the alkali used, are run in. The contents are allowed to cool, and the acid aqueous solution below the cake of fatty acids is passed through a filter. The fatty acids in the flask are washed by hot water in the manner recommended by Dr Muter, i.e., each time allowed to cool; all the washings are passed through a filter.
The author uses no cambric, but passes everything through paper. With care scarcely any of the fatty acid will find its way into the filter. After the washing with water is completed and the flask drained, he washes any fatty acid that may be on the filter into the flask by means of a mixture of alcohol and ether on a water bath, and finally dries the fatty acids in the flask at a temperature of 105° C. The drying can be done readily if the melted fat is now and then shaken briskly, so as to subdivide the water as much as possible. In this way the acids when once in the flask are not taken out until their weight has been taken, thus reducing the risk of loss to a minimum. Meanwhile the acidity of the aqueous filtrate and washings is estimated by decinormal soda solution. Subtracting from the amount required to the proportion necessary to neutralise the excess of acid added in decomposing the soap, the rest represents the soluble fatty acids contained in the butter taken, and on the assumption of its being butyric acid, we can, of course, calculate the amount of this acid present. When once the equivalent of the soluble acids present in butter is fairly determined, this, of course, will have to be substituted for that of butyric acid. The results thus obtained are very accurate, and the process is very simple in execution.
The author has satisfied himself by repeated experiments that the alkalinity of the alcoholic soda solution by itself is not altered by the process. The author places no reliance on the specific gravity test, as he finds that mutton dripping, and other fats likely to be used as adulterants of butter, may acquire a specific gravity above ·911 by being strongly and repeatedly heated. He thinks, however, that any sample of butter below ·911 may safely be pronounced adulterated.
In a subsequent note Dr Dupré states that he has effected the saponification, decomposition of the soap, and the washing and drying of the fatty acids at ordinary temperature, thus still further reducing the risk of breaking up the higher into lower acids. The saponification is readily effected by using a sufficiency of alcoholic soda. Between four and five grams of the dry butter fat were shaken up for several minutes with 100 c. c. of normal alcoholic soda. The butter soon dissolves, but after a time the solution gelatinises to a clear transparent mass. (The temperature of the laboratory at the time of these experiments ranged between 22° and 50°.) This jelly is now allowed to stand over night, during which time the smell of butyric ether, very strong at first, entirely disappears. In one of the experiments the alcohol was allowed to evaporate spontaneously before the acid was added; in the other (made with a different sample of butter) the soap was dissolved in about half a litre of water, and at once decomposed by the addition of hydrochloric acid.
The fatty acids which separated in white curdy masses were thoroughly washed on a filter with cold water, about four litres, dried in vacuo over oil of vitriol, and weighed. The results of experiment show that butter fat yields the same proportion of insoluble fatty acids when saponified with or without the aid of heat.
3. Mr Gatehouse. Rapid Method of Detecting the Adulteration of Butter with other Fats. The following comparative method is based upon the insolubility of potassium stearate in alkaline solutions when the stearate has been produced at high temperatures:
Before applying the test it is essential to remove all curd, butter-milk, and salt, by washing with hot water or dissolving in ether. Twenty grains of the butter are placed in a large test-tube one third full with water boiled thoroughly and allowed to stand till the fat separates. The fat is either dissolved in ether, and after evaporation saponified, or the lower layer of the liquid is drawn off by a pipette as follows:——A thin glass tube is drawn out to a fairly fine point and bent at the top to an obtuse angle. Whilst the butter is still liquid this nozzle is inserted into the bottom of the test-tube, placing the finger over the upper end to prevent any liquid from getting in till it reaches the bottom. When fairly cold the liquid may be withdrawn by a pipette attached to the tube. This process can be repeated till the washings are free from chlorides.
The saponification is effected by heating the purified butter with 1/3-1/2 of its own weight of pure solid potassium hydrate (purified by alcohol) to a temperature above 420° F.; applying the heat gently at first, and when the frothing ceases, heating it more strongly, till no further apparent action occurs. The ultimate temperature during saponification must be kept above 400° for some minutes, otherwise the sterate formed will be soluble instead of insoluble in the alkaline solution.
If the butter is pure, the colour of the residue will be at the utmost light yellow, but should the butter be adulterated to any extent, it may be almost black. Too much reliance must not, however, be placed on the colour.
After allowing the tube and its contents to cool, the mass is boiled with successive portions of distilled water till 6 oz. (or 200 c. c.) altogether have been used. If the butter is pure, a portion of this solution poured into a test-tube will present only a faint opalescence; if, on the other hand, the butter is impure, a decided opacity will be perceived, the degree depending upon the amount of adulteration.
The amount of adulteration in any sample is determined by first obtaining pure butter and adding to separate portions of it known per-centages of lard, &c. Each of these can be saponified as stated above; they are then corked up in tubes of equal diameter and labelled with the per-centage of lard they contain. On comparing them it will be seen that 2 per cent. of lard can be clearly indicated.
When a butter is analysed all that is wanted is to saponify, make up to the correct strength, and after cooling pour into a test-tube and compare with the specimen tubes.
4. Dr Redwood. The Determination of the Melting Points of Butter and other Fats. The apparatus in the form best suited for general use consists of a basin, two small beakers, and a thermometer. The author uses an enamelled iron basin about six inches in diameter, and three and a half inches deep. In this is placed a beaker four and a half inches deep and three inches in diameter, and within this beaker is placed another much smaller one, supported by its projecting rim on a disk of tinplate or copper, the outer edge of which rests on the mouth of the larger beaker. Some mercury is put in the smaller beaker to the depth of about an inch, and cold water into the larger beaker, so that its surface shall be half an inch or an inch higher than that of the mercury.
A small drop of the fat which has been previously melted and heated to several degrees above its melting-point, but has been allowed to cool again to near its setting point, is put on the surface of the cold mercury. This is best done by means of a thin glass rod about one eighth of an inch in diameter, the end of which has been rounded off in the blow-pipe flame.
It is important that the drop should be very small, and its temperature when placed on the mercury not much above its melting point, for if it be too hot it will spread over the surface of the mercury, which is not desirable.
If the rounded end of the rod be slightly dipped into the melted fat, and then brought to the surface of the mercury, a small hemispherical particle will attach itself there and speedily congeal, becoming more or less opaque in doing so. The weight of one of these hemispherical masses, which should not be more than the eighth of an inch in diameter, will be from 1/50 to 1/10 of a grain. Having placed the drop of fat upon the mercury, the bulb of a thermometer, with sufficiently minute graduations, is introduced into the mercury and hot water poured into the basin. The heat is thus communicated to the contents of the small beaker slowly through the water in the larger beaker, and the rise of temperature in the mercury may be easily regulated, and should take place at the rate of about one degree per minute.
The mercury, by virtue of its comparatively good conducting power, acquires a uniform temperature throughout, which is indicated by the thermometer, and at the same time communicated to the fat. The fat when the temperature approaches its melting point becomes partially transparent, and if the stem or elongated bulb of the thermometer be now brought up against it, the moment fusion takes place the liquid fat will run into the channel formed by the repulsion of the mercury and the outside of the thermometer tube. This process presents the following advantages:——
1. The heat-conducting power of the mercury, on which the fat is placed, ensures the equalisation of the temperature as indicated by the thermometer, and at the same time communicated to the fat.
2. The direct contact of the fat with the mercury, without the intervention of a bad conducting medium, such as glass, ensures a more immediate and correct indication of the temperature at which liquefaction takes place than would otherwise occur.
3. The minuteness of the quantity of fat operated upon reduces to a minimum the time occupied in its melting, and thus facilitates the determination with exactness of its melting point.
4. The time occupied in preparing small tubes and charging them with the fat is saved, and several experiments in succession may be easily and rapidly made with the same apparatus. The author observed that in butter as well as other fats, such as tallows, there were at least two melting points, dependent upon the way in which the fat had been previously subjected to the action of heat, and that they may differ in butter to the extent of 3° or 4° F.; the low melting point being that of the fat after it has been heated to several degrees above its first melting point, and the higher melting point being that of fat which has been previously melted to the lowest possible temperature, and then immediately allowed to congeal.
5. Professor Wanklyn carefully weighs one gram of butter, and heats it in a platinum dish of the size shown in the accompanying figure, from four to six hours or even more——in short, until it ceases to lose weight. The loss of weight is the water, which should be calculated and expressed in per-centages.
Fat. The dried butter is now to be heated with ether (the ether should be made to boil by floating the dish in hot water). Several successive portions should be taken, the whole passed through a filter, the filter well washed with ether, and the filtrate evaporated to dryness and weighed.
Caseine and Ash. The residue from which the fat and water have been extracted is now to be taken, carefully weighed, then burned down to a low red heat; the residue remaining is the ash, the loss the caseine.
The amount of ash, practically speaking, is the salt, but if there be any doubt as to its composition, the chlorine maybe estimated by a volumetric solution of nitrate of silver, and further examined.
The following table shows the composition of a few genuine and other butters, examined according to the same, or at least to a similar process to the one described:——
--------------------+------+-----------+------+--------+-----------------+------------------ | | Ash, | | | | | Fat. |principally|Water.|Caseine.| Quality. | | | Salt. | | | | --------------------+------+-----------+------+--------+-----------------+------------------ Fresh Devonshire |82·7 | 1·1 |16·2 | 16·2 |Good. |WANKLYN. butter. | | | | | | Normandy butter. |82·1 | 1·8 |16·1 | 16·1 | ” | ” Jersey butter. |78·491| 8·528 |10·445| 2·536 | ” |ANGELL AND HEHNER. Normandy butter. |82·643| 2·915 | 9·305| 5·137 | ” | Butter from Ventnor.|86·280| 6·600 | 3·831| 3·289 |Found to be | ” | | | | | adulterated | | | | | | with foreign | | | | | | fat. | Butter from London. |87·50 | 1·559 |23·981| 6·880 |Adulterated with| ” | | | | | water. | ” ” |47·119| 2·689 |42·358| 7·834 |Adulterated with | ” | | | | | water, and | | | | | | contains an | | | | | | excess of curd.| --------------------+------+-----------+------+--------+-----------------+-----------------
6. A Method of Detecting Meat Fats in Butter. Mr Horsley, writing to the ‘Chemical News,’ September, 1874, says:——“My starting point is, that fresh butter is permanently soluble in methylated ether, sp. gr. 0·730 at the temperature of 65° Fahr. But with the view of seeing if any other substance it may contain could be precipitated from it, I took, say, 20 or 25 grains of fresh butter, placed it in a small test-tube, and poured over it one drachm of methylated ether, and on corking the tube it readily dissolved after a few minutes’ agitation. I then added 30 drops of methylated alcohol, 63° o. p., and agitated again, but nothing was precipitated. I, therefore, made another experiment with 15 grains of butter and 10 grains of prepared mutton fat, dissolved them in 1 drachm of ether first, and added 30 drops of alcohol, when in less than half an hour the fat was precipitated in a room heated to 68° Fahr. Next, in order to see the effects upon mixtures of known fats, such as lard, beef, mutton, and tallow fats properly melted together in proportions of 60 grains of butter and 40 of fat, and stirring till cold, I found that each of them could, by a similar procedure, be precipitated in a few minutes. In one case, that of mutton, I filtered off the ethereal liquid, and collected the residue, and obtained as much as 30 per cent. of what had been used; so that there is no longer any doubt about easily detecting fatty adulterations in butter. Lastly, I would observe that crystallisation of butter, out of the ethereal solution at a lower temperature than 65°, must not be mistaken for the fats precipitated by alcohol alluded to, as the butter, besides being so much lighter, occupies the upper layer, and is different in character and easily remelted by the application of the warm hand for a minute or so.
“Further experiments have proved that half an hour suffices to effect the full precipitation of fats from the ethereal solutions by the addition of 20 drops or so of alcohol to the drachm of ether, containing not more than 25 grains of the adulterated butter; after which the tube should be agitated and its contents projected on to a small double filter, washed with a little alcohol, and the residue whilst moist scraped off, and transferred to a watch-glass to dry. In this way loss by melting and absorption into the paper is obviated.
“The following were the proportions of fats I recovered, viz.——
Lard 60 per cent. Mutton fat 75 ” Beef fat 95 ”
The precipitated mutton fat is powdery, and white as snow. Lard and beef are more adherent and greasy; for that reason mutton makes the firmest compound.”
7. On the Cooling of Fats. At a meeting of the University of Edinburgh Chemical Society, held on March 13th, 1878, a paper on the above subject was read by Mr Treharne, M.B.C.M., wherein the author states:——“If equal bulks of the fats of mutton, beef, pork, and butter, and palm oil be heated to 100° C. in small flasks fitted with a thermometer through the cork, and then allowed to cool by radiation under the same conditions for each, temperature is found to fall regularly to a certain point (which is different for each of the facts above named) and then to rise to a certain turning point. These turning points are approximately as follows:——
For Mutton fat 40° C. ” Beef ” 28·5° C. ” Pork ” 26·5° ” ” Butter ” 23·5° ” ” Palm oil 21·0° ”
The extent of the rise in temperature is different in each fat, being greatest in that of mutton, and least in that of butter and palm oil. The extent of the rise is also greater within certain limits the greater the quantity of fat employed; but as a rule the turning point is pretty constant for the same fat. There is also a little difference in the turning points and the extent of rise according to the part of the carcase from which the fat has been taken. If temperature and time be taken as co-ordinates, and the rate of cooling be represented by curves, these latter will be characteristic of the respective fats. A mixture of equal parts of mutton and butter fats does not give a curve intermediate between those of its two components; but is such as to indicate that less heat is given out on cooling (to 20° C say) than in the case of butter, which, compared with mutton fat, gives off very little heat.”
For further information on the subject of ‘Butter’ the reader is referred to a Report by Mr Bell——the principal of the Chemical Laboratory at Somerset House——to the Board of Inland Revenue, included in a return made to the House of Commons in 1876.
Preservation. 1. Melt the butter in a stoneware or a well-glazed earthen pan set in a water bath at a heat not exceeding 180° Fahr., and keep it heated, skimming it from time to time until it becomes quite transparent; then pour off the clear portion into another vessel, and cool it as quickly as possible by placing the vessel in very cold water or ice. This is the method employed by the Tartars who supply the Constantinople market. In this state it may be preserved perfectly fresh for 6 or 9 months, if kept in a close vessel and a cool place. This is the plan so strongly recommended by M. Thénard. Mr Eaton states that butter melted by the Tartarian method, and then salted by ours, will keep good and fine-tasted for two years.
2. Saltpetre and white sugar, of each 1 oz.; best Spanish great-salt (or Cheshire large-grained salt), 2 oz.; all in very fine powder; mix thoroughly, and add 1 oz. of this mixture to every lb. of butter, and thoroughly incorporate them together. The butter thus prepared is then to be tightly pressed into clean glazed earthenware vessels (or well-seasoned casks), so as to leave no vacuities. This plan is recommended by Dr Anderson, who declares that “butter so prepared will keep in a cool place for years; and will bear a voyage to the East Indies, if packed (stowed) so as not to melt.” It does not taste well before it has stood for three or four weeks, after which it acquires a rich marrow-like flavour, which no other butter ever possesses. A good method to preserve the butter from the air is to fill the pots to within an inch of the top, then to lay on it some coarse-grained salt to the depth of a 1/4 to 1/2 an inch, and lastly to cover each pot with a slate, plate, or other flat article. The salt by long keeping runs to brine, which forms an air-tight layer on the top of the butter, and may at any time be very easily removed by turning the pot on one side.
3. Fresh butter, 21 lbs.; salt, 1 lb.; saltpetre, 1 oz. These are the common proportions for the best salt butter of the shops.
4. Fresh butter, 18 lbs.; salt, 1 lb.; saltpetre, 1-1/2 oz.; honey or fine brown sugar, 2 oz. Superior to No. 3.
Concl. Remarks. It may be useful to know that rancid butter may be restored, or, in all cases, greatly improved, by melting it in a water bath with some fresh-burnt and coarsely powdered animal charcoal (which has been thoroughly freed from dust by sifting), and straining it through clean flannel. A better and less troublesome method is to well wash the butter first with some good new milk, and next with cold spring water. Butyric acid, on the presence of which rancidity depends, is freely soluble in fresh milk.
The turnip-flavour arising from the cows being fed on turnips or cabbages is said to be removed by one or other of the following methods:——1. When the milk is strained into the pans put to every 6 galls. 1 gal. of boiling water.——2. Dissolve 1 oz. of nitre in a pint of spring water, and put a 1/4 pint of the solution to every 15 galls. of milk.——3. Keep back a 1/4 pint of the sour cream when you churn, and put it into a well-scalded pot, into which you are to gather the next cream; stir that well, and do so with every fresh addition. Each of these methods come on good authority, but we are bound to say that our own experience does not confirm their constant success. We have found that the addition of a handful of salt to the water used to wash the butter is as good a plan as any.
=Butter, Ancho′vy.= From anchovies (boned and beaten to a paste), 1 part; butter, 2 parts; spice, q. s.
=Butter-colouring= (from Paris). A mixture of 40 per cent. of chrome yellow with some fat coloured with annatto. (Flückiger and Weil.)
=Butter, Clar′ified.= Fresh butter melted in a water bath, allowed to settle, and the clear portion poured into an earthenware basin or pot, set in cold water, so as to cool it as quickly as possible, without allowing it to crystallise. It keeps a long time without becoming rank. See BUTTER, No. 1 (antè).
=Butter, Hon′ey.= Fine Narbonne honey, 2 to 4 oz.; mixed with good butter, 1 lb. Used as a delicacy for children, and by the sick and aged.
=Butter, Lem′on.= See BUTTER, ORANGE.
=Butter, Melt′ed.= This well-known sauce may be prepared of excellent quality as follows:——Beat up about 1 oz. of fine flour with 4 oz. of butter, in the cold, until they are evenly and thoroughly mixed, then add 4 or 5 table-spoonfuls of hot milk, put the whole into a small saucepan, and continue shaking it, all in one direction, until it simmers very gently; lastly, remove it from the fire, and pour it into the butter-boats for use. These last should be filled with hot water, and then emptied and wiped dry, before putting the melted butter into them. See SAUCES.
=Butter, Or′ange.= Prep. 1. From 6 eggs, 2 oz. of powdered sugar, and 4 oz. of butter, well beaten together with a little orange-flower water. Sometimes 1 or 2 oz. of blanched almonds, or of almond-paste, is added.
2. Butter, 1 lb.; syrup of orange peel, 4 oz. Both are eaten as a delicacy. LEMON BUTTER, is made in a similar manner.
=Butter of An′timony*‡.= Trichloride of antimony.
=Butter of Caca′o.= See CO′COA, and CO′COA-NUT OIL.
=Butter of Nut′megs.= Collected from the surface of the water in the still, after the distillation of the essential oil of nutmegs.
=Butter of Ro′ses.= Obtained by distilling damask roses. It separates slowly from the water in the receiver. It has little smell, and is hence used to dilute the odour of musk, ambergris, and civet.
=Butter of Wax.= Prepared by distilling bees′-wax. A factitious kind is also made.
=Butter of Zinc*‡.= Chloride of zinc.
=Butter Powder= (from the Adler-Apotheke Emmerich on the Rhine). Bicarbonate of soda. (Dr U. Kreusler.)
=Butter Powder= (Lemmel, Schleswig-Holstein). An impure bicarbonate of soda, coloured with turmeric. (Hirschberg.)
=Butter Powder, Schuhrer’s= (Emil Schührer, Mutzschen, Saxony). This, it is claimed, will considerably increase the yield of butter, shorten the process of churning, and yield a product which will be firm even in the height of summer, well-flavoured, of a handsome colour, and of excellent commercial value. It consists of a tolerably pure commercial bicarbonate of soda, with 1/2 per cent. of powdered turmeric. (Dr Peters.)
=Butter Powder, Tomlinson’s= (Tomlinson & Co., Lincoln, England). Ordinary bicarbonate of soda, coloured with 3/4 per cent. of annatto. (Dr Karmrodt.)
=Butter-preservative Paste= (from Spaa). Consists of common salt, 52 parts; nitre, 23 parts; syrup, 5 parts. (Wittstein.)
=BUTTERINE.= A substance known under this name, and intended as a substitute for butter, is imported into this country from New York.
Of butterine Dr CAMPBELL BROWN remarks:——“In general appearance, taste, and consistence, it is very similar to ordinary butter; but notwithstanding that its solidifying point is lower than that of some butters, it retains much of the peculiar crumbly texture and fracture of dripping.
“It softens at 78° F., and melts at 86°. When heated and slowly cooled it obscures the thermometer at 62° and solidifies at 60°. It contains——
Water 11·25 to 8·5 Salt 1·03 ” 5·5 Curd 0·57 ” 0·6 Fat 87·15 ” 85·4 —————— —————— 100·00 100·00
“The fat consists of oleine, palmitine, margarine, a trace of stearine, and about 5 or 6 per cent. of butter. When dissolved in about four times its weight of ether, and allowed to evaporate spontaneously, it does not deposit any fat until more than half of the ether has passed off, and if the temperature is not below 60° the deposit is not solid.
“The first deposit when dried fuses at 108°; the second deposit fuses at 88°, and solidifies at 64°.
“Under the microscope butterine does not appear to consist of acicular crystals of fat, but of irregular masses, containing a few butter globules, particles of curd, and crystals of salt. With polarised light the irregular crystalline structure is beautifully seen, and is clearly distinguishable from butter which has been melted and recongealed. When old and rancid it acquires the odour and taste of dripping, but it keeps longer undecomposed than butter. When fresh it is a wholesome substitute for real butter. No one can reasonably take exception to its sale.
“Butterine may be detected by the following characters:——
“1. Its crumbly fracture.
“2. Its loss of colour when kept melted for a short time at 212°.
“3. The behaviour of its ethereal solution.
“4. Its action on polarised light.”
The ‘American Chemist’ for 1876 contains an interesting paper by Mr Henry Mott on the manufacture of artificial butter, which is too lengthy for insertion here.
=BUTTER-MILK.= The liquid that remains after the butter is separated from the cream.
Qual., &c. Butter-milk left from the churning of sweet cream is not only very delicious, but exceedingly wholesome and nutritious. It is eaten with fruit, puddings, and cakes, and is said to possess the property of allaying the nervous irritability induced by excessive tea-drinking. It is an admirable beverage in rickets, diabetes, and many stomach affections. An American physician has recently asserted that it induces longevity. See MILK.
=BUTTONS.= See BRASS, GILDING, &c.
=BU′TYRATE.= [Eng., Fr.] Syn. BU′TYRAS, L. A salt in which the hydrogen of butyric acid is replaced by a basic radical.
=Butyrate of Barium.= Prep. Saponify butter with a boiling solution of caustic alkali, and decompose the resulting soap by adding a solution of tartaric acid; filter and distil; neutralise the distillate with hydrate of barium, and evaporate; the first crystals that form are caprate of barium; the next, caproate of barium; and the last, butyrate of barium. This salt is very soluble in water, and hence is easily separated from the others.——Use. Chiefly for making butyric acid.
=BUTYRIC= (-tĭr′-). Syn. BUTYR′ICUS, L.; BUTYRIQUE, Fr. Of or from butter.
=BUTYRIC ACID.= HC_{4}H_{7}O_{2}. Syn. ACIDUM BUTY̆̆R′ICUM, L.; ACIDE BUTYRIQUE, Fr.; BUTTERSÄURE, Ger. An oily acid, first obtained by Chevreul from butter.
Prep. From butyrate of barium or magnesium, by adding sulphuric acid in quantity not quite sufficient to decompose the whole of the salt; the clear liquid, filtered and distilled, yields butyric acid, from which the water may be removed by digestion with chloride of calcium.
Prop. A thin colourless liquid, of pungent rancid odour, and sour taste, miscible with water and alcohol. It boils and distils unchanged at 327° Fahr. Sp. gr. ·963. See ETHERS.
=BU′TYRIN= (-in). [Eng., Fr.] An oily substance existing in butter, and of which it forms the characteristic portion. It was discovered by Chevreul.
Prep. Keep clarified butter in a porcelain vessel, at a heat of 66°, for some days; carefully collect the oily portion which separates, mix it with an equal weight of alcohol of the sp. gr. ·796, and agitate it frequently for 24 hours; after repose pour off the clear portion, and evaporate it; treat the oily residuum with a little carbonate of magnesium, to remove free acid, and wash off the butyrate of magnesium, thus formed, with water; lastly, heat the remaining fatty matter in alcohol, filter, and evaporate, by a gentle heat; the residuum is butyrin.
=BUXINE= (-ĭn). A substance detected by M. Faure in bux′us semper′virens, or the common box-tree.
=CABBAGE.= Syn. BRAS′SICA, L.; CHOU, Fr.; KOHL, Ger. This common esculent, and all its numerous varieties, are merely cultivated specimens of the wild sea-cabbage of our coasts (bras′sica olera′cea, Linn.), one of an extensive and valuable genus of plants belonging to the nat. ord. Cruciferæ. After the potato, the cabbage is doubtless more extensively used by the masses of the people than any other fresh vegetable. When young, and properly dressed, it forms an agreeable and wholesome addition to animal food, the grossness of which, it is said, it tends to correct. It should be eaten only when fresh gathered and fresh cooked; and the unconsumed portion, as well as the water in which it has been boiled, should be at once thrown away. Persons troubled with a weak digestion, or who have a tendency to flatulence, diarrhœa, or worms, would do well to avoid them. Their use is particularly serviceable in scurvy, and in numerous skin diseases.
It has been asserted that cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, celery, and several other culinary vegetables, may be preserved in a fresh state for some time, by cutting them so that they may have about two inches of stem left below the leaves, scooping out the pith as far down as a small knife will reach, and then suspending them perpendicularly by means of a cord, in an inverted position, in some cool situation, and daily filling up the bottom part of the stem with clean cold water. In this way it is stated that a supply of green vegetables may be readily obtained during a severe winter, and on ship-board. Other methods, including those usually adopted with the same object, are noticed under VEGETABLES (Culinary).
Cabbages, broccoli, &c., are dressed by simply throwing them into boiling water, and simmering them until tender. A few minutes is sufficient for this purpose. A pinch of salt of tartar, or of carbonate of soda, is commonly added to the water, to preserve the green colour of the vegetables.
=CACHOU AROMATISE= (kăshoo ărŏmătēzā). [Fr.] A mouth-lozenge intended to sweeten and perfume the breath. Preparations of this description are much used by smokers and bacchanals. The form under which they are generally prepared for sale is that of 1-1/2 to 2 gr. pills, neatly silvered. Originally they were composed chiefly of catechu and sugar, flavoured and perfumed with the stronger aromatics; but at the present day the catechu, from which they derive their name, is not unfrequently omitted. Their preparation is described elsewhere. See BREATH, LOZENGES, PASTILS, &c.
=CAD′MIUM.= Cd. [Eng., L.] Syn. KLAPRO′THIUM. A metal discovered by Stromeyer and Hermann, in the ores of zinc.
Prep. 1. (Stromeyer.) The cadmo-zincic ore is dissolved in an excess of dilute sulphuric or hydrochloric acid by heat; a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen is passed through the solution, the resulting precipitate (sulphide of cadmium) dissolved in nitric acid, and the solution evaporated to dryness; the residuum is dissolved in water, the solution precipitated with carbonate of ammonium in excess, and the precipitate (carbonate of cadmium) collected, mixed with charcoal, and heated to redness in a crucible apparatus so arranged as to condense the fumes; the cadmium sublimes.
2. (Wollaston.) A solution of the ore obtained as above is placed in a platinum capsule, and a piece of metallic zinc is plunged into it. In a short time the cadmium is precipitated, and attaches itself to the sides of the capsule, when it is collected, washed, and dried.
3. (Herapath.) When zinc is obtained by distilling its ores, per descensum, the first portion of the metallic fumes evolved burn with a brownish flame, and deposit oxide of cadmium, which is subsequently reduced by distillation with charcoal. Thousands of pounds of cadmium are yearly wasted at the zinc works which might be easily collected in a similar manner.
Prop., &c. Resembles tin in most of its physical properties, being white, soft, and malleable. Sp. gr. 8·61. Stromeyer gives its melting point as 442° Fahr., but Dr Wood, an American chemist, states that the metal requires for its fusion nearly the same heat as lead, and gives it as about 600° Fahr. It volatilises at a somewhat higher temperature, giving off orange-coloured, suffocating fumes, which, when inhaled too freely, leave a disagreeable, sweetish, styptic sensation upon the lips, and a persistent brassy taste in the mouth, with constriction of the throat, heaviness in the head, and nausea. The alloys of cadmium are said to be brittle by almost all who have treated of them, but Wood found that many were extremely tenacious, as, for instance, the combination of 2 parts of silver and 1 part of cadmium, which is perfectly malleable and very strong. The amalgam of equal parts of cadmium and mercury is also highly malleable. Like bismuth, cadmium has the property of promoting fusibility in certain alloys; thus, a remarkable fusible metal may be formed by melting together cadmium 1 to 2 parts, lead 2 parts, and tin 4 parts.
Tests. Its ores and salts are recognised as follows:——1. Mixed with carbonate of sodium, and exposed on a charcoal support to the reducing flame of the blowpipe, the charcoal becomes almost instantly covered with a reddish-yellow incrustation of oxide of cadmium, commonly forming a circle or zone.——2. Caustic soda and potassa give a white precipitate (hydrated oxide) in solutions containing cadmium, insoluble in excess of the precipitant.——3. Ammonia gives a similar white precipitate, freely soluble in excess.——4. The alkaline carbonates give white precipitates (carbonate of cadmium), insoluble in excess.——5. Sulphuretted hydrogen, and sulphydrate of ammonium, give a bright yellow precipitate (sulphide of cadmium), which is insoluble in dilute acid, alkalies, sulphides, and cyanide of potassium, but readily soluble in both hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, especially with heat.——6. The salts of cadmium are readily distinguished from those of arsenic, by the precipitated sulphide being insoluble in ammonia, and soluble in hydrochloric acid, and being capable of sustaining a white heat without subliming.
=Cadmium, Car′bonate of.= CdCO_{3}. Syn. CAD′MII CAR′BONAS, L. From a solution of sulphate or chloride of cadmium, and an alkaline carbonate; the precipitate being collected, washed, and dried by a gentle heat. A white powder.
=Cadmium, Chlo′′ride of.= CdCl_{2}. Syn. HYDROCHLO′′RATE OF CADMIUM, MU′′RIATE OF CADMIUM; CAD′MII CHLORI′DUM, CAD′MII HYDROCHLO′′RAS, L. Prep. 1. (Pure.) By dissolving carbonate or oxide of cadmium in hydrochloric acid, and crystallising by gentle evaporation. Prismatic crystals; very soluble in water.
2. (Turner.) By exposing the product of the last process to heat. Amorphous.
3. From crude cadmium or its oxide, and hydrochloric acid, as last.
=Cadmium, I′odide of.= CdI_{2}. Syn. HYDRI′ODATE OF CADMIUM; CAD′′MII IODI′DUM, C. HYDRIO′DAS, L.
Prep. (Crookes.) Cadmium in filings 1 part, pure iodine 2 parts, are to be placed together in a capacious flask, with alcohol sufficient to cover them. Action commences at once, attended with considerable evolution of heat; when it ceases, heat the mixture till it is colourless; then filter from a few grains of cadmium which will remain undissolved, evaporate and crystallise.
