Pharmacologia Fourth American, from the Seventh London Edition (part 3 of 5)
1. As STIMULANTS, e. g. Cataplasma Sinapis, L. D. which generally inflames the surface to which it is applied so much as to raise blisters; common salt also, muriate of soda, constitutes the active ingredient of a poultice which has lately been brought into considerable repute for the reduction of indolent strumous swellings and enlargements of the glands.[311]
2. ANTISEPTICS—Cataplasma Fermenti, L. (see p. 159.) A powerfully antiseptic cataplasm may be also made by stirring finely powdered charcoal into a common linseed meal poultice. A cataplasm of the boiled carrot, beat into a pulp, has been likewise found very effectual in sweetening foul ulcers.
3. SEDATIVES. The most efficient of these are composed of Conium, Digitalis, or Hyoscyamus, and are eminently serviceable in cancerous and scrophulous sores of a highly irritable and painful nature, to diminish their sensibility and correct the acrid discharges. See Form. 18.
4. REFRIGERANTS. In the formation of a cataplasm for this purpose we must avoid the introduction of substances that are slow conductors of caloric; suppose for example our object is to apply the sub-acetate of lead in this form, it will in such case be judicious to mix the linseed meal, with oatmeal, or crumb of bread; for if the former substance be used singly, it is liable, from its tenacity, to become hard and dry, and in that state to augment the temperature which it was designed to diminish.
5. EMOLLIENTS.—(The modus operandi of these agents is explained at p. 142.) For which purpose the common farinaceous poultice is the most eligible, made by soaking slices of bread in milk, and simmering them together over a gentle fire until they are reduced to the proper consistence, which ought to be such as to prevent its spreading farther than is designed, and yet not so hard as to occasion any mechanical irritation; the whole is then to be beat smooth with a spoon, and applied as warm as the patient’s feelings will readily admit. Some practitioners have doubted the propriety of milk as an ingredient in this composition, and have preferred water as an excipient, not only because the former is very liable to turn sour, but because it does not possess greater powers as an emollient than water; the observations of the editor of the Pharmacopœia Chirurgica upon this question are judicious, and worthy our notice; “the objection,” he says, “will certainly hold good whenever stale milk is made use of, or if the same poultice be kept too long applied; but if the milk be fresh, and the poultice renewed night and morning, we do not know any thing that occasionally gives such ease and comfort to the patient as this form of cataplasm. If water be substituted for milk, the poultice is seldom of sufficient tenacity; it is true that this inconvenience may be remedied by the addition of a little linseed meal, but in some instances the meal appears to fret and irritate the skin so much, that patients undergo considerable uneasiness from this cause; an objection to which the cataplasm of bread and milk is seldom subject, especially if it be not applied too hot.”
Every substance, whether liquid or solid, may become an ingredient in this species of composition, and although judicious and experienced surgeons have of late very considerably improved the form of their cataplasms, yet the principles of medicinal combination, which it has been the object of the present work to investigate and expound, will suggest many important hints for the farther extension of their utility; and although the direction of them is more frequently left to the nurse than to the medical practitioner, yet in adapting them to each particular occasion some share of chemical address may be necessary; we have already seen that attention must be paid to the selection of ingredients, with respect to their powers of conducting heat, and it is evident that care must be taken not to reduce into pulp, by decoction, substances that contain volatile principles; while in the preparation of active liquids to be subsequently mixed with linseed meal, it is equally evident that we must be directed by the chemical nature of their composition.
EMPLASTRA. L.E.D. Plasters.
These are solid and tenacious compounds, adhesive at the ordinary heat of the human body; they owe their consistence to different causes, viz.
1. To a due admixture of wax or fatty matter, and resin, e. g. Emplast: Ceræ, &c.
They may be said to differ only in consistence from liniments, ointments, and cerates; Deyeux[312] accordingly proposes to distinguish them by the appellation of Solid Ointments.
2. To the chemical combination of the semivitreous oxide of lead with oils or fat, e. g. Emplast: Plumbi.
3. To the chemical action of the component parts of the plaster on each other, as Emplast: Ammoniaci, &c.
Plasters are generally kept in rolls, wrapped in paper, and when to be used they are melted and spread on leather; in performing this operation the practitioner ought not to apply a heat above that of boiling water; for if metallic oxides be present, the fatty matter will, at a higher temperature, reduce them, in consequence of the powerful affinity of oil for oxygen at an exalted temperature; and if aromatic substances enter as ingredients they will thus suffer in their strength, besides which the fat itself will undergo a very injurious change by a mismanaged application of heat, and the plaster will be less adhesive.
They are employed as remedies to answer two general indications; mechanically, to afford support to muscular parts and to prevent the access of air; and medicinally, to operate as stimulants, discutients, rubefacients, or anodyne applications. That by affording an artificial support to the various parts of the body, by the application of plasters, we are capable in certain diseases of effecting much benefit, is a truth to be explained upon the principles of physiology, and is daily confirmed by the results of practice; thus by giving support to the muscles of the back, how frequently the stomach is steadied and strengthened? Diseases of the kidneys are in the same way very frequently relieved by tight bandages around the loins; the existence of an intimate connexion between the external and internal parts is strikingly exemplified by the distressing effects which are often experienced in weak habits, such as sickness, giddiness, and other uneasy sensations, from a want of any usual compression, as that of stays, under-waistcoats, &c. The support afforded to persons who have been tapped in Ascites is another instance. I have also lately met with a case in which a morbidly relaxed state of the bowels had harassed the patient for several years, and set at defiance every astringent medicine; upon the application, however, of a tight bandage around the abdomen, the healthy action of the intestines has been completely restored. Sir Gilbert Blane has suggested the trial of mechanical compression of the head in the cure of Hydrocephalus, and several cases, apparently favourable, have been published. Dr. Thackrey of Cambridge has related a very interesting history in support of the practice, and judiciously recommends the substitution of straps of adhesive plaster for the bandages of cloth originally proposed by Sir Gilbert. In reasoning upon this treatment, it will be found strictly conformable with the soundest principles of physiology, and with those views in particular, for the illustration of which I have here directed the reader’s attention to the subject. Where our object is simple support, we should of course select a plaster which is the most adhesive and the least irritating. Many plasters which have gained great celebrity for their curative virtues will be found to owe all their powers to their adhesiveness, such is the Emplastrum Oxidi Ferri Rubri of the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia, for it is impossible that the iron should communicate any tonic effect. The same observation applies to many of those empirical plasters which have at different times acquired so great a share[313] of popular applause. In the cure of sore legs[314] the importance of adhesive strapping is generally acknowledged, and on such occasions nothing is superior to the Emplastrum Resinæ.
FORMULÆ
IN
ILLUSTRATION OF THE SUBJECT
OF
Medicinal Combination.
“Longum est iter per Præcepta, breve et efficax per Exempla.” SENECA.
A COLLECTION OF FORMULÆ INTENDED TO ILLUSTRATE THE FOREGOING PRECEPTS, and to furnish the inexperienced Prescriber WITH A SERIES OF USEFUL AND INSTRUCTIVE LESSONS.
EXPLANATION OF THE KEY LETTERS.
The Modus Operandi of the different elements of each formula is designated by a KEY LETTER, or Symbol, which is printed in a different type, (thus =B=) and placed in the margin opposite to each. This letter refers to a corresponding one in the Synopsis, and thereby shews the division containing an exposition of the principles upon which the operation of the ingredient is supposed to depend.
Two or more KEY LETTERS denote that the element against which they are so placed has several modes of operation, whilst the order in which the letters succeed each other, serves to shew the relative importance of them.
Where any one of the letters is small, i. e. not a capital, it denotes that the operation which it is intended to express is only incidental to, or subordinate in, the general scheme of the combination.
When any number of elements are included within a vinculum or bracket, it is intended to shew that they operate but as one substance, or, that the virtues of each are not independent of the other; in this case the KEY LETTER within the bracket expresses upon what principle this unity depends, whilst that on the exterior shews the action of such a combination upon the base, or the part which it performs in the general scheme of the Formula.
Let us exemplify it by a reference to Formula 78 which presents us with a Purgative, in conjunction with a Stimulant. The base is Aloes, which is succeeded by Scammony, and Extract of Rhubarb; these substances appear by the bracket, to act in unison, a concurrence which the interior letter =B= shews to depend upon their being SIMILAR REMEDIES; the letter also on the exterior shews that its operation upon the base depends upon the same principle. We next come to powdered Capsicum, and Oil of Cloves; these ingredients are also shewn by a bracket to act in unity, and the letter =B= in the interior, denotes that it is in consequence of their possessing a similar mode of action, whilst the letter =G= on the exterior, announces that they act in the general scheme for the purpose of fulfilling a second indication; at the same time the smaller letter e informs us that the combination likewise acts as a corrector of the base.[315]
A SYNOPSIS OF THE Principles of Combination, AS INVESTIGATED IN THE PRECEDING PAGES, ARRANGED IN A TABULAR FORM SO AS TO AFFORD THE STUDENT AN EASY REFERENCE TO THE KEY LETTERS.
A Synopsis of the Principles of Medicinal Combination.
OBJECT I. TO PROMOTE THE ACTION OF THE BASIS.
Key Letters.
=A= A.—By combining the several different forms, or preparations of the SAME SUBSTANCE.
=B= B.—By combining the Basis with Substances which are of the SAME NATURE, i. e, which are individually capable of producing the same effects, but with less energy than when in combination with each other.
=C= C.—By combining the Basis with Substances of a DIFFERENT NATURE, and which do not exert any Chemical influence upon it, but are found by experience, or inferred by analogy, to be capable of rendering the stomach, or system, more susceptible of its action.
OBJECT II. TO CORRECT THE OPERATION OF THE BASIS, BY OBVIATING ANY UNPLEASANT EFFECTS IT MIGHT BE LIKELY TO OCCASION, AND WHICH WOULD PERVERT ITS INTENDED ACTION, AND DEFEAT THE OBJECT OF ITS EXHIBITION.
=D= A.—By CHEMICALLY neutralizing, or MECHANICALLY separating, the offending ingredient.
=E= B.—By adding some substance calculated to guard the stomach, or system against its deleterious effects.
OBJECT III. TO OBTAIN THE JOINT OPERATION OF TWO, OR MORE MEDICINES.
=F= A.—By uniting those Medicines which are calculated to produce the SAME ULTIMATE RESULTS, but by modes of operation totally different.
=G= B.—By combining Medicines which have entirely different powers, and which are required to obviate different symptoms, or to answer different indications.
OBJECT IV. TO OBTAIN A NEW AND ACTIVE REMEDY, NOT AFFORDED BY ANY SINGLE SUBSTANCE.
=H= A.—By combining Medicines which excite different actions in the stomach and system, in consequence of which NEW, or MODIFIED RESULTS are produced.
B.—By combining substances which have the property of acting CHEMICALLY upon each other; the results of which are—
=I= a. The Formation of New Compounds.
=K= b. The Decomposition of the Original Ingredients, and the developement of their more active elements.
C.—By combining Substances, between which no other change is induced than a diminution, or increase in the SOLUBILITY of the principles in which their Medicinal virtues reside.
=L= a. By the intervention of Substances that act CHEMICALLY.
=M= b. By the addition of Ingredients whose operation is entirely MECHANICAL.
OBJECT V. TO AFFORD AN ELIGIBLE FORM.
=N= a. By which the EFFICACY of the Remedy is enhanced.
=O= b. By which its ASPECT or FLAVOUR is rendered more agreeable, or its mode of administration more convenient.
=P= c. By which it is PRESERVED from the spontaneous decomposition to which it is liable.
NARCOTICS.
1. ℞. Extract: Hyoscyami ℈j. Camphoræ gr. viij =B.= Spir: Rectificat: ♏︎ij =N.=
Camphoram primum cum Spiritu in pulverem tere, deinde simul contunde et divide massam in Pilulas xij, quarum sumantur tres, omni nocte.
2. ℞. Extract: Conii ʒj Folior: Conii exsiccat: et in pulverem tritorum, q. s. =A.= ut fiant Pilulæ; singulis grana duo pendentibus.
Initio sumat æger pilulam unam pro dosi, mane et nocte; postea, binas, et deinde tres vel quatuor; et denique augeatur dosis quantum possit.
Stoerck.
3. ℞. Opii puri gr. iv Extract: Hyoscyam: et =B. } B.= Extract: Conii āā gr. xv. =}=
Simul contunde, et fiat massa in Pilulas sex dividenda, e quibus sumatur una omni nocte.
4. ℞. Extract: Conii et Extract: Hyoscyam: (in vacuo pp:) āā gr. iij =B.=
Fiat Pil. bis quotidie sumenda.
5. ℞. Tinct: Opii ♏︎xv Syrup: Papaveris fʒij =A.= Spir: Cinnamom: fʒj =O.= Aquæ puræ f℥jss =N.=
Fiat Haustus, invadente paroxysmo caloris in febribus intermittentibus sumendus.
Lind.
6. ℞ Opii puri, et Camphor: āā ʒss =F.= Emplast: Lithargyri ʒij =O.=
Sit scuto pectori.
Bree.
7. ℞. Mist: Camphoræ f℥j Spir: Ether: comp: fʒss =B.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎x =F. } A.= Syrup: Papav: fʒji =}=
Fiat Haustus hora decubitus sumendus.
8. ℞. Tinct: Opii fʒj Infus: Lini f℥vj =G.N.=
Fiat Enema.
9. ℞. Opii puri gr. ij Mucilag: Acaciæ f℥ss =M. } N.G.= Lactis tepefacti f℥vj =}=
Misce pro Enemate.
Hartman.
10. ℞. Opii puri gr. j. Pil: Galb: comp: gr. v. =M.F.=c.
Fiat Pilula, h. s. sumenda.
11. ℞. Opii puri gr. j. Pil: Aloes cum Myrrha gr. iv. =E.M.=
Fiat Pilula, h. s. sumenda.
12. ℞. Opii puri gr. ij. Extract: Aloes Spicat: gr. x. =E.M.=
ut fiat Massa in Pil: iij dividend: e quibus sumatur una, h. s.
13. ℞. Opii puri gr. j. Extract: Aloes Spicat gr. iij =E.=1.=M.= Extract: Gent: gr. v. =E.=2.
Fiat Massa in Pil: duas dividend: et sint pro dosi.
14. ℞. Opii puri gr. ij. Saponis duri Hispan: gr. iv =L.N.=
Simul contunde, donec corpus unum sit, et fiat Massa pro Suppositorio.
15. ℞. Opii puri gr. ij. Confect: Aromat: ʒss =G.N.=
Fiat Massa in Pilulas viij dividenda, e quibus capiatur una, quarta quaque hora.
In Typhus.
16. ℞. Opii duri contriti gr. iv. Aquæ bullientis f℥ijss =D.=
Infunde, prope ignem, per horam, et cola.
℞. Liquoris Colati f℥j Acid: Nitric: dilut: ♏︎x =E.=1. Træ Aloes comp: fʒj =E.=2.
Fiat Haustus.
17. ℞. Conii foliorum exsiccat: ℥j Coque ex aquæ oiiss ad oij et cola.
Panni lanei hocce decocto calido madefacti, deinde expressi, parti affectæ imponantur, et sæpius renoventur.
Collin.
In Carcinomatous, Venereal, and sordid Ulcers.
18. ℞. Conii Folior: exsiccat: ℥ij. Medullæ panis ℥vj =} N.O.= Aquæ oiss =}=
Coquantur simul, ut fiat Cataplasma.
19. ℞. Extract: Conii Extract: Hyoscyam: āā gr. v. =B.= Mucilag: Acaciæ fʒij =N.= Tere simul, donec quam optime misceantur, et deinde adde, Liquor: Ammon; Acetat: =} G.= Aquæ puræ āā f℥ss =}= Syrup: Rhæados fʒj =O.=
Fiat Haustus, quarta quaque hora sumendus.
In Pulmonary irritation.
J. A. P.
ANTISPASMODICS.
20. ℞. Tincturæ Castorei fʒj Ætheris: Sulphurici ♏︎x =B.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎vij =G.= Aquæ Cinnamomi f℥iss =N.O.=
Fiat Haustus ter quotidie sumendus.
21. ℞. Moschi gr. xv Camphoræ gr. v. =B.= Spir: rectificat: ♏︎ij =L.= Confect: Rosæ gall: q. s. =O.=
Camphoram primùm cum Spiritu tere, et deinde, secundum artem, fiat bolus.
22. ℞. Moschi ℈j Acaciæ gummi contriti ʒss =M.= Tere optime simul, et adde paulatim, Aquæ Rosæ f℥j =O.= Ætheris Sulphuric: fʒj =B.=
Fiat Haustus, p. r. n, sumendus.
23. ℞. Assafœtidæ ʒj Aquæ Menth: Pip. f℥jss =L.=
Tere assafœtidam cum Aquâ paulatim instillata, donec quam optime misceantur, et deinde adde
Tinct: Valerian: Ammoniat: fʒij =}= Tinct: Castorei fʒiij =B. } B.= Ætheris Sulphuric: fʒj =}=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumatur Cochleare unum amplum secundis horis.
Signetur.—Anti-hysteric Mixture.
24. ℞. Mist: Camphoræ f℥j Spir: Ammoniæ Fœtid: fʒss =B.=
Fiat Haustus, urgenti flatu, sumendus.
25. ℞. Valerianæ Radicis, in pulverem redact: ℈j Tinct: Valerian: Ammoniat: =A.= Tinct: Castorei āā fʒj =B. } B.= Mist: Camphoræ fʒxij =}=
Fiat Haustus ter quotidie sumendus.
26. ℞. Tabaci Foliorum ℈j Aquæ ferventis f℥viij
Macera per horam in vase leviter clauso, et cola. Fiat pro Enemate.
27. ℞. Massæ Pil: Galb: comp. gr. x. Divide in Pilulas binas, et sint pro dosi.
28. ℞. Tinct: Opii ♏︎vj. Vini Ipecacuanhæ fʒj =H.= Aquæ puræ f℥j =N.= Syrup: Simpl: fʒiij =O.= Sodæ Sub-carbonat: gr. xxiv. =G.=
Sumat Infans sextam partem quartis vel sextis horis.
In Tussi Convulsiva.
R. Pearson.
29. ℞. Assafœtidæ ʒij Decoct: Avenæ f℥x =N.O.=
Misce pro enemate, secundum artem.
In Flatulent Cholic.
Bang.
30. ℞. Moschi gr. xij Sacch: purificat: ℈ij =} M.= Acaciæ Gummi contriti ℈j =}=
Simul tritis admisceantur Jusculi cujusvis tenuioris f℥iv, ut fiat enema, alternis vel tertiis horis injiciendum.
Wall.
31. ℞. Cinchonæ lancifoliæ Corticis contriti ℥j. Valerianæ Radicis Pul: ʒiij =G.= Syrup: Aurantiorum q.s. =O.=
Ut fiat electuarium, cujus devoret drachmam, mane ac vesperi.
Mead.
32. ℞. Tinct: Digitalis ♏︎x—xv Mist: Camphoræ fʒx =F. } G.O.= Tinct: Calumbæ fʒi =}=
Fiat Haustus, bis quotidie sumendus.
In Palpitation of the Heart, accompanied with great nervous irritability.
TONICS.
33. ℞. Infus: Cascarillæ f℥iss Tinct: Cascarillæ f℥ij =A.= Tinct: Zingiberis fʒj =G.=
Fiat Haustus ter quotidie sumendus.
34. ℞. Ferri Tartarizati gr. x. Pulv: Calumbæ gr. xv =F.=m.
Fiat Pulvis, quarta quaque hora sumendus.
35. ℞. Infusi Quassiæ fʒx Tinct: Calumbæ fʒj =B.= Tinct: Ferri muriat: ♏︎x =F.=
Fiat Haustus, quotidie, hora meridiana sumendus.
36. ℞. Ferri Ammoniati ʒj Extract: Gentian: =F.M.= et Extract: Aloe āā ʒss =G.M.=
Contunde simul, et divide massam in Pil. xxx. quarum sumat binas ter quotidie.
Tonic and Purgative.
37. ℞. Cinchonæ lancifoliæ contritæ ℥ss Magnesiæ Sulphatis ʒvj =G.=
Tere optime simul, et divide in quatuor partes, ex quibus sumatur una alternis horis inter paroxysmos.
In Intermittents.
Cleghorn.
38. ℞. Ferri Sub-carbonatis gr. v—x. Pulv: Valerian: ʒss =G.= Syrup: Zingib: q. s. =E.O.=
Fiat Bolus.