Uses. In photography this salt has lately been employed with great success for iodizing collodion. Being very stable, it is not decomposed, and the collodion iodized with it preserves its sensitiveness undiminished during many months. (See COLLODION.) In medicine it is used occasionally as a substitute for iodide of lead.
=Cadmium, Ox′ide of.= CdO. Syn. PROTOX′IDE OF CADMIUM; CAD′MII OXY′DUM, L. Prep. 1. (Hydrated.) From sulphate or chloride of cadmium, and a solution of caustic alkali; observing to well wash and dry the precipitate. A white powder, freely soluble in acids.
2. (Anhydrous.) By igniting the hydrated oxide, or the carbonate or nitrate of cadmium. That from the first two has a pale brown colour; that from the nitrate has a dark brown tint and a semi-crystalline appearance. The former has been proposed to be used as a pigment.
=Cadmium, Sul′phate of.= CdSO_{4}. Syn. CAD′MII SUL′PHAS, CAD′MIUM SULPHU′RICUM, KLAPRO′THRIUM SULPHU′RICUM, L. Prep. 1. From carbonate or oxide of cadmium and dilute sulphuric acid, as the chloride.
2. (Cottereau.) Oxide of cadmium, 1 oz.; sulphuric acid, q. s.; dissolve, evaporate, and crystallise.
3. (Pereira.) Sulphuric acid, 6-1/2 parts; water, 15 parts; mix; add cadmium, 7 parts; dissolve, evaporate to dryness, redissolve in water, filter, and evaporate by a gentle heat, so that crystals may form.
Prop., &c. Efflorescent, rectangular, prismatic crystals; very soluble in water; tastes astringent. It is about 4 times as strong as sulphate of zinc, and is used in similar cases. Dose, 3 to 10 gr. Externally (1/2 to 3 or 4 gr. to water, 1 oz.); in specks of the eye, opacity of the cornea, chronic ophthalmia, &c. As an ointment, 10 to 12 gr. to lard, 1 oz.
=Cadmium, Sul′phide of.= CdS. Syn. CADMIUM YELLOW. This occurs native as GREENOCK′ITE. It may be prepared artificially, either by fusing its elements together, or by passing a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen through a solution of the chloride, nitrate, or sulphate. When prepared artificially, it is of a bright yellow or orange colour, and is of great value to the artist. It has been used in making fireworks. See FIRES, Coloured.
=Cadmium, Yellow.= See CADMIUM, SULPHIDE OF (above), and YELLOW PIGMENTS.
=CÆSALPINA (GUILANDINA) BONDUCELLA.= (Ind. Ph.) Habitat. Tropical portions of both hemispheres.——Officinal part. The seeds (Bonducellæ semina, Bonduc seeds); of a somewhat irregular sub-spherical or ovoid form, usually from 5/8 to 6/8 of an inch in diameter, smooth, hard, and lead-coloured, and contain an amylaceous white nucleus, having a bitter taste. They contain a fixed oil, resin, and a bitter principle.——Properties. Tonic and antiperiodic.——Therapeutic uses. In intermittent fevers; also in debility, and other cases requiring tonics.——Dose, 10 to 15 grains twice daily.
COMPOUND POWDER OF BONDUC (Pulvis Bonducellæ compositus). Take of bonduc seeds, deprived of their shells and powdered, 1 oz.; black pepper, powdered, 1 oz. Mix thoroughly, and keep in a well-stoppered bottle.——Dose, 15 to 30 gr., three times a day.
=CÆSIUM.= [Eng., L.] Cæ. A metal belonging to the alkaline group, discovered by Bunsen in the mineral water of Durckheim by means of SPECTRUM ANALYSIS (which see), and so named by him from cæsius, greyish-blue, the colour of its characteristic ray.
=CAFFE′IC ACID.= Syn. CHLOROGE′NIC ACID. A white powder, discovered by Runge in coffee, in which it exists in combination with potassium (caffeiate of potassium), and caffeine, and is then very soluble in alcohol. Pfaff states that the aroma of coffee is dependent on the volatilisation, or, rather, the decomposition of this acid.
=CAFFE′INE.= C_{8}H_{10}N_{4}O_{2}. Syn. CAFFE′INA, THÉINE, GUARANINE. A peculiar nitrogenised principle, discovered by Robiquet in coffee. It is, moreover, the essential principle of tea, of Paraguay tea, and of Guarana, infusions of which are used as beverages in different parts of the world. The proportion of caffeine to the pound was found by Liebig to be as stated below in the six descriptions of coffee named:——
Martinique 32 grains. Alexandrian 22 ” Java 22 ” Mocha 20 ” Cayenne 19 ” St Dominique 16 ”
In Hyson tea it exists in the proportion of from 2·5 to 3·4 per cent.; and in gunpowder tea from 2·2 to 4·1. In Paraguay tea, or maté as it is called in Brazil, and in Guarana, it exists in the proportion of ·13 per cent.
Prep. 1. Coarsely powdered raw or unroasted coffee is boiled in water, and subacetate of lead added to the filtered decoction to throw down the extractive and colouring matter; the excess of lead is next precipitated with sulphuretted hydrogen, and the liquid filtered and evaporated by a gentle heat; the residuum is dissolved in boiling water, the solution agitated with freshly burnt animal charcoal, filtered, evaporated, and crystallised. By redissolving the product in hot alcohol, it may be obtained in white, shining, silky filaments, as the solution cools.
2. (H. J. Versman.) Quick-lime, 2 lbs.; water, q. s. to form a hydrate; raw coffee (bruised), 10 lbs.; mix, put it into a displacement apparatus, and cause alcohol of 80% to percolate through the mixture, until the fluid obtained no longer contains caffeine; the mass in the percolator is then roughly ground to powder, mixed with a fresh quantity of quick-lime, and the process of percolation repeated with fresh alcohol, as before. The spirit is next distilled from the mixed tinctures in a retort, and the residuum washed with a little warm water to remove the oil; the evaporation is then gently conducted until a crystalline mass is obtained, which is further freed from adhering oil by pressure between folds of blotting paper. It is purified by redissolving it in boiling water or hot alcohol, &c., as before.
3. (A. Vogel.) An extract of powdered coffee is made with commercial benzol; this being distilled off, leaves an oil and caffeine behind; the oil is then removed by a little ether or by hot water, from which latter liquid the alkaloid crystallises on cooling.
4. From a hot infusion of tea-leaves by treatment with subacetate of lead and sulphuretted hydrogen, as in process 1 (above).
5. (F. V. Greene.) Powdered guarana is intimately mixed with three times its weight of finely divided litharge, and the mixture boiled in distilled water, the ebullition being continued until, on allowing the temperature to fall below the boiling point, the insoluble portion is found to subside rapidly, leaving the supernatant liquid clear, bright, and without colour. The quantity of distilled water required will be found to be about a pint for every fifteen grams of the guarana used in the experiment, and as the boiling has to be continued for several hours before the desired and all essential separation mentioned above takes place, water must be added from time to time to supply the place of that lost by evaporation. When cool, the clear liquid is decanted upon a filter, and when it has passed through, which it will be found to do with facility, the precipitate is to be transferred to the filter, and washed with boiling water, the washing to be continued as long as yellowish precipitates are produced with either phosphomolybdic acid solution, auric, or platinic chloride. A stream of sulphuretted hydrogen gas is now passed through the filtrate to remove the small quantity of lead that has been dissolved, and the sulphide thus formed separated by filtration. The solution is evaporated on a water bath to expel the excess of sulphuretted hydrogen, filtered to remove a trace of sulphur, finally evaporated to the crystallising point, and the caffeine which crystallises out in cooling removed from the mother liquor and pressed between folds of bibulous paper. After being thus treated the crystals will be found to be perfectly white. On diluting the mother liquor with distilled water, filtering, and evaporating, a second crop of crystals are obtained, which are also perfectly white, after being pressed as above. The crystals are now dissolved in boiling dilute alcohol, filtered, and the solution set aside to crystallise by spontaneous evaporation. The resulting crystals of caffeine are perfectly pure and colourless.
6. (O. Caillol and P. Cazeneuve.) The following is a process for the rapid preparation of caffeine:——Black tea is thoroughly softened with four times its weight of hot water; a quantity of calcium hydrate equal to that of tea used is then added, and the whole evaporated on a water-bath to perfect dryness. The dry residue is exhausted with chloroform in a displacement apparatus, and the chloroform recovered from the percolate by distillation. The residue left in the retort is a mixture of caffeine and a resinous substance containing chlorophyll. On treating it with hot water, filtering and evaporating the filtrate on a water bath, the caffeine is obtained in perfectly white crystals.
Prop., &c. Soluble in 100 parts of cold water; freely soluble in hot water and in water acidulated with an acid; slightly soluble in cold alcohol; it fuses at 352° Fahr., tastes slightly bitter, and possesses feeble basic properties. With the sulphuric and hydrochloric acids it forms crystallisable compounds. The salts of caffeine may be made by dissolving it to saturation in the dilute acid, and evaporating the solution by a very gentle heat. It forms splendid double salts with bichloride of platinum and terchloride of gold.
Uses. Caffeine has been recommended in those pains that affect only one side of the head (hemicrania); in doses of 1 to 3 gr. Its physiological action is very trifling, notwithstanding all that has been said to the contrary. Mr Cooley took 20 gr. daily of pure caffeine, for above a month, without experiencing any other effect than a very slight elevation of spirits after each dose, similar to that produced by a small quantity of spirits of sal volatile. It has been used lately with doubtful success as an antidote to the poisonous effects of opium. See COFFEE, TEA, &c.
=CAFFE′ONE.= A brown, aromatic oil, formed during the roasting of coffee.
=CAJ′EPUT OIL.= See OILS (Volatile).
=CAKES.= A species of fancy bread or trifle familiar to every one.
Before proceeding to the actual operation of cake-making, the various materials which are to enter into their composition undergo a certain amount of preparation. For this purpose every article is got ready about an hour previously to its being wanted, and is placed before the fire, or upon a stove, that it may become gently heated. Without these precautions it is impossible to produce good cakes. The flour is thoroughly dried, and warmed. The currants are nicely washed in a hair sieve, wiped dry in a cloth, and then set before the fire. Before use they are dusted over with a little flour. The sugar is rubbed to a fine powder, and passed through a sieve. The eggs are well beaten in a basin, and strained. The butter is melted by being placed in a basin set in hot water, and is afterwards well beaten up with a little warm milk. The lemon peel is cut very thin, and beaten in a mortar to a paste or powder, with lump sugar; or for common purposes, it is grated. The caraways, ginger, and other flavouring ingredients are preferred in the form of fine powder, or are made into an essence, by digesting them in spirit of wine; the first is the most common method. The milk and water is made lukewarm. When all these things are ready and have stood a sufficient time, they are put into a pan, one after another, in the proper order, and well beaten together, by which the lightness of the cakes is considerably increased.
In plum cakes, as well as in some other varieties, a little yeast may be added after the butter, and the mass allowed to rise a little, and then again well kneaded, by which not only less butter and eggs may be used, but the products will be both lighter and more wholesome. Good stale bread, well soaked in hot milk or water, and then beaten to a paste, and passed through a fine sieve, forms an excellent thing to mix up the ingredients with, and produces a very light and nutritious cake. Cakes “wetted up” with milk are richer, but do not keep so well as those without it; they get stale sooner, and then in that state are far from agreeable to the palate. A kind of flour prepared from maize or Indian corn has been recently introduced to the notice of cooks, but it is better adapted for puddings than for cakes. See CORN-FLOUR.
Cakes are preferably baked on flat tins or in little “tin shapes,” which should be first well buttered.
Cakes should be kept for store in tin canisters; wooden boxes, unless very well seasoned, are apt to give them an unpleasant taste. Brown-paper linings and wrappers should be avoided for the same reason. See BISCUITS, BREAD, BUN, ICING, STAINS, &c.
=Cakes, Al′mond.= Prep. 1. From sweet almonds (blanched and beaten to a smooth paste), flour and powdered sugar, of each 1/2 lb.; 7 eggs, and the outside peel of 4 lemons (shredded small). The almonds, sugar, lemon peel, and eggs, are beaten together, until as white as sponge paste; the flour next worked in, and the paste put into buttered moulds, and baked in a slack oven, with 8 or 10 thicknesses of white paper under them and one or two over them.
2. Almonds, 1 lb.; sugar, 1/2 lb.; rose water or orange-flower water, 1/4 pint; flour, 3/4 lb.; 3 eggs; as above. Some persons ice these cakes.
=Cakes, Ban′bury.= Prep. From butter and dough fermented for white bread, of each 1 lb., as in making puff paste, then rolled out very thin, and cut into oval or triangular pieces, or other shapes. On these are placed a mixture of currants and moist sugar, equal parts, wetted with a little wine or brandy, and the paste being closed up, they are placed on a tin with the closed side downwards, and baked. A little powdered sugar, flavoured with candied peel (grated), or essence of lemon, is sifted over them as soon as they come out of the oven. In the common cakes of the shops the brandy is omitted, and lard is used for butter, but less of it.
=Cakes, Bath.= Prep. From butter, 1/2 lb., flour, 1 lb., 5 eggs, and a cupful of yeast; when risen, add powdered sugar, 4 oz., and caraways, 1 oz. Bake them on tins.
=Cakes, Cheese.= Prep. 1. Curdle some warm new milk with rennet, drain the curd in a linen bag, and add 1/4 of its weight, each, of sugar and butter, 6 eggs, some grated nutmeg, and a little orange flower or rose water.
2. (Almond Cheese Cakes.) To the above add as much blanched almonds, beaten to a smooth paste, as there is butter, and an equal weight of macaroni.
3. (Lemon Cheese Cakes.) To the first form add lemon peel (grated fine), or essence of lemon, q. s.
=Cakes, Di′et.= Syn. DIET BREAD. Prep. 1. Dissolve sugar, 1 lb., in milk, 1/2 pint; add 6 eggs, and whisk the mixture to a full froth, then cautiously stir in flour, 1 lb., beat it for 3/4 hour, and immediately bake it in a quick oven. It may be baked whole or divided into small cakes.
2. From fine flour and powdered sugar, equal parts; 6 eggs; and the juice and rind (grated) of 1 lemon.
=Cakes, Drop.= Prep. Eggs, 1 dozen; rosewater, 1 table-spoonful; powdered sugar, 1/2 lb.; fine flour, 1/2 lb.; and caraways, 1/2 oz. Drop it on wafer paper, and bake as before.
=Cakes, Gin′ger.= Prep. Sugar, 1 lb.; powdered ginger, 4 oz.; flour, 2 lbs.; water, 1 pint; butter, 1/2 lb.; candied orange peel, 8 caps (grated).
=Cakes, Lem′on.= Prep. Flour and sugar, of each 1 lb.; eggs, 1 dozen; grated peel and juice of 4 lemons; whisk the eggs to a bright froth; then gradually add the rest.
=Cakes, Marl′borough.= Prep. Beat 8 eggs and 1 lb. of pounded sugar 3/4 hour; then add fine flour, 1 lb.; and caraway seeds, 2 oz.
=Cakes, Plain.= Prep. 1. From flour, 4 lbs.; currants, 2 lbs.; butter, 1/2 lb.; caraway seeds, 1/4 oz.; candied lemon peel (grated), 1 oz.; yeast, 1/4 pint; milk, q. s. Let it rise well before baking.
2. Baker’s dough, 2 lbs.; currants, 1 lb.; butter, 1/4 lb.; 3 eggs; milk (hot), 1/4 pint.
3. (Rundell.) Baker’s dough, 4 lbs.; butter and moist sugar, of each 1/4 lb.; caraway seeds, a small handful. Well work it together, pull it into pieces the size of a golden pippin, and work it together again. This must be done three times, or it will be in lumps, and heavy when baked.
4. (Rich) Equal weights of flour, butter, sultana raisins, eggs, currants, and brown sugar, mixed up with milk, and seasoned with candied peel, nutmeg, &c., and baked in a quick oven. This resembles “pound cake.”
=Cakes, Plum.= Prep. 1. (Good.) From butter, 1/2 lb.; dry flour, 3 lbs.; Lisbon sugar, 8 oz.; plums and currants, of each 3/4 lb.; and some pimento, finely powdered; to be “wetted up” with 3 spoonfuls of yeast, and a Winchester pint of new milk (warmed); bake on a floured tin half an hour.
2. (Excellent.) From fresh butter, sifted sugar, flour, and currants, of each 1 lb.; 18 eggs; powdered spices, 2 oz. (viz. cloves, mace, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice); sliced almonds, 4 oz.; raisins (stoned and chopped), 1/2 lb.; and a large glass of brandy; bake in a hot oven. When sufficiently baked let the oven cool, and afterwards put in the cake and allow it to remain for several hours to dry. (Rundell.)
3. (Rich.) Take fresh butter and sugar, of each 1 lb.; flour, 1-1/2 lb.; currants, 2 lbs.; a glass of brandy; sweetmeats and peels, 1 lb.; sweet almonds, 2 oz.; 10 eggs; allspice and cinnamon, of each 1/4 oz.; bake in a tin hoop in a hot oven for 3 hours, and put 12 sheets of paper under it to keep it from burning. (Mackenzie.)
=Cakes, Port′ugal.= Prep. From flour, powdered sugar, and fresh butter, of each 1 lb.; 10 eggs; currants, 1/2 lb.; and a little white wine; bake in small tins only half filled.
=Cake, Potato.= A pound of cold potatoes, a quarter of a pound of flour or oatmeal, half a gill of warm milk (with a quarter of an ounce of yeast dissolved in it), a little salt and butter. Mash the potatoes, add the other ingredients, roll out the paste an inch and a half or two inches thick, place it in a greased tin, and bake it.
=Cakes, Pound.= Prep. 1. As plum cake; but using 1 lb. each of all the ingredients except the spices.
2. Using equal parts of sugar, flour, currants, and sultana raisins, and half that quantity each of butter, brandy, and candied peel, with spices as required.
=Cakes, Queen.= Prep. From about 1 lb. each of dried flour, sifted sugar, washed currants, and butter, with 8 eggs; the whole beaten for an hour, made into a batter, and baked in little tins, teacups, or saucers, only half filled. A little fine sugar is frequently sifted over them. Nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon are also sometimes added.
=Cakes, Rat′ifia.= Prep. Beat 1/2 lb. of sweet and 1 oz. of bitter almonds, in fine orange, rose, or ratifia water; mix in 1/2 lb. of pounded sugar; add the whites of 4 eggs (well beaten); set it over a moderate fire in a preserving-pan; stir it one way until it is pretty hot, and when a little cool form it into small rolls, and cut it into thin cakes; shake some flour lightly on them, give each a light tap, put them on sugar papers, sift a little sugar on them, and put them into a very slack oven.
=Cakes, Rout.= Prep. From flour, 2 lbs.; butter, sugar, and currants, of each 1 lb.; 3 eggs; 1/2 pint of milk; 2 glasses of white wine; and 1 glass of brandy; drop them on a tin plate, and bake them.
=Cakes, Savoy.= Prep. From flour and sifted sugar, of each 1 lb.; 10 eggs; and the rind of a lemon (grated); form a batter by degrees, put it into moulds, and bake in a slack oven.
=Cake, Seed.= Prep. 1. (Plain.) From flour, 1/4 peck; sugar, 1/2 lb.; allspice, 1/4 oz.; melted butter, 1/2 lb.; a little ginger; milk, 1/2 pint; yeast, 1/4 pint; add seeds or currants; and bake an hour and a half.
2. (Good.) To the preceding add of butter and sugar, of each 1/2 lb., and wet it up with milk previously mixed with 6 eggs.
3. (Rich.) Take of flour, 1-1/2 lb.; butter and sugar, of each 1/2 lb.; 8 eggs; 2 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 grated nutmeg, and its weight in cinnamon. Bake 2 hours in a quick oven.
4. (Scotch.) Nine eggs; sugar and butter, of each 1/2 lb.; mix well together, then add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; 1/4 oz. of caraway seeds; 1/2 lb. of candied citron; 1/4 lb. of candied orange peel; 1/2 lb. of blanched almonds (pounded fine); flour, 3 lbs.; and brandy, 1/4 pint.
=Cakes, Shrews′bury.= Prep. From flour, 3 lbs.; sugar, 1 lb.; a little cinnamon and nutmeg; 3 eggs; a little rose water; and melted butter enough to make it into a dough.
=Cakes, So′da.= Prep. 1. From flour, 1 lb.; bicarbonate of soda, 1/4 oz.; sugar and butter, of each 1/2 lb.; make a paste with milk, and add candied orange, lemon, or citron peel, or the fresh peels grated, q. s. to flavour.
2. To flour, 1 lb.; sugar and butter, of each 2 oz.; candied peel, 1/2 oz.; sesquicarbonate of soda, 3 dr.; milk, q. s.
Obs. An equal weight of carbonate of magnesia, used instead of the soda, also makes good cakes. Both are suitable to delicate stomachs, especially in dyspepsia, with acidity.
=Cakes, Sponge.= Prep. From 8 eggs; lump sugar, 3/4 lb.; flour, 1/2 lb.; water, 1/4 pint; the yellow peel of a lemon; mix as follows:——Put the lemon peel into the water; when about to make the cake, put the sugar into a saucepan, pour the water and peel on it, and let it stand by the fire to get hot. Break the eggs into a deep earthen vessel that has been made quite hot; remove from the heat, whisk for a few minutes; make the sugar and water boil up, and pour it very gradually boiling-hot over the eggs; continue to whisk them briskly until they become thick and white; add the flour (quite warm), stir it lightly in, put the paste into tins lined with white paper, and bake them immediately in a moderately hot oven.
=Cakes, Tea.= Syn. BENTON CAKES. Prep. From flour, 1 lb.; butter, 4 oz.; and milk, q. s.; bake on a hot hearth or slow oven plate.
2. To the last add 2 table-spoonfuls of yeast.
=Cakes, Tip′sy.= Prep. Small sponge cakes steeped in brandy, and then covered with grated almonds and candied peel; or almonds (cut into spikes) are stuck in them. They are commonly piled on a dish, surrounded with a custard, and covered with preserves drained as dry as possible.
=Cakes, Wigg.= Prep. From 1/2 pint of warm milk; 3/4 lb. of fine flour; and 2 or 3 spoonfuls of light yeast. Afterwards work in 4 oz. each of sugar and butter; make it into cakes, or wiggs, with as little flour as possible, add a few caraway seeds, and bake them quickly.
=Cakes.= (In medicine.) Cakes have been used as a form of administering medicinal substances to children, but have not been extensively employed in this country for the purpose, unless by quacks and in domestic practice. In preparing them the active ingredients are added in such proportions to the common materials of a sweet cake that one or two, as the case may be, are sufficient for a dose. See GINGERBREAD, WORM-CAKES, &c.
=CALA′BAR BEAN.= Syn. PHYSOSTIGMATIS FABA. The seed of Physostigma venenosum. The plant is a native of Western Africa, where the bean is used as an ordeal poison. The bean itself is about the size of a large horse-bean, with a very firm, hard, brittle, shining coat of a brownish-red, pale chocolate, or ash-grey colour. It has an irregular kidney shape, with flat surfaces and a rounded border, which is for the most part boldly curved, and there marked with a broad furrow, with the central raised raphe in the centre, and ending at one extremity in the microphyle. The kernel consists of two cotyledons. It yields its properties to alcohol, and imperfectly to water. Calabar bean has been used in cases of strychnia poisoning and tetanus, as well as in epilepsy and St. Vitus’s dance. The dose of the powdered bean, according to Royle, is one to four grains. Locally applied it produces contraction of the pupil.
Until the researches of Harnack and Witkowsky the Calabar bean was supposed to owe its activity, when internally administered, to the presence of a powerful alkaloid called esernia or physostigma. These chemists, however, have lately succeeded in discovering in the bean, in addition to eserina, another very potent alkaloid, to which they have given the name calabaria or calabarine.
Calabarine appears to exert a physiological action antagonistic to that of eserine, and since the commercial preparations of the drug consist, according to the above chemists, of mixtures of the two alkaloids in varying proportions, the discordant effects frequently observed to follow the administration of any of the various preparations of the bean, admit of ready explanation. Wherever eserine predominated it appeared to suppress the effects of calabarine; on the other hand, if this latter preponderated, the paralysing effect on the spinal cord otherwise exercised by eserine would fail to be produced.
The necessity of having preparations of calabar free from calabarine, in cases where the drug is administered for tetanus, will be apparent when it is stated that calabarine itself induces the disease.
We quote the following from ‘New Remedies’ for June, 1877:——
“The well-known manufacturing chemist, E. Merk, in Darmstadt, has heretofore prepared and sold a substance which was supposed to be the only active principle of calabar, and which he called calabarine, but which was really eserine or physostigmine. He now accepts and confirms the results of Harnack’s and Witkowsky’s researches, and has put both of the active principles upon the market labelled with their correct name, viz. ‘Physostigmin’ (or eserine, being the same substance which he formerly sold as calabarine), and ‘Calabarin,’ distinguished by the addition of Harnack’s name (Harnack’s ‘Calabarine’). The attention of physicians and pharmacists is particularly directed to the change of appellations.”
Calabar bean is a powerful poison. The antidotes are:——Diffusible stimulants; the hypodermic injection of the 1/50th of a grain of sulphate of atropia, to be repeated if necessary at the end of two hours; and artificial respiration. See ESERINE.
=CAL′AMINE.= See ZINC (Carbonate of).
=CALCINA′TION.= The operation of burning or roasting any solid body to expel its more volatile parts, as the conversion of chalk into lime by the expulsion of carbonic anhydride. The roasting of the ores in the first stage of the Welsh process of copper smelting and in the Silesian mode of extracting zinc is technically termed CALCINATION.
The method of conducting the process of calcination depends on the nature of the body operated on. Many substances, for delicate experiments, are calcined over a spirit lamp in a platinum spoon or crucible; others, in iron vessels or earthen crucibles, placed in a common furnace. When the action of the air proves injurious, as in the manufacture of charcoal, the process is performed in close vessels or chambers. In some cases the fuel is mixed with the articles, and they are both burnt together, as in the manufacture of lime, the roasting of ores, &c. The process of drying salts, or driving off their water of crystallisation by heat, is also frequently called CALCINATION; thus we have calcined copperas, alum, &c.
=CAL′′CINER.= A reverberatory furnace used for the calcination of metallic ores, particularly those of COPPER and ZINC (which see).
=CAL′CIUM.= [Eng., L.] Ca. The metal of which LIME is an oxide. Though it is a chemical curiosity when isolated, it is one of the most abundant substances in nature, forming a very large portion of the crust of the earth. It occurs in combination with fluorine as fluor-spar; with oxygen and carbonic acid as chalk, limestone, and marble; and with oxygen and sulphuric acid as gypsum. The metal was first obtained from lime by Sir H. Davy in 1808; but little was known of its properties until Dr Matthiessen formed it by the electrolytic decomposition of the chloride of calcium.
Prep. 1. By the action of a powerful voltaic current upon a paste of pure lime in contact with mercury, as in the original method of preparing barium.
2. By the electrolysis of chloride of calcium in a state of fusion.
3. (Caron.) Fused chloride of calcium in powder, 300 parts; distilled zinc, finely granulated, 400 parts; sodium, in small pieces, 100 parts; the whole placed in a crucible and heated to redness in an ordinary furnace. The action is very feeble at first, but after some time zinc flames arise. The heat must now be moderated to prevent the volatilisation of the zinc, but at the same time it must be maintained as high as possible. When the crucible has remained in this state for about a quarter of an hour it may be withdrawn. On cooling, a metallic button will be found at the bottom. This alloy of zinc and calcium, which generally contains from 10 to 15% of the latter metal, must be placed in a coke crucible and heated until the whole of the zinc is driven off. The alloy should be in pieces as large as possible. When proper precautions have been observed a button of CALCIUM is obtained, only contaminated with the foreign metals contained in the zinc.
Prop., &c. The metal belongs to the group which includes BARIUM, STRONTIUM, and MAGNESIUM; it is of a light yellow colour; is rather harder than lead, and very malleable. It melts at a red heat. It tarnishes in a day or two, even in dry air, and in contact with moist air it breaks up like ordinary lime. Its sp. gr. is 1·55.
Tests. Salts of calcium in solution produce a white precipitate with carbonate of ammonium; it becomes far less voluminous on heating the solution, and dissolves very readily in hydrochloric acid. Sulphuric acid, when added to concentrated solutions, gives an immediate white precipitate; if the solution is not concentrated, the precipitate may separate gradually, in minute crystals; and if it is very dilute, no precipitation will take place, because sulphate of lime is soluble in about 500 times its weight of water. With neutral solutions, even when very dilute, oxalate of ammonium gives a copious white precipitate, soluble in most dilute acids.
=Calcium, Acetate of.= Add prepared chalk to acetic (or purified pyroligneous) acid till fully saturated; filter and evaporate, that crystals may form. Diuretic. Dose, 10 to 20 grains.
=Calcium, Acid Phosphate of.= Syn. SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME, SOLUBLE ACID PHOSPHATE. CaH_{4},2PO_{4}. This may be procured by treating bone-earth with two thirds of its weight of oil of vitriol, as in the preliminary stage of the extraction of phosphorus. It is extensively used as a manure for turnips.
=Calcium, Bibasic Phosphate.= Ca_{2}H_{2}P_{2}O_{8} + 3H_{2}O. Dissolve 608 grams of crystallised calcium chloride in 1000 grams of distilled water, and add gradually to this solution 1000 grams of sodium phosphate, dissolved in 10,000 grams of water. Allow the precipitate to deposit, and wash it five or six times with 10 litres of water each time; drain the precipitate on a moistened cloth. As soon as its consistence permits, detach from it irregular pieces, and place them to dry in the open air upon filtering paper; the spontaneous desiccation is sufficiently rapid.
From ‘Formulæ for New Medicaments adopted by the Paris Pharmaceutical Society.’
=Calcium, Bro′mide of.= CaBr_{2}. Syn. CAL′CII BROMI′DUM, L. Prep. (Magendie.) To a solution of bromide of iron add hydrate of calcium in slight excess; filter, evaporate to dryness, redissolve in water, and again filter, and evaporate.
=Calcium, Carbonate of.= See CHALK.
=Calcium, Chlo′′ride of.= CaCl_{2}. Syn. CAL′CII CHLORI′DUM (B. P.). Prep. Hydrochloric acid and water, of each 10 fl. oz.; chalk, 5 oz.; evaporate the solution until the salt becomes solid, and dry the residue at about 400° F.
It is obtained in solution as a residuum in making several preparations of ammonia, as the liquor and carbonate, and in making carbonic acid by the action of hydrochloric acid on marble. The residuum is concentrated and set aside to crystallise, or evaporated to dryness.
Prop., Uses, &c. This salt crystallises in colourless, striated, hexagonal prisms, terminated by very acute points. It is very soluble in alcohol and water, the latter even at 32° dissolving more than its own weight, and at 60° three or four times its weight of this salt. When heated, the crystals undergo watery fusion. When dissolved in water, they produce great cold; and hence are frequently employed as an ingredient in FREEZING MIXTURES. These crystals contain nearly half their weight of water. They are very deliquescent, passing readily into the liquid state, and forming what used to be called oleum calcis, or oil of lime. The anhydrous chloride is hard and friable; slightly translucent; totally and readily soluble in water, and, like the crystallised salt, very deliquescent. In the laboratory chloride of calcium, either fused or merely dried, is continually used for drying gases and for absorbing the water from ethereal and oily liquids in organic analysis. The unfused is now generally preferred for this purpose, as it is more porous than the fused. The salt is also used in the rectification of alcohol, and to form a bath for heating stoneware stills and other apparatus liable to be cracked on the sand bath. As a chemical reagent it is employed chiefly in detecting certain organic acids. As a medicine it has been given in some scrofulous and glandular diseases. Dose, 10 to 20 gr. See SOLUTIONS.
=Calcium, Flu′oride of.= CaF_{2}. Syn. HYDROFLU′ORATE OF LIME. This occurs native as the mineral called fluor-spar. It is found in beautiful crystals in the lead mines of Alston Moor and Derbyshire, and in the concretionary crystalline masses known as Blue John or Derbyshire spar at Castleton. It may be prepared by the action of hydrofluoric acid upon lime, as directed under BARIUM, FLUORIDE OF.
=Calcium Hypophosphite.= CaP_{2}H_{4}O_{4}. Mix milk of lime (1 in 5) in porcelain capsule placed in a sand bath, with half its weight of phosphorus in small pieces, and heat it to ebullition, operating in the open air or under a chimney with a good draught. Spontaneously inflammable phosphuretted hydrogen is given off, the vapour of which should be avoided. Add from time to time a little warm water, to replace that which has evaporated. Discontinue the heat when the phosphorus has disappeared——that is, when inflammable bubbles cease to be produced. If the phosphorus remain in excess, add more milk of lime, and continue the heat until the complete disappearance of the metalloid. Allow the liquor to cool and then filter; then saturate it with a current of carbonic acid gas to eliminate any excess of lime remaining uncombined. Filter again, and concentrate the liquor in a water bath to dryness, keeping the temperature below 100° C., to avoid detonations. Preserve the salt from the air in well-closed bottles.
From ‘Formulæ for New Medicaments adopted by the Paris Pharmaceutical Society.’
=Calcium, I′odide of.= CaI_{2}. Syn. HYDRI′ODATE OF LIME; CAL′CII IODI′DUM, CALCIS HYDRIO′DAS, L. Prep. 1. (Magendie.) From a solution of protiodide of iron and hydrate of calcium, as directed under iodide of barium.
2. Dissolve lime or carbonate of lime in hydriodic acid.
Prop., Uses, &c. It is a deliquescent salt, easily soluble in water, and has a bitterish taste. It has been used in scrofulous affections, internally, in doses ranging from 1/8 to 2 gr., thrice daily, and externally in ointments containing 2 dr. or less to the oz.
=Calcium, Lactophosphate.= This product ought not to be employed except in the state of solution in water or in syrup. In the pasty or solid state its solubility varies, and it is always an indefinite compound.
Solution. Bibasic phosphate of lime, 17 grams; concentrated lactic acid, as little as possible; distilled water, 964 grams. Suspend the phosphate carefully in the distilled water, add the lactic acid, allow solution to go on for some minutes, and filter.
From ‘Formulæ for New Medicaments adopted by the Paris Pharmaceutical Society.’
=Calcium, Oxide of.= See LIME.
=Calcium, Phosphate of.= Syn. CALCIS PHOSPHAS (Ph. B.). Digest bone-ash, 4 oz., in hydrochloric acid, 6 fl. oz., diluted with a pint of water, until it is dissolved.
Filter the solution, if necessary; add water, 1 pint, and afterwards solution of ammonia (Ph. B.), 12 fl. oz., or a sufficient quantity, until the mixture acquires an alkaline reaction, and having collected the precipitate on a calico filter, wash it with boiling distilled water as long as the liquid which passes through occasions a precipitate when dropped into solution of nitrate of silver acidulated with nitric acid. Dry the washed product at a temperature not exceeding 212° F.
=Calcium, Phos′phide of.= Syn. PHOSPHU′RET OF LIME; CAL′CII PHOSPHURE′TUM, C. PHOSPHI′DUM, L. Prep. By passing the vapour of phosphorus over lime (in small fragments) heated to redness in a porcelain tube. A brownish substance, supposed to be a mere mechanical mixture of phosphide and phosphate of calcium. Thrown into water, it suffers instant decomposition, and phosphuretted hydrogen gas escapes.
=Calcium, Sulphides of.= Calcium forms with sulphur at least three different compounds:——
=1. Calcium, Protosul′phide of.= CaS. Prep.——a. From sulphate of lime, exposed at a high temperature to a stream of hydrogen gas.——b. From dried gypsum, 25 parts; lampblack or finely powdered charcoal, 4 parts; calcined together at a strong heat in a covered crucible.
=2. Calcium, Bisulphide of.= CaS_{2}. Prep. From sulphur and quick-lime, equal parts; water, q. s.; slake the lime, add the sulphur, and boil until a solution is obtained, which on cooling deposits crystals.
=3. Calcium, Pentasulphide of.= CaS_{5}. Prep. As the last, but increasing the quantity of sulphur, and continuing the boiling for a longer period. Little is known about it.
=4. Calcium, Sulphate of.= See GYPSUM.
=5. Calcium, Commercial Sulphuret of.= Syn. COMMERCIAL SULPHIDE OF CALCIUM. Prep.——a. As 1, b (above).
b. Sulphur, 1 part; hydrate of lime, 3 parts; water, 2-1/2 pints; boil it until it solidifies on cooling, then pour it out on a cold marble slab, and when solid break it into pieces and preserve it in a well-corked bottle.
c. (Guibourt.) Quick-lime, 7 parts; sulphur, 4 parts; mix, and heat the compound for about 2 hours in a covered crucible.
d. (Cottereau.) Quick-lime, 2 parts; sulphur, 1 part; water, 5 parts; as 4, b (above).
Obs. The precise composition of the last three preparations is uncertain. They are acrid, caustic, stimulant, and diaphoretic. Dose, 1 to 3 gr. Sulphide of calcium has been used as a depilatory by applying it made into a paste with water, and washing it off in about 1/4 of an hour. Made into an embrocation, it has been strongly recommended in gout, scabies, &c. Its solution yields pure sulphur on the addition of hydrochloric acid.
=CALCULA′TIONS= (Useful). 1. To find the Value of a Dozen Articles. Take the price in pence as shillings, and if there are any farthings in the price, add threepence for each. Thus 2s. 8d., or 32 pence per yard, is £1 12s. per dozen.
2. To find the Value of One Hundred Articles. For every farthing take as many pence and twice as many shillings. Thus, 1-1/4d. each is——5d., and 10s. = 10s. 5d. per hundred.
3. To find the Value of a Pound at any price per Ounce. Take the price in farthings as shillings, and divide by three. Thus, 5-1/4d. per ounce is 21 farthings; taken as shillings, 21 ÷ 3 = 7s. per pound.
4. To find the Value of an Ounce at any price per Pound. Take the shillings as farthings, and multiply by three. Thus, at 6s.——6 × 3 = 18 farthings, or 4-1/2d. per ounce.
Obs. By reversing Nos. 1 and 2, the price of a single article or pound may be found from the price per dozen or hundred. For several other calculations, useful in domestic economy, chemistry, &c., see BREWING, DECIMALS, EQUIVALENTS, MEASURES, PER-CENTAGE, WEIGHTS.
=CAL′CULUS.= Syn. STONE. In medicine, a hard concretion formed within the animal body by the deposition of matters which usually remain in solution. The concretions most commonly found are those formed in the kidneys or bladder, and termed urinary calculi, and those formed in the gall-bladder or biliary ducts, which are called biliary calculi. Urinary calculi are in most cases composed of substances which are constituents of healthy urine, such as uric acid, urate of ammonia, and the phosphates of lime and magnesia; they are, however, sometimes composed of substances which are met with in unhealthy urine, such as oxalate of lime, cystine, &c.
Biliary calculi, or gall-stones, usually contain from 50 to 80 per cent. of cholesterin, a crystallisable fatty body, constituting a never failing ingredient in healthy bile, the rest of the concretion being made up of biliary resin and colouring matter, with a small quantity of inorganic salts.
Calculus or stone in the bladder, which is a prevalent disease in Norfolk, both among men and sheep, has been attributed to the use of the hard water of the district.
Both of these give rise to very painful symptoms, and may even threaten life. See CHOLESTERIN.
=CALEFACIENTS.= Applications that excite warmth.
=CAL′ENDAR.= Syn. CALENDA′RIUM, L.; CALEN′DRIER, Fr. A table of all the days of the year, arranged in the order of days and weeks, to which are generally added certain astronomical indications and dates of great civil and religious events. The most remarkable calendars are the Hebrew calendar, the calendar of the Greeks, the Roman, or Julian calendar, the Gregorian calendar (now adopted by all Christian peoples except the Greeks and Russians), and the French Republican calendar, which, having remained in force about thirteen years, was abolished by Napoleon I on the 1st of January, 1806.
=Calendar, Perpet′ual.= A table which furnishes the general indications necessary to construct a calendar for any year, and to resolve, without error, many difficulties connected with the verification of dates.
=CAL′ENDERING.= The process of finishing by pressure the surface of linen or cotton goods. It is usually performed by passing the fabric between cylinders pressed together with great force. It is necessary that one of the cylinders, at least, shall be of a material combining considerable hardness with a slight degree of elasticity; for this purpose the paper cylinder is used. It is made by forcibly compressing a number of circular discs of thick pasteboard, each with a square hole in the centre, upon an iron axis, so as to form a solid cylinder, which is turned perfectly smooth and true in a lathe. The paper cylinder usually works against a hollow roller of copper or iron, heated by steam or metallic heaters. Before the final rolling in the calendering machine the fabric is lightly smoothed by passing over warm cylinders. Cotton goods are starched, and a fictitious appearance of stoutness is sometimes given to them by employing starch thickened with plaster of Paris, porcelain clay, or a mixture of these. Watering is a beautiful effect, produced by means of a hot cylinder with a pattern raised upon it. Glazing is produced by combined rubbing and pressure, the rollers being made to move with unequal velocities, so that one side of the fabric is rubbed as well as pressed by the roller whose surface moves with the greater speed. A copper cylinder is preferred for glazing, and is made so hot that if the machine stops it burns the goods. The old method of glazing consisted in burnishing the surface of the fabric with a polished flint.
=CAL′ICO.= See COTTON.
=Cal′ico Printing.= The art of producing figured patterns upon calico by means of dyes and mordants topically applied by wooden blocks, copper plates, or engraved cylinders. The goods are either directly printed in colour, or receive their patterns by being run through a colouring matter or mordant, when the dye is only produced upon that portion of the ground previously prepared for it. Of late this system of dyeing has been extended to silk and woollens.
The mordants are thickened with some glutinous substance, as flour, starch, or gum, to render them adhesive and to prevent their spreading.
The following are the principal styles of calico-printing, each requiring a different method of manipulation:——
In the madder, fast colour, or chintz style, the mordants are applied to the white cloth, and the colours are brought out in the dye bath. This is the method commonly followed for “permanent prints.”
In the padding or plaquage style, the whole cloth is passed through a bath of some particular mordant, and different mordants are afterwards printed on it before submitting it to the dye bath. By this means the colour of the ground and pattern is varied. Like the last, it is much used for gown pieces, &c.
In the reserve or resist-paste style, white or coloured figures are produced by covering those parts with a composition which resists the general dye afterwards applied to form the ground of the pattern. In this style the dye bath is indigo, or some other substantive colour.
The discharge, or rongeant style, is the reverse of the preceding; it exhibits bright figures on a dark ground, which are produced by printing with acidulous or discharge mordants after the cloth has been passed through the colouring bath.
Steam-colour printing consists in printing the calico with a mixture of dye extracts and mordants, and afterwards exposing it to the action of steam.
Spirit-colour printing is a method by which brilliant colours are produced by a mixture of dye extracts and solution of tin, called by the dyers “spirits of tin.”
Pigment printing consists in applying such colours as ultramarine, magenta, or aniline purple, to the cloth, and fixing them by such agents as casein, albumen, or solution of india rubber. This style of printing has been developed to a great extent since the introduction of the splendid mauves and purples obtained from aniline.
For further information on this subject the reader is referred to Ure’s ‘Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines,’ Calvert’s ‘Dyeing and Calico Printing,’ edited by Stenhouse and Groves; Wagner’s ‘Clinical Technology,’ and Crooke’s ‘Practical Handbook of Dyeing and Printing,’ where he will find the several processes of calico printing fully treated on, and most ably and accurately described. To enter largely into the subject in this work might amuse the reader, but would be of no practical value; as calico printing is an art only practised on the large scale, and by men who obtain their whole knowledge of it in the laboratories and printing rooms of the factories.
=CAL′OMEL.= See MERCURY (Chlorides of).
=CALOTRO′PIS PROCE′RA.=, =CALOTRO′PIS GIGAN′TEA.=, (Ind. Ph.). Syn. MUDAR.——Habitat. One or other of these species, everywhere in India.——Officinal part. The root-bark, dried (calotropis cortex). Small flat or arched pieces, brownish externally, yellow-greyish internally, peculiar smell, and mucilaginous, nauseous, acrid taste. Its activity appears to reside in a peculiar extractive matter named mudarine.——Properties. Alterative tonic; diaphoretic, and, in large doses, emetic.——Therapeutic uses. In leprosy, constitutional syphilis, mercurial cachexia, syphilitic and idiopathic ulcerations, in dysentery, diarrhœa, and chronic rheumatism, it has been used with alleged benefit.
=Powder of Mudar.= (Pulvis Calotropis.) Take of the roots of mudar, collected in the months of April and May from sandy soils, a sufficiency; carefully remove, by washing, all particles of sand and dirt, and dry in the open air, without exposure to the sun, until the milky juice contained in it becomes so far inspissated that it ceases to flow on incisions being made in it. The bark is then to be carefully removed, dried, and reduced to powder. Preserve in well-corked bottles.——Dose. As an alterative tonic, 3 grains, gradually increased to 10 grains or more, thrice daily. As an emetic, from 1/2 to 1 drachm.
=CAL′OTYPE.= See PHOTOGRAPHY.
=CALUM′BA.= Syn. CALUMBÆ RADIX, B. P. CALUM′BA-ROOT; KALUMB, Hind. The root of a plant of Eastern Africa, extensively used in medicine as a stomachic and mild tonic. Dose, 10 to 20 grains, three or four times a day. The botanical name of this plant is Jateorhiza palmata, or Cocculus palmatus. See CALUMBINE (below); also INFUSIONS and TINCTURES.
=CALUM′BA WOOD.= This wood, which is used as a tonic by the Cingalese, is not the produce of the true calumba plant, but of Menispermum fenestratum. It contains the alkaloid BERBERINE (which see).
=CALUM′BINE.= Syn. CALOM′BINE, Calum′bina. A bitter substance discovered by Wittstock in calumba root.
Prep. 1. Digest calumba root (in coarse powder) in water acidulated with acetic acid; express, filter, boil to one half, again filter, add carbonate of calcium, in slight excess, and evaporate to dryness in a water bath; reduce the residuum to powder, and digest it in boiling alcohol; the latter will deposit crystals of CALUMBINE on cooling.
2. (Wittstock.) Evaporate tincture of calumba root (made with rectified spirit) to dryness; dissolve the residuum in water, and agitate the solution with an equal bulk of ether; after repose for a short time, decant the ethereal portion, distil off most of the ether, and set the liquid aside to crystallise.
Prop., &c. Impure calumbine occurs as a yellow-brown mass; when pure, it forms rhombic prismatic crystals or delicate white needles; it is only slightly soluble in alcohol, ether, and water; 40 parts of boiling rectified spirit take up only 1 part of calumbine. Its best solvent is acetic acid; it is also soluble in acidulated and alkalised water. Neither nut-galls nor metallic salts affect its solution. Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves it, and assumes first a yellow, and then a red colour. Its properties indicate that weak vinegar or sour wine would be the best menstruum for extracting the medicinal virtues of calumba root. Dose, 1 to 3 gr. twice a day as a tonic and stomachic, in dyspepsia, debilitated stomach, bilious vomiting, &c.; and in the later periods of dysentery and diarrhœa.
=CALX.= This term was formerly applied to the residuum of the combustion of any substance; or to any substance which had been exposed to a strong heat. See CALCINATION, LIME, &c.
=CAMBOGE′.= See GAMBOGE.
=CAM′ERA LU′CIDA.= [L. and Eng.] When a ray of light (r) falls upon a quadrangular glass prism (a), it is bent by two reflections (at c and d), and thrown upwards where it may be received by the eye, to which it will appear described on the table or sheet of paper (f) placed to receive it. The point of a pencil used to trace any object on the paper can also be seen, and by its means the picture can be easily copied. When the prism is mounted on a stand, and a thin brass plate with a small hole through it for the eyepiece adjusted thereto, it forms the CAMERA LUCIDA of the opticians. The image may be magnified or lessened by placing a lens so as either to intercept the rays before they strike the prism, or before they reach the eye. An ingenious person will readily be able to set up this instrument, than which a more useful one cannot exist.
=CAM′ERA OBSCU′′RA.= [L. and Eng.] An optical instrument for producing upon a screen the image of a field of view more or less extensive. It was invented by Baptista Porta in the 16th century. The principles and construction of the camera obscura may be thus described:——A convex lens (B) is placed in a hole admitting the light into a darkened box or chamber (A), which, falling on a white ground (D), produces an inverted picture of every object within its range. The image thus formed may be restored to its natural position, by allowing the rays of light to pass through two lenses instead of one, or by receiving the rays on a mirror placed at an angle of 45°, when the image will be thrown on the floor in its original position. The picture may be viewed through an oblong aperture cut in the box, or the experiment may be performed in a darkened room, by placing the lens in a hole in the shutter, and allowing the image to fall on the wall, or on a sheet of white paper stretched to receive it.
In the simplest form, when intended for taking views or portraits, the image is thrown upon a mirror placed at an angle of 45°, and resting on the bottom of the box, by which means it is thrown upwards against a plate of glass, also placed at a similar angle. On this is laid a piece of semi-transparent tracing paper, on which the object is distinctly seen painted, and may be traced out with a pencil. When the camera is used in photography, slides are provided to retain the sensitive paper in the proper position in the box or dark chamber to receive the image, and the whole apparatus is adjusted with screws, and slides of the most delicate description. Achromatic glasses are also employed. See PHOTOGRAPHY.
=CAM′PHINE.= The name given by the trade to rectified oil of turpentine when sold for burning in lamps, in order that purchasers may not be aware of the inflammable character of the liquid. Since the introduction of the hydro-carbon oils from coal, shale, and petroleum, camphine has been little used for burning. To rectify the turpentine, it is passed in vapour through a solution of caustic potash, soda, or lime; or through sulphuric acid.
=CAM′PHOR.= C_{10}H_{16}O. Syn. CAM′PHIRE, LAU′REL CAM′PHOR; CAMPHO′RA, B. P. A crystalline substance found in many plants; though only obtained in large quantities from two, namely, Camphora officinarum and Dryobalanops aromatica. The first, commonly known as the laurel camphor tree of China and Japan, yields the camphor of commerce; the latter, the Sumatra or Borneo camphor, and the peculiar fluid known as liquid camphor.
It is found that several of the essential oils, by carefully distilling off about one third their volume, yield a species of camphor. By collecting this, and redistilling the remainder of the oil 2 or 3 times, a farther quantity of camphor may be obtained. Oil of rosemary, treated in this way, yields about 10% of camphor; oil of sweet marjoram the same; oil of sage yields 13%; oil of lavender, 25%. By keeping the oils loosely corked, and in a cool place, they produce a larger portion of this camphor. Aniseed camphor is the congealable portion of oil of aniseed, separated from the liquid oil, which it resembles in odour and flavour.
=Camphor, Am′ber.= See PYRETINE (Crystallised).
=Camphor, Com′mercial (Crude).= The produce of the laurel camphor tree, brought to Europe chiefly from China and the island of Formosa, in the form of greyish grains, aggregated into crumbling cakes.——Prep. The Chinese and Japanese extract the camphor by cutting the wood into small pieces, and boiling it with water in iron vessels, which are covered with large earthen capitals or domes, lined with rice straw. As the water boils, the camphor is volatilised along with the steam, and condenses on the straw.
=Cam′phor, Commercial (Refined).= Syn. WHITE CAMPHOR; CAMPHO′RA, B. P. Prep. 100 parts of crude camphor are mixed with 2 parts each of quick-lime and animal charcoal, both in powder, and the mixture is placed in a thin, globular, glass vessel, sunk in a sand bath. The heat is then cautiously applied, and the vessel gradually and carefully raised out of the sand as the sublimation goes on. When the process is complete, the subliming vessel is removed and allowed to cool.
Obs. The whole process of refining camphor requires great care and experience to ensure its success. If conducted too slowly, or at a heat under 375° Fahr., the product is found to be flaky, and consequently unsaleable, without remelting or subliming. An improvement on the common method is simply to sublime the above mixture in any convenient vessel furnished with a large and well-cooled receiver, and to remelt the product in close vessels under pressure, and to cool the liquid mass as rapidly as possible.
Prop., &c. A white, semi-crystalline solid, very volatile at common temperatures; freely soluble in alcohol, ether, bisulphuret of carbon, benzol, oils, and acetic acid, and sufficiently so in water (about 1-1/4 gr. to 1 oz.), to impart its characteristic smell and taste; 100 parts of alcohol (sp. gr. ·806) dissolve 120 parts of camphor; concentrated acetic acid dissolves twice its weight of camphor; average sp. gr. ·990. It fuses at 347°, boils at 400° Fahr., and when set fire to, burns with a bright flame. It evaporates slowly at ordinary temperatures, and crystallises on the inside of bottles. While floating on water it undergoes a curious rotatory movement.
Uses, &c. Camphor is sedative, narcotic, anodyne, diaphoretic, and anaphrodisiac. Dose, 2 to 10 gr. in the form of pill or bolus, or made into an emulsion with yolk of egg, mucilage, or almonds. In overdoses it is poisonous. The best antidote is opium or wine, preceded by an emetic. It is also used externally in ointments, liniments, and embrocations.
Camphor is frequently put into wardrobes and clothes-trunks, to keep away insects; it is used to make the white stars and fire of the pyrotechnist; and by the varnish-maker to increase the solubility of copal and other gums. Mixed with six times its weight of clay, and distilled, it suffers decomposition, and yields a yellow, aromatic, volatile oil, smelling strongly of thyme and rosemary, which is much used by the wholesale druggists and perfumers to adulterate some of the more costly essential oils, and by the fancy soap-makers to scent their soaps.
Camphor may be beaten in a mortar for some time, without being reduced to powder, but if it be first broken with the pestle, and then sprinkled with a few drops of rectified spirit of wine, it may be readily pulverised. By adding water to an alcoholic or ethereal solution of camphor, this drug is precipitated under the form of an impalpable powder of exquisite whiteness.
Tests. Pure camphor is entirely soluble in rectified spirit, oils, and strong acetic acid; a fragment placed on a heated spoon or in a warm situation will wholly disappear, and the evolved fumes will be highly fragrant (camphoraceous), and be free from an acid or terebinthinate odour. In an alcoholic solution of natural camphor ammonia gives but a slight precipitate, which is dissolved on shaking the mixture; a similar solution of artificial camphor under the like treatment gives a flocculent precipitate, which remains undissolved. See CAMPHOR, FACTITIOUS (below).
=Camphor, Facti′′tious.= Syn. HYDROCHLORATE OF TUR′PENTINE, HYDROCHLORATE OF CAMPHENE, ARTIFICIAL CAMPHOR. Prepared by passing dry hydrochloric acid gas into pure oil of turpentine, cooled by a freezing mixture or pounded ice. After a time a white, crystalline mass is formed, which must be drained, and dried by pressure between folds of bibulous paper. It may be purified by solution in alcohol.
Prop., &c. It has a camphoraceous taste and odour; burns with a greenish, sooty flame, and when blown out evolves a terebinthinate odour; heated a little above the boiling-point of water, slight fumes of hydrochloric acid gas are perceptible.
=Camphor, Hydrochlo′′rate of.= Syn. MU′′RIATE OF CAMPHOR; CAMPHO′RÆ HYDROCHLO′′RAS, L. By passing hydrochloric acid gas over camphor, in small fragments, until it ceases to be absorbed.
=Camphor, Liq′uid.= Syn. CAMPHOR OIL; O′LEUM CAMPHO′RÆ, L. A pale yellowish, limpid fluid, which exudes from Dryobalanops aromatica, a tree growing in Sumatra and Borneo, when deep incisions are made in the trunk. It is supposed that the crystalline SUMATRA CAMPHOR (see below) is deposited from this fluid. The liquid camphor has somewhat the odour of CAJEPUT OIL, and might, no doubt, be beneficially employed for the same purpose. It is sometimes imported into Europe.
=Camphor, Monobromated.= C_{10}H_{15}O_{1}Br. Coarsely powdered camphor is introduced into a flask of about ten times the capacity of the amount it is intended to prepare. A fine stream of bromine is then allowed to fall upon the powder with continual agitation; the addition of bromine ceases when the camphor is liquefied. A large long abductor tube is then fitted to the flask, and the other end plunged into an alkaline solution, which will absorb the vapour that would otherwise incommode the operator. The flask is placed in a water bath that is raised to ebullition, when the reaction soon commences. This is at first rather active, there being an abundant evolution of hydrobromic gas, and some vapour of bromine and undecomposed camphor. The liquid, which is at first dark brown in colour, acquires an amber colour and the evolution of gas suddenly slackens. The operation should be carried out at a temperature between 80° and 90° C. The amber-coloured liquid that remains in the flask solidifies upon cooling, and appears then as a slightly citrine-coloured friable mass. It is purified by treating it several times with boiling 90° to 95° alcohol, filtering the liquor, and leaving it to crystallise. The crystals are to be dried in the air upon unsized paper.
Dr Bourneville advises monobromated camphor to be administered either in the form of pills, made up with conserve of roses, or of a mixture rubbed up with mucilage of gum arabic and syrup. He gives it in doses varying from twelve to thirty centigrams daily. Where it cannot be taken by the mouth he injects the following solution subcutaneously:——Monobromated camphor 3 gr., alcohol 35 gr., glycerin 22 gr.
=Camphor, Nitrate of.= Syn. CAMPHOR OIL; O′LEUM CAMPHO′RÆ FACTI′′TIUM, L. Prepared by dissolving camphor in nitric acid, in the cold.
=Camphor, Sul′phite of.= From camphor and sulphurous acid gas, as hydrochlorate of camphor.
=Camphor, Suma′tra.= Syn. BOR′NEO CAMPHOR, HARD C., DRAGON’S BRAIN PERFUME. Obtained from Dryobalanops aromatica, being found in natural fissures or crevices of the wood. It resembles ordinary camphor in most properties, but its odour is not of so diffusible a nature. This kind is not seen in European commerce.
=CAMPHOR CAKES.= See BALLS (Camphor).
=CAMPHOR′IC ACID.= H_{2}C_{10}H_{14}O_{4}. Syn. ACIDUM CAMPHOR′ICUM, L. Prep. From camphor, 1 part; and nitric acid (sp. gr. 1·33), 4 parts; distilled together in a glass retort, with a gradually increasing heat, until vapours cease to be evolved; the camphor that has volatilised is then added to that in the retort, along with 4 or 5 parts more of nitric acid, and the process repeated again and again, until 20 parts of acid have been consumed, when crude camphoric acid crystallises out of the remaining liquor on cooling. The crystals are purified by washing with cold distilled water, solution in boiling water, and evaporating the solution until a pellicle forms; crystals of pure camphoric acid are formed as the liquid cools.
Prop., &c. Small, colourless, lamellar or acicular crystals; acid; bitter; fusible at 158° Fahr.; sparingly soluble in water; soluble in alcohol; alcoholic solution not precipitated by water, which distinguishes camphoric acid from benzoic acid. Its salts are called CAMPHORATES. The soluble camphorates may be made by digesting the carbonate or hydrate of the metal in a hot solution of the acid, and the insoluble camphorates by double decomposition. By distillation, camphoric acid yields a colourless, crystalline, neutral substance, which has been improperly called anhydrous camphoric acid.
=CAM′WOOD.= This dye-stuff resembles Brazil wood in its properties, and is used in a similar manner.
=CAN′ADA BALSAM.= Syn. BAL′SAMUM CANADEN′SE, TEREBINTH′INA CANADEN′SIS, L. A thick, viscid oleo-resin obtained from the Abies balsamea (Lindley), a tree of common growth in Canada and the State of Maine. It is much employed as a medium for mounting microscopic objects. When pure it is perfectly transparent, has an agreeable odour (not terebinthinate), and is wholly soluble in rectified oil of turpentine, with which it forms a beautiful glassy and colourless varnish, much used for preparing a semi-transparent copying paper.
A mixture of 3 parts of Canada balsam and one of wax, if added to pile masses, is said to have the effect of binding together the component parts of the mass, and of keeping the piles made from it soft and in good shape.
=Canada Balsam, Facti′′tious.= Syn. BALSAMUM CANADENSE FACTI′′TIUM, L. Prep. 1. Yellow resin, 3 lbs.; oil of turpentine, 1 gall.; dissolve, and add essence of lemon, 2 dr.; oil of rosemary, 1-1/4 dr.
2. To the last add of nut oil, 1 pint. Both are sold in the shops for Canada balsam.
=CAN′DIES.= See CANDYING.
=CAN′DLES.= Candle-making, once a rude and noisome trade, has, since the researches of Chevreul and Branconnot into the nature of the fats, developed into one of the most important branches of scientific industry, the progressive improvements in which, accompanied by a corresponding cheapening and immensely increased efficiency in one of our chief means of artificial illumination, have added greatly to the comfort and enjoyment of every civilised community. Candles are either dipped, moulded, or rolled. The cheaper sorts of tallow candles are formed by the first process, and wax candles by the last; all the other kinds are moulded. The moulds are tubes of pewter, well polished on the inside, eight or more being fitted into a frame, the upper part of which forms a trough to receive the melted candle material. When in the moulds the candles are inverted; in other words, the bottom of each mould corresponds to the top of the candle. The wick passes through a small hole at the lower extremity of the tube, and is held in the axis by a little bar placed across the top. At the factories of Price’s Patent Candle Company the frames of moulds are ranged close together in long benches, and are filled with hot candle material from cars running along little railways above them. When quite cold the candles are withdrawn. The plan of pulling them out one by one with the aid of a bodkin has been superseded at the factories above mentioned, by the ingenious device of blowing them out with compressed air.
The wicks of ordinary tallow candles are made of the rovings of Turkey skein-cotton, 4 or more of which, according to the intended thickness of the wick, are wound on a reel, from which they are again run off, and cut into the proper lengths. Of late years the wicks of the best candles have been made in such a way that they do not require snuffing. This object is effected by causing the wick to bend over, and its end to fall outside the flame, where it is exposed to the oxygen of the air. This bending over is variously brought about.——1. By twisting the wick with one strand shorter than the rest, which, being slightly stretched during the moulding of the candle, contracts again and bends the wick when the fat melts. 2. By plaiting the cotton into a flat wick, which naturally takes the required curve. Such a wick is generally dipped in a solution of borax, which preserves it from being acted upon by the flame except at its extreme point at the edge of the flame. A very fine wire is sometimes included in the plaited wick. 3. In Palmer’s patent two-wicked candles, which were formerly much used in lamps, the wicks are saturated with subnitrate of bismuth ground up with oil; they are then twisted tightly round a wire, which is withdrawn after the candle is moulded. In burning, the ends gradually untwist and stand out of the flame on either side. Other devices are said to be employed.