39. ℞. Infusi Gentianæ comp: f℥j Liquor: Potassæ Sub-carb: fʒss =O.L.G.= Tinct: Cascarillæ fʒj =B.=
Fiat Haustus.
40. ℞. Cinchonæ lancifoliæ Cort: contus: ℥ss Coque ex aquæ puræ f℥xvj ad consumpt: dimid: adjectis sub finem coctionis, Serpentāriæ radicis contus: ʒij =B.= Stent per horam, et Colaturæ admisce, Spir: Cinnamomi comp: f℥iss =E.= Acid: Sulphuric: dilut: fʒiss =G.=
Sumantur f℥ij sexta quaque hora.
Pringle.
41.[316] ℞. Decoct: Cinchonæ f℥iiss Infus: Gentian: comp: f℥j =B. { B.= Tinct: Cascarillæ fʒij ={= Liquor: Potassæ Sub-carb: fʒij =G.1.=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumr: Cochl: duo ampla bis de die.
42.[316] ℞. Decoct: Cinchonæ f℥vj Tinct: Cinchonæ f℥ss =A.= Confect: Aromat: ℈j =B. { G.E.= Spir: Ammon: Aromat: fʒj ={=
Fiat Mistura.
43. ℞. Ferri Ammoniat: gr. v. Rhei Rad: Contrit: gr. iij =G.=
Fiat Pulvis ex quolibet vehiculo idoneo quotidie sumendus.
44. ℞. Cinchonæ Pulv: subtiliss: Potassæ Super-tart: āā ℥j =G.1.= Caryophyll: contrit: No. xxx =G.2.=
Misce, et detur drachma cum semisse tertiis horis.
Petrie.
AROMATIC STIMULANTS.
45. ℞. Sinapeos semin: contus: Armoraciæ Radicis concisæ āā ℥ss =B.= Aquæ ferventis oj =N.O.=
Macera per horam, et cola.
℞. Colaturæ f℥vii Spir: Ammon: Aromat. fʒj =B. { B.= Spir: Pimentæ f℥ss ={=
Fiat Mistura; de qua sumr: Cochl: duo ampla ter quotidie.
In Paralysis.
46. ℞. Lactis Vaccini oj Sinap: Semin: contus: ℥j
Coquantur simul, donec pars caseosa in coagulum abierit, deinde coletur serum, et sumatur cyathus subinde.
Disp: Fuld:
47. ℞. Mist: Camphoræ f℥j Spir: Ether: Sulphuric: fʒij =}= Tinct: Cardamom: comp: f℥ss =}= Spir: Anisi fʒvj =B. } B.= Olei Carui ♏︎xij =}= Syrup: Zingib: fʒij =}= Aquæ Menthæ Pip: f℥vss =}=
Fiat Mistura, cujus sumantur Cochlearia duo ampla, urgenti flatu.
In Flatulent Cholic.
48. ℞. Ammoniæ Sub-carb: ʒss Aquæ Menth: Pip: f℥vij =N.B.= Syrup: Aurant: f℥ss =O.=
Sumatur octava pars in languoribus.
49. ℞. Cantharid: in pulverem trit: gr. j Ammoniæ Sub-carb: =B. } F.= Confect: Aromat: āā gr. v. =}= Syrup: q. s. =O.=
ut fiat bolus, quartis vel sextis horis sumendus, cum haustu Infusi Armoraciæ compositi.
50. ℞. Olei Terebinthinæ fʒij Mellis Despumat: ℥j =} O.= Pulv: Rad: Glycyrrhizæ, q. s. =}=
ut fiat linctus: de quo sumatur cochl: parv: nocte, maneque, cum haustu cujusvis potus tenuioris tepefacti.
ASTRINGENTS.
51. ℞. Quercus Cort: contus: ℥ss Aquæ ferventis f℥xiij
Macera per horam, et cola.
℞. Hujus Colaturæ f℥iss =}= Pulv: Gallarum gr x. =B. } B.= Tinct: Catechu fʒss =}= Tinct: Cardamom: comp: fʒss =G.E.O.= Syrup: Cort: Aurant: fʒj =O.=
Fiat Haustus.
52. ℞. Misturæ Cretæ f℥iss Tinct: Opii ♏︎xv. =F.1.= Tinct: Catechu fʒj =F.2.=
Fiat Haustus, post singulas sedes liquidas sumendus.
In Diarrhœa.
53. ℞. Aluminis Contriti gr. v. Myristicæ Nucl: Contrit, gr. v. =E.= Extract: Gentian: q. s, =F.O.=
ut fiat massa in Pil: ij dividend:
54. ℞. Lactis Vaccini bullient: oj. Aluminis Contrit. ʒij.
Ebulliant simul ut fiat coagulum; coletur serum, et sumatur cyathus, subinde.
55. ℞. Gallarum pulverisat: ʒj. Adipis præparat: ʒj =O.=
Fiat Unguentum, parti affectæ applicand:
In Hæmorrhoidibus.
Cullen.
56. ℞. Infus: Ros: comp: f℥iiiss Alum: contrit: gr. x. =B.= Oxymel fʒiij =B.O.=
Sit pro Gargarismate.
57. ℞. Plumbi Acetat: gr. iij Opii puri gr. i. =B. } B.= Extract: Conii gr. x. =}=
Fiat Massa in Pilulas tres dividenda; quarum sumatur una bis quotidie, superbibendo haustum ex acido acetico comp:
58. ℞. Infus: Cuspariæ f℥j Minct: Catechu fʒj =B.= Pulv: Ipecac: gr. x. =G.=
Fiat Haustus.
59. ℞. Zinc: Sulphat: gr. x. Myrrhæ in pulv: trii: ʒiss =G.= Confect: Ros: q. s, =N.O.=
ut fiant Pilulæ xx, e quibus sumantur binæ bis quotidie.
60. ℞. Tinct: Ferri Muriat: ♏︎x Aquæ puræ f℥j. =N.=
Fiat Haustus, tertia quaque hora sumend:
In Uterine Hemorrhage.
61. ℞. Cort: Quercus contus: ʒvj Aquæ distillat: f℥x
Coque per sextam partem horæ, et cola.
62. ℞. Colaturæ et Infus: Lini āā f℥iv =E.=
Sit pro injectione per vaginam.
In Uterine Discharges attended with an irritable state of the vagina.
EMETICS.
63. ℞. Antimonii Tartarizati gr. i Vini Ipecac: fʒij =B.= Aquæ puræ f℥iss =N.=
Fiat Haustus.
64. ℞. Antimonii Tartarizati gr. ij Aquæ distillatæ f℥iv =N.=
Solve—Hujus danda sunt cochlearia duo mediocria, singulis horæ quadrantibus, donec vomitus excitatus sit.
65. ℞. Pulv: Ipecac: ʒss Antimon: Tart: gr. i =B. } B.= Tinct: Scillæ fʒi =}= Aquæ distillat: f℥viiss =N.=
Fiat Mistura, cujus sumat quamprimum cochlearia majora quatuor; et cochlearia duo, sexta quaque horæ parte, donec supervenerit vomitus.
66. ℞. Zinc: Sulph: ℈i Confect: Ros: canin: q. s, =O.= ut fiat bolus, ex pauxillo Infus: Anthemid: =O.=
hauriendus. Post quamlibet vomitionem superbibantur cyathi aliquot infusi ejusdem tepidi.
67. ℞. Tabaci Foliorum ℥j Aquæ fontis, q. s, =N.=
Simul contunde, ut fiat epithema, regioni epigastricæ admovend:
68. ℞. Cupri Sulphatis gr. x.—℈j. Aquæ distillatæ f℥ij =N.=
Fiat pro haustu emetico.
CATHARTICS.
69. ℞. Magnesiæ Sulphatis =}= et =B. }= Sodæ Sulphatis āā ʒiij =}= Aquæ Menthæ Viridis f℥vss =N.O.= Vini Antimon: Tart: fʒj =O.=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumr. Cochl: duo ampla ter quotidie.
70. ℞. Infusi Sennæ f℥j Tinct: Sennæ =}= et =B. } E.B.= Tinct: Jalapæ āā fʒj =}= Potassæ Tart: ʒj =F.E.=2. Syrup: Sennæ fʒj =A.O.=
Fiat Haustus, summo mane sumendus.
71. ℞. Extract: Colocynth: comp: ʒj Opii puri gr. iij =G.= Olei nucis Moschat ♏︎iv =E.=
Fiat massa in pilulas xii dividend: e quibus capiat duas, omni hora, donec bis dejecerit alvus.
72. ℞. Magnesiæ Sulphat: =}= et =B. }= Sodæ Sulphat: āā ℥ss =}= Ferri Sulphat: gr. v. =G.= Misturæ Camphoræ f℥viiss =L.O.=
Fiat mistura, de qua sumantur Cochl: duo ampla bis indies.
73. ℞. Jalapæ Radicis contrit: gr. xv. Hydrarg: Sub-muriat: gr. v. =F.= Confect: Ros: canin: q. s. =N.O.=
ut fiat bolus.
74. ℞. Confect: Sennæ ℥iss Sulphur: Præcipitat: ℥ss =G.= Syrup: Ros. q. s. =N.O.=
ut fiat Electuarium, de quo, ad nucis Moschatæ magnitudinem, capiatur, ter vel quater quotidie, donec alvus commode purgetur.
In Hæmorrhoids.
75. ℞. Olei Ricini f℥ss Vitelli Ovi, q. s. =O.= tere simul, et adde Syrup: Papaveris fʒij =B. } G.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎v =}= Aquæ distillatæ f℥j =L.=
Fiat Haustus tertiis vel quartis horis sumendus.
In Cholic from Lead.
76. ℞. Magnesiæ Sulphatis ʒvj Infusi Sennæ f℥iss =F.L.= Tinct: Jalap: fʒj =E.F.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎x =F. } G.= Tinct: Castorei fʒj =}=
Fiat Haustus, ut supra, dandus.
77. ℞. Infusi Sennæ f℥ij Sodæ Tartariz: ʒvj =F.E.= Aquæ Cinnamomi f℥ss =E.O.=
Fiat solutio, duabus vicibus, sumenda.
78. ℞. Aloës Spicat: ℈j Scammoneæ gr. xij =B. } F.= Extract: Rhei ℈ij =}= Bacc: Capsici pulv: gr. vj =B. } G.=e. Olei Caryophyll: ♏︎v =}=
Fiant Pilulæ xvj, e quibus sumantur binæ, hora decubitus, p. r. n.
79. ℞. Pil. Hydrarg: et Aloes Spicat: āā ℈j =G.=
Fiat Massa in Pil: vj dividend: e quibus sumantur binæ, h. s.
80. ℞. Pulv: Aloes comp: ʒj Pulv: Antimon: gr. v. =C.= Saponis duri gr. x. =L.N.O.= Decoct: Aloes comp: q. s. =O.=a.
Fiat Massa in Pilulas xx dividend: e quibus capiantur binæ ad alvum officii immemorem excitandam.
81. ℞. Extract: Colocynth: comp: gr. xxiv Pil: Aloes cum Myrrha ʒj =F. } F.= Hydrarg: Sub-muriat: gr. xv =}=
Fiat Massa in Pil: xx dividend: e quibus sumr una vel altera, p. r. n.
82. ℞. Sodæ Sub-carbonat: (cryst:) ʒiiss =}= Potassæ Super-tart: ʒiij =K. } I.= Aquæ puræ f℥viij =}=
Stent in lagena bene obturata per triduum, et deinde sit in promptu pro potu cathartico.
Young.
Medical Literature, Edit. 2, p. 481.
83. ℞. Scammoneæ gr. v. Pulv: Rhei gr. xv =F.= Ammoniæ Sub-carbonat: gr. v =G.E.=
Fiat Pulvis, ex vehiculo aliquo idoneo sumendus.
84. ℞. Pulv: Jalap: gr. xv Pulv: Ipecac: gr. v =C.= Olei Cinnamom: ♏︎ij =E.=
Fiat Pulvis, ut supra, dandus.
85. ℞. Pulv: Rhei gr. xv. Potassæ Super-sulphat: gr. x =B.O.= Aquæ Cinnamomi f℥j =O.=e.
Fiat Haustus.
86. ℞. Sodæ Tartarizat: ʒij Sodæ Carbonat: ℈j =}= Aquæ puræ f℥iss =I.K. } O.= Fiat Haustus, cum Cochl: uno amplo Succi Limonum =}=
In impetu effervescentiæ sumendus. Quotidie mane.
87. ℞. Sodæ Carbonatis ʒij =}= Ferri Sulphat: gr. iij =}= Magnesiæ Sub-carb: ʒj =} I.K.= Aquæ puræ oss =}= Acidi Sulphurici dilut: fʒx =}=
Infundatur primum lagenæ aqua, deinde immittantur Salina, et denique Acidum Sulphuricum; illico obturetur lagena, et in loco frigido servetur.
NOTE.—The decompositions which take place in this formula are described in the Essay on the Art of Prescribing, p. 170. There is, however, a precaution respecting the proportion of Sulphuric acid which it is essential to remember, viz.—that it should never be added in excess; for in that case the Sulphate of Iron would not undergo the necessary decomposition.
88. ℞. Hydrarg: Sub-muriat: gr. x Pil: Cambogiæ comp: =F. } F.= et Extract: Colocynth: comp: āā gr. xv =}= Syrup: Zingib, q. s. =E.=
ut fiant Pilulæ xij, e quibus sumantur binæ, hora decubitus, vel summo mane, ad alvum officii immemorem excitandam.
89. ℞. Cambogiæ Contritæ gr. iij Sacch: purificat: ℈j =M.O.E.=
Tere optime simul, ut fiat Pulvis, tertia quaque hora sumendus, donec alvus commode purgetur.
90. ℞. Foliorum Sennæ ʒiij Sodæ Sulphat: ℥j =F.= Aquæ fervent: oj =L.N.O=
Infunde, et cola, ut fiat Enema.
91. ℞. Resinæ Terebinthinæ f℥ss Vitelli ovi, q. s. =M.= Infus: Lini f℥x =N.O.=
Tere Resinam cum vitello ovi, hisque, inter terendum Infusum Lini paulatim adjice. Fiat Enema.
92. ℞. Potassæ Super-tart: ℥ij Ferri Tartarizat: ʒiij =G.= Zingib: ℈j =E.= Syrup: Simp: q. s. =O.=
dosis ʒij ter die.
93. ℞. Confect: Sennæ ℥ij Ferri Tartarizat: ℈ij =G.=
Fiat Electuarium, ad nucis moschatæ magnitudinem sumendum.
EMMENAGOGUES.
94. ℞. Sabinæ Foliorum exsiccat: Zingib: rad: contus: āā ℈ss =E.= Potassæ Sulphatis ʒss =G.M.=
M. Fiat Pulvis bis die sumendus.
95. ℞. Myrrhæ pulv: ℈j Ferri Ammoniati gr. vj =G.=
tere simul et adde
Syrup: Zingib: q. s. ut fiat Electuarium, de quo sumatur ad myristicæ nuclei magnitudinem bis quotidie.
96. ℞. Mist: Ferri comp: f℥ss Aquæ Cinnamomi f℥j =O.=
Ft. Haustus bis de die sumendus.
97. ℞. Tinct: Ferri Muriatis Tinct: Aloes comp: āā f℥ss =G.=1. Tinct: Castorei fʒij =G.=2.
M. de qua sumatur cochl: unum minimum ex cyatho Infus: Anthemid: Flor: ter quotidie.
Emmenagogue and Antispasmodic.
98. ℞. Pil: Aloes cum Myrrha et Pil: Galbani comp: āā ʒj =B.=
Divide in Pil: xxiv, e quibus sumantur binæ bis quotidie.
99. ℞. Pill: Aloes cum Myrrha et Pil: Ferri comp: āā ʒj =G.=1. Sodæ Sub-Carbonatis ℈j =G.=2.l.
Divide Massam in Pilulas xxx e quibus sumantur binæ bis quotidie.
DIURETICS.
100. ℞. Scillæ Radicis exsiccat: gr. iij Pulveris Opii gr. ss =C.E.= Cinnamomi Corticis gr. x =E.O.=
Fiat pulvis bis quotidie sumendus.
101. ℞. Potassæ Sub-Carbonatis gr. x Infus: Gentian: comp: f℥iss =C.N.= Spir: Etheris comp: fʒss =B } G.E.= Træ Cinnamomi fʒi =}=
Fiat Haustus.
Diuretic and Stimulant.
102. ℞. Scillæ Radicis exsiccat: gr. xij Potassæ Nitratis ʒi =F.= Sacchari purificat: =B } M.E.= et Cinnamomi cort: contrit: =}=
āā ʒi. fiat pulvis in sex partes æquales dividend: Sumatur una bis indies.
103.[317] ℞. Scillæ Rad: exsiccat: gr. iv Digitalis Foliorum gr. x =B.= Hydrargyri Sub-muriat: gr. vj =C.= Myrrhæ Pulv: ℈i =}= simul tere et adde =B. } G.= Assafœtidæ ʒss =}= Extract: Gentian. q. s. =C. O.=
Fiat massa in Pilulas xv dividend: e quibus sumatur una, nocte maneque.
104. ℞. Massæ Pil. Scillæ ʒi Hydrarg: Sub-muriat: gr. v =C.=
Fiat massa in Pilulas xv dividenda, quarum sumantur duæ singulis noctibus.
105. ℞. Sodæ Carbonat: exsiccat: ʒi Saponis duri ℈iv =N.B.= Olei Juniperi =F.E.= Syrupi Zingiberis q. s. =E.N.=
Fiat massa in Pilulas xxx dividenda, e quibus capiat tres, indies, contra calculos renum.
Beddoes.
106. ℞. Scillæ Radicis exsiccat: gr. ij Pilulæ Hydrargyri gr. v =G.C.= Opii gr. ss =E.C.=
Fiat Pilula hora decubitus per tres vel quatuor noctes consequentes capienda.
107. ℞. Potassæ Sub-carbonat: ℈i =}= Succi Limonum: f℥ss, vel q. s. =I. } K.= Aquæ Cinnamomi f℥i =}= Aceti Scillæ fʒiss =B.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎v =C.= Syrupi Aurantii fʒss =O.=
Fiat Haustus bis indies sumendus.
108. ℞. Potassæ Acetatis ʒi Oxymel; Colchici fʒij =B.= tere simul cum aquæ puræ f℥i =N.= Spir: Juniperi comp: f℥ss =B.O.=
Fiat Haustus, ut supra dandus.
109. ℞. Baccarum Juniperi contus: ʒij Semin: Anisi contus: ʒij Aquæ: ferventis oj
Macera per tres horas, dein cola.
℞. Colaturæ f℥xij =A. }= Spir: Junip: comp: f℥ij =}= Træ Scillæ fʒi =B.= Potassæ Nitratis ℈ij =F.=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumatur cyathus subinde.
110. ℞. Infus: Digitalis f℥iv =A. }= Træ Digitalis fʒss =}= Potassæ Acetat: ʒi =B.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎v =C.E.=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumatur coch: unum amplum bis terve indes.
111. ℞. Liquoris Ammoniæ Acetat: f℥ss Potassæ Acetatis ʒi =B.= Aquæ puræ f℥j =N.O.=
Fiat Haustus ter quotidie sumendus.
112. ℞. Potassæ Supertartratis ʒi Pulveris Scillæ exsiccat: gr. iij =B.= Pulveris Zingiberis gr. v =E.=
Fiat pulvis, sexta quaque hora capiendus.
113. ℞. Spartii cacum: concis: ℥i Aquæ puræ oj
Decoque ad octarium dimidium, et cola.
℞. Colaturæ f℥i Spir: Etheris Nitrici ♏︎x =B.E.=
Sumatur alternis horis.
114. ℞. Tinct: Ferri Muriat: ♏︎xv Infus: Quassiæ f℥i =C.N.=
Fiat Haustus tertia quaque hora sumendus.
115. ℞. Potassæ Nitratis ʒi Misturæ Ammoniaci f℥vj =N.= Spir: Juniperi comp: f℥iss =B. } B.E.= Aceti Scillæ fʒvi =}=
Fiat Mistura de qua capiat cochl: j amplum quartis horis.
116. ℞. Tincturæ Lyttæ ♏︎x Spiritus Ætheris Nitrici fʒi =F.= Misturæ Camphoræ fʒxij =E.N.= Syrup: Zingiberis fʒi =E.O.=
Fiat Haustus ter in die sumendus.
a highly stimulating diuretic.
DIAPHORETICS.