The wicks of candles should be free from knots and inequalities, as well as from adhering particles of cotton, the presence of all of which are the cause of the “guttering” one frequently sees in a burning candle. The finer the thread of which the wick is composed the more complete will be the combustion of the melted fatty material. Unless the above precautions are attended to, in selecting the wick, it will not be so entirely consumed as it ought to be.
=Candles, Com′posite.= Mould candles formed of a mixture of the hard fatty acid obtained from palm oil and the stearine of cocoa-nut oil. They were introduced in 1840. Other compositions are occasionally used, such as a mixture of spermaceti and hard white tallow, to which a little bleached resin is added.
=Candles, Med′icated.= These have been proposed as a convenient means of diffusing the active principles of certain volatile substances through the atmosphere, and for complete and partial fumigations. They are seldom employed in England.
=Candles, Mercu′′rial.= From the red sulphide or the grey oxide of mercury mixed with wax, and a wick of cotton inserted therein. Recommended by Mr Colles for partial mercurial fumigation. They are burnt under a glass funnel with a curved neck, the upper orifice of which is directed to the diseased part.
=Candles, Par′affin.= From the beautiful translucent substance paraffin (which see). These candles surpass all others in elegance, and are entirely free from odour and greasiness. The light produced by 98 lbs. of paraffin candles is equal to that of 120 lbs. of spermaceti, or 138 lbs. of wax, or 144 lbs. of stearic, or 155 lbs. of the best composite candles (Letheby). They are sometimes delicately tinted with red, mauve, violet, crimson, and rose colour. Aniline colours will not dissolve in paraffin. Stearic acid, however, is a solvent for them, and accordingly when the candles are tinted with the coal-tar colours these are previously dissolved in the stearic acid, always mixed with the paraffin. This insolubility of the aniline colours in paraffin has been suggested as a test for the purity of this hydrocarbon, and of its freedom from stearic or other fatty acids. For colouring paraffin candles black the paraffin is heated nearly to the boiling point with anacardium shells or nuts, which dissolve readily in the heated paraffin. The Belmontine Candles of Price’s Patent Candle Company are formed of the paraffin of Rangoon tar.
Previous to the paraffin being made into candles, it is necessary that it should be purified and bleached. Many processes for effecting these ends have been devised. In the works of Price’s Candle Company the method known as “Hodge’s” is had recourse to. This consists in first freeing the crude paraffin from the coarser impurities, melting it, casting it into cakes, and allowing it to cool sufficiently slowly, so as to form well-defined crystals. The cakes are then placed upon a bed of some porous and absorbent material, and subjected to a temperature not sufficient to melt the paraffin, but only the liquid hydrocarbons and other more easily fused bodies, the latter running off from between the crystals of the paraffin, and being absorbed by the porous substance upon which the paraffin rests. This process is repeated until the removal of the liquid hydrocarbons from the solid paraffin has been satisfactorily accomplished. If it be requisite to subject the paraffin to further purification, the following method is frequently adopted. The paraffin, previously melted by steam, is placed in a tank, with from 5 to 10 per cent. of strong sulphuric acid, and the mixture agitated for some hours by means of air (the time depending on the quality of the paraffin), the sulphurous acid fumes resulting from the reaction being carried off by a suitable contrivance. After the agitation is completed, the paraffin, after being allowed to stand for some time, is decanted into a suitable vessel containing animal charcoal, with which it is digested for some hours. Upon the subsidence of the charcoal the paraffin is drawn off if at all turbid, and is passed through a funnel heated by means of a steam jacket.
Another method, the invention of Messrs Fordred, Lambe, & Sterry, for the decolorisation of the paraffin employed in candle manufacture, consists in digesting the paraffin at a temperature of 230° F. with about 12% of powdered fuller’s earth. Of late this process has supplanted the charcoal one; and it may be employed, no matter by what means the previous purification of the paraffin has been carried out. The paraffin and fuller’s earth are to be well agitated together, and when the latter has fallen down the clear paraffin is decanted from it. The inventors affirm that their process answers quite as well if marl clay, or any other similarly constituted and equally abundant natural substance be substituted for fuller’s earth; and that no matter which of these bodies is employed, they may be re-used, and any adhering paraffin be removed by washing with agitation, or by other suitable contrivances.
Messrs Smith & Field’s patent for the removal of the colouring matters of the paraffin consists in the employment of silicite of magnesium. The patentees state that the successful issue of the operation depends not only upon the careful preparation of the salt used, but upon its being dried at a temperature of as exactly as possible 212° F. The careful preparation before insisted on of the magnesium salt, which is procured by the double decomposition of magnesium, sulphate, and sodium silicate, includes its thorough washing from adhering sodium sulphate previous to its desiccation. If this precaution be neglected, the porosity of the silicate will be impaired, and its bleaching effect more or less interfered with; and further, the patentees state that if the washed silicate be heated to redness, its decolourising power will also be lost.
It appears that the paraffin employed in making the candles consists of a mixture of paraffins having different melting points. The following are the melting points of some of the chief varieties of paraffin:——
Paraffin from Boghead coal at 45° to 52° C. ” ” Brown coal ” 56° C. ” ” Peat ” 46·7° C. ” ” Rangoon oil or tar 61° C. ” ” Ozokerit 65·5° C.
Paraffin candles contain from 5{?} to 15 per cent. of stearin, this addition being made for the purpose of diluting the paraffin as well as for raising the melting point of the paraffin where this is low. The stearin, moreover, serves to preserve the rigidity of the candle in the candlestick, and to prevent its bending out of the upright position. Paraffin candles are always moulded, but previous to this being done the moulds must be heated to a temperature above the melting point of the paraffin; this may vary from 60°, 70°, and 87° C., according to the paraffin employed. The moulds having been filled with the melted paraffin are, after one or two moments only, plunged into cold water, when the candle immediately becomes solid. Unless this were done the candle would be spoilt, owing to the crystallisation of the paraffin. A thin wick is required for paraffin candles.
=Candles, Spermace′ti.= From spermaceti (which see). These are very delicate in appearance, but rather expensive. They burn well, but as the melting point of spermaceti is low, 120° Fahr., they will not bear carrying about in the hand without guttering. They are generally adulterated with stearic acid or hard white tallow.
In candle-making “spermaceti is usually mixed with 3 per cent. of wax or paraffin to destroy its highly crystalline structure; it is moulded in the usual way with plaited wicks that require no snuffing. Occasionally the spermaceti candles are cast without any admixture of wax, the moulds being raised to a higher temperature just as with stearic acid. Some manufacturers, in order to make the spermaceti appear like wax, use gamboge to give the desired tint; such candles are known as transparent wax.”[236] Spermaceti candles are largely consumed in India.
[Footnote 236: ‘Chemistry, Theoretical, Practical, and Analytical.’]
=Candles, Stear′ic.= Under this head we may place the various sorts of candles moulded from the hard fatty acids of both animal and vegetable origin. The principal sources whence British manufacturers derive their acids are tallow, palm oil, and cocoa-nut oil. The processes employed for separating them are generally described under Stearic Acid. Candles formed of the fatty acids can now be prepared so as to imitate and almost rival those of wax and spermaceti; and they are quite as cheap as the nearly obsolete mould candles formed of common tallow. They are extremely hard; they do not grease the hands, and they burn away brightly and steadily, without giving off any offensive odour. Uncoloured, they are snowy white, but a yellow tint is frequently given them by gamboge.
=Candles, Tal′low.= From ordinary tallow or from tallow which has been freed from much of its oleic acid by pressure. These have so unpleasant an odour and are so apt to gutter, that they will probably ultimately disappear from use. They are, however, sold at so low a price, that among the lower classes they must long retain their hold. For dip candles the wicks are immersed in melted tallow, and after rubbing with the hands are placed straight and allowed to harden, after which they are arranged upon the “broaches” ready for dipping. For mould candles the last operation is omitted. Great care is taken to select a cotton that yields the least possible quantity of ash after burning.
In the process of “dipping,” the “dipping cistern” being filled with tallow of a proper temperature from the boiler, one of the broaches covered with wicks is placed upon the end of the “dipping beam,” and pressed down gently into the melted fat; it is then withdrawn, the bottoms of the candles just touched against a board placed on one side of the cistern for the purpose, and the frame removed to the rack. This operation is repeated until the candles acquire a sufficient size, when they are finally cooled, sorted, weighed, and strung in pounds for sale.
The mould candles once in common use were made of the finer kinds of tallow only; a mixture of 3 parts of sheep, with 1 part of ox suet, being preferred. See WAX.
=Candles, Wax.= These are most frequently made by pouring melted white wax on to the wicks, which are hung upon frames and covered with metal tags at the ends to protect the cotton from the wax in those parts. The frames are made to turn round, and melted white wax is poured first down one wick, and then the next, and so on. When the wicks have been subjected to this operation once and have become sufficiently cooled, they have a second, and then a third coat given them, until they are of the required thickness. The candles are next rolled into proper shape on a marble slab or wooden board. The conical top is moulded by properly-shaped tubes, and the bottoms are cut off and trimmed. Wax candles are now seldom moulded, but if so the same processes are followed as for stearic and paraffin candles. The large altar candles, which frequently weigh from thirty to forty pounds, are made by hand.
=Wax Tapers.= These, which are of various degrees of thickness, are not made of pure wax, but of wax (usually vegetable wax) and tallow, the latter being added to give them flexibility. When they are required to be coloured, resin and turpentine are added to the tallow. For further particulars, consult Wagner’s ‘Chemical Technology,’ “CANDLE-MAKING.”
=CANDLE NUTS.= The kernels of the alearites triloba, the candleberry tree, a plant growing in most tropical countries. The nuts when dried, and stuck upon a reed, are used by the natives of the Polynesian Islands as a substitute for candles. They contain a large amount of pure palatable oil, which is sometimes used by artists as a drying oil. After the expression of this oil the cake has been used as a food for cattle; also as a manure.
The following is the composition of the nuts:——
Shells.
Water 3·71 Organic matter 89·90 Mineral matter 6·39
Kernels.
Water 5·27 Fat 62·97 Cellulose 28·99 Mineral matter 2·79
Ash of Kernel.
Lime 18·69 Magnesia 6·01 Potash 11·33 Phosphoric acid 29·30
=CAN′DLESTICKS.= Metallic, earthenware, and porcelain candlesticks, snuffers, and snuffer-stands, are recommended to be cleaned by pouring boiling hot water on them (previously placed in an earthen pan), and, after wiping them quite dry with a cloth, to clean them with a piece of wash leather; those made of silver, or of plated copper, may be finally polished with a little plate powder; those of white metal, with a little whiting or fine chalk, and those of brass, with a little rotten-stone or one of the polishing pastes. For articles of this kind, made of bronze and papier maché, the water should be used only hot enough to melt the tallow, and they should be only gently dabbed or rubbed off with a very soft cloth or leather. The common practice of placing candlesticks before the fire to melt off the grease is injudicious, as the solder or japan about them is almost certain to be injured. Hence the common annoyance of damaged or “crippled” candlesticks in houses where there are careless servants.
=CAN′DYING.= When the object is simply to form a confection or sweetmeat, imbued with the aroma, flavour, or medicinal property of any substance, candies are generally prepared by simply boiling lump sugar with a sufficient quantity of the infusion, decoction, tincture, expressed juice, or sometimes even the powder of the particular article, until a portion taken out and cooled becomes quite solid, when it is either poured out on a marble slab, or into tin, marble, or paper moulds, dusted with powdered lump sugar.
When the object is to preserve the form and character of the vegetable in the candy, the substance is boiled in water until soft, and then suspended in concentrated syrup (in the cold), until they become transparent; after which they are either dried in a current of warm air, or in a stove, at a heat not exceeding 120° Fahr. The syrup must be kept fully saturated with sugar by reboiling it once or twice during the process.
Another method occasionally employed by confectioners for almonds and the like is to put the substances into a syrup boiled until it forms a small thread between the opening fingers, and to stir the whole until it is nearly set. See SUGAR BOILING.
The following are the principal candied articles kept at the shops:——
=Candied Al′monds.= From blanched almonds, roasted and halved.
=Candied Angel′ica.= Prep. 1. From the root. Boil the fresh roots (after slicing them and removing the pith) in water, to deprive them of part of their bitterness and aroma; then drain them and put them into syrup boiled to a full candy height, and boiling hot; let them remain until nearly cold, when they may be taken out and carefully dried.
2. From the stems. From the tender stems, stalks, and midribs of the leaves, as last. Used as a sweetmeat and dessert. It is said to be cordial, stomachic, tonic, and aphrodisiac.
=Candied A′pricots.= From the fruit, scarcely ripe, either whole or cut into quarters, immersed in the syrup (hot), without any further preparation.
=Candied Cit′rons.= From the peels.
=Candied Erin′go.= From the roots, slit and washed.
=Candied Gin′ger.= From the roots of green ginger.
=Candied Hore′hound.= From a strong decoction or infusion of the root, and lump sugar, 1 pint to 8 or 10 lbs. may be used. Boil the mixture to a candy height, and pour it whilst warm into moulds or small paper cases well dusted with finely powdered lump sugar; or pour it on a dusted slab and cut it into squares.
=Candied Lem′on Peel.= As Candied Citron.
=Candied Or′ange Flow′ers.= From the flowers deprived of their cups, stamina, and pistils (2 oz. to each lb. of sugar), as Candied Almonds, but poured out on a slab.
=Candied Or′ange Peel.= From the peel of the Seville orange, or common orange, as Candied Citron.
=Candied Su′gar.= See SUGAR BOILING. The following are articles of a more special character.
=Candy, Car′away.= 1. From caraway seeds (in fine powder), 1/2 oz.; sugar, 1 lb.
2. Oil of Caraway, 1 dr.; sugar, 1 lb.
=Candy, Diges′tive.= Syn. LIVE-LONG CANDY. Prep. 1. Rhubarb and bicarbonate of soda, of each 1 dr.; ginger, 1/2 dr.; cinnamon, 20 gr. (all in fine powder); heavy magnesia, 1 oz.; powdered sugar, 2 oz.; mucilage of tragacanth, q. s. to form a lozenge mass; to be divided into small squares of 18 or 20 gr. each.
2. As the last, but adding finely powdered caraways, 1 dr.; oil of caraway, 15 drops; and sugar, 1 oz. Both are used as heartburn and digestive lozenges.
=Candy, Gin′ger.= Prep. 1. From ginger (in coarse powder), 3 oz.; boiling water, 1-1/4 pint; macerate in a warm place for 2 hours, strain, add lump and moist sugar, of each 5 lbs., and boil to a candy.
2. Ginger (in very fine powder), 1 oz.; powdered sugar, 2 lbs.; syrup, q. s. to make a paste. Stomachic and carminative.
For various sweetmeats which might come under the head of CANDY, see CONFECTIONS, DROPS.
=CANKER.= This disease consists in a depraved condition of that part of the sensitive foot of the horse which secretes the horny frog and sole. It mostly occurs in coarsely-bred animals, and is the result of filth, damp, and bad ventilation. The treatment consists in first removing all loose horn, and allowing all pent-up matter to escape; the exuberant granulations must be carefully cut away, and the parts then washed with a tepid lotion of sulphate or chloride of zinc; after drying the surface dust it with oxide of zinc; apply tow dipped in a mixture of tar and lime, and “keep it in firm contact with the parts by means of a leather sole or strips of hoop iron underneath a shoe lightly tacked on. Dress in this manner daily, keeping up the dry pressure for a week.” (Finlay Dun.)
=CAN′NON METAL.= See GUN METAL.
=CANTHAR′IDES.= Syn. SPANISH FLIES, BLISTERING F., LYT′TÆ; CANTHAR′IS, B. P. The Cantharis vesicatoria of Latreille, commonly known as the Spanish fly, is an insect of the order Coleoptera; it abounds in the south of France, Spain, and Italy; and has spread into Germany and the south of Russia. When alive it exudes a strong fetid and penetrating odour.
Pur., &c. These insects should be preserved in well-closed bottles or tin canisters. The addition of a few drops of oil of cloves, or of strong acetic acid, or even of a few cloves in substance, will preserve them unchanged for a length of time in closed vessels. The best proof of their goodness is the smell. The powder is constantly adulterated. The plan of the wholesale druggists is to sort out the most worthless flies for powdering, and to compensate for their deficiency of vesicating power by adding 1 lb. of euphorbium to every 12 or 13 lbs. of flies. When a superior article is required, liquorice powder is added (4 or 5 lbs. to every 14 lbs.), along with about 1 lb. of euphorbium, and sufficient blue black or charcoal to turn the yellow of the liquorice to a greenish colour. The best mode of detecting this adulteration is by the microscope. It should be borne in mind that only those flies which have attained their full growth possess blistering properties. The immature or undersized insects are destitute of epigastric power.
Ant. An emetic of sulphate of zinc, followed by the stomach-pump, if necessary. The vomiting may be promoted by copiously drinking warm bland diluents, such as broth, linseed tea, milk, &c. Friction on the spine, with volatile liniment and laudanum, and the subsequent administration of draughts containing musk, opium, and camphorated emulsion, have been strongly recommended.
Tests. By the microscope very minute particles may be discovered in the stomach and intestines, on a post-mortem examination. Orfila thus found particles of cantharides in a body that had been interred nine months.
Uses, &c. Spanish flies are used externally to raise blisters, and internally as a stimulant and diuretic, generally in the form of tincture. In excess they produce strangury, bloody urine, satyriasis, delirium, convulsions, and death. See TINCTURES, VESICANTS, &c.
=CANTHARI′DIN.= C_{5}H_{12}O_{2}. Isomeric with picrotoxin. This substance is found in, and is the vesicating principle of, the Spanish fly, Chinese blistering fly, and other coleopterous insects. Prep. Pulverised cantharides are allowed to remain in contact for 24 hours with twice their weight of chloroform, in a displacement apparatus. The chloroform is then drained off, and finally displaced by alcohol, and the solution is left to evaporate. The cantharidin crystallises out, saturated with green oil. In order to purify the cantharidin it is laid on bibulous paper, which absorbs the greater part of the oil, and then crystallised out of a mixture of alcohol and chloroform. (Procter.)
Prop. Prismatic crystals, melts at 200° C., volatilises in white fumes, which strongly irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, and condenses in rectangular prisms. Cantharidin is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, acetic acid, and in the fixed and volatile oils. Its solution in any of the liquids above mentioned possesses vesicating properties, which, however, is not exhibited by solid cantharidin.
=CAOUT′CHOUC.= Syn. INDIA RUBBER, ELASTIC GUM. India rubber is the concrete juice of the Ficus elastica, Siphonia elastica, the Urceola elastica, and many other tropical plants. The fresh milky juice is spread over moulds of unbaked clay, and is then exposed to the heat and smoke of a fire, or torches, to dry it, whence it derives its dark colour. Successive coats of juice are laid on, and the operation of drying repeated until the bottles acquire sufficient thickness. When it has become thoroughly hard and dry, the clay is beaten out. In this form it is commonly imported.
Prop., &c. The general properties of india rubber, as well as its numerous applications, are well known. The fresh juice has a cream-like appearance and consistence, is coagulated by heat, and is miscible with water, alcohol, and wood naphtha; sp. gr. 1·012 to 1·041; it yields from 18% to 45% of solid caoutchouc, either by heat or evaporation. By excluding it from the air it may be preserved unchanged for a considerable period.
Solid caoutchouc has a sp. gr. ranging between ·919 and ·941; it melts at 248° Fahr. into a viscid mass, which does not again harden on cooling; it is unaltered by chlorine, hydrochloric acid, sulphurous acid, fluosilicic acid, ammonia, caustic alkaline lyes (even when boiling), and most similar substances; nitric acid and sulphuric acid act on it only by long contact when concentrated. Some specimens of caoutchouc are harder than gutta percha itself, and equally inelastic, whilst others never perfectly solidify, but remain in a condition resembling that of birdlime or printers’ varnish.
The best solvents of caoutchouc are rectified sulphuric ether (which has been washed with water to remove alcohol and acidity), chloroform, bisulphide of carbon, a mixture of bisulphide of carbon and absolute alcohol (94 of the first to 6 or 7 of the last), and caoutchoucin. All these liquids dissolve india rubber rapidly in the cold, and leave it unaltered on evaporation. The first two are, however, too expensive to be generally employed. The others have a disagreeable odour, but are much cheaper than the rest, and possess the advantage of leaving the film of caoutchouc in a firmer and stronger condition than other solvents. Pyrogenous oil of turpentine is another cheap and good solvent. Benzol, rectified mineral or coal-tar naphtha, crude petroleum, and oil of turpentine dissolve india rubber by long digestion and trituration (with heat), otherwise they merely form with it a glutinous jelly that dries very slowly and imperfectly, leaving it much reduced in hardness and elasticity. The fats and fixed oils also readily dissolve caoutchouc (with heat), forming permanently glutinous solutions or pastes; so also do most of the volatile oils, but the solutions with the majority of them dry with difficulty.
One of the most remarkable properties of india rubber is the great amount of heat which is disengaged during its condensation by pressure or in the exercise of its elasticity. During the process of kneading the raw caoutchouc in the “masticators,” the cold water thrown in to reduce the temperature soon becomes boiling hot. When no water is added, a temperature so high is often reached as to occasion the melting of the rubber. This is particularly the case during the process of “dry kneading” with quick-lime. A tube 2-1/4 inches in diameter, impactly secured, was subjected to a force of 200 tons. The result was a compression amounting to 1-10th; great heat was evolved, and the excessive elasticity of the substance caused a fly-wheel weighing five tons to recoil with alarming violence. Mr Brockedon states that he succeeded in raising the temperature of an ounce of water 2° in about fifteen minutes by collecting the heat evolved by the extension of a small thread of caoutchouc. He refers this effect to the change in specific gravity, and contends that the heat thus produced is not due to friction, because the same amount of friction is occasioned in the contraction as in the extension of the substance, and the result of this contraction is to reduce the caoutchouc thus acted upon to its original temperature.
The edges and surfaces of india rubber are readily and perfectly joined by mere contact and intense pressure. On the small scale the edges may be moistened with ether, naphtha, oil of turpentine, or some other solvent, or by long boiling in water, and immediately pressed tight together and held in contact for some time.
Elastic tubes are readily formed of india rubber by cutting it into uniform slips of proper thickness and winding them round rods of polished glass or metal, so that the edges are in close contact or “overlapping.” A piece of tape is then wound round outside it, and the whole boiled in water for 2 or 3 hours, after which time the edges will be found to be sufficiently adherent. A better plan is to immerse the “rubber” in a mixture formed of bisulphide of carbon, 95 parts, and rectified spirit, 5 parts, until it swells into a pasty mass, which may then be moulded into any desired form or passed through the die of a tubing machine. For chemical purposes, brewing, &c., vulcanised india-rubber tubing has now taken the place formerly occupied by the unprepared material.
The once celebrated “Mackintoshes” are made by spreading two or more coats of a paste made of caoutchouc and rectified coal-tar naphtha over the surface of the stuff or cloth, and, when it has become partially dry, pressing two such surfaces evenly together by passing the goods between a pair of cylinders or rollers. The articles are then placed in a stove room for the composition to harden, and to remove the odour of the naphtha. Of late years vulcanised or mineralised rubber (coloured) has been used for this purpose, and being spread on the outside of the stuff instead of the inside forms an ornamental and thoroughly waterproof material.
India-rubber thread is prepared by stretching it (previously cut into coarse filaments) to 5 or 6 times its length in boiling water or hot air, in which state it is allowed to cool slowly. This process is repeated again and again until it reaches 16,000 or 17,000 times its original length, when it is glazed by agitating it with powdered sulphur or French chalk. This thread is readily joined or “pieced,” as it is called, by paring the ends obliquely with a pair of scissors or a knife, and then pressing the clean ends strongly together with the fingers. When the coarse filaments from the cutting machine are simply stretched with the moistened thumb and finger in the act of “reeling” to about 8 or 9 times their length, they are said to be “inelasticated,” and are ready to be made into elastic braces, elastic web, and other like elastic tissues and fabrics in the braiding machine.
=Caoutchouc, Vul′canised.= Syn. VULCANISED INDIA RUBBER, MINERALISED I. R., SULPHURETTED I. R. The discovery of the singular action of sulphur and the mineral sulphides on caoutchouc was made by Mr Charles Goodyear, of New York, in 1842, at which date the manufacture of vulcanised india rubber may be said to have commenced. In 1843 Mr Thomas Hancock patented a process for vulcanised india rubber in these countries, founded on that of Mr Goodyear. A sheet of caoutchouc immersed in melted sulphur absorbs a portion of it, and at the same time undergoes important changes in many of its leading characteristics. So prepared, it is no longer affected by changes of temperature; it is neither hardened by cold nor softened by any heat insufficient to destroy it. It loses its solubility in the solvents of ordinary caoutchouc, whilst its elasticity is greatly augmented, and has become permanent.
The same effect is produced when sulphur is kneaded into caoutchouc in a masticator, or by means of powerful rollers, as well as when common solvents (naphtha, spirit of turpentine, &c.) are charged with a sufficient amount of sulphur in solution to become a compound solvent of the rubber. In these cases articles may be made of any required form before heating them for the change of condition technically termed “vulcanisation.” It is necessary, however, for this purpose that the form should be carefully maintained both before and during the exposure to the heat.
“A vulcanised solid sphere of 2-1/2 inches in diameter, when forced between two rollers 1/4 inch apart, was found to maintain its form uninjured. In fact, it is the exclusive property of vulcanised caoutchouc to be able to retain any form impressed upon it, and to return to that form on the removal of any disturbing force which has been brought to act upon it.” (Brockedon.)
Caoutchouc combines with from 12% to 15% of sulphur; the quantity of sulphur added to the naphtha paste should not, therefore, exceed 10% or 12% of its weight.
The temperatures for vulcanisation by the common method range from 320° to 330°; and the period required is one hour or more, according to the temperature. A much lower temperature is, however, sufficient if the duration of the exposure is much extended or the compound mass is softened with any of the common solvents of india rubber.
The process of sulphuring, or mineralisation, is differently conducted in different manufactories. Under Mr Burke’s patent, oxysulphide or amorphous sulphide of antimony (formed by decomposing a solution of crude antimony in a lye of potash or soda with hydrochloric acid) is employed. This powder he combines with either india rubber or gutta percha, or mixtures of them, by kneading in a “masticator” for 2 or 3 hours, and after strong compression in a mould whilst still warm, he exposes the mass to a steam heat ranging from 250° to 280° Fahr. The block, so prepared, is afterwards cut into sheets, &c. The advantages possessed by the product are that it possesses no unpleasant odour, nor does the sulphur effloresce on its surface, as in ordinary vulcanised india rubber.
Under Mr Christopher Nickel’s patent (1849) 1 part of sulphur is kneaded with 6 parts of caoutchouc, and then pressed into moulds, as before. He also vulcanises rubber by exposing it in a cylinder heated in a steam jacket to the fumes of sulphur or to sulphuretted gases, given off from a retort connected with the apparatus. The rubber thus prepared he next subjects to hydraulic pressure in moulds, at a temperature ranging between 220° and 250° Fahr.
Small articles or sheets of india rubber may be extemporaneously vulcanised at common temperatures by simple immersion, for a minute or two, in a mixture of bisulphide of carbon, 97-1/2 parts, and protochloride of sulphur, 2-1/2 parts; after which they must be well washed first in weak alkaline lye, and next in pure water. Mr Parkes employs 100 instead of 97-1/2 parts of the bisulphide. This method is termed “cold sulphuring.”
An excellent method of vulcanisation, recommended by Mr Parkes, particularly applicable to small articles, consists in immersing them for about 3 hours in a close vessel containing a solution of polysulphide of potassium at 25° Baumé (sp. gr. 1·197), and of the temperature of 240° Fahr. It is afterwards washed in an alkaline lye, then in pure water, and dried.
Among the many applications of vulcanised india rubber those connected with its elasticity and its enormous contractile power when extended are particularly striking. Under Mr E. Smith’s patent, “torsion springs” for roller blinds, door springs, clock springs, carriage springs, &c., are made of it. Mr Hodges, in another patent, has availed himself of the same property as a new mechanical power. Short lengths of caoutchouc, which he terms “vulcanised power purchases,” are successively drawn down from or lifted to a fixed bearing, and attached to any weight which it is required to raise; when a sufficient number of these power purchases are fixed to the weight, their combined elastic force lifts it from the ground. Thus, 10 purchases of the elastic strength each of 50 lbs. raise 500 lbs. Each purchase is 6 inches long, and contains about 1-1/2 oz. of vulcanised caoutchouc. These 10 purchases, if stretched to the limit of their elasticity (not of their cohesive strength), will lift a weight exceeding 650 lbs.
The same principle has been applied to relieve and equalise the strain on ships’ cables, especially where several boats are towing one vessel; and as a projectile force. A number of power purchases, attached to the barrel of a gun constructed to project harpoons, will exert a power, if suddenly relieved, proportioned to their aggregate forces. By similar contrivances balls may be projected 200 yards or more, and a charge of No. 4 shot can be thrown 120 yards. A bow, in which the string alone is elastic (the reverse of the usual form), has been contrived which throws a 30-inch arrow 170 yards.
The last great improvement in the manufacture of caoutchouc is the discovery that by continuing the process of vulcanisation for a longer time at an increased heat and under pressure, a hard black substance is obtained, which can be turned in a lathe like ebony. This substance has already been applied to an extraordinary number of uses. See VULCANITE.
An exceedingly useful combination of cork and india rubber has lately been introduced. See KAMPTULICON.
=Caoutchouc, Facti′′tious.= See OIL, CONSOLIDATED.
=CAOUT′CHOUCIN.= An extremely light fluid obtained by distilling india rubber.
Prep. (Barnard’s patent process.) A highly volatile fluid, discovered by Mr Barnard. India rubber or caoutchouc, as imported, cut into small lumps, containing about 2 cubic inches each, is thrown into a cast-iron still, connected with a well-cooled worm-tub (any flat vessel with a large evaporating surface will do, the entire top of which can be removed for the purpose of cleaning it out); and heat is applied in the usual way, until the thermometer ranges to about 600° Fahr., when nothing is left in the still but dirt and charcoal. The dark coloured fetid oil which has distilled over is next rectified along with 1/3rd its weight of water, once or oftener; and at each rectification becomes brighter and paler, until at about sp. gr. ·680 it is colourless, and slightly volatile. The product is then shaken up with nitro-hydrochloric acid, or chlorine, in the proportion of a 1/4 of a pint of the acid to 1 gallon of the liquid. To enable the dirt to be the more easily removed from the bottom of the still, common solder, to the depth of about 1/2 an inch, is thrown in.——Prod. 80%.
Prop., &c. Mixed with alcohol, caoutchoucin dissolves gums and resins, especially copal and india rubber, at the common temperature of the atmosphere, and it speedily evaporates, leaving them again in the solid state. It mixes with the oils in all proportions. It has been used in the manufacture of varnishes, and for liquefying oil paints, instead of turpentine. It is very volatile, and requires to be kept in close vessels. According to the researches of Himly, Gregory, and Bouchardat, the caoutchoucin of Barnard consists of several liquids, some of which have the composition of olefiant gas, and others that of oil of turpentine.
=CA′′PERS.= The flower buds of various species of Capparis, particularly C. spinosa, caper tree, preserved in vinegar. They are chiefly imported from Spain, Italy, and the south of France, where the caper tree is largely cultivated for the purpose. The flower-buds are picked daily, and thrown into a cask of strong pickling vinegar, until it becomes full, when it is sold to the dealers by the collector. The former sort them into different sizes by means of copper sieves, in a similar way to that adopted for lead shot and gunpowder. In this way they are divided into nonpareilles, capuchins, capotes, seconds, and thirds, of which the former, or smallest, are regarded as the best; but much depends upon the quality of the vinegar.
The bright green colour of capers, so much valued by the ignorant, arises chiefly from the presence of copper derived from the sieves used in sorting them. In many cases, copper coin, as sous and halfpence, are added for the purpose. Thus the eye is gratified at the sacrifice of the stomach, and an insidious poison introduced into the system, simply to give an unnatural appearance to a condiment which tastes better without it. See COPPER.
=CAPILLAIRE′.= [Fr.] Simple syrup, or a concentrated solution of sugar in water, flavoured with orange-flower water, or some other similar aromatic. The name was originally given to a mucilaginous syrup, prepared by adding to an infusion of maiden-hair (Adiantum capillus Veneris) some sugar and orange-flower water.
=CAP′NOMOR.= See KAPNOMOR.
=CAP′RIC ACID.= HC_{10}H_{19}O_{2}. Syn. RU′TIC ACID; ACIDUM CAP′RICUM, L. An acid discovered by Chevreul, and obtained by decomposing caprate of barium with dilute sulphuric acid, or primarily by the saponification of butter or cocoa-nut oil, when it appears combined with butyric, caproic and caprylic acids. It is also procured by acting upon oleic acid or oil of rue with nitric acid.
Obs. When butter is saponified with caustic potassa or soda, and the resulting soap decomposed by adding an acid, in excess, and distilling the mixture, the four acids above named pass over into the receiver, in combination with water. The mixed acids may be separated by saturating them collectively with baryta, and by taking advantage of the unequal solubility of the newly formed barium salts. The less soluble portion (equal to about 1/20th of the dry mass) contains capric and caprylic acid; the larger and more soluble portion, butyric and caproic acid. On the same plan the two groups are resolved into their separate acids. These acids are deprived of their uncombined water by means of chloride of calcium. It is advisable to employ the term rutic acid, as the older term is easily confounded with caproic and caprylic.
Prop. Capric or rutic acid crystallises in fine needles, which fuse at 86° Fahr., giving out an odour resembling that of a goat. It is sparingly soluble in boiling water.
Prep. (Miller.) Castor oil is saponified by means of potassa or soda, and afterwards an excess of the hydrated alkali is added, amounting to one half the oil used. The mass is heated in a retort, and an oily liquid covered with water distils over. This oily liquid, which is the octylic alcohol, is rectified several times with potassa until the residue is no longer coloured brown.——Prop. A colourless liquid, of powerful aromatic odour; insoluble in water, but dissolving readily in acetic acid, ether, and alcohol. Its boiling point is 356° Fr., its sp. gr, ·823. The caprylate of ethyl, erroneously termed caprylic ether, is a colourless liquid, with an agreeable odour of pine-apples.
=CAPSAICIN.= Until the researches of Mr Thresh proved to the contrary the active principle of the capsicum fruit, or cayenne pepper, and the one to which it was thought it owed its acrid and pungent properties, was believed to be an alkaloid, and was named capsicine in consequence. Mr Thresh succeeded in obtaining an alkaloid from the capsicum, but this was entirely wanting in acridity and pungency. Its discoverer states that capsaicin occurs only in the pericarp of the fruit. The details of the process by which it may be obtained are given in the ‘Year Book of Pharmacy’ for 1876-77, from which it will be seen that the substance may also be procured by preparing a strong tincture of capsicum, and submitting it to dialysis. Capsaicin when cautiously heated to 138° F., melts to a transparent oily fluid, and if then allowed to cool rapidly, it becomes solid, assuming a crystalline condition in doing so. It volatilises at 240° F., without suffering decomposition. Strong nitric acid acts violently on it, decomposing and dissolving it. The crystals dissolve very readily in ether, amylic, alcohol, acetic ether, benzine, and fixed oils, and still more readily in alcohol, and in rectified and proof spirit. In turpentine and carbon disulphide it dissolves much more slowly. It is not affected by boiling for some considerable time in dilute sulphuric acid, and the acid liquor shows no signs of glucose.
A specimen of capsaicin which Mr Thresh believes to have been in a pure condition was sent to Dr Flückiger’s laboratory for analysis, and Dr Buri, by whom the combustion was made, reports that it gave the following composition:——C_{19}H_{14}O_{2}, a result which Mr Thresh found to agree very fairly with some capsaicin derived from a specimen fruit obtained from a different source from that sent to Dr Flückiger. Administered internally in doses of the 1/25th of a gram, capsaicin gave rise to violent griping and purging; and when a lotion consisting of one part diluted with forty of glycerin and spirit was placed on the arm, it soon gave rise to such pain, and caused so much inflammation, that the lint which was wetted with the solution had to be removed very shortly after being applied.
=CAP′SICUM.= [L. and Eng.] Syn. CHIL′I, RED PEPPER. A genus of plants belonging to the natural order Solanaceæ, species of which yield the fruits which are used to form Cayenne pepper and Chili vinegar. The officinal capsicum of B. P. is the fruit of the species C. fastigiatum. See PEPPER, TINCTURES, VINEGARS.
=CAP′SULES.= This term is now commonly applied to small egg-shaped or spherical vessels, in which medicines are placed, for the purpose of covering their nauseous taste at the time of swallowing them. They are commonly made of gelatin, mixtures of sugar and gelatin, or animal membrane.
=Capsules, Gel′atin.= Prep. 1. By dipping the bulbous extremity of an oiled metallic rod into a strong solution of gelatin. When the rod is withdrawn, it is rotated, in order to diffuse the fluid jelly equally over its surface. As soon as the gelatinous film has partially hardened, it is removed from the mould and placed on pins, furnished with suitable heads, and fixed on a cork table. When sufficiently dry, the capsules are placed upright in little cells, made in the table to receive them, and the liquid with which they are to be filled is then introduced by means of a small glass tube. They are next closed by dropping some of the melted gelatin on the orifice of each. Six parts of gelatin, and one part sugar, are now the common proportions.
2. (Simonin.) Oval balls of wax, of the requisite size, are prepared by pouring wax, into a wooden mould, consisting of two parts, and arranged for the reception of a row of these balls. These are afterwards stuck on iron needles, affixed to rods of convenient size, in rows. The balls are now uniformly coated all at once by dipping in the usual manner, then removed from the needles, and are next placed with the needle holes downwards, on a gently heated plate, when the wax flows out, and a round capsule is left behind.
=Cap′sules, Gel′atin and Su′gar.= Prep. (Giraud.) Gelatin, 6 parts; solution of gum and simple syrup, of each 1 part; water, 5 parts; melt in a water bath, remove the scum, and proceed as before.
=Capsules, Glut′en.= These, which form the subject of a French patent, are said to be formed of the gluten of wheat flour, a substance which is insoluble, although softened, by water. We have placed these capsules for twenty-four hours in warm water, and found them, at the expiration of that time, still unbroken, the enclosed medicine being completely enveloped. The mode of preparation is kept secret.
=Capsules, Mem′branous.= Syn. ORGAN′IC CAPSULES. From gut-skin moistened and stretched over an oiled bulb of glass or metal, and filled in the common way. These have been patented, but they do not appear to be an improvement on the common capsule of gelatin.
Obs. The common capsules usually hold about 10 or 12 gr. of balsam of copaiba. Those of the shops in nine cases out of ten, are filled with adulterated copaiba, and at least 4-5ths of them are filled with train oil or linseed oil, to which a few drops only of the balsam are added.
Balsam of copaiba (capivi) and oil of cubebs, or a mixture of them, castor oil and cod-liver oil, are the substances most usually administered in this way. Baccæ copaiferæ factitiæ are officinal in the Ph. Castr. Ruth. Ratier has proposed to grease them and administer them per anum. Ricord has strongly recommended capsules of copaiba, coated with extract of rhatany, as much superior to the common ones of copaiba alone, in the treatment of gleet and gonorrhœa. They may be easily prepared by either of the following methods:
1. By immersing, for an instant, the common capsule in a mixture of extract of rhatany (newly prepared from the root), 3 parts; syrup of moist sugar, 1 part; mucilage of gum Arabic, 1 part; melted together in a water bath.
2. By forming the bodies of the capsules with the above mixture or composition, instead of with gelatin, and then following the same manipulations as for the manufacture of the common gelatin capsules.
These capsules are said to sit well upon the stomach, the tone of which they contribute to improve, and to act with greater certainty than those made of copaiba and gelatin alone.
=CAR′AMEL.= A dark-brown substance obtained by heating sugar. It is formed during the roasting of all materials containing sugar, such as coffee and malt. It is much used for colouring soups, wines, spirits, and other liquids.
=Caramel, Crude.= Syn. SPIRIT COLOURING, BURNT SUGAR. Prep. From cane sugar, by heating it to from 410° to 428° Fahr., as long as aqueous vapour is formed; dissolving the product in water, and concentrating the solution by evaporation.
=Caramel, Pure.= Prep. 1. (Graham.) Crude caramel, obtained as above, is placed on a parchment-paper dialyser. The undecomposed sugar and certain intermediate compounds diffuse out with considerable facility, and what ultimately remains on the dialyser possesses five times the colouring power of the original crude caramel, weight for weight. See DIALYSIS.
2. (Peligot.) Add strong alcohol to a filtered aqueous solution of crude caramel until it ceases to produce a precipitate; collect the precipitate, which is caramel, on a filter, wash with alcohol, and dry. Graham recommends that the product should be dissolved and precipitated four or five times, or till the mass thrown down, from being plastic at first, becomes pulverulent.
3. (J. J. Pohl.) Cane sugar is heated in a spacious metallic vessel by means of an oil bath to 410° or 419° Fahr. as long as aqueous vapours escape, the mass being occasionally stirred with a spatula. The mass is then finely powdered and digested with alcohol for two or three hours; the digestion is repeated until the fluid no longer tastes bitter.
Prop. A solution containing 10% of purified caramel is gummy, and forms a tremulous jelly on standing. Evaporated in vacuo, it dries up into a black shining mass soluble in water; but if the solution be evaporated to dryness by the heat of a water bath, the whole matter is rendered insoluble in hot or cold water. A very small proportion of caramel suffices to give a rich sepia tint to water.
=CAR′AT.= A weight of 4 grains used in weighing diamonds, which are spoken of as of so many carats weight. Among assayers, a carat is a weight of 12 grains; but more commonly a proportional weight or term, representing the number of parts of pure gold in 24 parts of the alloy; pure gold being spoken of as of 24 carats fine. It is commonly the 24th part of the “assay pound,” and is nominally subdivided into 4 assay grains, and these again into quarters. See ASSAYING.
=CAR′AWAY.= Syn. CARAWAY SEED; SE′MENA CARUI, L.; CARUI, B. P. The fruit of the Carum Carui (Linn.), an umbelliferous plant, common in England and other parts of Europe. These fruits, commonly called “seeds,” form an agreeable and useful aromatic and carminative, and are especially esteemed in the flatulent colic of children. They are also largely employed as an adjuvant or corrective in various officinal preparations; and as a flavoring ingredient in cakes, biscuits, cordials, confectionery, &c. See ESSENCES.
=CARBAZOT′IC ACID.= See PICRIC ACID.
=CARBOL′IC ACID.= H.C_{6}H_{5}O. Syn. PHENYLIC ACID, PHENIC ACID, PHENOL, PHENYLIC ALCOHOL, HYDRATE OF PHENYLE, HYDRATED OXIDE OF PHENYLE. A powerful antiseptic substance obtained from coal-tar oil.
Prep. Crude, heavy coal oil is agitated with milk of lime, allowed to stand, and the aqueous portion separated from the undissolved oil and decomposed by hydrochloric acid. The oily liquid obtained is purified by distillation.
1. Crude coal oil is distilled in a retort furnished with a thermometer, and the portion which passes over when the heat ranges between 300° and 400° Fahr., is collected apart, and mixed with a hot saturated solution of caustic potassa; after standing for some time, a semi crystalline pasty mass forms, from which the supernatant liquid is decanted; the pasty mass is now agitated with a small quantity of water until dissolved; the solution thus formed separates into two portions, the denser of which contains carbolate of potassa; this being separated by decantation, is decomposed by hydrochloric acid. The solution of carbolic acid which rises to the surface is digested with chloride of calcium, to remove water, and purified by distillation; the distillate, by refrigeration, furnishes crystals of the acid, which must be drained, dried, and preserved from the air.
2. From salicylic acid. Mix intimately together equal weights of salicylic acid and powdered glass; introduce the mixture into a good German retort, and heat on a sand bath, gradually raising the heat till it becomes red hot at the bottom. The vapour is condensed in any convenient receiver. If the materials are perfectly dry, it solidifies to a mass of crystals as soon as it condenses, but if there be a trace of water present it remains liquid. The slower it distils over the lighter will be the colour, while if a high temperature be employed it comes over nearly black. It may be rendered colourless and anhydrous by rectification over quick-lime.
Of late years the manufacture of carbolic acid has increased to a great extent, and is generally found in a pale yellow clear solution, instead of as a dark hazy liquid. The pure anhydrous acid is in long, colourless, prismatic crystals, often, however, on keeping turning a beautiful pink, rose, or crimson, and which rapidly deliquesce in moist air, becoming converted into a colourless refractive liquid, having a faint odour of roses and tar. At 95° F. they become an oily liquid, having an odour and taste like creosote. Sp. gr. 1·065, boiling point 370° F. Exposed to the air the crystals absorb moisture and liquefy. The acid is slightly soluble in water, but freely soluble in glycerin, alcohol, and ether. Carbolic acid is poisonous, and is a powerful antiseptic.
Tests.——About a grain of hypochlorite of calcium, added to a little aqueous solution of carbolic acid, placed in a test-tube, produces after agitation, the addition of a few drops of ammonia, and the application of a gentle heat, a bright blue colour with a tinge of green. One drachm of the acid if pure completely dissolves on being shaken with half a pint of warm water.
Uses. The extraordinary antiseptic properties of carbolic acid have long been known, but its extended use has been delayed, owing to the difficulty experienced in obtaining it in considerable quantities. It is now, however, principally owing to the labours of the late Dr F. Crace Calvert, produced on a large scale, and this chemist has proposed its application to many valuable purposes. As a medical agent it seems to have all the useful properties of creosote in an exalted degree, with some peculiar actions of its own, and is being applied with marked success in the Manchester Royal Infirmary and similar institutions, in cases of chronic diarrhœa, obstinate vomiting (even after creosote has failed), and as a disinfecting wash for ill-conditioned ulcers and gangrenous sores. It has been said to have been used with marked success internally as a remedy for hooping-cough. It has also been applied successfully in cases of foot-rot, a disease which annually carries off large numbers of sheep. It has been employed for the preservation of gelatin solutions and preparations of size made with starch, flour, and similar materials, and of skins and other animal substances. It appears to act strongly as an antiferment, and Dr Calvert states that it is one of the most powerful preventives of putrefaction with which he is acquainted. Commercial creosote is frequently nothing more than hydrated carbolic acid.
Professor Lister, of Edinburgh, adopting the germ theory of putrefaction, and regarding the putrid discharge from wounds as the result of the presence of atmospheric organisms which find a suitable nidus in the decomposing animal tissue exposed by the wound, seeks to exclude the access of these germs by the use of antiseptics, particularly of carbolic acid, the destructive action of which on living organisms is well known. He applies to the wounds dressings of gauze previously prepared with carbolic acid, additionally using as a lotion the acid, well diluted with water; whilst during the dressing of the wounds and the performance of surgical operations carbolic acid is diffused in the form of spray into the surrounding atmosphere with the object of destroying the germs floating in it.
Antidotes.——Calcined magnesia, or bicarbonate of soda, in milk after short intervals. In the absence of these, chalk, soap and water, or the plaster from the ceiling. Olive oil additionally. More than fifty per cent. of the carbolic acid manufactured is used for the purpose of preparing the following pigments and dye materials:——
1. Picric acid. 2. Phenyl brown. 3. Grenat soluble. 4. Coralline. 5. Azuline. These will be found described under TAR COLOURS.
=CAR′BON.= C. Syn. CARBO′NIUM, CAR′BO, L.; CHARBON, Fr.; KOHLENSTOFF, Ger. An elementary or simple non-metallic solid body, very widely diffused through nature. Its purest and rarest form is that of the diamond. Nearly pure, it occurs very abundantly in the forms of graphite and anthracite. In combination with oxygen, as carbonic acid, it exists in the atmosphere and in the waters of most springs, also in limestone, marble, chalk, and dolomite. Combined with hydrogen, it enters largely into coal, peat, and lignite. It is an essential constituent of organic matter, and hence it has been termed the “organic element.” Charcoal, lamp-black, and coke, are more or less pure forms of carbon. By strongly igniting lamp-black in a covered crucible the element is obtained sufficiently pure for most chemical purposes.
It is best obtained purest by burning a jet of pure olefiant gas in an atmosphere of pure chloride, collecting the amorphous carbon deposited, and igniting in vacuo at a red heat.
Forms several chlorides, sulphides, &c., of which the following are the chief:——
=Carbon, Protochloride of.= Obtained from the sesquichloride by subliming it repeatedly through a tube filled with fragments of glass heated to redness. A transparent colourless liquid, with aromatic odour.
=Carbon, Sesquichloride of.= C_{2}Cl_{6}. Obtained by exposing Dutch liquid with chlorine, in a glass vessel, to the direct rays of the sun, taking care to renew the chlorine as long as it is absorbed. The liquid is ultimately converted into the sesquichloride of carbon, which is a white crystalline, volatile substance.
=Carbon, Tetrachloride of.= Syn. BICHLORIDE OF CARBON. It may be obtained by passing chlorine (desiccated by being made to pass through a tube wetted with strong sulphuric acid), through a bottle containing bisulphide of carbon, and afterwards through a porcelain tube, wrapped in sheet copper, and filled with fragments of broken porcelain, maintained at a red heat, by a charcoal or gas furnace, and condensing the product in a bottle surrounded by ice. A mixture of tetrachloride of carbon and chloride of sulphur is thus obtained. By shaking this mixture with solution of potash, the chloride of sulphur is decomposed and dissolved, whilst the tetrachloride of carbon separates, and falls to the bottom. The upper layer having been poured off, the tetrachloride may be purified by distillation.
Tetrachloride of carbon is a colourless liquid, having a sp. gr. 1·6, and boiling at 172° F. It is insoluble in water, but dissolves in alcohol and ether. Its vapour, diluted with air, is employed as an anæsthetic.
=Carbon, Oxychloride of.= COCl_{2}. Syn. CHLO′ROCARBON′IC ACID, PHOSGENE GAS, CHLORIDE OF CARBONYL. Equal measures of carbonic oxide and chlorine are exposed to the direct rays of the sun; they combine, and become condensed to half their volume. It is a colourless, suffocating gas, which is immediately decomposed by water into carbonic and hydrochloric acids.
=Carbon, Sulphide of.= CS_{2}. Syn. BISULPHIDE OF CARBON, CARBON DISULPHIDE, SULPHURET OF CARBON. Bisulphide of iron (iron pyrites), 5 parts, and fresh dry charcoal, 1 part, are heated together in a stoneware retort, furnished with a glass tube, having the end bent, and passing nearly to the bottom of a bottle or receiver filled with pounded ice. The bisulphide of carbon collects at the bottom of the receiver, and is then purified from adhering moisture and sulphur by distilling it, at a low temperature, from fused chloride of calcium.
By passing the vapour of sulphur over fragments of charcoal, heated to bright redness in a porcelain tube, and collecting the product as before.
Sulphide of carbon is best manufactured by means of Peroncele’s apparatus figured in the accompanying drawing.
A is a fire-clay gas retort supported on the fire-clay block B; E and E are openings, one being that of a porcelain tube firmly cemented into the cover of A, serving for the introduction of sulphur; the other opening is for the introduction of pieces of coke, with which before the operation commences the retort is filled. The vapours of the sulphide of carbon pass through the tubes H and I into the vessel J, wherein part of the sulphide is condensed, and flows through K into the flask L, filled with water, thence through M into O, finally being run off by the tap N. Any vapours not condensed in J pass through P P into the worm T, the condensed sulphide being collected in S. The crude sulphide is rectified by redistillation over zinc or perchloride of mercury by means of a steam or water bath. If the perchloride is employed it should remain in contact with the crude sulphide for at least 24 hours before redistillation.
Prop., Uses, &c. A colourless, pungent, fetid liquid, having the sp. gr. 1·27. It is exceedingly volatile, boiling at 118·5° Fahr., and has never been frozen. It is highly inflammable, burning with a pale-blue flame, and giving off sulphurous and carbonic-acid gases. It freely dissolves sulphur and phosphorus, and by spontaneous evaporation deposits the first in beautiful crystals. The solution of phosphorus is much used in electrotyping objects, which are coated with a conducting film by its means. Its refractive power is remarkably high, and on this account it is employed to fill hollow lenses for spectroscopes and other optical instruments. It produces intense cold by its evaporation. A spirit thermometer, having its bulb covered with cotton, if dipped into this fluid and suspended in the air, rapidly sinks from 60° to 0°, and if put into the receiver of an air-pump it will fall to -81° Fahr. A mixture of sulphide of carbon and solid carbonic anhydride forms almost the most powerful frigorific agent known. Sulphide of carbon is now prepared on the large scale, and extensively employed as a solvent.
It is thus used for extracting from the cake of fruits and seeds the oil remaining in them after they have been submitted to pressure. The sulphide is subsequently separated from the oil by distillation. In Algiers it is used for obtaining the essential oils contained in the rose, jessamine, and lavender. It is also employed for dissolving the fat from bones, and from the crude wool. Furthermore, it is an excellent solvent for caoutchouc, as well as for the ordinary resins.
Its vapour is employed by agriculturists to kill the larvæ infesting grain. Latterly, it has been employed as a disinfectant.
a. Carbon Bisulphide as an Antiseptic. By P. Zöller (‘Deut. Chem. Ges. Berl.,’ ix, 1080-1084). The author has continued his experiments on this subject with the object of determining (1) the minimum quantity of bisulphide required, and (2) whether articles of food preserved by means of it are fit for human consumption.
As regards the first point, he found that meat of all kinds, and even entire animals, in quantities up to 20 kilograms, kept perfectly well for several weeks in vessels of sheet zinc, into which 5 grams of carbon bisulphide had been introduced, the meat being either simply hung on hooks or wrapped in cloths and laid on perforated shelves in the vessels. Probably a smaller quantity of the bisulphide would suffice. Meat also kept well for 62 days in a vessel in which carbon bisulphide was liberated by introducing potassium xanthate and dilute sulphuric acid. Freshly baked bread, vegetables, and fruits of all kinds (asparagus, radishes, young beans, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries, peaches, apricots, lemons, &c.), and juices of fruits kept perfectly well in glass vessels, into which carbon bisulphide has been introduced, in the proportion of 5-10 drops for each litre of capacity.
Bread, vegetables, and fruit thus preserved are fit to eat after simple exposure to the air, and cannot be distinguished by taste or other qualities (except a slight loss of colour in some fruits) from fresh bread, &c. Meat retains even after exposure to air the disagreeable odour of carbon bisulphide. But besides this odour, which disappears on boiling or roasting, the meat has a slight smell of the volatile fatty acids and the taste of game. To most people, however, this taste is not unpleasant. The presence of fatty acids is to be attributed to decomposition taking place in the interior of the meat, and not preventable by the carbon bisulphide, the function of which is merely to kill germs present in the air or on the surface of substances submitted to its influence.
b. By Hugo Schiff (‘Deut. Chem. Ges. Ber.,’ ix, 828). Cocoons of silkworms which had been killed by exposure to the vapours of carbon disulphide underwent no change during six months’ keeping in flasks in the laboratory. The bodies of some pigs which had been used for physiological experiments were put into a stoppered vessel with a few c. c. of carbon disulphide in 1869, and have been perfectly preserved without decomposition. The same result was obtained with a lizard 35-45 centimetres long, which had been suffocated accidentally in 1869, and was bottled whole. In this case a small quantity of liquid collected at the bottom of the vessel, and the green hue of the skin became a dirty greyish green, but not the slightest putrefaction occurred. Similar results were obtained with the intestines of poultry immersed in water in 1872 with a little carbon disulphide, in a bottle with a greased stopper; with a lump of beef weighing 200 grams; and with the body of a finch killed with paraconine. The beef yielded a normal flesh fluid, and was eaten by a dog without hesitation even after several months.
Purification.——1. It is stated that the odour of sulphide of carbon can be readily removed by allowing it to stand over mercury or corrosive sublimate for some time, and then redistilling.
2. The following method by Kern is stated by him to be the best for purifying sulphide of carbon:——The impure product is well mixed in a tall glass vessel with some lead nitrate, and with a small quantity of metallic lead. When the salt turns dark the liquid is poured into another vessel with a fresh quantity of the lead salt; and so on until the salt remains nearly white while mixed with the liquor. The sulphide of carbon is then placed in a retort, and distilled over into a well-cooled receiver.
3. M. Yvon proposes a process which consists in adding copper turnings to the sulphide; no slaking is necessary. The sulphide soon becomes nearly colourless, and loses its usually unpleasant odour. Miller says reduced copper produces the same result.
Carbon sulphide is employed therapeutically in doses of 2 drops, gradually increased to 5, as a sudorific in rheumatism. It is also dropped (40 to 50 drops) on the part, to promote the reduction of strangulated hernia. Externally, it is employed in liniments for rheumatic pains.
=CAR′BONATE=, a salt in which the hydrogen of (hypothetical) carbonic acid (H_{2}CO_{3}) is replaced by a metal or other basic radical.
Prep., &c. The processes by which the commercial carbonates and many others are prepared are described under the respective bases. Most of the earthy carbonates are found abundantly in nature. In general the salts of this class may be formed by adding an alkaline carbonate to a salt of the metal in solution by double decomposition.
Prop. The carbonates of the alkalies are soluble in water; those of the other bases are for the most part insoluble, except the water is highly charged with carbonic acid. From most of them carbonic anhydride or anhydrous carbonic acid can be easily expelled by heat.
Tests. The carbonates are easily distinguished by the following reactions:——They dissolve with effervescence in hydrochloric acid and in most other acids; in some cases a gentle heat is required to promote the disengagement of the gas.——The gas evolved in the last, passed into lime water and baryta water, occasions white precipitates, which redissolve in acids with effervescence, and after the solution has been boiled are not reprecipitated by liquor of ammonia.——Chloride of calcium and chloride of barium give white precipitates in solutions of the neutral alkaline carbonates, but in solutions of the alkaline bicarbonates only after ebullition; and the precipitates are readily soluble with effervescence in acetic acid.
Estim. The quantity of the metal in an alkaline or earthy carbonate may be easily determined by the ordinary volumetric methods of alkalimetry (which see), and the quantity of carbonic acid, by the method of Fresenius and Will (see ALKALIMETRY). The apparatus figured on next page, or preferably that shown in the article on ALKALIMETRY, may be used instead of the more complicated contrivance of the German chemists.
A weighed sample of the carbonate to be examined is placed in the flask a along with a little water, and the small tube, b, filled with either sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, is carefully introduced. The cork, with its chloride of calcium tube, d, is then fitted to the flask, and the whole apparatus very accurately weighed.
On inclining the apparatus the acid escapes over the side of the small tube, and mixing with the liquor in the flask, expels the carbonic acid of the carbonate, which is then dried by passing over the chloride of calcium. After effervescence has ceased heat should be applied to the bottom of the flask, until it be filled with steam, to expel the carbonic gas it contains. The loss of weight gives the weight of the carbonic acid gas that was contained in the sample. The quantity of carbonic acid in the carbonates of the metals that do not contain water may be determined by heating them to redness in a platina crucible.
=CARBONIC ACID.= H_{2}CO_{3}. True carbonic acid has not yet been obtained in any satisfactory condition, although the solution of carbonic anhydride (often called carbonic acid), or anhydrous carbonic acid, is generally regarded as such. It forms with bases an important series of salts, called the carbonates, by double decomposition.
=CARBONIC ANHYDRIDE.= CO_{2}. Syn. CARBONIC ACID, CARBON DIOXIDE, FIXED AIR, CHOKE DAMP; ACIDE CARBONIQUE, Fr.; KOHLEN SÄURE, Ger. A compound formed by the chemical union of carbon and oxygen.
Hist. Van Helmont recognised carbonic acid as a peculiar gas. Dr Black, in 1757, proved that it was a constituent of limestone, and gave it the name of fixed air; he also showed that the causticity of alkalies depended on its absence. Bergmann first described it as an acid, applying to it the term aërial acid. Lavoisier, in 1776, established its true nature, and gave it the name it now bears. Faraday, in 1823, by pressure at an extremely low temperature, reduced carbonic acid to a liquid, and a few years later Thiloria and Brunel obtained it in the solid form.
Nat. Hist. Carbonic acid is a constituent of the atmosphere, its presence being essential to the existence of vegetable life on the globe. It issues from the earth in many situations, as the Grotto del Cane in Italy, the Valley of Poison in Java, and near the Lake of Laach in Germany. It gives to many mineral springs their sparkling brilliancy, and is held in solution by all natural waters. Combined with the bases, lime and magnesia especially, it exists in large quantities in the crust of the earth. It is the chief product of combustion, and one of the products of fermentation. It is always being exhaled by animals in the process of respiration, and in smaller quantities by plants at night or in the shade. It forms the terrible “choke-damp” or “after-damp” of the coal mines. It is the gas disengaged during the effervescence of soda water and other aërated drinks, and the cause of the freshness of newly-drawn beer.
Prep. Hydrochloric acid, 1 part, diluted with water, 4 or 5 parts, is poured upon fragments of white marble, previously placed in a suitable generating apparatus.[237]
[Footnote 237: A large flask, provided with a bent glass tube for conveying the gas, and a tube-funnel for introducing the acid, is the most convenient form of apparatus. A tubulated retort may be used, but the generating flask or bottle is to be preferred.]
Carbonic acid is rapidly evolved, and may be collected, with some loss, over water in the pneumatic trough. If required dry, the gas must be passed over fragments of fused chloride of calcium, placed in a large tube, or through a small quantity of concentrated sulphuric acid, and collected by displacement or over mercury.
From oil of vitriol, 1 part; water, 6 parts; and chalk or whiting, 1-1/4 part; mixed in a suitable vessel, applying agitation.