117. ℞. Misturæ Camphoræ fj℥ss Liquor: Ammon: Acet: f℥ss =F.= Liquor: Antimonii Tart: ♏︎xx =H. } B.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎x =}=
Fiat Haustus.
118. ℞. Potassæ Sulphureti gr. xv Saponis duri ʒj =E.L.= Balsam: Peru: q. s. =O.=
Ut ft: Pilulæ xxx; sumat tres quarta quaqua hora ex cyatho Infusi calidi Juniperi baccarum.
In Cutaneous Affections.
119. ℞. Pulveris Antimon: ʒss =}= Opii Pulv: ℈ss =H. }= Hydrargyri Sub-muriat: gr. v =}= Confect: Opii q. s. =O.B.=
Ut fiant Pilulæ decem, quarum capiat unam hora decubitus, et repetatur p. r. n.
120. ℞. Pulveris Ipecacuanhæ comp: gr. xv. Pulv: Trag: comp: ℈ij =N.=
Divide in partes quatuor æquales, quarum sumat unam omni hora.
121. ℞. Pulv: Ipecacuanhæ comp: gr. xv Pulv: Antimon: gr. ij =B.=
Ft: pulvis, hora decubitus sumend: superbibendo Haustulum tepidum.
122. ℞. Guaiaci gum-resinæ gr. x Pulv: Ipecacuanhæ comp: gr. v =F.= Confect: Rosæ q. s =O.=
Ut fiat Bolus, h. s. sumendus.
123. ℞. Potassæ Carbonatis gr. x =}= Mist: Camphoræ: f℥j =I.K. }= Ft: Haust: cum Succi Limonum =}=
Cochleari uno amplo, in impetu ipso effervescentiæ sumendus.
124. ℞. Guaiaci gum-resinæ gr. x Antimonii Tart: =}= et =H. } B.= Opii puri āā gr. j =}= Syrupi q. s. =O.=
Fiat Bolus bis quotidie sumendus.
125. ℞. Camphoræ et Pulveris Antimon: āā gr. iij =H. } F.= Opii puri gr. j =}= Confect: Aromat: q. s =N.=
Fiat Bolus, h. s. sumendus.
126. ℞. Liquor: Ammoniæ Acetat: fʒij Decoct: Cinchonæ fʒx =A. } G.= Tinct: Cinchonæ fʒij =}= Confect: Aromat: ʒss =N.=
Ft. Haustus, tertia vel quarta quaque hora sumendus.
127. ℞. Guaiaci gum-resinæ ʒij Acaciæ gummi ʒij =M.= Simul bene tritis adde Træ Opii fʒss =C.= Pulv: Cinchonæ ʒj =}= Træ Cinchonæ fʒij =A. } G.= Decoct: Cinchonæ f℥viij =}=
Fiat Mistura cujus sumatur cyathus bis quotidie.
Rheumatism.
128. ℞. Extracti Aconiti Antimonii Sulphureti =}= Præcipitati āā gr. j. =E. } B.= Magnesiæ Carbonatis ℈ss =}=
Tere simul ut fiat pulvis.
129. ℞. Pulv: Antimon: gr. iij. Potassæ Sub-carbonatis gr. v. =E.= Anthemid. Flor. exsiccat: ℈j =N.=
M. Fiat Pulvis sexta quaque hora, per biduum vel triduum sumendus.
130. ℞. Pulveris Ipecacuanhæ gr. ij =H. }= Pulveris Opii gr. i. =}= Potassæ Nitratis gr. xvj. =M.F.=
Fiat Pulvis hora somni sumendus.
EXPECTORANTS.
131. ℞. Assafœtidæ ℈ij trituratione solve in Aquæ Menthæ vir: f℥iij. =N.= addeque Syrup: Tolu: f℥j =G.=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumatur cochl: unum amplum tertia quaque hora.
132. ℞. Myrrhæ gum-resin: ʒss Sacchari purificati ℥ss. =M.=
Tere optime simul ut fiat Pulvis, partitis dosibus quotidie sumendus, in vehiculo aliquo idoneo.
133. ℞. Myrrhæ gum-resin: ʒiss Scillæ exsiccat: ʒss =B.= Extract: Hyoscyami ℈ij =G.= Aquæ q. s. ut fiant Pil. xxx. =N.O.=
E quibus sumantur binæ, nocte maneque.
134. ℞. Scillæ exsiccatæ gr. viij Pulveris Ipecacuanhæ gr. v =C.= Camphoræ ℈j =G.= Pulv: Antimon: gr. vj =C.= Sacch: purificat: ʒj =M.=
Tere in pulverem, in quatuor partes æquales dividendum. Pars una sumatur bis quotidie, ex haustu decocti hordei.
135. ℞. Oxymel: Scillæ Syrupi Altheæ =B. } F.= Mucilag: Acaciæ =}=
āā f℥ss, misce, et fiat linctus, de quo lambat sæpe.
136. ℞. Misturæ Ammoniac: et Aquæ Cinnamomi āā f℥iss =N.= Syrupi Tolut: f℥ss =N.O.= Tinct: Castorei fʒij =B. } G.= Tinct: Opii ♏︎v =}=
Fiat Mistura, cujus sumatur Cochl: unum amplum subinde, ac repetatur dosis p. r. n.
Expectorant & Antispasmodic. Hooping Cough, &c.
137. ℞. Mist: Amygdal: f℥j Vini Ipecacuanhæ ♏︎x =G.= Potassæ Carbonatis gr. x. =I.K. } G.= Sumatur cum Succi Limon: fʒiij =}=
In impetu ipso effervescentiæ.
138. ℞. Pulveris Myrrhæ gr. xij Pulv: Ipecacuanhæ gr. vj =F.= Pulv: Potassæ Nitrat: ʒss =E.=
Misce et divide in doses æquales quatuor, quarum sumat unam quartis horis.
139. ℞. Tinct: Scillæ ♏︎x Acid: Nitric: dilut: ♏︎vj =C.= Extract: Hyoscyam: gr. iij =G.= Aquæ puræ f℥iss =N.=
Fiat Haustus tertiis horis sumend:
Bree.
140. ℞. Acid: Nitric: fʒj =}= Aquæ puræ f℥iv misce =} H.= dein tere cum =}= Ammoniaci ʒj =}= donec emulsio evadit
Dosis cochl: j medioc: ex liquore aliquo demulcenti.
SIALOGOGUES.
141. ℞. Hydrarg: Oxyd: rubri gr. j. Opii tertiam grani partem =C.= Caryophyll: olei ♏︎j =E.=
Fiat pilula, h. s, per hebdomadam sumenda.
J. Hunter.
142. ℞. Hydrarg: oxy-muriat: Ammoniæ muriat: āā gr. v =L.= Aquæ distillat: fʒss =N.= Glycyrrhizæ rad: contrit: ℈iv =B. } O.= Mellis ʒss =}=
Cogantur in massam, quam divide in pil: xl, e quibus sumatur una ter die.
143. ℞. Pyrethri rad: contrit Mastiches āā ʒj =M.N.=
Fiant lege artis, ad ignem, masticatoria duo; teneat æger sœpius in ore, et manducet hujusmodi medicamentum, exspuatque salivam.
Hartman.
REFRIGERANTS.
144. ℞. Potassæ Nitratis gr. xv
Ft: Pulv: ex cyatho Aquæ perfrigidæ, illico post solutionem sumend:
145. ℞. Acidi Muriatici fʒj Decoct: Hordei oj =N.= Syrupi fʒij vel q. s, =O.=
ad acorem compescendum, et gustum conciliandum. Sumatur quotidie, instar potus, et bibat quantum sitis exigat.
In Typhus and other Fevers.
146. ℞. Ammoniæ Muriat: ʒij Acidi Acetici dilut: f℥ij =B.= Spir: Camphor: f℥ss =G.=
Misce ut fiat Lotio.
147. ℞. Liquor: Plumbi Sub-acetat: fʒj Acidi Acetici dilut: f℥ij =L.= Spir: tenuior f℥ss =G.= Aquæ destillatæ f℥viij =N.=
Fiat lotio.
148. ℞. Liquor: Ammon: Acetat: f℥vj Spir: Rosmarini f℥ij =G.= Aquæ puræ oj =N.=
Sit pro Epithemate, capiti raso applicandum.
ANTACIDS AND ABSORBENTS.
149. ℞. Liquoris Potassæ fʒij Liquoris Calcis f℥vj =F.N.=
M. Cujus capiat æger, acido infestante, cochleare amplum unum, vel alterum, ex poculo jusculi bovini.
150. ℞. Magnesiæ ʒss Aquæ Menthæ Pip: fʒiiss =}= Spir: Lav: comp: fʒss =B. } G.= Spir: Carui fʒiv =}= Syrup: Zingib: fʒij =}=
Sumatur cochleare unum mediocre, p. r. n.
Antacid and Carminative.
151. ℞. Pulv: Cretæ co: cum Opio ℈j Pulv: Catechu Extract: gr. xv =G.=
Sit pulvis, post singulas sedes liquidas sumendus.
In Diarrhœa depending upon Acidity.
152. ℞. Ammoniæ Sub-carb: gr. v. Extract: Rhei gr. viij =G.N.=
Fiat massa in Pil: binas dividenda.
153. ℞. Magnesiæ Sub-carbonat: gr. v Sodæ Sub-carb: gr. v =B.= Zingib: rad: contrit: gr. iv =E.= Glycyrrhizæ rad: contrit: gr. xv =M.O.=
M. et fiat pulvis, contra cardialgiam.
ANTILITHICS AND LITHONTHRYPTICS.
A. In the Lithic Acid Diathesis.
154. ℞. Sodæ Sub-carb: gr. x Infus: Quassiæ f℥j =G.C.= Tinct: Calumbæ =E.=
Fiat Haustus bis quotidie sumendus.
155. ℞. Magnes: Sub-carbonat: ℈j Infus: Calumbæ f℥j =A. } G.C.= Tinct: Calumbæ fʒj =}=
Fiat Haustus.
156. ℞. Sodæ Sub-carbonat: gr. x Mist: Amygdal: f℥j =N.O.= Balsam: Copaib: (ope mucilag: mist:) fʒss =G.=1. Tinct: Opii ♏︎v =G.=2.
Fiat Haustus, urgenti dolore sumendus.
157. ℞. Magnesiæ Sub-carbonat: gr. x Pulv: Ipecac: gr. j =G.= Sodæ Sub-carbonat: gr. v. =F.=
Fiat Pulvis, ex vehiculo aliquo idoneo sumendus; superbibendo cyathum Infusi Anthemid: Flor:
B. In the Phosphatic Diathesis.
158. ℞. Acid: Muriatic: ♏︎v Decoct: Hordei comp: f℥iss =N.=
Fiat Haustus ter quotidie sumendus.
159. ℞. Infus: Ros: f℥iss Magnes: Sulphat: ʒj =G.= Tinct: Calumbæ fʒij =E.=
Fiat Haustus.
ANTHELMINTICS.
160. ℞. Stanni Limat: ℥iij Confect: Rosæ Gall: ℥ss =B. } N.= Syrupi q. s. ut fiat Elect: =}=
Capiat coch: amplum, quotidie mane, et repetatur dosis ad tres vices, et deinde capiat æger Haustum aliquem purgantem.
161. ℞. Cambogiæ g. viij Hydrarg: Sub-muriat: gr. v =F.=
Mucilag: Acaciæ q. s. ut fiat Bolus mane sumendus.
Contra Tæniam.
162. ℞. Sodæ Muriatis ℥ij Coccinell: ℈ij =M.O.=
Fiat Pulvis, et detur drachma dimidia pro dosi, tempore matutino.
163. ℞. Ferri Sub-carbonat: ℈j
Sumatur ex vehiculo aliquo crasso, singulis auroris.
164. ℞. Camphoræ (Alcohole solutæ) ʒj Ol: Olivæ fʒij =L.N.=
Misce, Fiat Enema.
Injiciatur h. s. tertia quaque nocte, ad tres vices: dein repetatur alternis noctibus, ad quartam usque vicem, si opus fuerit.
Contra Ascarides.
165. ℞. Aloes Spicat: gr. x Saponis Duri ʒj =L.N.=
Fiat Suppositorium post Alvum exoneratam applicand.
DEMULCENTS.
166. ℞. Olei Amygdal: f℥j Acaciæ gummi ʒiij =M.N.= tere simul, et dein gradatim adde Aquæ destillatæ f℥vi =O.= Syrup: Rhæados f℥ss =O.=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumantur Cochlearia duo ampla ter, quaterve, indies.
167. ℞. Olei Amygdal: fʒvj =I. }= Liquoris Potassæ ♏︎L =}= Aquæ Rosæ f℥viiss. =N.=
Fiat Mistura, ut supra capienda.
168. ℞. Mistur: Amygdal: f℥j =}= Potassæ Carbonatis gr. x. =I.K. }= Syrupi Rhæados fʒj =}= Ft: haust: cum cochl: Succ: Limon: =}=
in impetu effervescentiæ sumend:
Demulcent & Febrifuge.
169. ℞. Pulv: Cetacei Pulv: Trag: comp: āā ℥ss =B.= Syrupi Papaveris q. s. =N.O.=
Misceantur, et fiat Linctus. Dosis cochl: minimum subinde.
170. ℞. Cetacei ʒij Pulv: Trag: comp: ʒj =}= Syrup: Papaveris =B. } B.= Syrup: Tolu: āā fʒij =}= Confect: Ros: ʒvj =}= Potassæ Nitratis ʒss =G.=
Fiat Electuarium, de quo capiat ad nucis moschatæ magnitudinem.
171. ℞. Cetacei ʒij Vitelli ovi dimidium =}= Syrupi f℥ss. =} B.= Aquæ Cinnamomi f℥ij =}= Aquæ destillatæ fʒiv =}=
Fiat Mistura, de qua capiat æger cochleare amplum frequenter.
172. ℞. Amyli ʒiij Aquæ ferventis f℥iv. =L.= Solve pro enemate, et adde, si opus fuerit, Tinct: Opii fʒss =G.=
173. ℞. Decoct: Lichenis oss Sumatur quotidie, cochleatim, instar potus communis.
SUPPLEMENTARY FORMULÆ FOR CERTAIN REMEDIES NOT INCLUDED IN THE PHARMACOPŒIA.
1. ℞. Acid: Hydro-cyanic: dilut: ♏︎v Mist: Amygd: f℥iv =} O.= Syrup: Tolutan: fʒj =}=
Fiat Mistura, de qua sumatur Cochleare unum amplum tertia quaque hora.
2. ℞. Acid: Hydro-cyanic: dilut: ♏︎xij Tinct: Digitalis fʒss =F.= Aquæ Cinnamom: f℥vss =O.=
Sumatur Cochl: unum amplum quartis horis.
3. ℞. Acid: Hydro-cyanic: dilut: fʒj Aquæ Rosæ f℥iss
Sit pro lotione contra Impetigines utend:
4. ℞. Morphiæ Acetatis gr. xij Aquæ destillat: f℥j =N.= Acid: Acetic: dilut: ♏︎v =L.= Spir: Rectificat: fʒj =P.=
Sumantur guttæ x–xx, ad dolorem leniendum, et somnum conciliandum.
5. ℞. Iodini ℈ij Spir: Rectificat f℥j
Solve et fiat Tinctura.
℞. Tincturæ Iodini ♏︎v. Aquæ destillat: f℥j =N.=
Sumr: guttæ x ter quotidie.
6. ℞. Quinæ Sulphat: gr. ij Acid: Sulphuric: dilut: ♏︎ij =L.= Aquæ destillat: f℥j
Fiat Haustus, bis terve de die sumend:
OF THE MEDICINAL DYNAMETER.
This instrument is capable of showing, on mere inspection, the absolute as well as relative strengths of the different Officinal Preparations of the Pharmacopœia. The active Principles, or Medicinal Bases, are distinguished by CAPITAL LETTERS, placed in coloured compartments, and each Officinal preparation is marked by a line corresponding in colour with that of its active ingredient. Where a preparation contains two active ingredients it is distinguished by two coloured lines, as may be seen in the Pulvis Ipecacuanhæ comp. By this expedient the eye, at once, recognises the different classes of medicines; all those, for instance, coloured red are Opiates; those blue, Mercurials; green, Acetic acid; &c. The introduction of colours, moreover, immediately indicates the basis to which any preparation refers, and thus prevents the possibility of doubt or confusion.
If we wish to learn the actual quantity of active matter contained in any given proportion of a compound, we have only to turn the scale until the name of such compound coincides with the number in question, when the figure opposite to the basis solves the problem; thus—how much opium is contained in 5 grains of the Pulvis Ipecacuanhæ compositus? By having brought this preparation to 5, we shall see ½ opposite to Opium, denoting that such a number of grains contains half a grain; for, unless it be otherwise expressed, the figures denote grains for the solids, and minims for the liquids. And, since the number opposite to the Base denotes the absolute quantity of it contained in those several proportions of its Officinal compounds, which are expressed by the respective numbers opposite to each, it follows that these latter must all be medicinally equivalent to each other; thus we have seen that 5 grains of Pulvis Ipecacuanhæ compositus contains ½ grain of Opium, if we turn our eyes to the other Opiate preparations we shall perceive that each has a different number opposite to it, these figures show the number of grains of each which contains ½ grain of opium, and consequently those numbers must be all Equivalents; thus 2½ grains of Pil. Saponis comp: 5 grains of the Pulv: Corn: ust: cum Opio, 9½ minims of Tinctura Opii, 10 grains of Pulv: Kino comp: 18 grains of Confectio Opii, 20 grains of Pulv: Cretæ comp: cum Opio, and 120 minims, or two fluid-drachms of Tinctura Camphor: comp: contain half a grain of Opium, and are consequently all equivalent to each other. This system of Equivalents will be found of much practical value to the practitioner, by enabling him, at once, to substitute one preparation for another, without the risk of altering the dose of its active ingredients. Suppose, for example, a patient had been taking 8 fluid-drachms of Mist: Ferri Comp. and that we wish to give the same quantity of Protoxide of Iron in the form of the Pil: Ferri comp. we have only to bring the mixture in question to 8, and we shall see 13½ grs. are equivalent, both these quantities of the respective preparations containing ⅔ds of a grain of protoxide, or a little more than a grain of the Proto-carbonate. Suppose again, that we have an acetic acid of sp. gr. 1.059, and that we wish to produce, by its dilution, two fluid-drachms, or any other quantity, of acid having the strength of distilled vinegar, the question is, what are the proportions of water and strong acid to be employed. We have only to bring the Acidum Aceticum of 1.059, to 120, i. e. to fʒij, and the number opposite to the strong acid, viz. 16, is its equivalent, if therefore we take 16 minims of it, and dilute it with 104 minims of water, we obtain the mixture required.
Those who are acquainted with the sliding rule of Gunter, or the chymical scale of Dr. Wollaston, will immediately perceive that the present circular scale is divided upon the same logometric principle, and that the mechanical addition and subtraction of ratios here performed by juxta-position, corresponds in effect to the multiplication and division of the numbers by which the ratios are expressed in common arithmetical notation. It is not necessary that I should trouble the reader with the numerous difficulties and embarrassments which have opposed themselves to the practical success of this instrument. They have, after repeated failures, been at length overcome, except perhaps with regard to a slight central error, which as it is found in the most accurate brass instruments, could not be avoided where pasteboard alone had been employed. The error, however, is not of the slightest practical moment, not occasioning the difference of a hundredth part of a grain.
The proportions of active matter, in the several preparations of each class, have been, in general, derived from the best authorities, although in many cases they have been deduced from experiments expressly instituted for the occasion.
PHARMACOLOGIA.
COMPREHENDING
THE MEDICINAL HISTORY AND CHEMICAL HABITUDES
OF THE
DIFFERENT ARTICLES THAT CONSTITUTE THE
MATERIA MEDICA.
“Omnium Simplicium Pharmacorum vires nosse oportet cum qui aliquot compositum est facturus.”
Ætius.
PHARMACOLOGIA.
ABIETIS[318] RESINA. L. E. D. (Pinus Abies, Resina concreta.) Resin of the Spruce Fir.
Olim, Thus—Frankincense.[319]
QUALITIES. Form, tears or small brittle masses: Odour, very fragrant when burning. It has all the chemical properties of a Resin, and is used only for external purposes: see Pix Arida. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Empl: Aromatic: D. Empl: Galban: comp: L. Empl: Opii L. Empl: Thuris. D.
ABSINTHIUM. (Artemisia Absinthium) Common Wormwood.