Prop. Under ordinary conditions carbonic acid is a colourless, non-inflammable, irrespirable gas, possessing a slightly pungent odour, and an acidulous taste. Water absorbs its own volume of this gas, and by pressure may be made to take up enormous quantities, forming carbonated or aërated water. Its sp. gr. is 1·520; hence it may be poured from one vessel to another like water. By a pressure of thirty atmospheres at 32° Fahr. it is liquefied, the pressure required decreasing as the temperature gets lower. At -94° Fahr. it solidifies into a vitreous transparent mass.
Carbonic acid, even when greatly diluted with air, cannot be inhaled without insensibility following. An atmosphere containing more than its natural quantity of gas (1 part in 2500 parts by measure) acts upon the system as a narcotic poison; hence the danger of over-crowded rooms. It is a non-supporter of combustion, at once extinguishing a lighted candle, gas-jet, or even a piece of burning phosphorus, when these are placed in a jar of the gas.
Tests. It feebly reddens litmus paper, extinguishes the flame of a burning taper, and forms a white precipitate in aqueous solutions of lime and baryta, which is soluble in acetic acid. By the last test a very small quantity of this gas may be easily detected in the atmosphere of rooms, &c. A lighted candle is generally used to test an atmosphere suspected to contain carbonic acid: but it is found that air that will support combustion will contain sufficient of this gas to cause insensibility.
Ant., &c. The patient should be immediately removed into the open air, and placed on his back with the head slightly raised. Cold water should be dashed over the body, hot water or mustard poultices applied to the feet, and ammonia (carefully) to the nostrils. Brandy-and-water and other stimulants may be administered. Continued friction on the surface of the body is also very useful. If the patient has ceased to breathe artificial respiration should be attempted. This may be done by gently pressing down the ribs, and forcing up the diaphragm, and then suddenly withdrawing the pressure. The inhalation of air, mixed with very little chlorine gas, has also been recommended. Wells, cellars, or other underground apartments, containing carbonic acid in poisonous quantities, may be freed from this gas by pumping it out in the same way as water, observing to allow the suction hose to fully reach the floor or bottom of the place. Fresh slaked lime or milk of lime, copiously thrown in, will have a like effect, by absorbing the gas. Free ventilation, whenever it can be established, is, however, not only the cheapest, but the most efficient remedy. See ASPHYXIA.
=CARBON′IC OXIDE.= CO. Syn. PROTOXIDE OF CARBON, CARBON MONOXIDE, GA′SEOUS OXIDE OF CARBON; OXY′DUM CARBON′ICUM, L. A gaseous compound of carbon and oxygen, containing less oxygen than is contained in carbonic acid.
Prep. 1. From carbonic acid gas passed over fragments of charcoal, heated to redness in a tube of porcelain or iron.
2. From crystallised oxalic acid, gently heated with 5 or 6 times its weight of strong sulphuric acid in a glass retort.
3. From ferrocyanide of potassium in fine powder, and 8 or 10 times its weight of concentrated sulphuric acid, heated together in a glass retort.
Obs. All the processes except the last give a mixture of carbonic acid and oxide. It is therefore necessary to pass the gas through a caustic alkaline solution or milk of lime to deprive it of carbonic acid. It may then be passed over dried chloride of calcium, to deprive it of moisture. It may be collected either over mercury or water, as the latter absorbs very little of this gas.
Prop. Carbonic oxide is colourless, inodorous, neutral, inflammable, and irrespirable. It is extremely poisonous, 1% mixed with air being sufficient to cause dangerous drowsiness. The deaths produced by the combustion of charcoal in close rooms are now attributed to this gas. The antidotes, &c., are the same as for poisoning from inhaling carbonic acid.
=CAR′BUNCLE.= A larger sized and dangerous form of boil, attended by extensive sloughing. The treatment consists in lancing, poulticing, and the adoption of a generous diet, with wine and stimulants. The safer plan, however, is to seek the advice of a medical man.
=CAR′BURETTED HY′DROGEN.= See HYDROGEN.
=CARD′AMOM.= Syn. CARD′AMUM; CARDAMO′MUM, B. P. The seed or fruit of the Elettaria Cardamomum forms the officinal cardamom. It is warm, pungent, carminative, and stomachic, and is largely used as a condiment in the East, and in Europe as an adjuvant in other medicines. Several kinds of cardamoms used medicinally and as spices are produced by the genus Amomum, belonging to the natural order Zingiberaceæ, the Ginger family.
=CARD′BOARD.= Cardboard, or sized pasteboard, is made of two to fifteen sheets of sized paper, pressed and stained. There are varieties of cardboard known as Bristol-board, London-board, the former being largely used for water-colour drawings, mounting-board, ornamental board, &c.
=CAR′MINATIVES.= Medicines that allay flatulency and spasmodic pains. Among the principal carminatives are ANISEED, CARAWAY SEED, CARDAMOMS, CASSIA, CINNAMON, GINGER, PEPPERMINT, and the PEPPERS. To these may be added ARDENT SPIRITS, and most of the AROMATIC ESSENCES and TINCTURES. See MIXTURES, PATENT MEDICINES, &c.
=CAR′MINE.= Syn. CARMINE RED, VEGETABLE SCARLET; CARMI′NUM, L. A beautiful red pigment prepared from the cochineal insect.
Prep. The preparation of carmine is little understood, but success in its manufacture depends less on any mystery connected with the process than on the employment of the purest water and the best materials, and the exercise of moderate care, dexterity, and patience. The following forms will produce carmine of the richest hues down to ordinary and common, according to the skill possessed by the manipulator.
1. (Madame Cenette’s process.) Cochineal (in powder), 2 lbs., is boiled in pure river water, 15 galls., for 2 hours, when refined saltpetre (bruised), 3 oz., is added to the decoction, and the whole boiled for 3 or 4 minutes longer; salt of sorrel, 4 oz., is next added, and the boiling again renewed for 10 or 12 minutes; the heat is now removed, and the liquid allowed to settle for about 4 hours, after which time it is decanted with a syphon into shallow plate-like vessels, and set aside for three weeks. At the end of this time the film of mould which has formed on the surface is dexterously and carefully removed, without breaking it or disturbing the liquid beneath it. The remaining fluid is next very carefully removed with a syphon, and the adhering moisture, as far as possible, drained off, or sucked up with a pipette. The residuum, which is the carmine, is dried in the shade, and possesses extraordinary lustre and beauty.
2. (Alxon or Langlois’ process.) Powdered cochineal, 1 lb., is boiled in river water, 4 galls., for 10 minutes, when carbonate of soda, 3/4 oz., dissolved in water, 1 pint, is added, and the whole again boiled for 1/2 hour longer; when the decoction is cold, alum (in fine powder), 3/4 oz., is thrown in, and the liquid agitated rapidly until it is entirely dissolved; after 20 minutes’ repose it is decanted into another vessel, and clarified by heating it with the whites of 2 eggs; the perfectly clear liquid is then allowed to repose for 40 minutes or longer, when it is decanted, and the carmine which it has deposited is collected, drained on a filter, and dried on shallow plates covered with silver paper. The product by either of the above processes varies from 9-1/2 to 10% on the weight of the cochineal employed in them.
3. (China or Spirit process.) Cochineal, 1 lb., is boiled for 15 minutes, in water, 3 galls., powdered alum, 1 dr., is next added, and the whole again boiled for 5 or 6 minutes; when the liquid has become cold, the clear portion is decanted, and again heated, the solution of tin (spirits of tin) cautiously dropped in until all the carmine is precipitated; it is collected, drained, and dried, as before. Prod. 1-1/2 oz.
3. (French process.) From cochineal (in powder), 1 lb., boiled for 15 minutes, in water, 3 galls.; cream of tartar (in powder), 1 oz., is then added, the boiling further continued for 10 minutes, and powdered alum 1-1/2 oz., thrown in; after another 2 minutes’ boil the heat is withdrawn, and in 5 or 6 minutes more the clear portion is decanted into porcelain vessels, which are set aside until the carmine falls down.
4. (German process.) Powdered cochineal, 1 lb., water, 4 galls.; boil 15 minutes, add powdered alum, 1 oz.; boil 3 minutes longer, remove the heat, allow the liquor to settle for 5 minutes, pour off the clear portion into porcelain or earthenware vessels, and set them aside for 3 or 4 days. The carmine is found deposited on the bottom of the vessel, and must be now carefully drained and dried, as before. The decanted liquor yields more carmine by standing in fresh vessels. Product. About 1-1/2 oz.; besides 1/2 oz., or more, of an inferior quality obtained as a second deposit.
5. (English process.) From cochineal, 1 lb., and carbonate of potash, 1/2 oz., boiled in water, 7 galls., for 15 minutes; the vessel is then removed from the fire, and powdered alum, 1 oz., added; the liquor is then well agitated and allowed to settle for about 15 minutes longer; the clear liquid is next decanted into a clean copper, and isinglass, 1/2 oz., dissolved in water, 1 pint (and strained), added; as soon as a coagulum forms upon the surface, the heat is removed, and the liquid is strongly agitated with a bone or silver spatula, after which it is allowed to repose for 20 or 30 minutes. The deposited carmine must be drained and dried, as before.
Obs. The best black cochineal is generally used for the preparation of carmine. For ordinary qualities spirits of tin (bichloride) is added to the decoction as a precipitant, and the liquid being put into suitable vessels (wash-hand basins answer very well), a deposit of carmine slowly takes place. Neither exposure to solar light nor artificial heat is advisable during the drying, but the latter must nevertheless be effected with all possible expedition. Hence the finer shades of carmine can only be successfully made during certain states of weather; as in very hot weather the liquid rapidly sours or ferments, and the deposit is more or less dissolved; whilst in dull, damp weather it is difficult to dry the precipitate sufficiently, which is then apt to become mouldy, and to lose colour. The researches of Pelletier and Caventou tend to show that the solution of tin used as a precipitant should be at the maximum of oxidation or chlorination, to produce the richest shades of carmine. That first deposited is, in all cases, the most beautiful, and the quality gradually deteriorates as the process proceeds. 6 or 7 dr. only of carmine of the very finest quality can hence be obtained from 1 lb. of cochineal.
Prop., &c. Pure carmine is a very light, lustrous, scarlet powder, entirely soluble in ammonia, a test by which its purity is readily determined. Mr Warren De la Rue says the pure colouring principle of cochineal is carminic acid. By digesting ammonia on carmine until all the colour is taken up, filtering and adding acetic acid and alcohol, till the whole is precipitated; and lastly, carefully washing the precipitate with spirit of wine, at proof, and drying in the shade, carmine of the richest and most lustrous hue may be obtained even from samples of inferior quality.
Uses, &c. As a pigment in velvet and miniature painting, and for tinting artificial flowers, and as rouge for the complexion. The powdered cochineal (carmine grounds), from which the coloured liquor (liquid rouge, carmine liquor) has been decanted, is used by the paper stainers, and both are used in the preparation of carminated lake.
=Carmine, Blue.= See INDIGO.
=Carmine, Li′quid.= Syn. FLUID CARMINE, LIQUID ROUGE, CARMINE INK. Prep. 1. A solution of carmine in ammonia water, or spirits of hartshorn. Very rich and beautiful.
2. The residual liquor of the process of making carmine. Inferior. The first is used in velvet and miniature painting, and for tinting artificial flowers; the second for common purposes, as a stain or wash.
=Carmine, Pur′ple.= See MUREXIDE.
=CARMIN′IC ACID.= C_{14}H_{14}O_{8}. Prep. (W. De la Rue.) The powdered insect, after treatment with ether to remove the fat, is digested in water. The decoction of cochineal is precipitated by adding a solution of acetate of lead, and the impure carminate of lead thus formed, after being washed with water, is suspended in water, and decomposed by a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen; the whole process is repeated with the decanted solution so obtained; the second solution is then evaporated to dryness (in vacuo over sulphuric acid), dissolved in absolute alcohol, digested on some washed crude carminate of lead (to separate a little phosphoric acid), and, lastly, mixed with ether (to precipitate some nitrogenised matter); the residuum obtained by careful evaporation (in vacuo) is pure carminic acid.
Prop., &c. A purple-brown mass, yielding a rich-red powder; it is freely soluble in water and alcohol; slightly soluble in ether; and without decomposition in oil of vitriol; it is feebly acid; its salts are termed carminates, only two or three of which have been examined. According to Mr De la Rue, this acid constitutes the pure colouring matter of cochineal.
=CARNAUBA ROOT.= The root of the corypha cerifera, a wax-bearing palm, growing on the shores of the Rio Francisco, in Brazil. Dr C. Symes (see ‘Pharmaceutical Journal,’ 3rd series, v, 661) says:——Two bales of this root have been imported into Liverpool, with the following remarks in Portuguese:——“This root is recognised by the professor as an excellent purifying agent, and has been successfully applied in the cure of various diseases arising from impurity of the blood. We are indeed astonished that it is not more widely known, as its therapeutic qualities, which are worthy of full credence, rival those of sarsaparilla. The carnauba root likewise has a diuretic power, and possesses unusual efficacy, in the cure of acute and chronic blennorrhœas. It is, furthermore, very cooling, and displays a vigorous action in purifying the blood.” Mr Cleaver, who submitted the root to analysis, found it to contain very minute quantities of an alkaloid, an acrid resinous body, a red colouring matter, a variety of tannic acid, and a small portion of volatile oil.
=CAROBA.= The leaves of a tree belonging to the family Bignoniaceæ, employed in Brazil as a diaphoretic, diuretic, and alterative tonic. Dr Alt states that he has used them extensively, and with much success, in old-standing cases of syphilitic eruptions, and after a course of mercurial treatment. They are usually administered either in the form of powder or decoction.
=CAROT′INE.= C_{18}H_{24}O. A crystalline, copper-red substance, obtained from the root of the Daucus carota (sativa) or garden carrot. It is tasteless; odourless; neutral; fusible; inflammable; insoluble in ether and water; slightly soluble in alcohol; and very soluble in the mixed and volatile oils.
=CAR′PETS.= Consideration of cleanliness and economy demand a few words on carpets and hearth-rugs. We are assured by an experienced person that before proceeding to sweep a carpet, a few handfuls of waste tea-leaves should be sprinkled over it (say some five or six minutes before). A stiff hair broom or hair brush only should be employed unless the carpet be very dirty, when a whisk or carpet-broom may be used first, followed by another made of hair, to take off the loose dust. The frequent use of a stiff “carpet-broom” (those made of cane or birch are here alluded to) soon wears off the beauty of the best carpet. An ordinary clothes-brush, or a clean one, resembling the dirt brush used for shoes, is best adapted for superior carpets. When carpets are very dirty they should be cleaned by shaking and beating. “If you must have a carpet, take it up two or three times a year, instead of once. A dirty carpet literally infects the room: if you consider the enormous quantity of organic matter from the feet of people coming in, which must saturate it this is by no means surprising.” (Miss Nightingale.) In laying down carpets it is very advisable, at first, to cover the floor beneath them with large sheets of thick paper, so as to prevent dust from rising between the boards. Old drugget, sacking, matting, or any similar substance, will effect the same purpose, and will, moreover, materially increase the durability of the carpet, by preserving it from the contact of the hard floor.
BRUSSELS CARPETS may be cleaned with ox-gall (1 pint to a pailful of water), and a scrubbing-brush, and floor-cloth; afterwards rinsing them in fresh water applied in the same way. They should be previously perfectly freed from dust by beating, and should be nailed down before commencing the above operations. Great care should be taken to rub them as dry as possible with a clean dry floor-cloth. A small portion only should be done at a time, and a dry windy day selected for the purpose. A carpet treated in this manner will be greatly refreshed in colour, particularly the greens.
KIDDERMINSTER CARPETS will scarcely bear the above treatment without becoming so soft as to get speedily dirty again. This may in some measure be prevented by brushing them over with a hot weak solution of size in water, to which a little alum has been added. Curd soap, dissolved in hot water, may be used instead of ox-gall, but it is more likely to injure the colours if produced by false dyes. When there are spots of grease on the carpeting they may be covered with curd soap, dissolved in boiling water, and rubbed with a brush until the stains are removed, when they must be cleaned with warm water as before. The addition of a little gall to the soap renders it more efficacious. Some persons employ a mixture of soap, fuller’s earth, and turpentine, for the same purpose. Benzol rapidly removes the grease stains, and may be advantageously substituted for preparations of soap.
=CAR′RAGEEN.= Syn. I′′RISH MOSS; CHONDRUS, L. The Chondrus crispus of botanists, a well-known alga or seaweed. It contains a large proportion of a peculiar jelly, called carrageen′in or pect′in. This may be purified by agitation with dilute alcohol and filtration. The jelly forms an agreeable article of diet. It is used to a limited extent for thickening colours in calico printing. In medicine, carrageen is used in the form of a jelly and decoction as a demulcent, and is often prescribed in pulmonary complaints. See FIXATURE, ALGÆ, PASTE, SYRUP.
=CAR′ROT.= Syn. CARO′TA, L. The seed is carminative and diuretic; the expressed juice of the root is anthelmintic. Scraped raw carrot is sometimes employed as a stimulant application to sore nipples; the boiled root as a poultice to sores and tumours. As an article of food, unless young and well dressed, carrots are rather indigestible. Carrots can be kept for many months if the tops are cut out, and they are then placed in damp sand.
Analysis of Carrots.
Water 87·30 Albumenoids 0·66 Cellular tissue, gum, and non-nitrogenous substance 2·56 Sugar 5·54 Fibre 3·20 Mineral matters ·74 ------ 100·00
=CAR′THAMIN.= C_{14}H_{16}O_{7}. Syn. PURE ROUGE, SAF′FLOWER CARMINE, SAFFLOWER LAKE. The red colouring matter of Carthamus tinctorius or safflower, formerly much used as a dye, particularly in the form of pink saucers for dyeing stockings.
Prep. 1. Safflower, exhausted by washing it with water (or with water acidulated with acetic acid), is dried, coarsely pulverised, and the powder digested in a weak solution of carbonate of sodium; pieces of clean white cotton or calico are then immersed in the solution, and acetic acid gradually added in slight excess; the cotton is next washed, dried, and digested in a fresh quantity of dilute solution of carbonate of sodium, and agitation employed until the whole of the colour is again dissolved; the new solution is filtered and slightly super-saturated with citric acid (or acetic acid); the carthamin, which falls down in rich carmine-red flocks, is lastly washed with cold distilled water, and dried.
2. Washed safflower (dried and powdered), any quantity; aqueous solution of carbonate of sodium (containing 15% of carbonate), q. s. to form a thick paste; after some hours press out the red liquor, nearly neutralise it with acetic acid, put in cotton as before, and add acetic acid in slight excess; the next day remove the cotton and wash it in water holding in solution 5% of carbonate of sodium, until the colour is dissolved out, after which precipitate with citric acid, as before.
Prop., &c. An amorphous, brilliant, greenish powder; nearly insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, forming a gorgeous purple solution, and in weak alkaline lyes giving an equally beautiful red one.
=CAR′THAMUS.= Syn. SAF′FLOWER. In botany, a genus of composite plants, the most important species of which is Carthamus tinctorius, the safflower. The florets of this yield a beautiful pink dye (see above), and are sometimes used to adulterate hay saffron. The “cake saffron” of the shops consists entirely of safflower and mucilage. The fruits, commonly called “seeds,” yield by expression the useful oil known in India as Koosum oil.
=CARUM (PTYCHOTIS) AJOWAN.= Ind. Ph. Syn. AJWAIN or OMUM PLANT. Habitat. Tropical Africa? Much cultivated in India.——Officinal part. The fruit (Fructus Ptychotis, Ajwain fruit). Occurs in the form of minute umbelliferous fruits, which, examined with a lens, are seen to be covered with prominent tubercles, extremely aromatic, evolving, when rubbed, a strong odour resembling that of common thyme. Taste somewhat bitter, and very pungent. Its virtues reside in a volatile oil.——Properties. Valuable stimulant, carminative, and antispasmodic.——Therapeutic uses. In flatulence, flatulent colic, atonic dyspepsia, and diarrhœa, it is a remedy of much value.
OIL OF AJWAIN, or OMUM (Oleum Ptychotis). The oil obtained by distillation from the fruit. Recently prepared, colourless, but soon acquires a yellowish tinge. It has the odour of the fruit, and an acrid burning taste. Sp. gr. about 0·88.——Dose, 1 to 3 drops on sugar or in emulsion.
AJWAIN, OR OMUM WATER (Aqua Ptychotis). Take of ajwain fruit, bruised, 20 oz.; water, 2 galls. Distil a gallon.——Dose, 1 to 2 fluid ounces. A valuable carminative; also useful in disguising the taste of disagreeable drugs, especially castor oil, and obviating their tendency to cause nausea and griping.
=CARYOPH′YLLIN.= C_{10}H_{16}O. Syn. CLOVE CAMPHOR, CLOVE RESIN. A crystalline substance, isomeric with ordinary camphor, which deposits from oil of cloves in needles.
=CARYOPH′YLLUS.= See CLOVE.
=CASCARIL′LA.= Syn. CASCARILLÆ CORTEX (B. P.), L. The bark of Croton eleutheria or the seaside balsam, a tree growing in the Bahamas and Jamaica. It is an aromatic bitter, stomachic, and tonic——Dose, 10 gr. to 30 gr., in the form of powder, infusion, or tincture; in diarrhœa, dysentery, dyspepsia, low fevers, intermittents, &c.
=CASCARIL′LINE.= Syn. CASCARIL′LINA. Prep. (Duval.) Cascarilla is exhausted with cold water by percolation, precipitated with acetate of lead, and the filtrate treated with sulphuretted hydrogen; the filtered liquid, after agitation with animal charcoal and filtration, is gently evaporated to dryness. The powder is redissolved in boiling alcohol and crystallised by very slow or by spontaneous evaporation. It has a bitter taste and acid reaction; its aqueous solution is unaffected by the ferric salts and tincture of galls.——Dose, 1 to 3 gr.; in dyspepsia, &c.
=CASE-HARD′ENING.= Syn. STEEL SUR′FACING. The operation of giving a surface of steel to iron goods. Tools, fire-irons, fenders, keys, &c., are usually case-hardened.
Process. 1. The goods (finished in every respect but polishing) are put into an iron box, and covered with animal or vegetable charcoal, and “cemented” at a red heat for a period varying with the size and description of the articles operated on: these, when taken out, are hardened by plunging into water, or oil, if they are of a delicate nature.
2. (Moxon.) Cow’s horn or hoof is baked or thoroughly dried and pulverised; to this is added an equal quantity of bay salt, and the whole is made into a paste with stale chamber-lye, or white wine vinegar; the iron is covered with this mixture, and bedded in it, in loam, or inclosed in an iron box. In this form it is laid on the hearth of the forge to dry and harden, then it is put into the fire, and blown till the lump has a blood-red heat (no higher). It is hardened as before.
3. Coat the goods with a paste made of a concentrated solution of prussiate of potash and loam; then expose them to a strong red heat, and when it has fallen to a dull red, plunge the whole into cold water.
4. The goods, previously polished and finished, are heated to a bright-red, and rubbed or sprinkled over with prussiate of potash. As soon as the prussiate appears to be decomposed and dissipated the articles are plunged into cold water.
Obs. The process of case-hardening has been well conducted when the surface of the metal proves sufficiently hard to resist a file. The last two plans are a great improvement upon the common method. By the topical application of prussiate of potash (ferrocyanide of potassium) any part of a piece of iron may be case-hardened without interfering with the rest.
=Case-hardening Powders.= Syn. CASE-HARDENING COMPOSITIONS. 1. Prussiate of potash, dried and powdered.
2. Prussiate of potash, 3 parts; sal-ammoniac, 1 part; mix.
3. Sal-ammoniac and bone-dust, of each 2 parts; prussiate of potash, 1 part. (See above.)
=CA′SEIN.= Syn. CA′SEUM, CA′SEIN, LACTALBU′MEN, ALBUMEN OF MILK. The nitrogenous principle of milk. Cheese made from skimmed milk and well pressed is nearly pure casein. (Liebig.)
Prep. 1. The curd obtained by adding dilute sulphuric acid to milk is well washed and dissolved in carbonate of soda. It is allowed to stand for 24 hours, to let the oil rise to the surface, and when this is properly skimmed off, the casein is precipitated by an acid. The process is repeated a second time, and the coagulum digested with alcohol and ether, and dried. With all these precautions the casein still contains some saline matter which cannot be removed.
2. Milk is coagulated by hydrochloric acid, and the curd then well washed with dilute acid, and finally with pure water. The curd so prepared is dissolved by digestion at 110° Fahr., with a large quantity of water; the solution, after filtration, is coagulated with carbonate of ammonia; the coagulum is washed with water, ether, and alcohol, and finally dried.
Prop., &c. Coagulated casein is readily dissolved by the alkalies and alkaline carbonates. The most remarkable property of casein is its coagulation by certain animal membranes, as in the process of cheese-making with rennet. See LACTARIN.
=CASKS.= The care and management of casks is an important affair in a large establishment. It is found that they last longest when stored either in a dry situation, or in one uniformly very moist. Continual variations from the one to the other speedily rot them. As soon as casks are emptied they should be bunged down quite air-tight, with as much care as if they were full, by which means they will be preserved both sweet and sound. Should any of the hoops become loose they should be immediately driven up tight, which will at once prevent the liability of their being lost or misplaced, as well as the casks fouling or becoming musty from the admission of air. For this purpose those out of use should be occasionally hauled over and examined.
Numerous plans are adopted for CLEANING and PURIFYING CASKS, among which are the following:——
1. Wash them well out with oil of vitriol, diluted with an equal weight of water.
2. Wash them first with a little chloride of lime and warm water, and then with water soured with oil of vitriol.
3. Match them with sulphur, or with sulphur mixed with a little saltpetre.
4. Unhead them and whitewash them with fresh milk of lime, made pretty strong. This plan is commonly followed for brewers’ vats.
5. Remove the heads, and char the insides of the staves by the aid of a fire of shavings kindled within them.
6. A simpler, safer, and more effectual method of charring them than the last is to wash the dry casks out with strong oil of vitriol (sp. gr. 1·854). This not only purifies the surfaces of the staves, but penetrates into all the cracks, some of which might escape the action of the fire.
7. Steam has lately been applied to the insides of casks with great advantage. High-pressure steam is driven in at the bung-hole, at the same time that the cask is violently agitated (a heavy chain having been previously put into it), until all the dirt and bad smell is removed.
8. A lye of pearlash or soda, mixed with milk of lime, as well as strong hot brine, and other similar liquors, have been adopted by some persons, and are highly spoken of.
9. The coopers boil the staves for gin casks in a strong lye of alum before placing them together, to prevent their colouring the spirit, but washing with oil of vitriol is a better plan.
10. Some persons fill musty casks with water and add 3 or 4 lbs. of coarsely powdered fresh burnt charcoal, and agitate well for a few days.
11. Wash with bisulphite of lime.
Obs. In all the above processes the greatest care must be taken to scald or soak and well rinse out the casks after the treatment described. See BREWING UTENSILS, SPOROKTON, MATCHES, &c.
=CAS′SAREEP.= The expressed juice of the sweet cassava, concentrated by heat and flavoured with aromatics. It is used in the West Indies as a condiment. (See below.)
=CAS′SAVA.= A poisonous shrub cultivated in the West Indies and in many parts of South America for the sake of the starchy matter contained in its roots. It belongs to the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, and is known to botanists under the names Manihot utilissima (Pohl), Janipha manihot (Humboldt), and Jatropha manihot (Linn.), the former being that now generally adopted. The name “bitter cassava” is commonly given to it in the West Indies, to distinguish it from another species of the same genus, Manihot aipi (Pohl), which, from having no poisonous properties, is named the “sweet cassava.” The roots of both species yield the starch, but those of the poisonous plant are the richer.
The roots, after being well washed and scraped, are rasped or grated, and the pulp thus formed is subjected to strong pressure, to expel the poisonous juice which it contains. The compressed pulp is next thoroughly dried over the fire, being constantly stirred the whole time, by which any remaining portion of the noxious juice is either volatilised or decomposed. It now forms CASSAVA MEAL. When it is further prepared by grinding, it forms FINE CASSAVA MEAL or CASSAVA FLOUR. When the compressed pulp is baked on a hot plate, it forms CASSAVA BREAD or CASSAVA CAKES, the flavour of which greatly resembles that of Scotch oat-cakes. See TAPIOCA.
=CAS′SIA.= In botany, a genus of the natural order Leguminosæ, including several important medicinal plants. The “purging cassia,” Cassia fistula (Linn.), produces pods containing a soft, blackish pulp. (See below, also SENNA.)
=Cassia Pulp.= Syn. CASSIA PRÆPARA′TA, CASSIÆ PULPA (B. P.), L. Prep. The cassia (pods or fruit), broken lengthwise, are macerated in sufficient distilled water to cover them for six hours, constantly stirring; and the purified pulp strained through a hair sieve, and evaporated to the consistence of a confection in a water bath.——Dose. As a mild laxative, 1 to 2 dr.; as a purgative, 3/4 oz. to 1-1/2 oz.
=CAS′SOLETTES= (Scented). See PASTILLES and PERFUMERY.
=CAS′TOR.= Syn. CASTO′′REUM, L. (B. P.) “The follicles of the prepuce of the Castor fiber or beaver, filled with a peculiar secretion.” (Ph. L.) “A peculiar secretion from the præputial follicles.” (Ph. E. and D.) It is often sophisticated; a fraud readily detected by the “absence of the membranous partition in the interior of the bags, as well as by the altered smell and taste.” (Ure.) Russian castor, which is very rare, may be distinguished by a tincture of 1-16th part in alcohol, being of the colour of deep sherry, while that with American castor is of the colour of London porter. (Pereira.)——Dose, 1 to 2 dr. or more, in powder or made into pills; in nervous and spasmodic affections, especially in hysteria, epilepsy, and other like diseases of females.
=CASTOR CAKE.= The crushed and closely-pressed seeds of the Ricinus communis, after the expression of the oil, are said to be sometimes employed as a cattle food, and have the following composition:——
Moisture 9·95 Organic matter 81·07 Phosphate of lime and magnesia 4·49 Alkaline salts 1·80 Sand 2·69 —————— 100·00
This cake, even when mixed with large quantities of linseed cake, &c., is intensely poisonous. A pupil of the Editor states, however, that in India castor cake, after exposure to the sun, is commonly and safely used as a food for cattle.
=CAS′TOR OIL.= See OILS.
=CAS′TORIN.= Syn. CASTORIN′A, CASTOREUM CAMPHOR. When castor is cut into small pieces and boiled in about 6 times its weight of alcohol, crystalline substance (castorin) is deposited by the filtered tincture in cooling. By re-solution in alcohol it may be obtained under the form of colourless, prismatic, acicular crystals.
Obs. Genuine Russian castor, although the most expensive, must be employed in the above process, as scarcely any castorin can be obtained from the American variety.
Prop., &c. Castorin has the odour of castor, and a coppery taste; it is inflammable, and is soluble both in ether and hot alcohol.
=CASTS.= In preparing casts and moulds with gelatin, wax, fusible metal, and similar substances, it is important to use them at the lowest temperature compatible with fluidity; as when only a few degrees hotter the water which adheres to the things from which the casts are taken is converted into vapour, and produces bubbles. Fusible metal may be allowed to cool in a teacup until just ready to set at the edges, and then poured into the moulds. In this way beautiful casts from moulds of wood, or of other similar substances, may be procured. When taking impressions from gems, seals, &c., the fused alloy should be placed on paper or pasteboard, and stirred about till it becomes pasty, from incipient cooling, at which moment the gem, die, or seal should be suddenly stamped on it, and a very sharp impression will then be obtained.
=CATALEP′SY.= Syn. TRANCE; CATALEP′SIS, CATALEP′SIA, L. A disease in which the organs of sense and motion cease to exercise their functions, and the heart and lungs feebly perform their offices, and in a scarcely perceptible manner. The paroxysm generally comes on without previous warning, and its duration varies from a few minutes to several days, and if medical reports are to be credited, sometimes for a much longer period. Dr Cullen seriously affirms that this disease is always counterfeited.
Treat. Ammoniacal stimulants applied to the nostrils, and spirituous liquors injected into the stomach, with general friction of the body, and free access to pure air are the best remedies. Electricity and galvanism should also be had recourse to when the necessary apparatus is at hand.
=CAT′APLASMS.= See POULTICES.
=CAT′ARACT.= An opaque condition of the lens of the eye. It is a common cause of blindness. It can only be cured by a surgical operation.
=CATARRH′.= Syn. CATARRH′US, L. The “cold in the head,” or “cold on the chest,” of domestic medicine. Influenza is a severer form of this complaint, and has been called epidemic catarrh.
The common symptoms of catarrh are a copious discharge from the eyes and nose, a hoarseness, and generally a cough, more or less severe. The exciting causes are sudden changes of temperature and exposure to currents of cold air while the body is heated; hence the frequency of colds in hot and changeable weather.
Treat. A light diet should be adopted, and animal food and fermented and spirituous liquors should be particularly avoided. Some mild aperient should be administered; and when the symptoms are severe, or fever or headache is present, small diaphoretic doses of antimonials, accompanied by copious draughts of diluents, as barley water, weak tea, or gruel should be taken. This treatment, except in very bad cases, will generally effect a cure.
In HORSES catarrh is caused by sudden changes of temperature, draughts, and faulty ventilation. Let the animal have plenty of cool fresh air, the body being kept warm by means of horse-cloths and bandages. If necessary, give a mild physic-ball, or a clyster; keep it on a soft, laxative diet, and give it an ounce of nitre daily. Should there be sore throat or troublesome cough apply a mild blister of cantharides or mustard.
The following will be found a serviceable mixture:——Mendererus spirit, 1-1/2 oz.; sweet spirit of nitre, 2 drachms; syrup of sugar, 1/2 oz.; camphor mixture, enough to make a 6-oz. mixture. An adult may take two table-spoonfuls of this mixture every 3 or 4 hours. Should the cold in the head be severe and accompanied with cough, it has been recommended to inhale the vapour of pure washed ether by drawing it alternately into the nostrils from a wide-mouthed bottle holding about an ounce, and clutching it in the warm hand until about a fourth of the ounce has been volatilised. This repeated two, three, or four times in 48 hours is said to effect a cure within that time. Persons liable to colds are advised to use the cold bath.
Dr Ferrier’s Remedy for a Cold in the Head.——Hydrochlorate of morphia, 2 gr.; powdered gum Arabic, 2 drachms; subnitrate of bismuth, 6 drachms. Mix. Let a very small quantity be sniffed up the nose every five minutes for 20 or 30 minutes.
Another remedy: Carbolic acid, 10 drops; tincture iodine; chloroform, of each 7-1/2 grams. Place a few drops in a test-tube, and heat cautiously over a spirit-lamp, and when it boils remove, and inhale by the nose. Repeat after a few minutes. Two inhalations are said to be sufficient to cure a cold in the head. (‘Year-book of Pharmacy.’)
=CAT′ECHIN.= Syn. CATECHU′IC ACID, RESINOUS TAN′NIN. When cubical gambir or catechu, in powder, is treated with cold water, a portion remains undissolved. This is catechin. By repeated solutions in alcohol it may be obtained under the form of white, silky, acicular crystals.
Prop., &c. Catechin strikes a green colour with the salts of iron, but does not precipitate gelatin. When dissolved in caustic potassa, and the solution exposed to the air, it absorbs oxygen, and japonic acid is formed. If, instead of caustic potassa, carbonate of potassa is employed, it is converted into rutic acid.
=CAT′ECHU.= Syn. CAS′′HEW, CUTCH, GAM′BIR; CAT′ECHU (Ph. L. E. & D.), TER′RA JAPON′ICA, L.; CACHOU, Fr. “The extract from the wood of Acacia Catechu, or from the leaf of Uncaria Gambir.” (PALE CATECHU, Catechu Pallidum, B. P.) Also of the “kernels of areca catechu; probably, too, from other plants.” (Ph. E.) The term is now applied to several extracts similar in appearance and properties to that of Acacia Catechu.
There are several varieties of catechu known in commerce, of which the principal are——
CATECHU, BOMBAY. Firm, brittle, dark brown, of a uniform texture, and a glossy, semi-resinous, and uneven fracture, Sp. gr. 1·39. Richness in tannin, 52%.
CATECHU, BENGAL. Rusty brown colour externally; porous, and more friable than the preceding. Sp. gr. 1·28. Richness in tannin, 49·5%.
CATECHU, MALABAR. Resembles the last in appearance, but is more brittle and gritty. Sp. gr. 1·40. Richness in tannin, 45·5%.
Of the above varieties the first is the one generally employed in medicine, and which commonly passes by the name of catechu. The second popularly passes under the name of terra Japonica (Japan earth), from the old belief that it was of mineral origin.
CATECHU, PALE, is prepared at Singapore and in the Eastern Archipelago. It generally occurs in cubical reddish-brown pieces, porous, bitter, and astringent in taste. Entirely soluble in boiling water; the solution, when cold, is not rendered blue by iodine. Of 100 parts, only 60 are dissolved by cold water, and the solution is bright. Thirty parts of isinglass precipitate the whole of the astringent matter.——Test. Sp. gr. 1·39. “The pale catechu being already in the Edin., the B. P. 1864 retained it with the black; but the black is the one adopted by all other pharmacopœias, and is preferred in the arts and manufactures; it is well known to be far superior to the pale in astringency, and is always to be had of good quality; it is therefore a matter of surprise and regret that it has been rejected from the ‘British Pharmacopœia.’” (Squire.)
Estim. It is often of importance to the tanner and dyer to determine the richness of this article in tannic acid or tannin. The following are two simple methods:——
1. Exhaust a weighed sample (in powder) with ether, and evaporate by the heat of a hot-water bath. The product, which is the tannin, must then be accurately weighed.
2. Dissolve the sample (in powder) in hot water, let it cool out of contact with the air, filter, and add a solution of gelatin as long as a precipitate falls. The precipitate, after being washed and dried at a steam heat, contains 40% of tannin.
Uses, &c. Catechu is extensively employed in medicine, both internally and externally, as an astringent. It is used to flavour British brandy, and by the tanners as a substitute for oak bark. With it the dyer produces, inexpensively, many of his most pleasing browns. Alum mordants are mostly employed in dyeing with catechu. “The salts of copper with sal-ammoniac cause it to give a BRONZE COLOUR, which is very fast; the protochloride of tin, a BROWNISH YELLOW; the perchloride of tin, with the addition of nitrate of copper, a DEEP-BRONZE HUE; acetate of alumina, alone, a REDDISH BROWN, and with nitrate of copper, a REDDISH-OLIVE GREY; nitrate of iron, a DARK-BROWN GREY. For dyeing a GOLDEN COFFEE-BROWN, it has entirely superseded madder; 1 lb. of it being equivalent to 6 lbs. of this root.” (Ure.)——Dose, 10 gr. to 30 gr. in solution, in water, or made into a bolus, or sucked as a lozenge.
=CAT′GUT.= The prepared and twisted intestines of animals. Prep. The guts, taken whilst warm from the animal, are thoroughly cleaned, freed from adherent fat, and well rinsed in pure water. They are next soaked for about 2 days in water, after which they are laid on a table and scraped with a copper plate, having a semicircular notch, beginning the operation at the smaller end. In this way the mucous and peritoneal membranes are removed. The guts are then put into fresh water, and soaked until the next day, when they are again scraped, the larger ends cut off, and after well washing, again steeped for a night in fresh water, and then for 2 or 3 hours in a weak lye of pearlash or potash (2 oz. to the gall.) They are lastly washed in clean water, and passed through a polished hole in a piece of brass to smooth and equalise their surface; after which they are twisted, and sorted, according to the purposes for which they are intended. For many purposes the prepared gut is dyed or sulphured, and rubbed with olive oil. It improves by age. Red or black ink, or any of the simple dyes or stains, are used to colour it.
Uses, &c. Catgut is employed in several of the arts. The strings of harps, violins, &c., are formed of this material. Whipcord is made from catgut, which is sewed together while soft with the filandre or scrapings, after which it is put into a frame and twisted. Bowstrings for hatmakers are made out of the largest intestines, 4 to 12 of which are twisted together, until the cord is extended to 15 to 25 feet in length. It is then rubbed perfectly smooth and free from knots, half dried, sulphured twice, again stretched and sulphured, and lastly dried in a state of tension. Clock-makers’ cords are made of the smallest intestines in a similar manner.
The best fine catgut is made at Venice or Rome, from the intestines of thin, sinewy sheep. That made in England is formed from the fat sheep killed for the shamble, and is, hence, inferior. Coarse catgut, for turning lathes, &c., is made from the intestines of horses, cut into 4 or 5 strips, by forcing a ball furnished with projecting knives placed cross-wise along them. These strips are next twisted, dried, and rubbed smooth with fish skin. Gutta percha and vulcanised india rubber are now applied to many of the purposes formerly exclusively occupied by catgut.
=CATHAR′TICS.= See PURGATIVES.
=CATHAR′TIN.= The purgative principle of senna, first noticed by Lassaigne and Fenuelle. A strong aqueous infusion of senna leaves is evaporated to the consistence of a syrup, out of contact with the air; this fluid extract is then digested in alcohol or rectified spirit, and the tincture, after filtration, is evaporated to dryness by a gentle heat.
Prop., &c. A reddish-coloured, uncrystallisable mass; having a peculiar odour and a bitter, nauseous taste; freely soluble in both water and alcohol, and strongly cathartic. Two or three grs. cause nausea, griping, and purging. It has been proposed to employ it, combined with aromatics, as a cathartic.
=CATH′ETERS.= Small tubes introduced into the bladder for the purpose of drawing off its contents. They may be regarded as hollow bougies.
Prep. 1. A piece of smooth catgut, or steel wire, bent to the proper shape, is coated with melted wax. When cold it is dipped repeatedly into an ethereal solution of india rubber, until a sufficient thickness is obtained, after which it is dried by a gentle heat, and then boiled in water to melt out the wax, and to allow the catgut to be withdrawn. A solution of india rubber in bisulphide of carbon is now generally employed instead of an ethereal solution.
2. From slips of india rubber, as directed under BOUGIES.
3. A smooth tissue of silk is woven over a bent wire, and then coated with a surface of india rubber, or elastic varnish, and finished off as before. See BOUGIES.
=CAUDLE.= Gruel enriched by various additions.
Prep. 1. Thick oatmeal gruel mixed with about one half its weight of good mild ale (made hot), and as much sugar, and mace, nutmeg, or ginger, as will make it agreeable.
2. To the last add an egg, well beaten.
3. Sugar, 3 or 4 lumps; hot water, a table-spoonful; dissolve; add 1 egg; beat well together; further add a glass of wine and a little nutmeg or ginger; mix well, and stir the mixture into good gruel (hot), 3/4 pint.
Uses, &c. A nourishing and restorative mixture during convalescence, much used among certain classes after accouchement. It is an excellent domestic remedy for colds, &c., unaccompanied with fever; for which purpose it should be taken on retiring to rest at night, preceded by a dose of castor oil during the day.
=CAULIFLOWER.= Like the cabbage, the cauliflower forms a very nutritious article of diet; rich in albumenoids and phosphates. The ash, as will be seen from the subjoined analysis, contains a large amount of mineral matter:——
Ash of Cauliflower.
Potash 34·39 Soda 14·79 Magnesia 2·38 Lime 2·96 Phosphoric acid 25·84 Sulphuric acid 11·16 Silica 1·92 Phosphate of iron 3·67 Chloride of sodium 2·78
=CAUS′TIC.= Syn. CAUS′TICUM, ESCHAROT′I-CUM, L. A substance that corrodes or destroys the texture of organised bodies. This action is popularly termed “burning.”
The principal caustics are nitrate of silver, caustic potassa, a mixture of caustic potassa and quick-lime, sulphate of copper, red oxide of mercury, verdigris, tincture of sesquichloride of iron, chloride of zinc, chloride of antimony, nitric acid, acetic acid, and carbolic acid.
Use. Caustics are employed to remove excrescences, morbid growths, granulations, &c., as corns, warts, and proud flesh; and to open issues, abscesses, &c. The first, second, and fourth are applied by gently rubbing them on the part previously moistened with water; the third is commonly made into a paste, with rectified spirit or glycerin, before application; red oxide of mercury and verdigris (in the form of powder) are often sprinkled over foul and indolent ulcers; whilst the acids and other liquid caustics are applied with a feather, camel-hair pencil, or glass rod. The same applies to the liquid preparations below. In all cases care should be taken to confine the application to the affected part.
=Caustic, Ammoni′acal.= See OINTMENTS, and CAUSTIC, GONDRET’S.
=Caustic, Antimo′′nial.= Syn. CAUSTICUM ANTIMONIA′LE, L. Chloride of antimony.
=Caustic, Arsen′ical.= Syn. CAUSTICUM ARSENICA′LE, C. ARSENIO′SUM, C. A. COMPOS′ITUM, L. Prep. 1. See CAUSTIC, PLUNKET’S.
2. (Cutan. Hosp.) Calomel, 2-1/2 oz.; red sulphide of mercury, 1 dr.; arsenious acid, 1 dr. to 2 dr.
3. (Van Mons.) Arsenious acid, 6 dr.; dragon’s blood, 2 dr.; animal charcoal, 1-1/2 dr.; cinnabar, 3 oz.
4. (Ratier.) Arsenious acid, 1 part; kino, 8 parts; cinnabar, 16 parts. The ingredients of the last three must be separately reduced to fine powder, and then carefully mixed. They are favourite applications on the Continent, in cases of cancer, cancerous sores, obstinate lepra, &c. They are either dusted over the part, or are made into a paste with mucilage or the saliva, and applied like an ointment on a piece of rag or lint; due caution being observed, and the effects watched. The last is much used in the French hospitals.
=Caustic, Canquoin’s.= See ZINC CAUSTIC.
=Caustic, Canthar′ides.= Syn. CAUSTICUM CANTHAR′IDIS, L. Prep. 1. Powdered cantharides made into a paste with concentrated acetic acid.
2. (Cutan. Hosp.) Tannin, 1 oz.; cantharides (powdered), 2 oz.; strong acetic acid, 8 oz.; digest a week, and strain. Blisters.
=Caustic, Common.= See POTASSA (HYDRATE OF), and CAUSTIC OF POTASSA WITH LIME.
CAUSTIC, DUVILLE’S. Prep. 1. Aloes, 5 oz.; proof spirit, 10 oz.; oil of vitriol, 6 oz.; mix.
2. Aloes (in powder), 2-1/2 oz.; rum, 1/4 pint; mix, and the next day add, oil of vitriol, 1 oz. A favourite caustic in veterinary practice; especially in foot-rot.
=Caustic, Filho’s.= Prep. From caustic potassa, 2 parts; quick-lime (in powder), 1 part; melt together in a ladle, mix well, and pour it into small leaden tubes, the size of a large swan-quill. When cold, coat each piece with melted beeswax, to exclude the air. Used as a strong caustic in veterinary practice. It is applied like nitrate of silver.
=Caustic, Golden.= Syn. CAUSTIC OF CHLORIDE OF GOLD; CAUSTICUM AUR′EUM, C. AUR′′II CHLOR′IDI, L. Prep. 1. (Recamier.) Terchloride of gold, 6 gr.; nitro-hydrochloric acid, 1 oz.; dissolve.
2. (Legrand.) As the last, but using nitric acid. Both are recommended as caustics in syphilitic, scrofulous, and scorbutic ulcers, cancerous growths, &c.; applied by means of a dossil of lint.
=Caustic, Gondret’s.= Syn. GONDRET’S AMMONI′ACAL CAUSTIC; POMMADE DE GONDRET, Fr.; CAUSTICUM AMMONIACA′LE, L. Prep. 1. See OINTMENT, AMMONIACAL.
2. (Original formula.) Almond oil, 2 dr.; suet, 4 dr.; lard, 6 dr.; melt together in a wide-mouthed bottle, cool a little, add solution of ammonia, 12 dr.; and agitate until cold. A powerful rubefacient and counter-irritant; used to produce an immediate revulsion. If covered with a compress, it raises a blister in 4 or 5 minutes.
=Caustic, I′odine.= Syn. CAUSTICUM IODIN′II, L. Prep. (Lugol.) Iodine and iodide of potassium, of each 1 part; water 2 parts; dissolve. Used in similar cases to iodine paint, and to scrofulous growths and ulcers.
=Caustic, Lu′′nar.= Syn. LA′PIS INFERNA′LIS, L. Prep. 1. Nitrate of silver fused and formed into sticks by pouring it into moulds.
2. (E. R. Squibb.) Nitrate of silver fused with a small quantity of chloride of iron, and formed into sticks or points. The chloride of iron gives toughness to the caustic.
=Caustic, Mercu′′rial.= Syn. CAUSTIC OF NITRATE OF MERCURY; CAUSTICUM AC′IDI HYDRAR′′GYRI NITRA′TIS, C. H. DEUTRONITRATIS, L. From mercury, 1 part; commercial nitric acid, 2 parts; dissolve.
2. (Cutan. Hosp.) Mercury, 1 part; nitric acid (sp. gr. 1·5), 2 parts.
3. (P. C.) As No. 1, but evaporating the solution to 3/4ths its weight. These liquids are applied with a pencil or lint, in scrofulous and syphilitic ulcers and eruptions, and in lupus, psoriasis, lepra, and other obstinate skin diseases; but their use requires great care.
4. (With arsenic.——Cutan. Hosp.) Mercury, 1/2 oz.; nitric acid, 1/2 oz.; arsenious acid, 1/2 dr.; as before.
=Caustic, Ni′tric.= Syn. SOLID′IFIED NITRIC ACID; CAUSTICUM NI′TRICUM, L. Prep. (Dr Rivallie.) Concentrated nitric acid is gradually dropped on a piece of lint, placed in a saucer or glass; as soon as the lint is gelatinised, it is pressed into a suitable shape with a glass rod, and applied to the part; it must be removed in 15 minutes. In cancerous tumours, fungoid growths, &c.
=Caustic, O′′piated.= Syn. CAUSTICUM OPIA′TUM, L. Prep. 1. Common caustic (potassa with lime), 4 dr.; powdered opium, 1 dr.; soft soap, q. s. to make a paste. Applied to fungous ulcers.
=Caustic, Plunket’s.= Upright crowfoot and lesser spear-wort, of each 1 oz.; sulphur, 5 scrup.; white arsenic (in very fine powder), 1 dr.; beat to a smooth paste, form it into balls, and dry them in the sun. In cancer; a portion of one of the balls is reduced to powder, which is mixed up with yelk of eggs, and applied on a piece of bladder.
=Caustic of Potassa with Lime.= Syn. VIENNA PASTE. Rub together equal parts of hydrate of potash and quick-lime, and keep the powder in a well-stoppered bottle.
=Caustic, Poten′tial.= Fused caustic potassa.
=Caustic, Recamier’s.= See CAUSTIC, GOLDEN.
=Caustic, Sulphu′′ric.= Syn. CAUSTICUM SULPHU′′RICUM, C. AC′IDI SULPHU′′RICI, L. Prep. 1. Plaster of Paris made into a paste with oil of vitriol.
2. Saffron, lint, or unsized paper, soaked in oil of vitriol, and triturated to a plastic mass.
=Caustic, Zinc.= Syn. CAUSTIC OF CHLORIDE OF ZINC, DR CANQUOIN’S CANCER CAUSTIC; CAUSTICUM ZINC′I, C. Z. CHLORID′I, L. Prep. 1. (Dr Canquoin.)——a. From chloride of zinc, 1 dr.; flour, 2 dr.; made into a stiff paste with water, q. s.
b. From chloride of zinc, 1 dr.; flour, 3 dr.; water, q. s.; as the last.
c. From chloride of zinc, 1 dr.; flour, 4 dr.; water, q. s.; as before.
d. From chloride of zinc, 2 dr.; chloride of antimony, 1 dr.; flour, 5 dr.; as before.
Powdered opium may be mixed with either of the preceding to mitigate the pain.
2. (Alex. Ure.) As above, but substituting plaster of Paris for the flour there ordered.
Uses, &c. As a caustic in cancer, lupus, skin-marks (nævi), &c. It is formed into small cakes or wafers not exceeding 1 or 2 lines in thickness, one of which is applied to the part, and allowed to remain on from 6 to 12 hours, when it is removed, and the part covered with a poultice. It produces an eschar, often exceeding a quarter of an inch in depth. The chlorides must be in the form of powder, and well mixed with the flour previously to adding the water. The last (No. 1, d) is recommended in nodulated cancerous tumours.
=CAUS′TICS (Ve′terinary).= In veterinary practice, any of the substances enumerated in the forgoing list may be employed; but nitric acid, sulphuric acid, carbolic acid, chloride of zinc, and nitrate of silver, are those most commonly used. See VETERINARY MEDICINES.
=CAV′IARE.= Syn. CAV′IAR, CAV′IALE. The salted roe of several species of sturgeon. It is much esteemed by the Russians, as well as by some other nations of northern Europe, and is occasionally eaten as a delicacy in this country. It is, however, very oily, indigestible, and unwholesome.
=CAYENNE′.= See CAPSICUM, PEPPERS.
=CEDAR-WOOD (Oil of).= See OILS.
=Cedar-Wood (Tincture of).= See TINCTURES.
=CE′DRAT.= See LIQUEURS.
=CE′DRENE= and =CE′DROLA=. The oil of cedar-wood, by careful distillation, is separable into two substances——a solid crystalline compound (cedrola), and a volatile liquid hydrocarbon (cedrene). The first may be converted into the other by distillation with phosphoric anhydride.
=CELLULARES.= In botany, a name given to cryptogams, or flowerless plants, upon the supposition that they consist entirely of cells.
=CEL′LULOSE.= See LIGNIN.
=CEMENT′.= Syn. CEMENT′TUM, L. Any substance which, when applied to the surfaces of other bodies, causes them to adhere together when placed in contact. Those referred to below are amongst the most useful preparations of this class. The term cement is also applied by builders and architects to several species of mortars and like compositions employed either to unite stones and bricks into masses, or as a protective covering against the weather or water, or to make statues, cornices, and similar ornamental articles.
In general the thinner the stratum of interposed cement, the stronger is the junction of the surfaces operated on. This caution is necessary, as in their anxiety to unite broken articles persons generally defeat themselves by spreading the cement too thickly on the edges of the fracture; whereas the least possible quantity should be used, so as to bring the edges as close as possible together.
=Cement, Al′abaster.= 1. Prom plaster of Paris (in fine powder), made into a cream with water, and at once applied.
2. Yellow resin, 2 parts; melt and stir in plaster of Paris, 1 part.
3. Yellow resin, beeswax, and plaster of Paris, equal parts.
4. Resin, 8 parts; wax, 1 part; melt and stir in plaster of Paris, 4 parts, or q. s.
5. Sulphur or shell-lac, melted with sufficient plaster of Paris or colouring matter to give the desired shade. Used to join or mend pieces in alabaster, white marble, Derbyshire spar, porphyry, and other like substances; and to fill up cracks, supply chips out of corners, &c. The last four are applied hot, the surfaces to be united having been previously warmed. See CEMENT, WATERGLASS.
=Cement, Architect′ural.= 1. From paper (reduced to a smooth paste by boiling it in water), sifted whiting, and good size, equal parts, boiled to a proper consistence.
2. Paper paste, size, and plaster of Paris, equal parts; as before.
Obs. This is a species of papier-maché. It is used to make architectural ornaments, busts, statues, columns, &c. It is very light, and receives a good polish, but will not stand the weather unless it is well varnished or painted.
=Cement, Arme′nian.= Syn. DIAMOND CEMENT, PERSIAN C., TURKISH C., JEWELLERS’ C. The jewellers of Turkey, who are mostly Armenians, have a singular method of ornamenting watch-cases, &c., with diamonds and other precious stones, by simply gluing or cementing them on. The stone is set in silver or gold, and the lower part of the metal made flat, or to correspond with the part to which it is to be fixed; it is then gently warmed, and the glue is applied, which is so very strong that the parts thus cemented never separate. This glue will strongly unite pieces of glass and china, and even polished steel, and may be applied to a variety of useful purposes.
Prep. 1. (Original Armenian formula; Eton.) Dissolve five or six bits of gum mastic, each the size of a large pea, in as much rectified spirit of wine as will suffice to render it liquid; and, in another vessel, dissolve as much isinglass, previously a little softened in water (though none of the water must be used), in French brandy or good rum, as will make a two-ounce phial of very strong glue, adding two small bits of gum galbanum or ammoniacum, which must be rubbed or ground till they are dissolved. Then mix the whole with a sufficient heat. Keep the glue in a phial closely stopped, and when it is to be used set the phial in boiling water.
2. (Keller’s ARMENIAN CEMENT.) Soak isinglass, 1/2 oz., in water, 4 oz., for 24 hours; evaporate in a water bath to 2 oz.; add rectified spirit, 2 oz., and strain through linen; mix this, whilst warm, with a solution formed by dissolving gum mastic (best), 1/4 oz., in rectified spirit, 2 oz.; add of powdered gum ammoniac 1 dr., and triturate together until perfectly incorporated, avoiding loss of the spirit by evaporation as much as possible.
3. (Ure’s DIAMOND CEMENT.) Isinglass, 1 oz.; distilled water, 6 oz.; boil to 3 oz., and add rectified spirit, 1-1/2 oz.; boil for a minute or two, strain, and add, while hot, first a milky emulsion of ammoniac, 1/2 oz., and then tincture of mastic, 5 dr.
4. Isinglass soaked in water and dissolved in spirit, 2 oz. (thick); dissolve in this 10 gr. of very pale gum ammoniac (in tears), by rubbing them together; then add 6 large tears of gum mastic, dissolved in the least possible quantity of rectified spirit.
5. Isinglass dissolved in proof spirit (as above), 3 oz.; bottoms of mastic varnish (thick, but clear), 1-1/2 oz.; mix well.
Obs. When carefully made, this cement resists moisture and dries colourless. As usually met with, it is not only of very bad quality, but sold at exorbitant prices. “Some persons have sold a composition under the name of Armenian cement in England; but this composition is badly made; it is much too thin, and the quantity of mastic is much too small.” (Eton.) Methylated spirit may be used instead of the pure spirit in the above preparations. Mastic and mastic varnish are also used by jewellers as cements.
=Cement, Beale’s.= Chalk, 60 parts; lime and salt, of each 20 parts; Barnsey sand, 10 parts; iron filings or dust, and blue or red clay, of each 5 parts; grind together and calcine. Patented as a fire-proof cement.
=Cement, Boil′er.= Prep. Dried clay in powder, 6 lbs.; iron filings, 1 lb. Make into a paste with boiled linseed oil. Used to stop cracks and leaks in iron boilers, stoves, &c. See CEMENT, IRON, STEAM-BOILER C.
=Cement, Bot′any Bay.= Yellow gum (Botany Bay gum) and brickdust, equal parts, melted together. Used to cement coarse earthenware, &c.
=Cement, Bot′tle.= Prep. 1. Resin, 1 lb.; tallow or suet, 1/4 lb.; melt together, and stir in the colouring matter.
2. Resin, 5 lbs.; beeswax, 1 lb.; colouring, q. s.; as last.
3. (Red.) To each pound of the above add whiting (dry), 3 oz., and light red (burnt ochre), 4 oz.; or red bole, q. s. (all in fine powder).
4. (Black.)——a. To each pound of No. 1, or No. 2, add ivory black (bone black), q. s.
b. From black pitch, 6 lbs.; ivory black and whiting of each, 1 lb.; melted together. Used in the same way as common sealing-wax for bottle corks, cask bungs, &c. See CEMENT, MAISSIAT’S.
=Cement, Brim′stone.= Melted brimstone, either alone, or mixed with resin and brickdust. Cheap and useful.
=Cement, Bru′yere’s.= Clay, 3 parts; slaked lime, 1 part; mix and expose them to a full red heat for 3 hours, then grind to powder. Recommended as an hydraulic cement.
=Cement, Build′ing.= Syn. ARTIFICIAL PUZZOLENE′. From a mixture of clay or loam, broken pottery, flints, or siliceous sand, or broken bottle glass, and wood ashes, exposed to a considerable heat in a furnace, until it becomes partially vitrified; it is then ground to fine powder, sifted, and mixed with one third its weight of quick-lime, also in fine powder, after which it must be packed (tight) in casks to preserve it from the air and moisture. For use it is mixed up with water and applied like Roman cement.
=Cement, Cap.= Prep. 1. Resin, 5 lbs.; beeswax and dried Venetian red, of each 1 lb.; melted together.
2. (C. G. Williams.) Equal weights of red lead and white lead. Used for chemical and electrical purposes. For cementing glass tubes, necks of balloons, &c., into metal mountings. No. 2 is preferable to white lead alone, and may be depended on for temperature up to 212°.
=Cement, Cheese.= From grated cheese, 2 parts; quick-lime (in fine powder) 1 part; white of egg, q. s.; beat to a paste. Used for earthenware, &c.
=Cement, Chem′ical.= Syn. SOFT CEMENT. Prep. From yellow wax, 4 parts; common turpentine, 2 parts; Venetian red (well dried), 1 part; melted together. Used as a temporary stopping or lute for the ends or joints of tubes, which are not exposed to much heat; as in alkalimetry, &c. See CEMENT, ELECTRICAL.
=Cement, Chi′nese.= Syn. SHELL-LAC CEMENT, LIQUID GLUE. Prep. 1. Finest pale orange shell-lac (broken small), 4 oz.; rectified spirit (strongest), 3 oz.; digested together in a corked bottle in a warm place until dissolved. Very strong and useful; almost odourless. It should have about the consistence of treacle.
2. As before, but using rectified wood naphtha as the solvent. Inferior to the last, but excellent for many purposes.
3. (Without spirit.) Prep. Borax, 1 oz.; water, 3/4 pint; shell-lac, 3 oz.; boil in a covered vessel until dissolved, then evaporate to a proper consistence. Cheap and useful, but dries slowly.
4. Macerate for several hours, 6 parts of glue, in small pieces, in 16 parts of water; then add 1 part of hydrochloric acid, and 1-1/2 part of sulphate of zinc; and let the mixture be kept for 10 or 12 hours at a temperature of 68° or 70° C.