QUALITIES. Odour, strong and peculiar. Taste, intensely bitter, slightly pungent, and very unpleasant, as its name[320] implies. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Extractive, a small portion of resin, and a green essential oil; in the first of which its bitterness resides, in the last, a narcotic principle; hence the watery extract is not possessed of the nauseous flavour of the plant but retains its bitterness almost entire; the narcotic principle is therefore dissipated by decoction, but its tonic and anthelmintic properties are not impaired by that process. MEDICAL USES. The whole plant is powerfully antiseptic; and its bitterness renders it stomachic. Infused in ale it forms the beverage known by the name of Purl. Its powers as a vermifuge has bestowed upon it the name of Wormwood. DOSE, ℈j, ℈ij; and of the infusion, (made in the proportion of ℥j of the plant to oj of water,) f℥i-f℥iss. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Precipitates are produced in the decoction or infusion by Sulphate of Iron, Acetate of Lead, and some other metallic salts. Tartarized Antimony is not in the least affected by it. OFF: PREP: Extract: Absinth: D.
ACACIÆ GUMMI. L. (Acacia vera.) Mimosa. Nilotica. E. D. Gum Arabic.
QUALITIES. It is dry, semi-transparent, brittle and insipid; by exposure to the air it undergoes no other change than loss of colour. Specific Gravity, 1·515. SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in water in every proportion, forming a viscid solution, (mucilage). One part dissolved in water affords a fluid of the consistence of syrup; and in two parts, a medium well calculated for the union of dry powders. Gum is also soluble in pure alkalies and lime water, as well as in vegetable acids, especially vinegar, with which it forms a mucilage that may be used as a cement, like the watery solution, and with the additional advantage of not being susceptible of mouldiness.[321] It is insoluble in alcohol, as well as in æther and oils. By strong sulphuric acid the gum is decomposed, and a considerable proportion of carbon deposited.[322] For a farther history of its habitudes see Mucilago Acaciæ. MEDICINAL USES. It is demulcent and nutritious; although it appears in certain states of the body to pass through the bowels without change. When triturated with gum-resins it assists their mechanical division, as in Form: 30. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Mucilago Acaciæ. L. E. D. Emulsio Mimosæ Niloticæ. E. Emulsio Arabica. D. Mist. Corn. ust. L. D. (=O=) Mist. Cretæ. L. D. (=O=) Mist. Moschi. L. (=O=) Confect. Amygdal. L. (=O=) Pulv. Cret. co. L. (=O=) Pulv. Tragacanth co. L. (=B=) Trochisci Carbonat. Calcis E. (=O=) Troch. Glycyrrh. Glab. E. (=O=) Troch. Glycyrrh. cum Opio E. (=O=) Troch. Gummos. E. (=O=). ADULTERATIONS. Gum Senegal is not unfrequently substituted for it, but this may be distinguished by its clammy and tenacious nature; whereas genuine gum arabic is dry and brittle; the fraud is of no consequence in a medical point of view. It is also occasionally mixed with the gum of plum and cherry trees; this fraud however, is to be easily detected, for such gum has peculiar properties by which it may be chemically distinguished; see Mucilago Tragacanth.
ACETICA. L.E.D. Preparations of Vinegar.
These preparations consist of vegetable principles dissolved in vinegar. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Acetum Aromaticum. E. Acidum Acetosum camphoratum. E. Medicated vinegars were formerly much extolled; the first London Dispensatory contained no fewer than ten, at present the number is reduced to two, viz. Acetum Colchici. L. Acetum Scillæ. L.E.D. which see.
ACETIS HYDRARGYRI. E. Acetas Hydrargyri. D. Acetate of Mercury.
QUALITIES. Form, small flaky crystals; Colour, silvery white; Taste, acrid. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Acetic Acid, and Oxyd of Mercury. SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in hot, but very sparingly in cold water, and quite insoluble in Alcohol. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It should be always given in pills,[323] it is however seldom used. DOSE, gr. j. As an external application, a solution of it, in the proportion of grs. j. to f℥i of rose water, has been commended as a cosmetic.
ACETOSÆ FOLIA. L.E. Rumex Acetosa.
Common Sorrel Leaves.
QUALITIES. Taste, grateful, austere and acidulous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. All its qualities depend upon the presence of Super-oxalate of Potass. In France the plant is commonly cultivated for the use of the table.
ACETOSELLA. L. Oxalis Acetosella.
Wood Sorrel.
The qualities of this plant, like those of the preceding, depend upon Super-oxalate of Potass.
ACETUM. L. Vinegar.
Acidum Acetosum, E. Acetum Vini. D.
QUALITIES. Too well known to require description.[324] CHYMICAL COMPOSITION. Acetic acid largely diluted with water, vegetable gluten, mucilage, sugar, extractive matter, and frequently malic and tartaric acids, together with small proportions of sulphate of lime, sulphate of potass, and alcohol. Its composition however varies according to the fermented liquor from which it is obtained:[325] e. g. wine yields a paler, purer, and stronger acid than fermented malt liquors or solutions of sugar, hence the superiority of that prepared in France and Italy. Vinegar is liable to spontaneous decomposition, or to become mouldy, and consequently for the purposes of pharmacy it should be distilled; as however the change depends upon the presence of gluten, it may if boiled be kept for a much longer time, and if powdered animal[326] charcoal be previously added, it will become quite colourless like distilled vinegar, and that without being impaired in strength, whereas it always becomes much weaker by distillation. It is a curious circumstance that this is the only vegetable acid, except the Prussic, that rises in distillation in combination with water.
ADULTERATIONS. Sulphuric acid, as it does not produce any turbid appearance in vinegar, is generally the acid selected for sharpening it; but it must be remembered, that the maker is allowed by law, to mix one thousandth of its weight of Sulphuric acid[327] with it; so that the muriate of baryta when added to such vinegar may be expected to produce 1⅕ grain of insoluble sulphate in every fluid-ounce; if a more considerable quantity of precipitate occurs, we may infer that an excessive proportion of sulphuric acid is present; although some allowance ought perhaps to be made for the presence of the sulphates of potass and lime, which are always contained in vinegar. Of this vinegar 1000 grains should saturate 148 grains of crystallized sub-carbonate of soda; a fluid-ounce of the same, 68–3/4 grains.[328] For the purpose of making the vinegar appear stronger, acrid vegetables, as grains of Paradise, berries of Spurge Flax, Capsicum, Pellitory of Spain, &c. are sometimes infused in it, but by tasting it with attention, the pungency of such substances may be easily detected. For the other adulterations, see Acidum Aceticum.
The purest vinegar which I have ever examined is that manufactured from malt, by Mr. Mackintosh of Glasgow. The strongest malt vinegar is termed proof vinegar, and is called by the manufacturer No. 24; it is estimated to contain 4·73 per cent. of real acetic acid.[329] Its strength in relation to the other forms of acetic acid, will be seen by referring to the MEDICINAL DYNAMETER, and to the table inserted under the article ACIDUM ACETICUM FORTIUS. In the former Editions of this work it was stated, that a Vinegar had of late years appeared in the market produced from the distillation of wood, (Pyroligneous Acid.) This article has now come into very general use; and the manufacturers have at length succeeded in divesting it of that empyreumatic flavour which had so long rendered it objectionable. See Acidum Aceticum Fortius e Ligno destillatum.
ACETUM COLCHICI. L. Vinegar of Meadow Saffron.
Vinegar appears to be a solvent of the acrid and medicinal principle which resides in the bulb of this plant. DOSE fʒss to fʒij. in any bland fluid. See Colchici Radix.
ACETUM SCILLÆ. L.E.D. Vinegar of Squill.
This preparation is an acetic solution of the acrid matter of the Squill, upon which its medicinal efficacy depends.[330] DOSE fʒss to fʒij. in cinnamon or mint water. See Scillæ Radix. FORM. 107, 114. Alkalies and their carbonates are chemically incompatible with these Vinegars. This preparation, as well as the Oxymel, deposites when long kept a precipitate consisting of citrate of lime and tannin, but its medicinal efficacy is not on that account impaired.
ACIDUM ACETICUM DILUTUM. L. Acidum Acetosum Distillatum. E. Acetum Distillatum. D.
Common Distilled Vinegar.
QUALITIES. Odour, fainter and less agreeable than common vinegar (Acetum): Taste, less acid; Colour, none. SPECIFIC GRAVITY; Mr. Phillips states, that when prepared according to the directions of the Pharmacopœia, it varies from 1·007 to 1·009; and that 1000 grains of the latter require for their saturation, 145 grains of crystallized sub-carbonate of soda. I apprehend, however, that it will be found quite impossible to obtain a dilute acetic acid equal in strength or specific gravity, to that last mentioned, by the process of the London College;[331] it may even be doubted whether it can be produced of the specific gravity 1·007. The general run of distilled vinegar as found in the shop of the druggist, varies from 1·005 to 1·006, and contains from 2·80 to 2·826 per cent. of real acid; when of the specific gravity of 1·009 it would contain about 4·73 per cent. Dr. Powell states (Translation of the Pharmacop: of London, 1815) that “one fluid-ounce ought to dissolve at least thirteen grains of white marble;” or, what is equivalent to it, 39·67 grains of crystallized Sub-carbonate of Soda; acid of this strength corresponds very nearly with six degrees of the Revenue Acetometer, the proportions being as follow, 100 grains of Pharmacopœia strength will saturate 8·68 grains of crystallized Sub-carbonate of Soda; 100 grains of acid of 6° of the Acetometer will saturate 8·70 grains of the salt. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Acetic Acid more largely diluted than that in vinegar, with very minute portions of uncombined mucilage and extractive. SOLVENT POWERS. It is capable of dissolving all those vegetable principles which are soluble in water, and in some cases, as in Squill, Colchicum, and in several Aromatics and Narcotics, its acid appears to extend its solvent powers; at the same time it often modifies or diminishes the medicinal virtues of the substances, as for instance those of Narcotics; this circumstance considerably limits its pharmaceutical application; when however it is employed, a portion of spirit should be always added, in order to counteract the spontaneous decomposition to which it is liable, and the acetic compound should be preserved in stopped bottles. Acetic acid does not dissolve true resins, but it has some action on gum resins. MEDICINAL USES. It is refrigerant, and may be advantageously administered in hemorrhage; especially in cases where the acetate of lead has been given, since the solubility of this latter substance is increased by it. See Form. 57; externally, it may be a convenient adjunct to lotions containing lead. See Form. 147. In consequence of its chemical action upon osseous matter, it has been much employed at the Gloucester Infirmary to hasten exfoliation of carious bone. ADULTERATIONS. Sulphuric Acid may be detected by a precipitate being produced on the addition of acetate of baryta: this test however will not answer for its detection in common vinegar, for the reason stated under that article. See Acetum. Sulphurous Acid may be recognised by drawing a little of the vapour into the lungs. The presence of Nitric Acid may be discovered by saturating the suspected sample with pure potass, evaporating to dryness, and then treating the product with a highly concentrated alcohol, the acetate of potass will be thus dissolved, but as it exerts no action on the Nitrate it will be found in the residuum, and may be recognised by its deflagration, when thrown upon burning charcoal;[332] Copper may be detected by the acid assuming a blue colour, when supersaturated with ammonia; and Lead, by a solution of sulphuretted hydrogen, producing a dark coloured precipitate. Tin however is the metal with which distilled vinegar is more usually contaminated, for no vegetable acid will act upon lead while any tin is present in the mixture, since the latter, being more oxidable than the former, is exclusively dissolved.
ACIDUM ACETICUM FORTIUS. L.
(Acidum Aceticum.) (e Ligno Destillatum.)
vulgo, Pyroligneous Acid.
The acetic acid from wood has been very generally introduced to supersede the use of distilled vinegar for the purposes of Medicine and the Arts.[333] It is at length found to be capable of such complete separation from all foreign matter as to afford a perfectly pure acetic acid, invariable in its acidifying power, and immutable in its chemical properties. In justice to the skill and industry of Messrs. Beaufoy and Co. of South Lambeth, I beg to state that I have examined various specimens of this acid from their manufactory, and that I find it free from those impurities which have hitherto constituted an insuperable objection to its introduction into the Materia Medica. The purified Pyroligneous acid, manufactured by this company, and sold under the name of “Improved Distilled Vinegar,” is perfectly free from any unpleasant taste, as well as colour and sediment; and it forms a limpid and colourless solution with ammonia. The common distilled vinegar of the shops varies essentially in strength as well as purity, differing in acidifying power from 30 to 40 per cent. in value: it is sometimes 7 degrees, and at others less than 5, by the Revenue Acetometer;[334] and hence has arisen the difficulty of procuring an uniform article for medical application, a difficulty which the introduction of the pyroligneous acid seems calculated to overcome, as it may be procured from the manufacturers of any degree of concentration,[335] from 6 degrees of the Acetometer, or 2·826 per cent. of real acetic acid to 130 degrees, or 61·49 per cent. of acid; and even of still higher strength if required; their common, or Proof acid is about equivalent in strength to that of the best Malt Vinegar, of which 100 grains will saturate 14½ grains of crystallized Sub-carbonate of Soda, and consequently contains 4·73 per cent. of real acid, and will require at least one half part of water to reduce it to the strength of the best common distilled vinegar. It is found that acetic acid of 45 per cent. real acid, or of 95° of acetometer strength, dissolves Camphor and the Essential Oils very readily.
The “ACIDUM ACETICUM FORTIUS,” which is now introduced into the Materia Medica of the London College, is directed to have a specific gravity of 1·046.[336] It is exactly six times the strength of Proof vinegar, or the strong Malt vinegar manufactured, but it requires to be diluted with nine times its weight of water to reduce it to the strength of the ordinary samples of distilled vinegar. Mr. Phillips states, that he has not met with acetic acid of greater specific gravity than 1·043,[337] being five times the strength of vinegar of specific gravity 1·009.[338] The strongest acid that can be procured is the Glacial acid, which exists in a crystallized state under 50° Fah. It contains 79 per cent. of real acid, and is consequently of the strength of 167·5 of the Acetometer. If this acid be kept perfectly still, it may be reduced several degrees below its crystallizing point in a fluid state, when the slightest agitation of the vessel instantly occasions it to solidify. It will greatly facilitate our inquiries into the strength of different samples of acetic acid to know, that the representative numbers of acetic acid and pure white marble coincide on the scale of equivalents; it therefore follows that the weight of marble dissolved by a hundred grains of any acetic acid, will at once represent the percentage of real acid in such a sample.
The Impure Pyroligneous acid, as it first comes over, contaminated with Tar, has, it is said, been very successfully employed as a lotion in Lepra, scrophulous ulcerations, chronic inflammation of the eyes, and edges of the eye-lids, and for promoting digestion of irritative ulcers, or those connected with carious bone. It has also been injected into sinuses to produce healthy discharge and adhesive inflammation.[339] M. Monge discovered that this acid has the property of preventing the decomposition of animal substances; it is sufficient to plunge meat for a few moments in this acid, even slightly empyreumatic, to preserve it as long as you please. “Putrefaction,” it is said, “not only stops but retrogrades.” To the empyreumatic oil a part of this effect has been ascribed, and hence has been explained the agency of wood smoke in the preservation of tongues, hams, herrings, &c.
ACIDUM ACETOSUM FORTE, E. Acidum Aceticum. D.
Radical Vinegar.
The process for this preparation has not retained its place in the London Pharmacopœia, as it is now universally superseded by the Acetic acid distilled from wood. Since however it possesses peculiar chemical habitudes, it claims some notice in this work. The concentrated acid obtained from the decomposition of acetic salts, by the action of sulphuric acid, is pungent, acrid, and volatile, and when heated with free access of air, it takes fire very readily. Its solvent powers are much greater than those of distilled vinegar; it is capable of dissolving camphor, resins, and essential oils[340] copiously, but they are precipitated by dilution; it combines with alcohol, and forms a species of ether; with water it unites in any proportion, heat being evolved by the mixture. Gold, platinum, glass, and earthenware, can alone retain this acid without being corroded. It blisters the skin immediately.
I shall conclude this article by the introduction of a Table, which I have constructed with considerable care, for the use of the practical Chemist. The accuracy of the results may be depended upon, since it has been tested by several different modes of enquiry. The Medicinal Dynameter will give the equivalents in any other denomination that may be required.
A TABLE EXHIBITING THE ACETOMETER STRENGTHS, SPECIFIC GRAVITIES, PERCENTAGE OF REAL ACID, EQUIVALENT VALUE, AND SATURATING POWER, OF THE MORE IMPORTANT PREPARATIONS OF ACETIC ACID.
┌────────────────┬──────────┬────────┬──────────┬───────────┬─────────┐ │ ACIDS. │ │ │ │ │Grains of│ │ │ │ │ │ │ Sub- │ │ │ │ │ │ │carbonate│ │ │ │ │ │ │ of Soda │ │ │ │ │ │ │saturated│ │ │ │ │Percentage│ │ by 100 │ │ │Acetometer│Specific│ of real │Equivalents│grains of│ │ │strength. │Gravity.│ Acid. │in Minims. │ acid. │ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acetum │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Destillatum │ 5·9°│ 1·005│ 2·80│ 810│ 8·58│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │ D° │ 6°│ 1·006│ 2·826│ 803│ 8·66│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │ D° │ 7°│ 1·007│ 3·42│ 663│ 10·48│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │ D° │ 10°│ 1·009│ 4·73│ 480│ 14·5│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acetum (Proof) │ 10°│ 1·014│ 4·73│ 480│ 14·5│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acid Acetic: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Fort. │ 50°│ 1·043│ 23·67│ 96│ 72·5│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acid Acet: Fort.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ P. L. │ 60°│ 1·048│ 28·43│ 80│ 87│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acid: Acet: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Fort. │ 75°│ 1·059│ 35·475│ 64│ 108·75│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acid: Acetic, D.│ │ │ │ │ │ │ Acid: Acetos: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Fort. E. │ 145°│ 1·070│ 68·5│ 33·1│ 210·25│ ├────────────────┼──────────┼────────┼──────────┼───────────┼─────────┤ │Acid: Acetic: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Fort. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (Glacial.) │ 167.5°│ 1·063│ 79│ 28·6│ 242·875│ └────────────────┴──────────┴────────┴──────────┴───────────┴─────────┘
The reader will observe an anomaly with regard to the specific gravity of the acid of 145 of the acetometer, when compared with the glacial acid. The fact is, that by diluting this latter preparation with a small portion of water we augment its specific gravity, a circumstance peculiar to this acid.
ACIDUM BENZOICUM. L.E.D.
Benzoic Acid. Vulgo, Flowers of Benzoin, or Benjamin.
QUALITIES. Form, small feathery crystals of a brilliant white colour, which are not brittle, but possess a kind of ductility and elasticity, and, on being rubbed in a mortar, assume the consistence of paste. Odour. As generally met with, it possesses a peculiar aromatic smell, but this depends upon the oily matter which adheres to it, for Mr. Guise informs us, that on dissolving the benzoic acid in as little alcohol as possible, filtering the solution, and precipitating by water, the acid will be obtained pure, and void of smell, the odorous oil remaining dissolved in the spirit. Taste, rather acrid and sour; Specific Gravity, ·667. It is not altered by exposure to air. SOLUBILITY. Four hundred parts of cold water dissolve but one, although the same quantity of boiling water dissolves twenty parts, nineteen of which separate on cooling; in alcohol it is soluble in a much greater proportion. MEDICINAL USES. It is said to be stimulant and expectorant; in certain cases of tracheal irritation, a pill, composed of two grains of Benzoic acid, and three of Extract of Poppy, has been found serviceable. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinctura Camphoræ Composita, L.D. Tinct: Opii Ammoniat: E. IMPURITIES. The crystals ought not to be discoloured; they should dissolve without residuum in alcohol, and when subjected to heat, ought to be entirely volatilized.
Although this acid is commonly procured from the resinous substance called Benzoin, yet it exists extensively in other vegetable, and in some animal substances. In the Tonca bean (Dipterix odorata) it is frequently to be seen beautifully crystallized on its surface. It exists also in vanello; cinnamon; cloves; ambergris; in the urine of children, and sometimes in that of adults, and always in that of quadrupeds living on grass and hay.
ACIDUM CITRICUM. (Crystalli) Citric Acid.
Concrete Acid of Lemons.
QUALITIES. Form, crystals which are right rhombic prisms, white, semi-transparent, and persistent. Taste, extremely acid, almost caustic. SOLUBILITY, f℥j of cold water dissolves ʒx, but of boiling, ℥ij. ʒx of the crystals dissolved in a pint of water, are about equivalent to one pint of lemon juice, the solution however if kept is liable to spontaneous decomposition. The following table of equivalents may be found of practical use; the author is aware that they do not exactly agree with the proportions of Dr. Haygarth, but they are the results of careful and repeated experiments, and as such they are submitted with confidence.
EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONS OF CONCRETE CITRIC ACID AND LEMON JUICE, NECESSARY FOR THE NEUTRALIZATION OF ALKALINE SALTS.
┌──────────────────────┬──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┐ │ Citric Acid. │ Lemon Juice. │A Scruple of Alkalies. │ ├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤ │ grs. x. │ fʒiij │ Carbonate of Potass. │ ├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤ │ grs. xv. │ fʒiiij │ Sub-Carbonate of │ │ │ │ Potass. │ ├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤ │ grs. xxv. │ fʒvij │ Sub-Carbonate of │ │ │ │ Ammonia. │ └──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘
These alkaline citrates are decomposed by the oxalic, tartaric, and the stronger mineral acids, and by the solutions of lime and barytes. Form. 107, 123, 137, 168.
Citric acid decomposes the following salts, viz. The Alkaline, Earthy, and Metallic Carbonates; the Alkaline and Metallic Acetates; the Sulphurets of Earths and Alkalies, and Alkaline Soaps. It is also incompatible with Tartrate of Potass, which it converts into citrate and super-tartrate of potass. It curdles the milk of most animals, but it does not produce that effect on human milk, whether applied hot or cold. ADULTERATIONS. Tartaric Acid, with which it is sometimes mixed, may be detected by adding to the solution an excess of Potass, which will instantly form with it an insoluble super-tartrate, and precipitate in granular crystals, or, if a little of the suspected acid be saturated with potass, and then boiled with a dilute solution of muriate of Platinum, if tartaric acid be present, a black protoxide of Platinum will be precipitated. If we add the tartrate of potass for this purpose, we may be deceived, for the citric acid, by neutralizing a portion of its base, will convert the remainder into super-tartrate. See Potassæ Tartras. Sulphuric Acid is known by the acetate of lead producing a precipitate, insoluble in nitric acid. Muriatic Acid may be discovered in the same manner, substituting only an acidulous solution of nitrate of silver for the acetate of lead. The presence of Oxalic Acid may be inferred, if the solution, when added to that of sulphate of lime, produce a precipitate. Malic acid has the power of precipitating silver, mercury, and lead, from their solutions in nitric acid, but no doubt or difficulty can arise from this circumstance, for the fact of its forming a soluble salt with lime will prevent every chance of accidental intrusion, and its price at once secures us against its fraudulent introduction; it might moreover be easily detected by throwing the suspected precipitate upon burning coals, when it would be decomposed. Where the presence of lime is suspected, it may be known by dissolving some of the crystals in water, saturating the solution with ammonia, and then treating it with the oxalate of that alkali, which, if lime be present, will immediately separate it in a palpable form. The juices of many other fruits besides the lemon and lime, will furnish the citric acid in abundance, and may be obtained from them by a similar process; e. g. VACCINIUM OXYCOCCUS, the Cranberry; PRUNUS PADUS, the Bird’s Cherry; DULCAMARA SOLANUM, the berry of the Nightshade; CYNOSBATUS, vel ROSA CANINA, the hep or fruit of the Wild Briar. There are many plants whose juices contain combinations of the Citric and Malic acids in considerable abundance, such as FRAGARIA VESCA, the Wood Strawberry, and the common Raspberry; RIBES RUBRUM the Red Gooseberry; VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS, the Bilberry; CRATÆGUS ARIA, the Hawthorn; PRUNUS CERASUS, the Black Cherry, &c. This fact is interesting, since the juices of such fruits have been long known to possess the property of dissolving the tartareous incrustations on the teeth.
ACIDUM HYDRO-CYANICUM.
Hydro-cyanic Acid. Prussic Acid.
This peculiar acid exists in a great variety of native combinations in the vegetable kingdom,[341] and imparts to them certain properties which have been long known, and esteemed in medicine. It is, however, only lately, that it has been administered in its simple but diluted form. As few practitioners will choose to prepare the acid, it seems unnecessary in the present work to dwell upon the merits of the different processes which have been proposed for its preparation; for a full account of them, as well as for other details of importance, the practitioner is advised to consult a work by Dr. Granville, entitled “An Historical and Practical Treatise on the use of Prussic Acid. Second Edition. London, 1820.”
QUALITIES. A colourless transparent liquid, although it occasionally exhibits a yellow tinge; Odour like that of bitter almonds; Taste bitterish and peculiar: these properties however are soon lost by exposure to air and light, and the acid undergoes spontaneous decomposition. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The true nature of Prussic acid was not ascertained until 1815, when Gay Lussac presented to the Royal Institute of France, a memoir which at once developed its real chemical constitution; and it is now admitted to consist of a peculiar gaseous and highly inflammable compound of carbon and nitrogen, to which the name Cyanogene has been assigned, and of hydrogen; the latter body acting as the acidifying principle, whence the term Hydro-cyanic acid is well contrived to express its composition. The medicinal, or diluted acid, however, contains but a small proportion of this concentrated compound; according to M. Majendie, one part of the acid of Gay Lussac and eight parts and a half of water, by weight, or one part of acid with six times its volume of water, constitute the preparation which should be used in medicine; and which, to avoid the possibility of mistake, ought always to be prescribed as the Acidum Hydro-cyanicum dilutum, and is, in fact, the Prussic acid of Scheele. Dr. Ure, who has lately taken considerable pains upon this subject, has constructed a table exhibiting the relations between the specific gravities, and quantities of real acid, in preparations of different strength; from these experiments it would appear that an acid of specific gravity 0·996 or 0·997 is such as is usually prescribed in medicine.[342] MEDICAL USES. In a sufficient dose, hydro-cyanic acid instantly destroys life by extinguishing the nervous energy of the body;[343] but it has at the same time been observed that animals submitted to its action would often continue to breathe for several hours freely, and to circulate their blood, although no trace of sensibility or muscular contractility could be found after its application. This remarkable property of extinguishing the general sensibility, without any ostensible injury to respiration and circulation, naturally led to a belief that the hydro-cyanic acid, or prussic acid, might be advantageously used in cases of excessive sensibility and irritation, particularly when these two morbid states are likely to affect either the respiratory organs or the circulation generally. This kind of analogical reasoning, it is said, induced Professor Brera, ten years ago, to administer it in cases of high pulmonary and other inflammations, in doses of four drops twice a day; when, as we are told, the violence of the disease was quickly subdued. The remedy, however, does not appear to have excited much attention, until after the first essay of Dr. Majendie, who deserves whatever credit may belong to its introduction. Seven years of trial have elapsed, and the general sense of the medical profession with respect to its utility may now be collected. As a palliative in certain spasmodic coughs, there is reason for supposing that it may sometimes be useful, but in that species of pulmonary irritation for which it was at first so greatly extolled, I will venture to assert that it is far inferior in efficacy to well directed doses of Conium. But there is another class of diseases in which its exhibition is said to prove useful, in dyspeptic affections attended with heartburn; where it is supposed to be capable of reducing the morbid irritability of the stomach, and thereby of enabling the juices of that organ to be more slowly secreted and of a more healthy character. Dr. Elliotson has published the result of his treatment of stomach complaints with this medicinal agent, and would appear to appropriate to himself the merit of originating the practice, a claim which Mr. Thomson, in the third edition of his Dispensatory, refuses to concede.[344] As a local remedy, prussic acid has also received no small share of commendation, and it has been said that it is the only application that can be depended upon for allaying the cutaneous irritation so frequently attendant upon certain impetiginous affections. It must, however, be confessed that this medicine is rapidly declining in popularity.[345] Any prejudice raised against it, upon the ground of its poisonous activity in large doses, is too absurd to be believed; the knife and the caustic are unquestionably powerful, and may therefore become dangerous instruments; but who ever blames the surgeon for employing a sharp knife or an active caustic, seeing that both are to be directed by his eye, and guided by his hand? FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be conveniently administered in any liquid vehicle, as distilled water, camphor mixture, or in some vegetable infusion. See Supplementary Formulæ, 1, 2, 3. A question has lately arisen whether the effects of the prussic acid might not be more conveniently ensured by the administration of some vegetable[346] in which it exists as a native ingredient; a company of associated Physicians, Surgeons, and Naturalists at Florence, have accordingly expressed their joint opinion, that the essential oil of the Prunus Lauro Cerasus is to be preferred in medical practice to all other preparations which contain the hydro-cyanic acid; for, say they, unlike the distilled water of the plant, and pure prussic acid, it contains the same proportion of active matter, and of the same power, whether recently prepared or not; whether made in one place or another; or whether it has been exposed or not to the air, light, or heat. They are also of opinion that olive oil forms the best vehicle for its exhibition in the proportion of one ounce to twelve drops of the essential oil. Other practitioners again prefer Laurel Water, made by distilling two drachms of the fresh leaves chopped, with four ounces of water, recommitting the distilled water twice afterwards on the same quantity of fresh leaves, and making ultimately four ounces of the menstruum, of which from ♏︎xxx to fʒj every six hours may be given until a sedative effect is produced. See Oleum Amygdalæ Amaræ. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Hydro-cyanic acid is decomposed by most of the oxydes usually employed in medicine, particularly by those of Mercury and Antimony. The alkalies do not appear to diminish its efficacy. Nitrate of Silver, and the salts of iron occasion precipitates; nor ought the sulphurets, the mineral acids, or chlorine to enter with it into prescriptions. DOSE. Of the medicinal, or diluted hydro-cyanic acid, ♏︎ij,–viij. There is however considerable difficulty with regard to the strength of the dilute acid employed in medicine, since the density is a criterion of greater nicety than can be conveniently used by the majority of practitioners; in fact, as Dr. Ure has observed, the liquid at 0·996, contains about double the quantity of real acid, which it does at 0·998. Dr. Ure has accordingly proposed another test of the strength of this powerful and dangerous medicine, which is not only easier in use, but more delicate in its indications;[347] it is as follows. To 100 grains, or any other convenient quantity of the prussic acid, contained in a small phial, add in succession, small quantities of the peroxide of mercury, (the common red precipitate of the shops) in fine powder, till it ceases to be dissolved on agitation. The weight of the red precipitate taken up, being divided by four, gives a quotient representing the quantity of real prussic acid present. By weighing out before hand, on a piece of paper, or a watch glass, forty or fifty grains of the peroxide, the residual weight of it shews at once the quantity expended. The operation may always be completed in five minutes, for the red precipitate dissolves as rapidly in the dilute prussic acid, with the aid of slight agitation, as sugar dissolves in water. ADULTERATIONS. If, says Dr. Ure, the presence of muriatic acid be suspected, then the specific gravity of the liquid compared with the gravity of the peroxide dissolved, will shew how far the suspicion is well founded; thus if 100 grains of acid, specific gravity 0·996, dissolve more than 12 grains of the red precipitate, we may be sure that the liquid has been contaminated with muriatic acid. Nitrate of Silver, in common cases, so valuable a reagent for muriatic acid, is unfortunately of little use here, for it gives with prussic acid, a flocculent white precipitate, soluble in water of ammonia, and insoluble in nitric acid, which may easily be mistaken by common observers, for the chloride of that metal. But the difference in the volatility of prussiate and muriate of ammonia may be had recourse to with advantage; the former exhaling at a very gentle heat, the latter requiring a subliming temperature of about 300° Fah. After adding ammonia in slight excess to the prussic acid, if we evaporate to dryness at a heat of 212°, we may infer from the residuary sal ammoniac, the quantity of muriatic acid present.
ANTIDOTES. To counteract the poisonous effect of prussic acid, Orfila recommends, after full vomiting has been excited, the exhibition of three or four spoonsful of oil of turpentine, in the infusion of coffee, at intervals of half an hour. M. Virey conceives that sulphate of iron in solution is the best antidote, he having observed that the salt restored a cow that was nearly killed by the essential oil of bitter almonds. When an overdose has been taken, hot brandy and water, and the ammoniated tincture of iron are recommended by Mr. Thomson; on the former I should rely with much greater confidence than upon the latter antidote, or, in other words, it is from vital agents, counteracting its sedative influence, rather than from chemical substances, changing its composition, that we can expect any benefit upon such an occasion. For the chemical processes by which the presence of this acid may be ascertained, the reader may consult my work on Medical Jurisprudence, vol. 2, p. 408.
ACIDUM MURIATICUM. L.E.D.
Muriatic Acid.
QUALITIES. Form, a liquid of the specific gravity 1·16, a fluid-ounce of which weighs about 527 grains, and according to Dr. Powell ought, when diluted, to dissolve 220 grains of limestone. Odour, strong and pungent; if exposed to the air it emits white fumes. Taste, intensely sour and caustic; it is however the weakest of the three mineral acids; and no remarkable elevation of temperature is produced by dilution. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The liquid acid is a solution of muriatic acid gas in water; when of the specific gravity 1·16, according to Davy, it contains 32·32 per cent of the gas, which recent experiments have shewn to be a compound of Chlorine (Oxy-muriatic acid) and hydrogen in equal volumes. It has therefore received a name expressive of its composition, and is called Hydro-chloric[348] acid. We accordingly find that the former element is disengaged from muriatic acid by adding any substance capable of uniting with its hydrogen. For the purpose of obtaining Chlorine, we may take three parts of common salt, one of black oxide of manganese, and rather less than three of strong sulphuric acid.[349] Accounts have been received from Spain, that in the midst of the dreadful contagion which reigned in that country, the inhabitants always escaped in those houses where fumigations of chlorine had been used. In our own country, the Penitentiary has lately undergone fumigation by this gas, under the superintendance of Mr. Faraday.[350] Muriatic acid gas has also been strongly recommended for the same purpose; it may be easily evolved by pouring sulphuric acid on common salt. If nitric and muriatic acids be mixed, a mutual decomposition takes place, of which water, chlorine, and nitrous acid are the results; this constitutes “nitro-muriatic acid,” the Aqua regia of the older chemists. A bath acidulated with an acid of this kind has been recommended by Dr. Scott, as a powerful remedy for diseases of the liver in particular, and as a substitute for mercury in general. On the possible influence of this bath, I would beg to make one observation,—that the extensive application of a dilute acid to the surface of the body, is, under certain circumstances, capable of affecting the bowels. I have witnessed such an effect from sponging with vinegar and water. In this way the acidulated bath may occasionally produce benefit, but it is extremely difficult to conceive how it can be indebted for its utility to any other mode of operation. (See Journal of Science and the Arts, No. 2.) FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Muriatic acid should be administered in some bland fluid, as barley water, gruel, &c. (Formula 145.) I have uniformly exhibited it with success in the most malignant cases of typhus and scarlatina, during several years extensive practice in the Westminster Hospital. See page 157. We should be careful not to apportion its dose in a leaden or pewter spoon. The antiseptic properties of this acid have been long known; Sir Wm. Fordyce relates that a “dry-salter” acquired a large fortune from possessing a secret that had enabled him to send out provisions to India in a better state of preservation than any others of the trade; his secret consisted in adding a small quantity of muriatic acid to the contents of each cask. After a copious evacuation of the bowels, it is in my experience the most efficacious remedy for preventing the generation of worms; for which purpose the infusion of quassia, stronger than that of the Pharmacopœia, is the best vehicle. DOSE, ♏︎v-xx, frequently repeated. It may be here observed that where the permanent influence of an acid is required, a mineral one should be always preferred, as such bodies appear to be beyond the control of the digestive process,[351] and are incapable of being decomposed by it; see Form. 158, whereas on the contrary it seems probable that the organs of assimilation have command over those of a vegetable nature, and generally decompose them. Dr. Marcet has very judiciously noticed this fact in his luminous work on the treatment of calculi, and I have ventured to offer some farther observations upon this subject, which may be of practical value, under the consideration of Lithonthryptics, page 123. ADULTERATIONS. Sulphuric acid is detected by diluting the acid with six parts of distilled water, and adding a few drops of the muriate of baryta, which occasions a white precipitate if any be present. Iron, by saturating a diluted portion with pure carbonate of soda, and adding prussiate of potass, which will indicate its presence by a blue precipitate; or by a solution of ammonia, which, when added slightly in excess, throws down the peroxide of iron of a reddish yellow colour. Copper, by the production of a blue colour when supersaturated with ammonia. The yellow tinge of the acid usually met with in commerce, may depend either upon the presence of iron, vegetable extractive, or a small portion of chlorine. This latter body may be recognised by the odour, or by its power of dissolving gold leaf.
ACIDUM NITRICUM. L.E.D. Nitric Acid.
Aqua Fortis.
QUALITIES. A limpid liquid of the specific gravity 1·500, a fluid-ounce of which is equal to about 11 drachms, 1 scruple by weight, and ought to decompose of pure limestone an ounce; it emits white fumes of a suffocating odour. Taste, extremely acid; it is highly corrosive, and tinges the skin indelibly yellow; an effect which is considerably heightened by the subsequent application of an alkali, so that these agents afford the means of detecting minute portions of animal matter, and were ingeniously employed for such an object by Mr. Hatchett. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. When of the specific gravity 1·500, it contains 74·895 per cent. of dry acid; (whose ultimate elements are one portion of nitrogen and five of oxygen) the compliment 25·105 parts is water. It is decomposed with violent action by all combustibles, and when mixed with volatile oils, it causes their inflammation. It boils at 210°, and when its specific gravity is below 1·4, it is strengthened, when stronger than 1·45 it is weakened by ebullition. USES. It is principally employed as a pharmaceutical agent; viz. for the preparation of Argenti Nitras; Liquor Ferri Alkalini; Hydrargyri Nitri-co-oxydum; Spiritus Etheris Nitrici; and Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis. As an escharotic it has been frequently employed for the destruction of tumours, and is certainly of value where an immediate destruction of diseased parts is required. The method of using the strong nitric acid in such cases is to smear all the sound parts in the immediate vicinity of the ulcer with Ung: Resin: Nig: and then to apply pledgets of lint firmly upon the ulcer for a few seconds, by which the whole surface will be deadened, and a deep slough remain, underneath which healthy suppuration and granulations will ensue.[352] ADULTERATIONS. Sulphuric acid may be detected by a precipitate being produced on the addition of nitrate of baryta; in the application however of this test, Mr. Hume has shewn that unless this as well as the nitric acid be diluted, a precipitate will occur, although sulphuric acid should not be present; a circumstance which depends upon the barytic salt yielding its water of solution to the acid under examination, and becoming insoluble. Muriatic acid is discovered by nitrate of silver, affording a precipitate at first white, but becoming coloured by exposure to light; the nitric acid ought to be perfectly colourless, but to preserve it in such a state it must be closely stopped, and kept in a dark place, or it will soon be converted into nitrous acid.
ACIDUM NITRICUM DILUTUM. L.
Acidum Nitrosum Dilutum. E.D.
Dilute Nitric Acid.
It is much to be regretted that the proportion of water directed for the dilution of the acid, varies considerably in the different pharmacopœias; that prepared according to the Edinburgh and Dublin formulæ, being in strength to that of the present Pharmacopœia of London, as 4 to 1: specific gravity, 1·080; each fluid-drachm contains nearly 8½ grains of the concentrated acid, and saturates 18 grains of crystallized sub-carbonate of soda. DOSE ♏︎x to xl. The acid is a very powerful anti-phlogistic remedy; it has been much extolled in diseases of the liver, and in syphilis. Mr. Pearson however observes that we ought not to rely upon it in any form of lues venerea, although it may be often serviceable in restraining the progress of the disease when an impaired constitution or other circumstances render the exhibition of mercury improper; when sufficiently dilute, it forms an excellent lotion for old indolent ulcers. It proves also expectorant, see Form. 139, 140; and it is occasionally used with success for the purpose of counteracting the consecutive effects of opium. See Form. 16.
ACIDUM NITROSUM. E.D. Nitrous Acid.
QUALITIES. A liquid emitting fumes of a flame-red colour, and of a very pungent and remarkable odour. The acid is either blue, green, straw-coloured, clear orange yellow, according to the proportion of nitrous acid gas[353] with which it is charged. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. This acid is improperly denominated Nitrous, for it is nitric acid, holding nitrous acid gas loosely combined; by dilution this last constituent is disengaged, and the acid, after passing through a succession of different colours, becomes pure nitric acid; the application of a gentle heat effects the same changes.
ACIDUM SULPHURICUM. L.E.D. Sulphuric Acid.
Oil of Vitriol, Vitriolic Acid.