Uses, &c. Employed to mend glass, china, fancy work, jewelry, &c., for which it is only inferior to Armenian cement. The first formula produces a cement so strong that pieces of wood may be joined together, cut slopingly across the grain, and will afterwards resist every attempt to break them at the same place. In many of the islands of the Indian Ocean, in Japan, China, and the East Indies, a similar cement is used to join pieces of wood for bows, lances, &c. The fluid is thinly smeared over each face of the joint, a piece of very thin gauze interposed, and the whole pressed tightly together and maintained so until the next day. Joints so made will even bear the continual flexure of a bow without separating. It is admirably adapted for fishing rods. The product of the second formula is commonly sold as LIQUID GLUE. That of the last is much used by the druggists and oilmen, instead of gum, for fixing paper labels to tin, and to glass when exposed to damp.
=Cement, Cop′persmiths’.= Syn. BLOOD CEMENT. From bullock’s blood thickened with finely powdered quick-lime. Used to secure the edges and rivets of copper boilers, to mend leaks from joints, &c. It must be used as soon as mixed, as it rapidly gets hard. It is cheap and durable, and is suited for many other purposes.
=Cement, Curd.= Prep. 1. The curd of skimmed milk (obtained by the addition of vinegar or rennet) is beaten to a paste with quick-lime, in fine powder.
2. Add vinegar, 1/2 pint, to skimmed milk, 1/2 pint; mix the curd with the whites of 5 eggs; well beaten and powdered quick-lime, q. s. to form a paste. Used for mending glass and earthenware; they resist water and a moderate degree of heat.
3. Rub from two to four parts of the curd, with a cold solution of borax, till a thick liquid is obtained, that becomes clear on standing. This is an excellent cement for artificial meerschaums, and may be used to give consistency to silk goods, or to coat artificial flowers, and court plaster, to the latter of which it imparts more adhesiveness and firmness.
=Cement, Cut′lers’.= Prep. 1. Black resin, 4 lbs.; beeswax, 1 lb.; melt, and add finely powdered and well-dried brickdust, 1 lb.; mix well.
2. Equal weights of resin and brickdust, melted together.
Use. To fix knives and forks in their handles. It is put into the hollow of the handle, and the metal, previously made hot enough to melt the composition, pressed into its place whilst warm, and the whole kept upright and still until quite cold.
=Cement, Di′amond.= See CEMENT, ARMENIAN.
=Cement, Egg.= White of egg thickened with finely powdered quick-lime. Used to mend earthenware, glass, china, marble, alabaster, spar ornaments, &c. It does not resist long exposure to moisture unless it has been exposed to heat.
=Cement, Elas′tic.= Prep. 1. Caoutchouc (in small pieces), 1 part; chloroform, 3 parts; dissolve.
2. (Lenher.) Caoutchouc, 5 parts; chloroform, 3 parts; dissolve, and add gum mastic (powdered), 1 part. Elastic and transparent.
3. Gutta percha, 3 parts; caoutchouc, 1 part (both cut small); bisulphide of carbon, 8 parts; mix in a close vessel and dissolve by the heat of a water bath. This is to be gently warmed before it is applied.
4. Gutta percha, 1 lb.; caoutchouc, 4 oz.; pitch, 2 oz.; shell-lac, 1 oz.; linseed oil, 2 oz.; melted together. This must be melted before being applied.
Obs. The cements 1 and 2 are elastic and transparent, and are applicable to many uses. The others, 3 and 4, are used for uniting leather, cloth, &c.
=Cement, Elec′trical.= Syn. CHEMICAL CEMENT. From black resin, 7 lbs.; red ochre, 1 lb.; plaster of Paris, 1/2 lb. (both well dried and still warm); melted together, and the heat and agitation continued until all frothing ceases, and the liquid runs smooth; the vessel is then withdrawn from the fire, and the mixture stirred until cooled sufficiently. Used to cement the plates in galvanic troughs, join chemical vessels, &c. See CEMENT, CAP, CEMENT, SINGER’S, &c.
=Cement, Engineers′′.= Prep. 1. Ground white lead, mixed with as much red lead as will make it of the consistence of putty.
2. Equal weights of red lead and white lead, mixed with boiled linseed oil, to a proper consistence. Used by engineers and others to make metallic joints. A washer of hemp, yarn, or canvas, smeared with the cement, is placed in the joint, which is then “brought home,” or screwed up tight. It dries as hard as stone. It also answers well for joining broken stones, however large. Cisterns built of squares stones, put together, while dry, with this cement, will never leak or come to repair.
=Cement, Extempora′′neous.= 1. Shell-lac, melted, and run into small sticks the size of a quill. Used to join glass, earthenware, &c. The edges are heated sufficiently hot to melt the cement, which is then thinly smeared over them, and the joint made while they are still hot. This is the cement so commonly vended in the streets of London, and which used to surprise us in our boyhood days.
2. Tears of gum mastic, used in the same way. Commonly employed by jewellers and others.
Cement, Fire′proof. Prep. From fine river sand, 20 parts; litharge, 2 parts; quick-lime, 1 part; linseed oil, q. s. to form a thin paste. Applied to walls, it soon acquires a stony hardness. It is also used to mend broken pieces of stone, stone steps, &c. See CEMENT, BEALE’S, &c.
=Cement, Flour.= Syn. PASTE, FLOUR PASTE. This useful and well-known article is made by mixing about a tablespoonful of wheat flour with cold water, (say) 1/2 pint, adding the latter gradually, and thoroughly stirring in each portion before pouring in more; the vessel is then placed over the fire, and the whole assiduously stirred until it boils, great care being taken to prevent caking on the bottom, or burning. Some persons add about 1/3 of a teaspoonful of powdered alum to the water, which is said to strengthen the product; the shoemakers add a little quantity of powdered resin to the flour, with the same intention. The addition of a little brown sugar and a few grains of corrosive sublimate will prevent it turning mouldy, and is said to preserve it for years. When too hard or dry, it may be softened by beating it up with a little hot water.
=Cement, French.= Mucilage of gum Arabic, thickened with starch powder or farina; a little lemon-juice is sometimes added. Used by naturalists in mounting specimens; by artificial-flower makers; and by confectioners, to stick paper, wafer papers, ornaments, &c., on their fancy cakes. Plain mucilage is often used in the same way.
=Cement, Gad’s.= Syn. GAD’S HYDRAULIC CEMENT. From clay (well dried and powdered), 3 parts; oxide of iron, 1 part; mixed together, and made into a stiff paste with boiled oil. Used for work required to harden under water.
=Cement, Glass.= Syn. GLASS FLUX. Prep. Red lead, 3 parts; fine white sand, 2 parts; crystallised boracic acid, 3 parts; mixed and fused; it is levigated, and applied with thin mucilage of tragacanth. Used for mending broken china, &c. The repaired article must be gently heated, so as partially to fuse the cement.
=Cement, Gibbs’.= Mr Gibbs patented in 1850 various processes for making admirable building and architectural cements, equal in hardness and duration, and superior in colour, to the best Roman and Portland cements at present in use. His materials are obtained from “the vast beds of (natural) argillaceous marls and marly limestones, or marl stones, which contain the due admixture of lime, silica, and alumina, from which hydraulic cements and artificial stones may be manufactured.” These materials he finds in “the chalk formation, the Wealden formation, the Purbeck beds, the lias formation, the mountain limestone, and the lowest strata of the coal-measures.” After duly choosing his materials according to the particular object in view, he prepares them “by burning in kilns, and grinding in mills, in the way cement is now manufactured.” Marls and limestones are to be “first dried in kilns or ovens, at a heat fit for baking, until all moisture be driven off, and that then the calcination be prolonged as much as possible; the heat being kept as low as is only just sufficient to effect complete calcination——this being indispensable, to avoid the commencement of vitrification, which would destroy the adhesive properties of the cement.”
=Cement, Glue.= Prep. 1. From glue, 1 lb. melted with the least possible quantity of water, and then mixed with black resin, 1 lb., and red ochre, 4 oz.
2. Glue, melted as above, and mixed with about 1/4th of its weight each of boiled oil and red ochre.
3. (Ure.) Melted glue (of the consistence used by carpenters), 8 parts; linseed oil, boiled to varnish with litharge, 4 parts; incorporate thoroughly together.
4. Glue (melted as last), 4 parts; Venice turpentine, 1 part.
Obs. The first three dry in about 48 hours, and are very useful to render the joints of wooden casks, cisterns, &c., watertight; also to fix stones in frames. The last serves to cement glass, wood, and even metal to each other. A good cement for fixing wood to glass may be made by dissolving isinglass in acetic acid, in such quantities that it becomes solid when cold. When applied let it be heated. They all resist moisture well.
=Cement, Grind′ers’.= Prep. 1. From pitch, 5 parts; wood ashes and hard tallow, of each 1 part; melted together.
2. Black resin, 4 lbs.; beeswax, 1 lb. melt, and add of whiting (previously heated red hot, and still warm), 1 lb.
3. Shell-lac, melted and applied to the pieces slightly heated. Used to fix pieces of glass, &c., whilst grinding. The last is used for lenses and fine work.
=Cement, Hamelin’s.= Syn. HAMELIN’S MASTIC. From siliceous sand, 60 parts; Bath or Portland stone (in fine powder), 40 parts; lime-marl, 20 parts; litharge, 8 parts; ground together. For use it is mixed up with linseed oil and used like mortar. When this cement is applied to the purpose of covering buildings intended to resemble stone, the surface of the building is first washed with linseed oil.
=Cement, Hensler’s.= Litharge, 3 parts; quick-lime, 2 parts; white bole, 1 part (all in fine powder); linseed-oil varnish, q. s. to make a paste. Used for china, glass, &c. It is very tenacious, but long in drying.
=Cement, Hœnle’s.= Shell-lac, 2 parts; Venice turpentine, 1 part; fused together, and formed into sticks. It is used like extemporaneous cement for glass and earthenware.
=Cement, Hydraulic.= Hydraulic mortars or cements are those which set or become hard under water. Common lime does not possess this property; but limestone containing from 8% to 25% of alumina, magnesia, and silica, yield a lime on burning, which does not slake when moistened with water, but forms a mortar with it, which hardens in a few days when covered with water, although it does not acquire much solidity in the air. Puzzolana, septaria, and argillaceous or siliceous earths, burnt, either with or without the addition of common limestone, and then ground to powder, form excellent hydraulic cements. The reniform limestone, commonly called “cement stone,” which is found distributed in single nodules or lenticular cakes, in beds of clay, is the substance most commonly used in this country for the manufacture of the cements in question.
“A very good hydraulic mortar is made by slaking lime with water containing about 2 per cent. of gypsum, and adding a little sand to the product. The presence of the gypsum tends to delay the slaking of the lime, and also to harden the substance formed after the slaking.
“If water containing a little lime in solution be added to burnt gypsum, a very hard compact mass is obtained. This substance is much used as an imitation marble, as by polishing it with pumice stone, colouring it, and again polishing with oil, it may be made to resemble natural marble very closely. Hardened gypsum treated with stearic acid, or paraffin, and polished, is used as a substitute for meerschaum, which it much resembles.”[238] See GAD’S, HAMELIN’S, and PARKER’S CEMENTS, &c.
[Footnote 238: ‘Chemistry, Theoretical, Practical, and Analytical.’]
=Cement, Iron.= This cement, which is much used for closing the joints of iron pipes and similar purposes, is formed of the borings or turnings of cast iron, which should be clean and free from rust, mixed with a small quantity of sal-ammoniac and flowers of sulphur. For use, it is stirred up with just enough water to thoroughly moisten it, and it is rammed or caulked into the joints with a blunt caulking chisel and hammer, after which the joint is screwed up by its bolts as tightly as possible. If the turnings and borings are very coarse they are broken by pounding in an iron mortar, and the dust sifted off before use. The following are good proportions:
1. Sal-ammoniac (in powder), 2 oz.; flowers of sulphur, 1 oz.; iron borings, 5 lbs.; water, q. s. to mix.
2. Sal-ammoniac, 2 oz.; sulphur, 1 oz.; iron borings, 12 lbs.; water, q. s. to mix.
3. Sal-ammoniac, 2 oz.; iron borings, 7 or 8 lbs.; water, q. s. to mix.
4. Iron borings, 4 lbs.; good pipeclay, 2 lbs.; powdered potsherds, 1 lb.; make them into a paste with salt and water.
Remarks. The first of these forms is that generally employed for common purposes, but formerly much more sulphur and sal-ammoniac were used. We are told by one of the leading engineers in London that the strongest cement is made without sulphur and with only 1 or 2 parts of sal-ammoniac to 100 of iron borings (see the third form); but that when the work is required to dry rapidly, as for the steam joints of machinery wanted in haste, the quantity of sal-ammoniac is increased a little, and a very small quantity of sulphur is added. This addition makes it set quicker, but reduces its strength. As the power of the cement depends on the oxidation and consequent expansion of the mass, it is evident that the less foreign matter introduced the better. No more of this cement should be made at a time than can be used at once, because it soon spoils. I have seen it become quite hot by standing even a few hours, when it contained sulphur; and I have been informed by workmen that when much sulphur is used, and it has been left together in quantity all night, combustion has taken place. The last form produces a cement that gets very hard when allowed to dry slowly, and is excellent for mending cracks in iron boilers, tanks, &c.
CEMENT, JAPANESE. Syn. RICE GLUE. From rice flour, mixed with a little cold water, and boiling water gradually poured in until it acquires a proper consistence; when it is boiled for 1 or 2 minutes in a clean saucepan or earthen pipkin. It is beautifully white, and almost transparent, for which reason it is well adapted for fancy paper work, which requires a strong and colourless cement. It is superior to French cement. (See antè.)
=Cement, Keene’s Marble.= Baked gypsum or plaster of Paris, steeped in a saturated solution of alum, and then recalcined, and reduced to powder. For use it is mixed up with water, as ordinary plaster of Paris.
Obs. This cement has been most extensively applied as a stucco. It is susceptible of a high polish, and when coloured produces beautiful imitations of mosaic and other inlaid marbles, scagliola, &c. It is not adapted to hydraulic purposes, or for exposure to the weather, but it is admirable for internal decorations, and from its extreme hardness is very durable. It may be coloured or tinted of any shade, by diffusing mineral colours (levigated, if in powder) through the water used to mix up the cement with. A pleasing tint is given to this cement by adding a little solution of green copperas to the alum liquor.
=Cement, Laboratory.= Syn. CHEMICAL MASTIC. From equal parts of pitch, resin, and plaster of Paris (thoroughly dried), mixed together. Used for the masonry of chlorine chambers, vitriol works, &c.; and as a lining for casks intended to hold chloride of lime.
=Cement, Letter-fixing.= Prep. Copal varnish, 15 parts; drying oil, 5 parts; turpentine, 3 parts; oil of turpentine, 2 parts; liquefied glue (made with the least possible quantity of water), 5 parts; melt together in a water bath, and add fresh slaked lime (perfectly dry, and in very fine powder), 10 parts. Used to attach metal letters to plate glass in shop windows, &c.
=Cement, Mahogany.= Prep. 1. Melt beeswax, 4 oz.; then add Indian red, 1 oz., and enough yellow ochre to produce the required tint.
2. Shell-lac, melted and coloured as above. Very hard. Both are used to fill up holes and cracks in mahogany furniture by the cabinet makers. Red putty is also used for the same purpose.
=Cement, Maissiat’s.= India rubber is melted either with or without about 15% of either beeswax or tallow; quick-lime (in fine powder) is gradually added; and the heat continued until change of odour shows that combination has taken place, and until a proper consistence is obtained. Used as a waterproof and air-tight covering for corks, bungs, &c.
=Cement, Marine.= See GLUE, MARINE, and CEMENT, ELASTIC.
=Cement, Martin’s.= This is manufactured in the same way as Keene’s, only carbonate of soda or carbonate of potash is used as well as alum, and the burning is carried on at a higher temperature.
=Cement, Opticians’.= Prep. 1. Shell-lac softened with rectified spirit or wood naphtha. For fine work.
2. Beeswax, 1 oz.; resin, 15 oz.; melt and add whiting (previously made red hot, and still warm), 4 oz.
3. Resin, 1 lb.; melt and add plaster of Paris (dry), 4 oz. The above are used to fix glasses, stones, &c., while polishing and cutting them. The last is a very strong cement for rough purposes.
=Cement, Oxychlo′′ride of Zinc.= (Sorel.) Prep. In solution of chloride of zinc, marking from 50° to 60° of Baumé’s hydrometer (i.e. sp. gr. 1·490 to 1·652), dissolve 3% of borax or sal-ammoniac; then add oxide of zinc which has been heated to redness, until the mass is of a proper consistence.
Obs. This cement becomes as hard as marble. It may be cast in moulds like plaster of Paris, or used in mosaic work, &c.
=Cement, Parabol′ic.= Syn. UNIVERSAL CEMENT. Prep. Curdle skim milk with rennet or vinegar, press out the whey, and dry the curd by a very gentle heat, but as quickly as possible. When it has become quite dry grind it in a coffee or pepper mill, and next triturate it in a mortar until reduced to a very fine powder. Mix this powder with 1/10th of its weight of new dry quick-lime, also in very fine powder, and to every ounce of the mixture add 5 or 6 gr. of powdered camphor; triturate the whole well together, and keep it in wide-mouth 1-oz. phials, well corked. Used to join glass, earthenware, &c. It is made into a paste with a little water, as wanted, and applied immediately.
=Cement, Parian.= Is prepared as Keene’s, substituting a solution of borax (1 part of borax to 9 of water) for a solution of alum.
=Cement, Park′er’s.= This cement is made of the nodules of indurated and slightly ferruginous marl, called by mineralogists “septaria,” and also of some other species of argillaceous limestone. These are burnt in conical kilns, with pit coal, in a similar way to other limestone, care being taken to avoid the use of too much heat, as if the pieces undergo the slightest degree of fusion, even on the surface, they will be unfit to form the cement. After being properly roasted the calx is reduced to a very fine powder by grinding, and immediately packed in barrels, to keep it from the air and moisture.
Uses, &c. This cement is tempered with water, and applied at once, as it soon hardens, and will not bear being again softened down with water. For foundations and cornices exposed to the weather it is usually mixed with an equal quantity of clean angular sand; for use as a common mortar, with about twice as much sand; for coating walls exposed to cold and wet, the common proportions are 3 of sand to 2 of cement, and for walls exposed to extreme dryness or heat, about 2-1/2 or 3 of sand to 1 of cement; for facing cistern work, water frontages, &c., nothing but cement and water should be employed. Under the name of compo’ or Roman cement it is much employed for facing houses, water cisterns, setting the foundations of large edifices, &c.
=Cement, Pew’s.= Quick-lime, 1 part; baked clay, 2 parts (both in powder); mix and calcine; then add gypsum (fresh baked and in fine powder), 1 part, to powdered baked clay, 2 parts; mix well, add the former mixture, and incorporate them well together. Used to cover buildings. It is applied like mortar, and is very hard and durable. See CEMENT, GIBBS,’ &c.
=Cement, Plumb′ers’.= Black resin melted with about an equal weight of brick-dust. Some times a little pitch or tallow is added.
=Cement, Port′land.= From clay and chalk, or argillaceous river-mud and chalk or limestone, calcined together, and then ground to powder. See CEMENT, PARKER’S.
=Cement, Ro′man.= Genuine Roman cement consists of puzzolene (a ferruginous clay from Pozzuoli, calcined by the fires of Vesuvius), lime, and sand. The only preparation which the puzzolene undergoes is that of pounding and sifting. It is generally mixed up with water, like most other cements, but occasionally with bullock’s blood and oil, to give the composition more tenacity. That used in this country is now generally prepared from the septaria of either Harwich or Sheppy, or of the lias formation, or from the cement stone found in the upper division of the lias formation, or in the shale beds of the Kimmeridge clay. It is also prepared from several artificial mixtures of ferruginous clay and lime, calcined together. It must be kept in close vessels, and mixed with water when used. See CEMENT, PARKER’S and GIBBS’.
=Cement, Seal Engra′′vers’.= Resembles plumbers’ cement. Used to fix the pieces of metal while cutting, and also to secure seals and tools in their handles. It grows harder and improves every time it is melted.
=Cement, Sin′ger’s.= Prep. 1. Melt together resin, 5 lbs., and beeswax, 1 lb., and stir in finely-powdered red ochre (highly dried and still warm), 1 lb., and plaster of Paris, 4 oz.; continuing the heat a little above 212° Fahr., and stirring constantly till all frothing ceases.
2. Resin, 6 lbs.; dried red-ochre, 1 lb.; calcined plaster of Paris, 1/2 lb.; linseed oil, 1/4 lb. Used to cement the plates in voltaic troughs, to join chemical vessels, &c. No. 2 is specially applicable to troughs. See CEMENT, ELECTRICAL.
=Cement, Steam-boiler.= Prep. Litharge, in fine powder, 2 parts; very fine sand and quick-lime (that has been allowed to slake spontaneously in a damp place), of each 1 part; mix and keep it from the air. Used to mend the cracks in boilers and ovens, and to secure steam joints. It is made into a paste with boiled oil before application.
=Cement, Steam-pipe.= Prep. Good linseed oil varnish is ground with equal weights of white lead, oxide of manganese, and pipeclay.
=Cement, Stucco.= This is a compound of powdered gypsum or strong gelatin. It is used for coating walls, and also for ornamenting ceilings. It takes a high polish, and coloured designs can be painted on it. When employed on walls a coarser kind is first laid on, which is followed by a coating made of choicer specimens of gypsum, or glue, or isinglass. When this latter and outer coat becomes dry it is polished with pumice, tripoli, and linen. The colour is incorporated with the outer coatings of the stucco by mixing the metallic pigments with it, and then applying it to the wall, after which a very thin coating of gypsum and isinglass, or sometimes of oil, is given to it, and when the whole is partially dried the tint is brought out by polishing, as before stated. Generally the finest effect is obtained by oil.
=Cement, Transpar′ent.= See CEMENT, ELASTIC.
=Cement, Turn′ers’.= Prep. Beeswax, 1 oz.; resin, 1/2 oz.; pitch, 1/2 oz.; melt, and stir in fine brickdust, q. s.
=Cement, Univers′al.= See CEMENT, PARABOLIC.
=Cement, Var′ley’s.= Syn. VARLEY’S MASTIC. Black resin, 16 parts; beeswax, 1 part; melt, add whiting (sifted, dried by a dull-red heat, and allowed to cool), 16 parts; and stir until nearly cold.
=Cement, Water.= Prep. 1. From good grey clay, 4 parts; black oxide of manganese, 6 parts; limestone (reduced to powder by sprinkling it with water), 90 parts; mix, calcine, and powder.
2. Mix white iron ore (manganese iron ore), 15 parts, with lime, 85 parts; calcine and powder as above. Both this and the preceding must be mixed up with a little sand for use. A piece thrown into water rapidly hardens.
3. Fine clean sand, 1 cwt.; quick-lime, in powder, 28 lbs.; bone ashes, 14 lbs. The above are beat up with water for use. See CEMENT, HYDRAULIC, &c.
=Cement, Waterglass.= For glass, earthenware, porcelain, and all kinds of stoneware, these cements are excellent. A cement for glass and marble is prepared by rubbing together one part of fine pulverised glass, and two parts of pulverised fluorspar, and then adding enough waterglass solution to give it the consistency necessary in a cement.
Waterglass mixed with hydraulic cement to a thick dough makes a good cement for the edges and joints of stone and marble slabs. It is well to mix but little at a time, as it hardens very quickly. (‘Journal of Applied Chemistry.’)
=Cement, Wa′terproof.= Several compounds of this class have been already noticed. The celebrated “waterproof cement of Dihl” consists of porcelain clay or pipeclay, dried by a gentle heat, and powdered, mixed up to the consistence of a paste with boiled linseed oil, and, sometimes, a little oil of turpentine. It is coloured by adding a little red or yellow ochre, or any similar pigment. It is used to cover the fronts of buildings, roofs of verandahs, &c.
Concluding Remarks. For mending broken CHINA, EARTHENWARE, GLASS, and WOOD, the preparations generally used are the cements described above as ARMENIAN, BOTANY BAY, CHEESE, CHINESE, CURD, EGG, EXTEMPORANEOUS, GLASS, GLUE, HENSLER’S, HŒNLE’S, MAHOGANY, and PARABOLIC. For SPAR, MARBLE, and similar materials, the ALABASTER CEMENT is specially adapted; the EGG and PARABOLIC CEMENTS will, however, answer the same purpose. For CLOTH, LEATHER, PAPER, CARD, and LIGHT FANCY WORK, the most suitable cements are the ELASTIC, CHINESE, FLOUR, FRENCH, and JAPANESE. The cements adapted for CHEMICAL and ELECTRICAL APPARATUS, and for SEALING BOTTLES, are also termed BOTTLE, BRIMSTONE, CAP, CHEMICAL, ELECTRICAL, LABORATORY, MAISSIAT’S, and VARLEY’S. The BUILDING and HYDRAULIC CEMENTS are described under the heads ARCHITECTURAL, BEALE’S, BRUYERE’S, FIREPROOF, GAD’S, GIBBS’, HAMELIN’S, HYDRAULIC, KEENE’S, OXYCHLORIDE, PARKER’S, PEW’S, PORTLAND, ROMAN, WATER, and WATERPROOF. The cements used for METAL-WORK, &c., in different trades, are noticed under the heads COPPERSMITHS’, CUTLERS’, ENGINEERS’, GRINDERS’, IRON, LETTER-FIXING, OPTICIANS’, PLUMBERS’, SEAL-ENGRAVERS’, STEAM-BOILER, STEAM-PIPE, and TURNER’S. See GLUE, LUTE, MORTAR, TOOTH-CEMENT, &c.
=CEMENTA′TION.= The process of imbedding a substance in, or covering it with, some powder or composition capable of acting on it when heated, and in this state exposing it to a red heat. Iron is converted into steel, and glass into Réaumur’s porcelain, by cementation.
=CEN′TAURIN.= Syn. CENTAURIN′A. The bitter extractive matter of Erythæa centaurium, or common centaury. Combined with hydrochloric acid, it has been highly recommended as a febrifuge.
=CER′ASIN.= Syn. PRUN′INE. The insoluble portion of cherry-tree gum. It is identical with bassorin. Dr John applies the term to all those gums which, like tragacanth, swell, but do not dissolve in water. See BASSORIN.
=CE′RATE.= Syn. CERA′TUM, L. A thick species of ointment containing wax. Cerates are intermediate in consistence between ointments and plasters; but are less frequently employed than either of those preparations. The medicinal ingredients which enter into the cerates are very numerous; indeed, almost every kind of medicine capable of exercising a topical effect may be prescribed in this form.
It is a general custom with the druggists to use a less quantity of wax for their cerates than that which is necessary to give them a proper consistence, and in many cases it is omitted altogether, and its place supplied by hard suet, or stearine, and frequently by common resin. Lard is also very generally substituted for olive oil. Indeed, in no class of pharmaceutical preparations are the instructions of practitioners and the colleges more commonly disregarded. The operation of melting the ingredients should be performed in a water bath or steam bath, and the liquid mass should be assiduously stirred until cold.
All the medicated cerates may be prepared by adding the active ingredients, in the form of fine powder, soft extract, solution, &c., as the case may be, to either simple cerate or spermaceti cerate, in the proportions indicated under the head of “Doses” appended to every article of importance noticed in this work. The mixture, which must be complete, may be effected by working the articles together on a marble or glass slab or tile, or, still better, by trituration in a clean wedgwood mortar. In some cases the simple cerate is melted by a gentle heat, and the whole stirred or triturated until nearly solid; in others, digestion with heat is employed.
=Cerate.= Syn. SIM′PLE CERATE, SIMPLE DRES′SING; CERATUM (Ph. L.), C. SIM′PLEX (Ph. L. 1824). Prep. (Ph. L.) Yellow wax, 20 oz.; melt by a gentle heat; add olive oil, 1 pint; and stir until it begins to solidify.
Used as a simple emollient dressing. The corresponding preparations of the other colleges will be found noticed under OINTMENTS. The ceratum simplex of the Ph. E. is SPERMACETI CERATE.
=Cerate, Ac′etate of Lead.= Syn. CE′RATE OF SUGAR OF LEAD; CERA′TUM PLUM′BI ACETA′TIS (Ph. L.), L. Prep. (Ph. L.) White wax, 5 oz.; olive oil, 18 fl. oz.; melt together; add, acetate of lead (in fine powder), 5 dr., previously triturated with olive oil, 2 fl. oz., and stir till they unite (begin to solidify). Used as a cooling dressing to burns, excoriations, and inflamed sores.
=Cerate, Ammoni′acal.= Syn. CERA′TUM AMMONIACA′LE, L. Prep. (Rechoux.) Simple cerate, 1 oz.; carbonate of ammonia, 1 dr.; mix. As a counter-irritant in croup, &c.
=Cerate, Arsen′ical.= Syn. CER′ATUM ARSEN′ICI, C. A′CIDI ARSENIO′SI, L. Prep. 1. (Ph. U. S.) Arsenious acid (in very fine powder), 20 gr.; simple cerate, 1 oz.
2. (Sir A. Cooper.) Arsenious acid and sublimed sulphur, of each 1 dr.; spermaceti cerate, 1 oz. The above ingredients must be very carefully triturated together. The first is used as a dressing to cancerous sores; the second is applied on lint as a caustic in like cases.
=Cerate, Belladonn′a.= Syn. CERATE OF DEADLY NIGHTSHADE; CERA′TUM BELLADONN′Æ, L. Prep. 1. (W. Cooley.) Extract of belladonna, 3 dr.; simple cerate, 1 oz.; olive oil, 1 dr.; triturate together in a warm mortar, until nearly cold. Used in frictions to indolent tumours.
2. (Compound; C. B. COMPOS′ITUM, L.) Prep. (W. Cooley.) Belladonna cerate, 1 oz.; iodide of gold, 12 gr.; carefully triturated together. Used as a friction to scrofulous and syphilitic tumours, and to remove syphilitic and rheumatic pains. A most active and excellent preparation.
=Cerate, Brown.= See PLASTERS.
=Cerate, Caca′o.= Syn. CACA′O POMMADE. Prep. Butter of cacao, white wax, and oil of almonds, equal parts, melted together and strained. Used as a cosmetic for chapped hands and lips, &c.
=Cerate, Cal′amine.= Syn. TURNER’S CERATE, HEALING SALVE; CERATUM CALAMI′NÆ (Ph. L. & E.), C. LA′PIS CALAMINA′RIS (Ph. L. 1788), L. Prep. 1. (Ph. L.) Yellow wax, 7-1/2 oz.; olive oil, 1 pint; melt together, remove the vessel from the fire, and when they first begin to thicken, add prepared calamine, 7-1/2 oz., and stir constantly until they cool.
2. (P. E.) Prepared calamine, 1 part; simple cerate (Ph. E.), 5 parts; mix.
3. (Ph. D.) See OINTMENT.
4. (Commercial.) Hard suet, 5 lbs.; lard, 3 lbs.; melt and sift in, gradually, calamine, 4 lbs.; agitate well for a few minutes, or until the whole is perfectly mixed, and after one minute’s repose pour it off into another vessel, the coarse sediment that has fallen to the bottom being carefully avoided; lastly, stir assiduously, until it is nearly cold. This forms the TURNER’S CERATE of the wholesale druggists. In many cases nothing but lard and calamine are used.
Uses, &c. When honestly prepared with genuine calamine, it is a most valuable desiccant and astringent application to excoriations, ulcers, burns, scalds, sore nipples, &c. It has long been held in popular esteem as a drying and healing dressing for sores.