QUALITIES. Form, a thick liquid of an oily consistence, specific gravity 1·85; a fluid-ounce weighs a fraction of a grain more than fourteen drachms. Colour, none, but it acquires a brown tinge from the smallest portion of carbonaceous matter; mere exposure to the air is sufficient for this purpose, in consequence of the acid disorganizing and carbonating the vegetable and animal matter suspended in the atmosphere; it is therefore evident that bottles in which it is preserved ought not to have stoppers of cork, but those of glass. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Like the other mineral acids, it has never been obtained in an insulated state without water; according to Davy, the composition of the strongest acid may be thus expressed: sulphur 30, oxygen 45, water 17. It has a very powerful affinity for water, and produces when mixed with it a very considerable heat; exposed to the atmosphere it imbibes at least seven times its own weight of water, and so rapidly as to double its weight in a month; when of the specific gravity 1·85, it rises in vapour at about 550°, and distils unaltered, whereas weaker acids lose water by being boiled, and are brought to that degree of concentration; when diluted with 12 or 13 per cent. of water, an acid results of the specific gravity 1·780, and in this state of dilution it boils at 435°, and freezes sooner than water; a knowledge of this curious fact suggests to the prudent chemist an important precaution; Mr. Parkes, in his Chemical Essays, vol. ii. relates the occurrence of a terrible accident which happened in consequence of this circumstance not having been attended to.—“Carboy after carboy burst by the expansion of the acid in the act of freezing, and had not the packed carboys that remained been immediately immersed in tepid water, not a single one would have escaped the general wreck.”
ADULTERATIONS. The ordinary acid of the shops contains in general 3 or 4 per cent. of saline matter, which consists of about two-thirds of sulphate of potass, and one-third of sulphate of lead. Dr. Ure observes, that even more is occasionally found, in consequence of the employment of nitre to remove the brown colour given to the acid by carbonaceous matter; the amount of adulteration, he observes, may be readily determined by evaporating a definite weight of the acid in a small capsule of platinum; these impurities however in a medical point of view are immaterial, since they are at once separated by dilution, but in a commercial sense they deserve attention, as their presence considerably increases the specific gravity of the acid. Dr. Ure is of opinion that genuine commercial acid should never exceed 1·8485, and that any density beyond this is the effect of saline combination. Journal of Science and the Arts, No. 7.
ACIDUM SULPHURICUM DILUTUM. L.E.D.
Dilute Sulphuric Acid.
By the dilution of this acid two objects are accomplished,—it is purified, and its dose is more easily apportioned; but it is a circumstance of regret that the strength of this preparation should so materially vary in the different Pharmacopœias.
After the acid is diluted, the sediment ought to be carefully removed, and the water employed for the purpose should be distilled, for although it be in its purest natural state, it will nevertheless contain impregnations capable of affecting the acid. USES. In addition to the antiseptic and refrigerant virtues which it possesses in common with the other mineral acids, it has astringent properties that render it a most valuable medicine, especially in weakness and relaxation of the digestive organs, in colliquative sweats, in internal hæmorrhagy; in Epistaxis and Hemopthysis it was Sydenham’s favourite remedy; on the same account, when sufficiently dilute, it has been successfully used as a collyrium in the atonic stages of ophthalmia, and as an injection in protracted gonorrhæa. Dose, ♏︎x to xl, the quantity of strong sulphuric acid in any given quantity of the dilute may be found by the Dynameter. To prevent it from injuring the enamel of the teeth it may be sucked through a quill, and the mouth should be carefully washed after each dose. The Infusum Rosæ furnishes an elegant vehicle for its administration. See Form. 40. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Acidum Sulphuricum Aromaticum.[354] E. Infusum Rosæ. L.
ACIDUM TARTARICUM. L.
Tartaric Acid.
QUALITIES. Form, Crystals of considerable size, whose primary form is an oblique rhombic prism; they do not deliquesce when exposed to the air, but melt at a heat a little exceeding 212°. Taste, very acid and agreeable. SOLUBILITY. Water at 60° dissolves about one-fifth of its weight, and when boiling, a much greater proportion. The solution, which, if saturated, has the specific gravity 1·230, acquires, when diluted, like that of most vegetable acids, a mouldy pellicle by keeping. The saturating power of crystallized tartaric acid is almost exactly equal to that of crystallized citric acid, the atomic weight of the former being 76, and that of the latter 75. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. When uncombined with water, as it exists in tartrate of potass, it is composed of 5 atoms of oxygen, 3 atoms of hydrogen, and 4 atoms of carbon. The crystals consist of 1 atom of acid and 1 of water. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Alkalies, Earths, and their carbonates; the salts of lime and lead. The solutions of the salts of potass are converted by it into bi-tartrate, or super-tartrate. MEDICINAL USES. It is introduced into the Pharmacopœia as a cheap and efficient substitute for the citric acid. It is also used in the preparation of Sodaic powders, Seidlitz powders, &c. ADULTERATIONS. When carelessly prepared it will contain sulphuric acid, to detect which, let a portion be dissolved in distilled water, and a solution of acetate of lead be added. A precipitate will appear which, if the acid be pure, will be entirely redissolved by a few drops of acetic acid, or pure nitric acid. If any portion remain undissolved, sulphuric acid is the cause. Muriate of Baryta also, when sulphuric acid is present, but not otherwise, gives a precipitate insoluble by an excess of muriatic acid.
ACONITI FOLIA. L.E.D. (Aconitum Napellus.[355]) Aconite.
Woolfsbane, Monkshood.
QUALITIES. Taste, moderately bitter, and acrid, leaving in the mouth a painful sensation of heat and roughness, followed by numbness in the gums and lips which continues for two or three hours. Odour, faint and narcotic; their peculiar properties are considerably deteriorated by drying. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. M. Brandes has ascertained that the narcotic principle of this plant is a peculiar alkali, to which he has given the name Aconita.[356] SOLUBILITY, water and alcohol only imperfectly extract their virtues. MEDICINAL USES. It is narcotic, and occasions, in over-doses, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, hyper-catharsis, cold sweats, convulsions, and death; effects which entirely depend upon its action on the brain. It was first administered in 1702, by Stöerk, of Vienna, in chronic rheumatism, gout, schirrus, and paralysis; more lately it has been employed in scrofula, cancer, and intermittents, and it is said with much effect. On account of the variable strength of the leaves they can hardly be given with safety and effect; the extract (which see,) presents the more eligible form of exhibition. The leaves are, however, sometimes given in the form of powder, generally combined with some mercurial alterative, or with antimonials, camphor, and other diaphoretics. DOSE gr. i-x. OFFICINAL PREP: Extractum Aconiti. L.E.
ADEPS PRÆPARATA. L. ADEPS SUI SCROFÆ, vulgo Axungia Porcina. E. ADEPS SUILLUS PRÆPARATUS. D.
Prepared Hog’s Lard. Fat. Axunge.[357]
QUALITIES. Consistence, soft or nearly semifluid. Odour and Taste, none; at 97° it melts. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It consists of two distinct bodies which appear to exist together in a state of mechanical mixture, viz. Stearin, (from στεαρ tallow) which is white, brittle, and in appearance somewhat resembling wax; and Elain (from ελαὶον, oil) very similar to vegetable oil in appearance, and is liquid at 59°. According to the experiments of Braconnot, the proportion of Elain is to that of Stearin, in hog’s lard, as 62:38. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water and alcohol; with the alkalies it unites and forms soaps. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Extracts, Spirituous Preparations, Tinctures, and Infusions, are incapable of uniting perfectly with lard, without some intermedium; the following substances on the contrary are capable of contracting with it a most intimate union. 1. All dry powders, whether of a vegetable or mineral nature. 2. Fixed and Volatile Oils. 3. Balsams. 4. Camphor. 5. Soaps. It is principally employed in the formation of ointments, plasters, and liniments.
ÆRUGO. L. D. (Sub-acetas Cupri Impura.) SUB-ACETIS CUPRI. E.
Verdigris.
QUALITIES. Form, a dry mass composed of minute crystals, not deliquescent; Colour, bluish green. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Several constituents enter into its composition, viz. Acetate and sub-acetate of copper, carbonate of copper, and copper partly metallic and partly oxidized; it contains also the stalks of grapes and other extraneous substances. SOLUBILITY. Boiling water dissolves it in part, and produces in it a chemical change, by transforming one portion of the sub-acetate into the soluble acetate, and another into an oxyd of copper, which is precipitated; with cold water this substance demeans itself differently, the acetate is dissolved by it, whilst that portion which is in the state of sub-salt remains suspended in the form of a fine green powder. Vinegar converts all the Ærugo into a soluble acetate, this liquid therefore ought never to be employed for favouring vomiting in cases where an overdose has been swallowed, for the reasons stated in the first part of this work, p. 136. Sulphuric acid poured on powdered verdigris decomposes it with effervescence, and vapours of acetic acid are disengaged. It appears from the experiments and observations of Duval and Orfila, that sugar exercises a chemical action on it, by which its solubility is diminished, and that on this account it acts as a specific against its poisonous effects. USES. It is so uncertain and violent in its operation that it is rarely employed, except externally,[358] when it acts as a powerful detergent, and mild escharotic; and in the form of ointment, is a valuable application for many cutaneous affections, especially the aggravated kinds of Tetter. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Ærugo Præparata, D. Linimentum Æruginis. L. D. ADULTERATIONS. There is a spurious article sold under the name of English Verdigris, which consists of sulphate of copper, triturated with acetate of lead; and to make the fraud still more complete, the soft mass is mixed with the stalks of Raisins.
ÆTHER SULPHURICUS RECTIFICATUS. L.
Rectified Sulphuric Æther.
QUALITIES. A colourless liquid of specific gravity 739°. Odour, pungent and fragrant; it is highly volatile, and when perfectly free from alcohol it boils at 98°; it is extremely inflammable, a circumstance which should be remembered when it is poured from one vessel to another by candle light. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. When pure it consists of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon; the rectified æther however still contains some water and alcohol, for Lovitz obtained an æther of 632. SOLUBILITY. One part requires for its solution ten of water; with alcohol and ammonia it unites in every proportion. SOLVENT POWERS. It is one of the most powerful solvents known in vegetable chemistry, as it dissolves balsams, resins, gum-resins, wax, camphor, extractive, &c.; it takes up about a twentieth of its weight of sulphur, but it exerts no solvent power upon the fixed alkalies. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In any liquid vehicle, if in decoctions or infusions, they should be previously cooled. See Formulæ 20, 22, 23. MEDICAL USES. It is highly valuable as a diffusible stimulant, narcotic, and antispasmodic. DOSE, fʒss to fʒij, which, in order to produce the full effect of the remedy, must be repeated at short intervals. Æther, independent of such virtues, has another valuable property consequent upon its rapid evaporation, that of producing cold and dryness; it is therefore, when externally applied and allowed to evaporate, a most powerful refrigerant, and has proved valuable in scalds or burns, in facilitating the reduction of strangulated hernia, and in diminishing excessive circulation in the brain; if however it be so confined, that its rapid evaporation is prevented, a very opposite effect is produced, and it proves stimulant, rubefacient, and even vesicatory. With regard to the other property incidental to it, that of producing dryness, I am not aware that it has hitherto been applied to any pharmaceutical purpose; the fact may be satisfactorily shewn by a very simple experiment,—by rincing a phial with æther, to the interior of which drops of water obstinately adhere, when by exposing it to a current of air, it will be completely dry in a few minutes. It may be noticed in this place that a mixture of sulphuric and muriatic æthers evaporates instantaneously, and produces a degree of cold considerably below 0 of Fahrenheit. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Spiritus Æther: Sulph: L. Spir: Æth: Sulph: comp: L. Spir: Æth: Aromat: L. ADULTERATIONS and IMPURITIES. Its specific gravity affords the best indication of its purity; Sulphuric Acid may be detected by a precipitation on the addition of a solution of baryta, and by its reddening the colour of litmus; Alcohol, by its forming with phosphorus a milky instead of a limpid solution. M. Gay Lussac has observed that when kept for a considerable time without disturbance, it undergoes spontaneous decomposition, and that acetic acid, perhaps some alcohol, and a particular oil, are produced from it.
ALCOHOL.[359] L.D. Alcohol. Ardent Spirit.
QUALITIES. A transparent, and colourless liquid of the specific gravity ·815; it has not hitherto been rendered solid by any diminution of temperature; it boils at 176°, and if water be added, its boiling point is proportionably raised; hence, says Dr. Henry, the temperature at which it boils is not a bad test of its strength; it is combustible, and burns with a blue flame, leaving no residue. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Alcohol, in a state of complete purity, consists of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, in proportions not hitherto determined with accuracy; this preparation however contains 7 per cent. of water; Lovitz and Saussure succeeded in obtaining it at a specific gravity of ·791, which may be considered as nearly pure. Alcohol unites chemically with water; and caloric is evolved during this union; the quantity of alcohol and water in mixtures of different specific gravities, may be learned from Mr. Gilpin’s tables, Philosophical Transactions, 1794, or Nicholson’s Journal, 4to. vol. 1. The Edinburgh Pharmacopœia has no process for the preparation of alcohol, but it most incorrectly assigns the title to that which is the “Rectified Spirit” of the other Colleges. SOLVENT POWERS. Alcohol dissolves soap; vegetable extract; sugar; oxalic, camphoric, tartaric, gallic, and benzoic acids; volatile oils; resins, and balsams; it combines also with sulphur, and the pure fixed alkalies, but not with their carbonates: for its other habitudes, and applications, see Spiritus Rectificatus.
ALLII RADIX. L.E.D. Allium Sativum.
Garlic.[360]
QUALITIES. This bulbous root has when recent a fœtid smell, and acrid taste, which are extracted by watery infusion; by decoction they are nearly lost; by expression, the root furnishes almost one-fourth of its weight of a limpid juice, and by distillation, an odorous, acrid, essential oil is procured, in which the existence of sulphur may be detected. Garlic has a considerable analogy to squill and onion, and like them, exerts a diuretic, diaphoretic, expectorant, and stimulant operation; (see p. 103). It is a very common domestic remedy for the expulsion of tænia, and it is undoubtedly of advantage in such cases; it is usually administered in the form of a decoction, with milk, on an empty stomach; it is however but rarely used in modern practice, as it possesses no superiority over remedies less nauseous and objectionable; the bruised root, externally applied, is highly stimulant, and rubefacient. Sydenham speaks highly of the application of garlic to the soles of the feet, as a powerful means of producing revulsion from the head. OFFICINAL PREPARATION. Syrupus Allii. D.[361]
ALOES EXTRACTUM. Aloes.
There are three species met with in the shops, viz.
1. ALÖE SPICATA, L. Socotorina, D. Socrotrine Aloes. PERFOLIATA. E. Cape Aloes. 2. ALÖE VULGARIS.[362] L. Hepatica, E. D. Common or Barbadoes Aloes. 3. ALÖE CABALINA. Fetid, Cabaline, or Horse Employed only by Farriers. Aloes.
QUALITIES. The above varieties of aloe differ in their purity, and likewise in their sensible qualities; the Socotrine is the purest, it is in small pieces of a reddish brown colour; the Barbadoes is in large masses, of a lighter colour, and having an odour much stronger and less pleasant; the Cabaline is still more impure and less powerful. All the kinds are characterized by an intensely bitter taste, which, in the Socotrine, is accompanied by an aromatic flavour. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. In this there appears to be some obscurity; M. Braconnot (Ann. Chim. tom. 68.) conceives it to be a substance, sui generis, which he terms “bitter resin,” while others regard it as composed of resin, gum, and extractive, the proportions of which are supposed to vary in the different species, but that their peculiar virtues reside in the extractive part. SOLUBILITY. It is to the slowness with which aloe undergoes solution in the primæ viæ, that it is indebted for the medicinal properties which distinguish this substance; by boiling water it is dissolved, but on cooling a precipitation ensues, and by long decoction it becomes quite inert; weak acids dissolve it more abundantly than water, but proof spirit is the most perfect solvent: its solubility is increased by the addition of alkaline salts and soaps, but by such a combination it undergoes a material change in its medicinal properties; the bitterness is diminished, its purgative effects impaired, and it ceases to operate specifically upon the large intestines, a fact so far valuable, as it enables us in certain cases to obviate its irritating action upon the rectum. MEDICINAL USE. Aloe is a bitter stimulating purgative, emptying the large intestines, without making the stools thin; it likewise warms the habit, quickens the circulation, and promotes the uterine and hemorrhoidal fluxes. DOSE, gr. v.–xv. No greater effect is produced by a large dose than from one comparatively moderate; its tendency, however, to irritate the rectum renders it, in many cases, an objectionable remedy;[363] and its sympathetic action on the uterus may occasionally produce mischief, in irritable habits, while in other states it may, for reasons equally obvious, prove beneficial. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. The form of pill should be preferred on account of its extreme bitterness, as well as being, for the reasons above mentioned, the one most likely to fulfil the intention of its exhibition; for in addition to what has been stated in a preceding part of this work, on the important influence of solubility, it may be here observed that since the aloe does not undergo solution in the stomach, it is admirably adapted for the basis of remedies intended to obviate constitutional costiveness, for in our endeavours to supply the deficiencies of nature by the resources of art, we should at least attempt to imitate the modes of her operation; the natural stimulus of the intestines, the bile, is poured into them below the stomach, and whenever it regurgitates into that organ it produces disease; so it happens with our cathartic medicines, and unless we so modify their solubility that their operation cannot commence until after their passage through the stomach, we shall find that we only increase the evil we are endeavouring to obviate, and that, in addition to the torpor of the intestinal canal, we shall induce the stomach to participate in the disease, or excite a morbid fretfulness of that organ which will be attended with the most distressing symptoms.[364] See Formulæ 12, 13, 79, 80, 81. Aloes in combination with assafœtida furnishes an eligible purgative in the dyspepsia of old persons; it is also well calculated to obviate the costiveness so generally produced by Opium, (Form: 11, 12, 13.) See also p. 162. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Pulv: Aloes comp: L. Pil: Alöes cum Myrrha. L.E.D. Pil: Aloes comp: Pil: Alöes cum Assafœtida. E. Pil: Aloes cum Colocynthide. E. Pil: Cambogiæ comp: (=B.M.=) L. Pil: Rhei. comp: (=F=) E. Pil. Scammon, cum Aloe. D. Decoctum Aloes comp: L. Extractum Aloes purificatum. L.D. Extractum Colocynthidis comp: L.D. (=F=) Tinct: Alöes L.E.D. Tinct: Alöes comp: L.E.D. Tinct: Alöes Ætherea, E. Tinct: Benzoin: comp: (=G=) L.E.D. Tinct: Rhei et Aloes E. Vinum Alöes. L.E.D. ADULTERATIONS. It is frequently adulterated with common resin, but the fraud more generally committed is that of mixing with, or substituting the inferior species for the Socotrine, but the Barbadoes Aloes may, independent of its want of aromatic flavour, be distinguished from the Socotrine by a simple test, for the latter dissolves entirely in boiling water and alcohol, whereas the former, when treated in a similar manner, leaves a considerable residue; sometimes the Horse Aloes is made to appear so bright and pure, as not to be easily distinguished by the eye even from the Socotrine, but its rank odour, of which no art can divest it, will readily betray the fraud.
ALUMEN. (Super-sulphas Aluminæ et Potassæ.) Sulphas Aluminæ. E.
Alumen. D. Alum.
QUALITIES. Form, octohedral crystals, whose sides are equilateral triangles; they are slightly efflorescent. Taste, sweet, rough, and acidulous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a triple, or sometimes a quadruple salt, with excess of acid, consisting of sulphuric acid and alumina, with potass, or ammonia, or frequently both of them; the nature of the alkali however does not in the least appear to affect the properties of alum, although it produces a crystallographic modification; for where potass is present the summit of the crystal will exhibit a truncation. Dr. Ure has lately produced alum with soda, and the combination differs from common alum only in its greater degree of solubility, a property which at once recommends it to the attention of the pharmaceutist and physician. SOLUBILITY. A fluid-ounce of cold water dissolves 30 grains, but if boiling four drachms; it is insoluble in alcohol. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Alkalies and alkaline salts, after neutralizing the excess of acid, precipitate the alumine. It is also decomposed by carbonate and muriate of ammonia, carbonate of magnesia, and tartrate of potass, by lime-water, acetate of lead, and the salts of mercury, as well as by many vegetable and animal substances, especially galls and kino. It is on this account very injudicious to combine alum with any vegetable astringent with a view to encrease its virtues; thus the “Pulvis Sulphatis Aluminæ compositus” of the Edinburgh college, is less powerful than any of the ingredients of which it is composed; and the addition of alum to the decoction of bark, undoubtedly diminishes its efficacy as an astringent injection. MEDICINAL USES. Alum is internally a powerful astringent, in hæmorrhages and inordinate fluxes, and is externally useful for repellent and astringent lotions, gargles, and collyria. Dioscorides and Hippocrates praised its effects as a lotion in various kinds of ulcers, and particularly in sores of the mouth, and in spongy, swelled gums. Van-Helmont was the first person who employed alum in uterine hemorrhage, and the success of the practice very considerably enhanced his reputation. Boerhaave’s astringent powder for the ague consisted of Alum and Nutmeg with the addition of Armenian bole. DOSE, gr. x. In large doses it is liable to excite nausea, and to act upon the bowels. Nutmeg or some aromatic should therefore be joined with it. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In solution, or in substance made into pills with extract; (Form: 53, 56,) it is sometimes given with advantage in the form of whey (Alum-whey—Serum Aluminosum) made by boiling ʒij with a pint of milk, and then straining, the dose of which is a wine glass full; (Form; 54.) By briskly agitating a drachm of alum with the white of an egg, a coagulum is formed, (Alum curd of Riverius; Albumen. Aluminosum) which is serviceable in some species of ophthalmia, when applied between two pieces of thin linen rag.[365] As alum is not decomposed by sulphate of lime, hard water may be safely used for its solution. It has the effect of retarding, and in some instances of preventing, the acetous fermentation in vegetables; thus when added to common paste it prevents its becoming sour; animal substances, as glue, are preserved by it in a similar manner. It has also the property of clearing turbid water, wine, and spirituous liquors, for which purpose it is extensively employed. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Liquor Alum: co. L. Pulv: Alum: co. E.
ALUMEN EXSICCATUM, L. Ustum. D. Dried Alum. By the action of heat alum undergoes watery fusion, yields its water of crystallization, and loses more than one third of its weight; if the heat be too intense, or long continued, it is deprived of a great part of its acid. It has been recommended in doses of a scruple, in cholic, when it has been said to operate gently upon the bowels, and to relieve the pain: I have myself experienced this good effect when the cholic has been produced by the action of lead: Dr. Grashuis, a Dutch Physician, first recommended its use in Cholica Pictonum. The preparation however is principally used as an external application, having a degree of escharotic power, which renders it serviceable in venereal chancres, as well as in other ulcers having weak and spongy granulations; it is also very frequently employed to destroy fungous excrescencies, but it should be remembered that, as it owes such power to an excess of acid, unless it be carefully prepared, it must be inefficient. It ought to redden syrup of violets.
ALUMEN RUPEUM. Roche or Rock Alum. This variety was originally brought from Roccha, formerly called Edessa, in Syria, in fragments of about the size of an almond, covered with an efflorescence of a pale rose colour; that however which is now sold under this name is common English alum, artificially coloured. It is unimportant.
ALUMEN ROMANUM. Roman Alum is in irregular octohedral masses, powdery on the surface; it is the purest kind, and contains no ammonia in its composition.
AMMONIACUM. L.E.D. (Heracleum Gummiferum.)
Ammoniac.
QUALITIES. Form, masses composed of fragments, of tears, yellow on the surface, and white within; Taste, a nauseous sweet, followed by a bitter flavour; Odour, faint but not unpleasant. Specific gravity, 1·200. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Gum-resin, gluten, and some volatile matter. SOLUBILITY. It is partly soluble in water, vinegar, alcohol, æther, and in the solutions of the alkalies; when triturated with water a milky liquor is formed, which is a solution of gum holding the resin in suspension, and if the yolk of an egg be employed the mixture is more permanent; water appears to be its proper solvent. USES. Stimulant, antispasmodic, and expectorant: in large doses gently purgative and sometimes diuretic; after the exhibition of smart purgatives, in combination with rhubarb, it proves valuable in mesenteric affections by correcting the viscid secretion of the intestines; dissolved in nitric acid, it is said to prove an excellent expectorant in cases where large accumulations of purulent or viscid matter exist with feeble and difficult expectoration. See Form: 140. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In solution, see Mist: Ammoniac: it may also be given when dissolved in the Liquor ammoniæ acetatis; ʒij of the former may be dissolved in ℥iij of the latter; or it may be exhibited in pills with bitter extracts, myrrh, and other gum-resins; if rubbed with camphor a mass is at once produced very suitable for pills; vinegar renders it soft, and adapts it for plasters. DOSE, grs. x to xxx. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Mist: Ammoniac: L.D. Pil: Scillæ co: L.E. (=B=) Emplast: Ammoniac: L. Emplast: Gummos: E. Emplast: Ammoniac: cum Hydrargyro. L. ADULTERATIONS. Two varieties are met with in the market, that in tears, guttæ ammoniaci, ought to be white, clear, and dry; and that in lumps, lapis ammoniaci, which sells for one-third the price of the former, being very impure, is generally adulterated with common resin, for which it may be purified by softening the mass in a bladder which is immersed in boiling water, and straining it while fluid.
AMMONIÆ SUB-CARBONAS. L. Carbonas Ammoniæ. E.D.
Sub-carbonate of Ammonia.
QUALITIES. Form: white, semi-transparent masses, of a striated or crystalline aspect, which, on exposure to air effloresce; Odour, pungent and peculiar; Taste, acrid but cooling. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It will be found to vary materially in its composition according to the temperature employed for its preparation; the quantity of alkali varying from 20 to 50 per cent. Mr. Phillips considers the Sub-carbonate of ammonia to be a Sesque-carbonate, composed of 3 atoms of carbonic acid, 2 atoms of ammonia, and 2 of water; or that it is a definite compound of Carbonate and Bi-carbonate, one atom of each, with two atoms of water; one hundred parts, by experiment, consist, of 54·2 carb: acid, 29·3 Ammonia, and 16·5 water; if we consider it as a Sesque-carbonate, its constitution, according to Dr. Wollaston’s scale, will be 55·72 Carbonic Acid, 29 Ammonia, 15·28 water. SOLUBILITY. According to Duncan it is soluble in twice its weight of cold water; Mr. Phillips states four times; the mean of these will be found nearly correct. Its solubility however is increased by increase of temperature, but when dissolved in boiling water it effervesces, and undergoes a partial decomposition; it is quite insoluble in alcohol, and hence on the addition of spirit to a strong solution, a dense coagulum is produced. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. It is decomposed by acids, fixed alkalies, and their sub-carbonates, lime, solution of muriate of lime, magnesia, alum, super-tartrate of potass, and all the acidulous salts, sulphate of magnesia, acetate, sub-muriate, and oxy-muriate of mercury, acetate, and sub-acetate of lead, and the sulphates of iron and zinc. If it be added to decoctions and infusions they must be previously cooled. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Since by exposure to air its virtues are impaired, it ought not to be kept in powdered mixtures; in the form of pill it is preserved much longer, especially if it be combined with some vegetable extract. USES. It is stimulant, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, powerfully antacid, exceeding in this respect the fixed alkalies, and in large doses it is emetic. It is highly useful as a stimulant in those gastric affections which supervene habits of irregularity and debauchery; combined with opium it affords a powerful resource in protracted diarrhœa attended with debility of the alimentary canal: and in cases of muscular atony so frequently witnessed, as the sequela of chronic rheumatism, ammonia, in large doses, offers the best remedy; I have moreover witnessed the beneficial effects of this remedy in hoarseness depending upon relaxed states of the throat. In typhus fever it has been particularly recommended by Huxham, Pringle, and many other physicians, and some have considered it superior to any other stimulant upon such occasions. It is also useful in syncope and hysteria, in the form of smelling salts;[366] with respect to its application for making saline draughts, see Acid: Citricum: DOSE, grs v to ℈j: to produce emesis ʒss. See Form. 48, 49, 83, 152. Officinal Preparations. Liquor Ammoniæ sub-carbonatis, L. Liquor Ammoniæ acetatis (=I=) L.E.D. Liniment: Ammoniæ Sub-carbonatis. L. Cuprum Ammoniatum, (=I=) L.E.D. ADULTERATIONS. This salt ought to be entirely volatilized by heat; if any thing remain it may be considered impure; it ought also to be free from all fetor; should this not be the case it may be corrected by subliming it in conjunction with powdered charcoal; there is at present a large quantity of this impure article in the market, which has been manufactured from the residue sold by the gas light companies.[367] When long exposed to the air, it becomes opaque and friable, and the excess of ammonia, upon which its odour depends, escapes, carbonic acid is absorbed, and an inodorous bi-carbonate remains, consisting of carbonic acid 55·70, Ammonia 21·52, and water 22·76, or 2 atoms of carbonic acid, 1 atom of ammonia, and 2 atoms of water.
AMMONIÆ MURIAS. L.E. Sal Ammoniacum. D.
vulgo Sal Ammoniac.
QUALITIES. Form, dense striated concavo-convex cakes which are persistent in the air, or crystallized conical masses; in this latter form it generally contains other salts, especially muriate of lime, which render it deliquescent. Taste, bitter, acrid, and cool. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. In consequence of the present unsettled opinions respecting the nature of muriatic acid and ammonia, and the changes which they undergo by combination with each other, the composition of this salt is involved in some obscurity. According to Dr. Thomson, it consists of equal volumes of muriatic acid gas and ammoniacal gas, although he has subsequently observed that from the peculiar properties of the substance, it may be a compound of Chlorine and Ammonium (the hypothetical base of ammonia.) Unlike all the other ammoniacal salts, it does not undergo decomposition by heat. SOLUBILITY, f℥j of water at 66° dissolves about two drachms and a half; at 212° it dissolves its own weight; it is also soluble in 4½ parts of alcohol; its solution in water is accompanied by considerable reduction of temperature. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The sulphuric and nitric acids unite with the ammonia, and disengage the muriatic acid, whilst ammonia is disengaged by the action of potass and its carbonate, carbonate of soda, lime, magnesia, &c. which combine with its muriatic acid; with oxy-muriate of mercury it combines and increases its solubility, see Hydrarg: Oxy-murias. When united with acetate of lead, it decomposes it, and a muriate of lead is precipitated. It is obvious also that nitrate of silver, and all the metallic salts whose bases form insoluble compounds with muriatic acid, are incompatible with it. USES. Rarely employed as an internal remedy, externally it is employed in lotions, either for the cold produced during its solution, in which case it should be applied as soon as the salt is dissolved, or for the stimulus of the salt, on which principle it acts as a powerful discutient in indolent tumours (Form. 146.) It is also an ingredient in a very useful plaster, in which it undergoes chemical decomposition; this plaster consists of Soap ℥j, lead plaster, ʒij, liquified together, to which, when nearly cold, are added of muriate of ammonia finely powdered ʒss. The alkali of the soap enters into combination with the muriatic acid of the muriate of ammonia, and forms thereby muriate of potass, or soda, and ammoniacal gas (on which the virtue of the plaster depends) is slowly but abundantly liberated, acting as a powerful stimulant and rubefacient: it should be applied immediately after it is formed, and be renewed every twenty-four hours, otherwise the intention is lost; (Pharmacopœia Chirurgica.) I have often applied this plaster with evident advantage to the chest in pulmonary affections, and I wish to recommend it to the attention of practitioners. It is very useful also in that rheumatic affection of the muscles of the chest, which is so frequently met with in persons in advanced life; during the last winter I was consulted in two cases where the distress after exercise was so considerable as to resemble angina pectoris. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Ammoniæ Sub-carbonas (=I=). L.E.D. Liquor: Ammoniæ (=K=). L. Aqua Ammoniæ. E.D. Hydrarg: præcip: alb: (=I=). L. Alcohol Ammoniatum, (=I=). E.D. Ferrum Ammoniat: (=G=). L.E.D. ADULTERATIONS. This salt, if pure, may be entirely volatilized by a low heat; the sulphate of ammonia however, as it is also volatile, cannot be discovered except by the muriate of baryta, which will indicate its presence by a copious precipitate.
AMYGDALÆ DULCES. {Varieties of “Amygdalus Communis.” AMYGDALÆ AMARÆ. {Sweet and Bitter Almonds.
QUALITIES. The sweet almond is inodorous, and has a sweet, bland taste; the bitter almond,[368] when triturated with water, has the odour of the peach, and a pleasant bitter flavour. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Boullay has lately confirmed the analogy which Proust had stated to exist between the emulsion of sweet almonds and human milk, viz. the former consists of sweet oil 54, albumen 24, sugar 6, gum 3, with traces of acetic acid; the indigestible property of the almond depends upon its albuminous matter. The bitter almond, in addition to those constituents, contains hydro-cyanic acid, (Prussic acid,) in union with a peculiar volatile oil, upon which its narcotic properties depend; but this deleterious element is so modified by the natural state of combination in which it exists with sweet oil and albumen, that they may be eaten without inconvenience. The bitter almond has long been regarded as an antidote to drunkenness; Plutarch states it as a fact on the authority of his physician Claudius. Other bitters were however supposed to possess similar powers in this respect, hence the Poculum Absinthiatum to which we have before alluded. See page 79. Both sorts of almonds yield by expression a large quantity of fixed oil, which is perfectly mild. See Oleum Amygdal. The water distilled from the bitter almond, when strongly impregnated, has been found to exert a deleterious action on the human body, and to prove fatal to many animals. SOLUBILITY. By trituration with water a milky mixture is produced, (an emulsion), for which purpose the sweet almonds should be previously freed from their cuticle, (blanched), and this ought to be performed by infusing them in tepid water; for when hot it separates a portion of their oil, as is evident from their being thus rendered yellow, and the emulsion is therefore more liable to ferment, and be decomposed. ℥ij of almonds saturate about f℥vj of water; since however this extemporaneous preparation is tedious and inconvenient, the London Pharmacopœia very judiciously directs a confection to be ready prepared, ʒj of which, when triturated with f℥j of water, immediately forms an elegant emulsion. See Mistura Amygdal. Almonds form a useful intermedium for suspending in water many substances which are of themselves not miscible with it, as camphor, and several of the gum-resins; they also assist in the pulverization of refractory substances, as Ipecacuan, &c. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Confectio Amygdalarum. L. Emulsio Camphoræ (=M.=) E. Emulsio Acaciæ Arab: E. D.
AMYGDALÆ PLACENTA. Almond Cake is the substance left after the expression of the oil, which when ground forms ALMOND POWDER, so generally used for washing the hands.[369]
OIL OF BITTER ALMONDS. For obtaining this oil, the expressed cake is submitted to distillation, when a highly volatile, pungent, oil passes over. See Oleum Amygdalæ Amaræ.
AMYLUM. L.E.D. Starch. (Triticum Hybernum Amylum.[370])
QUALITIES. Form, white columnar masses; Odour and Taste, none. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Fecula is one of the proximate principles of vegetable matter, and Starch is the fecula of wheat.[371] SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in boiling water, forming with it a semi-transparent, insipid, inodorous, and gelatinous paste, very susceptible of mouldiness, but which is retarded by the addition of alum; it is insoluble, but falls to powder in cold water; nor is it dissolved by alcohol or ether; although potass dissolves starch, yet the solution of it is not disturbed by potass, carbonate of potass, nor ammonia, but an alcoholic solution of potass produces a precipitate; acetate of lead, and infusion of galls occasion also precipitates. Starch is susceptible of several interesting and important changes; thus, if it be exposed to heat until its colour becomes yellow, its properties are so far altered that it is no longer insoluble in cold water; and according to the experiments of Saussure, if it be mixed with water, a spontaneous decomposition takes place, and a quantity of sugar is formed, amounting in weight to one half of the starch employed, in addition to which a peculiar gummy matter results, and a substance intermediate between gum and starch, to which the name of Amidine has been given. Starch moreover is convertible into saccharine matter by the agency of sulphuric acid. USES. Being demulcent it is generally employed as a vehicle for the exhibition of opium in the form of enema. The ordinary blue starch is coloured by a solution of smalt and alum, and is unfit for medicinal use; formerly it was tinged yellow with saffron or turmeric, but this went out of fashion on the execution of the famous midwife Mrs. Collier, who was hanged in a ruff starched with that colour. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Mucilago Amyli. L.E.D. Pulvis Tragacanth: comp: (=B=) L. Pil: Hydrargyri (=M=) E. Troschisi Gummos: E.
It has been lately observed that Iodine is a delicate test of the presence of starch; if a drop or two of a solution of this substance in alcohol be added to an aqueous solution of starch, a blue compound is formed which eventually precipitates. Iodine may therefore be employed for ascertaining the goodness of starch, a test which is very important, for much of what is sold under the name of starch, does not possess its peculiar characters; it ought however to be stated, that the blue indication is prevented from taking place by a variety of different bodies, as Arsenious acid, corrosive sublimate of mercury, &c. &c.
ANETHI SEMINA. L. E.
(Anethum Graveolens. Semina.) Dill Seed.
These seeds when dry have an aromatic sweetish odour, and a warm pungent taste, qualities residing in an essential oil, which is extracted by distillation with water and by digestion with alcohol; the bruised seeds yield their flavour to boiling water by simple infusion. The seeds are but rarely used. The distilled water is a valuable carminative for children.
ANISI SEMINA. L. E. D.
(Pimpinella Anisum. Semina.) Anise Seeds.
Like the dill seeds, warm and carminative; water extracts very little of their flavour; rectified spirit the whole. It may be remarked in this place that the value of aniseed, as well as all those seeds which yield essential oil by distillation, may be estimated by their specific gravity, the heaviest yielding the largest proportion of oil; a chrondrometer employed by corn-chandlers might be very conveniently applied to such a purpose.[372] The seeds imported from Spain, which are smaller than the others, contain most oil, and are to be preferred.
ANTHEMIDIS FLORES. L. E.
(Anthemis Nobilis.) Chamomile Flowers.
QUALITIES. The Odour of the flowers is strong and fragrant; Taste, bitter and aromatic, with a slight degree of warmth. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The active principles are essential oil, resin, and bitter extractive. SOLUBILITY. Both water and alcohol take up the active parts of the flowers; hot water, by infusion, dissolves nearly one-fourth of their weight, but boiling dissipates the essential oil, on which account they should never form an ingredient in a decoction. USES. The flowers given in substance are said to have cured intermittents; they are however but rarely used; externally they are applied in fomentations. See Infusum Anthemidis. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Decoctum Anthemidis nobilis. E.D. Infusum Anthemidis. L.[373] There is a great variety in the quality and price of chamomile flowers; those which are large and whitish are to be preferred as the freshest; by keeping they become invalid, and are deprived of their aromatic principle and essential oil. They are always inferior in wet seasons. The double flowered varieties are also less powerful than the single kind, since the qualities reside in the disc florets.
ANTIMONII SULPHURETUM. L.
Sulphuret of Antimony.
QUALITIES. This article appears in the market in conical loaves, which are dark grey externally, but internally possess a bladed structure and considerable brilliancy; the Edinburgh and Dublin colleges direct this substance to be levigated with water, and kept in the state of powder; it should however never be purchased in that form, as it is not unfrequently adulterated with sulphuret of lead, whereas it cannot contain such admixture when its form is characteristically crystalline and bladed. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Antimony 100, Sulphur 35·572. From the time of Basil Valentine to the present, this preparation has been known in the market by the name of Antimony, a name which it is evident can only with propriety be applied to the pure metal. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water and alcohol; since however it is slightly acted upon by vegetable acids, cups were formerly made of it, which imparted to wine that stood in them for some time, an emetic quality.[374] USES. It is principally employed for the preparation of the other antimonial combinations, for which purpose it is more eligible than the metal itself, as being less contaminated with metallic impurities. Its medicinal energies depend altogether upon the state of the stomach, and must therefore be extremely uncertain; when it meets with any acid in the stomach, it acts with extreme violence, a circumstance which requires precaution. It was formerly much more employed as an Alterative than at present. Stoll recommends its use in chronic rheumatism, and advises its union with Myrrh. In the treatment of affections of the skin it has been long used, both singly, and in union with other substances, such as Conium, Dulcamara, Guaiacum, &c. In Scrophulous diseases, connected with cutaneous eruptions, or ulcerations, it has been a favourite remedy with many practitioners, and it forms the basis of several foreign Nostrums. In times of remote antiquity it was used by females as a black pigment for staining the eye-lashes, a custom which continues to this day in the east.[375] It is at present given to horses mixed with their food, to make their coats smooth, and very large doses may be given to these animals without producing any deleterious effects. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Dr. Black constructed a table representing a view of all the preparations whose basis was antimony; many of these however have fallen into disuse, and the nomenclature of all is changed. The following arrangement of the medicines prepared from the sulphuret of antimony,[376] is presented to us by Mr. Thomson, in his London Dispensatory. 1. BY TRITURATION, Sulphuretum Antimonii Præparatum. E.D. 2. BY THE ACTION OF HEAT WITH PHOSPHATE OF LIME, (oxidized) Pulvis Antimonialis, L.D. Oxidum Antimonii cum Phosphate Calcis. E. 3. BY THE ACTION OF ALKALIES, (oxidized), Antimonii Sulphuretum Præcipitatum. L.E. Sulphur Antimoniatum Fuscum. D. 4. BY THE ACTION OF ACIDS, (oxidized,) Antimonii Oxydum. L. Oxydum Antimonii Nitromuriaticum. D. Antimonium Tartarizatum. L. Tartris Antimonii, olim Tartarus Emeticus. E. Tartarum Antimoniatum, sive Emeticum, D. Vinum Antimonii Tartarizati. L. Vinum Tartaritis Antimonii. E.
ADULTERATIONS. The importance of employing this article in a state of great purity, for the preparation of so many active and valuable medicines, is obvious. It ought to be entirely volatilized by a read heat; Lead is discovered by its imparting to the antimony a foliated instead of a bladed texture, and from not being vaporizable; Arsenic, by the garlic odour emitted when thrown upon live coals; or by the numerous tests mentioned under the history of that article; Manganese and Iron, from not being vaporizable, and from other tests: the most usual adulteration is black oxide of iron, or the scoriæ of that metal, “Smithy dust.”
ANTIMONII SULPHURETUM PRÆCIPITATUM. L. E.
Sulphur Antimoniatum Fuscum. D.
Precipitated Sulphuret of Antimony.
QUALITIES. Form, a brilliant orange coloured powder; Taste, slightly styptic, but inodorous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Very complicated attractions are exerted during the preparation of this substance; the result of which is an hydro-sulphuret of Oxide of Antimony, with excess of sulphur. SOLUBILITY. It is quite insoluble in water. USES. According to the dose, it is diaphoretic, cathartic, or emetic; it is, however, less certain than many other preparations, and, unless in combination with mercury, for cutaneous affections, is not very often employed. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. All acids and acidulous salts increase its emetic properties; when therefore acid is suspected to prevail in the primæ viæ, it should be combined with soap, magnesia, (Form: 128,) or aromatic confection; on the contrary, the confection of roses, and vehicles containing acids, should be carefully avoided. FORM OF EXHIBITION. Pills. DOSE, grs. 1 to v. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Pilulæ Hydrargyri Sub-Muriatis (=H=) L. ADULTERATIONS. It is often sophisticated with chalk and other extraneous matter; it ought not to effervesce with acids; it should be entirely vaporizable by heat, and its colour should be that of bright orange. A spurious article is vended, which consists of sulphur and sulphuret of antimony coloured with Venetian red.
ANTIMONIUM TARTARIZATUM. L.
Tartris Antimonii. E. Tartarum Antimoniatum. D.
Tartar Emetic.[377]
QUALITIES. Form, crystals whose primitive form is the regular tetrahedron, although it assumes a variety of secondary forms. Colour, white. Odour, none. Taste, slightly styptic and metallic; on exposure to the air, the crystals slightly effloresce and become opaque; thrown upon burning coals, they become black and afford metallic antimony. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. This is involved in much doubt and obscurity; it is stated in the various dispensatories to be a triple salt, consisting of tartaric acid, oxide of antimony,[378] and potass, and which therefore, says Mr. Thomson, on the principles of the reformed nomenclature, ought to be termed a tartrate of antimony and potass. The truth of these views, however, is extremely questionable. I am inclined to believe with Gay Lussac, that in the various metalline compounds, of which super-tartrate of potass is an ingredient, this latter substance acts the part of a simple acid; an opinion which receives much support from the great solvent property of cream of tartar, and from the striking fact that it is even capable of dissolving various oxides which are insoluble in tartaric acid, of which the protoxide of antimony is an example. According then to this view, tartar emetic is a salt composed of bi-tartrate (super-tartrate) of potass, which acts the part of an acid, and protoxide of antimony: from the experiments of Mr. Phillips, it would appear that 100 parts of the bi-tartrate will dissolve 70 of the protoxide. In this state of doubt it must be admitted that no name can be more appropriate than Antimonium Tartarizatum, and the London College have therefore properly disregarded the suggestions which have been offered for changing its name. SOLUBILITY. Much discrepancy of opinion exists upon this subject, owing probably to the variations and incidental impurities to which the salt is liable. Dr. Duncan, who selected very pure specimens for examination, states that it is soluble in three times its weight of water at 212°, and in fifteen at 60°. This solution, when the salt is pure, is perfectly clear and transparent, but if long kept, unless a portion of spirit be added, it undergoes decomposition; a precipitate indeed sometimes takes place very rapidly, but this is generally tartrate of lime, an incidental impurity, derived from the super-tartrate of potass. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Mineral Acids, Alkalies, and their Carbonates, most of the Metals, Soaps, Hydro-Sulphurets, and many infusions and decoctions of bitter and astringent Vegetables, e. g. f℥j. of the decoction of yellow bark is capable of completely decomposing ℈j of this salt, and of rendering it inert.[379] Berthollet has accordingly recommended the immediate exhibition of this decoction when an overdose of the salt has been taken; and Orfila has given a very satisfactory case in which this antidote succeeded. Infusion and tincture of galls throw down curdled and inert precipitates of a dirty white colour, inclining to yellow. Rhubarb is equally incompatible: the extract of this substance therefore never ought to be employed in forming pills of tartar emetic: but it deserves notice that this salt is not decomposed by the infusions of gentian or wormwood. The Alkaline Sulphates, provided they be perfectly neutral, produce no disturbance in solutions of tartar emetic, and therefore cannot be considered incompatible with them; if there be any excess of acid, as in alum, bi-sulphate of potass, &c. then its decomposition is effected, and a white insoluble sulphate of antimony is precipitated. It appears therefore that the famous “Emeto-purgative” of the French school, consisting of sulphate of soda, and tartarized antimony in solution, is by no means the unchemical mixture which some have considered it to be, and that it really produces its effects from the operation of its original ingredients, and not from that of the compounds (Sulphate of Antimony, Tartrate of Soda, and Sulphate of Potass) which have been erroneously supposed to result. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Solution is its best form, see Liquor Antimonii Tartarizati. DOSE. It either vomits, purges, or sweats, according to the quantity exhibited; thus gr. 1/4 will, if the skin be kept warm, promote a diaphoresis; gr. ½ will procure some stools first, and sweating afterwards; and gr. j will generally vomit and then purge, and lastly sweat the patient; in very minute doses, as gr. 1/10 or 1/12 combined with squill and ammoniacum, it acts as an expectorant, see Formulæ 1, 2, 3, 8, 60. It is decidedly the most manageable, and the least uncertain of all the antimonial preparations, and the practitioner would probably have but little to regret, were all the other combinations of this metal discarded from our pharmacopœias. Some authors have considered this substance as possessing sedative powers, independent of its nauseating and diaphoretic effects. It undoubtedly acts upon the heart, and controls the force of the circulation in fevers, without occasioning any other sensible effect. Mr. Brodie, after having given large doses of this salt to animals, found that the heart beat very feebly, and although artificial respiration was kept up, it soon ceased to act altogether. Lenthois of Montpellier advises small doses of it in incipient phthisis, and it would on some occasions appear to diminish the febrile excitement. The following is the form in which Dr. Lenthois recommends it to be exhibited upon such occasions. He directs a grain of Tartarized Antimony to be dissolved in eight table spoonsful of distilled water, which are to be added to six or eight pints of water, and to be taken as common drink. Tartar emetic, when triturated with lard, in the proportion of ʒiss or ʒij to ℥j of the latter, forms a very powerful rubefacient, occasioning a pustular eruption on the skin, and proving very serviceable in deep-seated inflammation; or the application may be made by dusting a piece of adhesive plaster with tartarized antimony, taking care to leave a margin untouched that it may more firmly adhere. Dr. Jenner, in a late Essay on the influence of artificial eruptions on certain diseases, recommends the following formula for such a purpose.—℞. Antimonii Tartarizati (in pulverem subtilem trit.) ʒij—Unguenti Cetacei ʒix;—Sacchari albi[380] ʒj;—Hydrargyri Sulphureti Rubri gr. v. M. ut fiat Unguentum. The Pustules which are produced by the inunction have been generally compared to variolous pustules, they are, however, in general much smaller, not so red at the base, nor so tense and white when fully suppurated. They are very painful. In Hooping cough, frictions with this ointment upon the region of the stomach have been greatly extolled. By this application, says Dr. Jenner, we can not only create vesicles, but we can do more,—we have at our command an application which will at the same time both vesicate and produce diseased action on the skin itself, by deeply deranging its structure beneath the surface. This is probably one cause why the sympathetic affection excited by the use of Cantharides, and those changes produced by Tartar Emetic are very different. The eruption should be kept up for some time, either by the re-application of small portions of the diluted tartaremetic ointment, to the affected part, or by other gently stimulating ointments. Should they become much irritated and very painful, a soft bread and milk poultice will in general afford relief, without interfering with the progress of the eruption. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. gr. j. is contained in f℥ss of Liquor Antimonii Tart: L. and Vinum Tartratis Antimonii. E.[381] ADULTERATIONS. It should be always purchased in its crystalline form; and a solution of it in distilled water ought to furnish a copious gold coloured precipitate with sulphuret of ammonia; a precipitate soluble in nitric acid, with acetate of lead; and a white and extremely thick precipitate, dissolving with facility in pure nitric acid, with lime water. If the crystals deliquesce, the presence of other salts may be inferred. M. Sexullas, in a memoir of which there is a copious extract in the Journal de Pharmacie for 1821, has shewn that all the antimonial preparations used in medicine, except carefully crystallized Tartar Emetic, contain more or less arsenic, which metal was originally combined with the antimony in the ore, and has continued pertinaciously associated with it through all its modifications.
AQUA. Water.
Water, from its extensive powers as a solvent, never occurs in a state of absolute purity, although the nature and degree of its contamination must necessarily vary according to circumstances and situation. It is generally found holding earthy matter in a state of mechanical suspension, or saline and other bodies in chemical solution. The usual varieties of common water are classed and defined by Celsus; and modern chemists have not found any reason to reject the arrangement. “Aqua levissima pluvialis est; deinde fontana, tum ex flumine, tum ex puteo; posthæc ex nive, aut glacie; gravior his ex lacu; gravissima ex palude.”
1. RAIN WATER. Aqua Pluvialis, when collected in the open fields, is certainly the purest natural water, and consequently of the least specific gravity; the bodies which it holds in solution are, carbonic acid, a minute portion of carbonate of lime, with traces of muriate of lime. DEW is said to be water saturated with air. Rain water ought, however, to be boiled and strained whenever it is collected near large towns; Hippocrates gives this advice, and M. Margraaf of Berlin has shewn the wisdom of the precaution by a satisfactory series of experiments.
2. SPRING WATER. Aqua Fontana, in addition to the substances detected in rain water, generally contains a small portion of muriate of soda, and frequently other salts; but the larger springs are purer than smaller ones, and those which occur in primitive countries, and in siliceous rocks, or beds of gravel, necessarily contain the least impregnation. An important practical distinction has been founded upon the fact, that the water of some springs dissolves soap, whilst that of others decomposes, and curdles it; the former has been termed soft, the latter hard water; soft water is a more powerful solvent of all vegetable matters, and is consequently to be preferred for domestic as well as medicinal purposes; the brewer knows well from experience how much more readily and copiously soft water will dissolve the extractive matter of his malt. Horses by an instinctive sagacity always prefer soft water, and when by necessity or inattention they are confined to that which is hard, their coats become rough and ill-conditioned, and they are frequently attacked with the gripes. Pigeons also refuse hard water when they have been accustomed to that which is soft.[382]
3. RIVER WATER. Aqua ex Flumine, being derived from the conflux of numerous springs and rain water, generally possesses considerable purity; that the proportion of its saline ingredients should be small, is easily explained by the precipitation which must necessarily take place from the union of different solutions; it is, however, liable to hold in suspension particles of earthy matter, which impair its transparency, and sometimes its salubrity; this is particularly observed of the Seine, the Ganges, and the Nile.[383]
4. WELL WATER. Aqua ex Puteo, is essentially the same as spring water, being derived from the same source; it is, however, more liable to impurity from its stagnation, or slow infiltration;[384] hence our old wells furnish much purer water than those which are more recent, as the soluble particles are gradually washed away. Mr. Dalton observes that the more any spring is drawn from, the softer the water becomes.
5. SNOW WATER. Aqua ex Nive, has been supposed[385] to be unwholesome, and in particular to produce bronchocele, from the prevalence of that disease in the Alps, but it does not appear upon what principle its insalubrity can depend; the prejudice however is a very ancient one, for Hippocrates observes that snow or ice water is unwholesome, in consequence of its finer particles being evaporated and lost during its solution: it appears to differ only from rain water in being destitute of air, to which water is certainly indebted for its briskness, and perhaps for many of its good effects upon animals and vegetables. The same observations apply to Ice Water.
6. LAKE WATER. Aqua ex Lacu, is a collection of rain, spring, and river waters, contaminated with various animal and vegetable bodies, which from its stagnant nature have undergone putrefaction in it.
7. MARSH WATER. Aqua ex Palude being the most stagnant is the most impure of all water, and is generally loaded with decomposing vegetable matter.
To what extent the impurities of water are capable of influencing its salubrity, has been a subject of interesting inquiry from the age of Hippocrates to the present day. To many of these natural contaminations, too much importance has been certainly attached; it is an affected refinement to suppose that the presence of minute portions of such earthy and calcareous salts, as generally occur in solution, can impart any noxious quality to water;[386] whilst on the contrary, animal and vegetable impurities, or earthy bodies in a state of mechanical suspension, cannot fail to prove injurious, and must be regarded as the true “SCELERA AQUARUM.” Guided by false analogies many have supposed that they recognised the origin of all calcareous diseases in the earthy impurities of water; the researches however of chemistry have removed this delusion, by demonstrating that the substances found in water never enter into the composition of urinary calculi.[387] Metallic and other accidental contaminations are necessarily highly injurious, and the water in which their presence is suspected, should be submitted to the most careful examination.
For the purification and preservation of water numerous methods have been adopted; the mechanical impurities may be removed by filtration, which is performed through porous stones, or alternate layers of sand or charcoal; muddy water may be also cleared by adding a few grains of alum to each pint,[388] and in that proportion, the water is not rendered in the least disagreeable: when water has contracted a putrid smell, it may be rendered sweet by agitating it with a small portion of magnesia, or with black oxide of manganese, in the proportion of 1½ parts to 250 parts of water. Dr. Black observes that nitrate of silver, which is one of the most antiseptic substances known, will preserve water from putrefaction for ever, and that it may at any time be separated therefrom in a few minutes by adding a small lump of common salt; this fact in itself is curious, but the experiment is too hazardous to be recommended. Dr. Alston prefers lime, as a preservative of the water, and proposes to remove it by the addition of a carbonate of magnesia; Dr. Henry has however found that it is more economically precipitated by the introduction of a current of carbonic acid into the cask. As that peculiar property of water which is termed hardness, generally depends upon the presence of sulphate of lime, the addition of an alkaline carbonate twenty-four hours previous to its being used, will be found to restore it, or if it should depend upon supercarbonate of lime, long ebullition without any addition will be found sufficient for its cure.
Water when kept for a long time in casks, especially on long voyages, is partially decomposed, and a volume of carburetted hydrogen is evolved,[389] imparting to such water the peculiar smell and taste which characterise it; this decomposition may in a great degree be obviated by charring the interior of the water casks; it is, however, prevented in the Navy by substituting iron tanks for wooden vessels. In Pharmacy it ought to be remembered that whenever common water is employed it should not be hard; filtered rainwater maybe recommended as the most eligible on such occasions.
AQUA DESTILLATA. L.E.D. Distilled Water.
QUALITIES. Taste, vapid from the absence of air, and slightly empyreumatic in consequence probably of the presence of a small quantity of extractive matter which has undergone partial decomposition; a fluid-ounce weighs 454½ grains. MEDICINAL USE. In extemporaneous prescriptions, distilled water should be always ordered whenever the formula contains any of the following substances:—Acidum Sulphuricum; Acidum Citricum; Antimonium Tartarizatum; Argenti Nitras; Cuprum Ammoniatum; Ferrum Tartarizatum; Hydrargyri Oxy-murias; Liquor Ammoniæ; Liquor Plumbi Sub-Acetatis; Liquor Potassæ; Plumbi Acetas; Solutio Muriatis Barytæ; Vinum Ferri; Zinci Sulphas; Ferri Sulphas. Distilled water ought also to be employed in preparations where much water is evaporated, as in the formation of extracts, since the residual matter of common water will remain mixed with the product of the process, and uselessly add to its bulk, or even in some cases produce in it chemical changes; unless however under such circumstances, common water purified by filtration should be ordered, as the air which it contains imparts to it a pleasant and sprightly flavour. In making infusions or decoctions, it is very important that the water should be free from those impurities which impart to it hardness, and which render it a far less powerful solvent of vegetable matter, nor indeed can resinous substances be mixed with such water, even when assisted by a mucilaginous medium. On which account, in prescribing emulsions, it may perhaps be prudent to direct the employment of distilled water. TESTS OF ITS PURITY. Its transparency ought not to be disturbed by the addition of nitrate of silver, or muriate of baryta.
AQUA MARINA. Sea Water.
Until the late able researches of Dr. Murray, we possessed but an imperfect knowledge of the composition of sea water; it is not therefore surprising that the analysis performed by different chemists should be found to be so materially at variance; the true cause of such discordance is now easily understood, for it appears, that in the examination of a mineral water or any compound saline solution, the substances obtained from it are not necessarily the original ingredients, but frequently the products of new combinations established by the operation of analysis, and that consequently the nature of the result obtained may vary according to the modes in which such analysis has been conducted, or even according to the degree of dilution in which the saline substances exist.[390] The elements of the salts contained in a pint of sea water are Lime 2·9, Magnesia 14·8, Soda 96·3, Sulphuric Acid 14·4, Muriatic Acid 97·7, total 226·1 grains, and supposing these elements to be combined in the modes which Dr. Murray’s views appear to establish, the saline contents of a pint of sea water may be expressed as follows, Muriate of Soda 159·3, Muriate of Magnesia 35·5, Muriate of Lime 5·7, Sulphate of Soda 25·6 grains, total 226·1 grains; besides such saline contents, it is contaminated with various animal and vegetable bodies, in consequence of which it becomes, when long kept, highly offensive; it ought also to be stated that Dr. Wollaston has discovered the presence of a minute proportion of potass in sea water; and Dr. Marcet has more lately detected ammonia in combination with muriatic acid. MEDICINAL USE. As a cathartic, a pint is the ordinary quantity, which should be taken in the morning, at two doses, with an interval of half an hour between each; this quantity contains half an ounce of purgative salt, of which about three-fourths are muriate of soda, but it is much more active than a similar portion of any artificial combination. In procuring sea water for medicinal purposes, there is a precaution, the importance of which experience has suggested to me, that it be not hastily drank on the beach, before the particles of sand, with which under such circumstances it is generally mixed, are allowed to subside; from the neglect of this precaution I have witnessed serious consequences. The most important advantages of sea water are derived from its external use as a bath.
AQUÆ DESTILLATÆ. L.D.
AQUÆ STILLATITIÆ. E. Distilled Waters.
These are waters impregnated with the essential oils of vegetables, and are principally designed as grateful vehicles for the exhibition of more active remedies; ample directions for preparing them are given in the several Pharmacopœias, and if they be rectified by redistillation they may be kept for several years; the usual mode of preserving them is by adding spirit, which has also the incidental advantage of preventing them from being frozen during the winter season. Some recommend a film of the essential oil to be diffused over the water’s surface. They may be extemporaneously prepared by adding to water what have been called Essences, which consist of essential oil and alcohol, or by rubbing any essential oil with ten times its weight of sugar, or, what answers still better, of magnesia: when however they are so prepared they never retain their transparency. The college, in the present Pharmacopœia, have directed the distillation off the essential oil, as well as off the recent herb; this alteration is one of practical convenience. The properties of each water may be learnt by referring to the vegetable from which it is distilled.
AQUÆ MINERALES. Mineral Waters.
Although all waters that flow from the earth, are, as they contain mineral bodies in solution, strictly speaking, mineral waters, yet this term is conventionally applied to such only as are distinguished from spring, lake, river, or other water, by a peculiarity in colour, taste, smell, or any obvious properties, or by the medicinal effects which they produce, or are known to be capable of producing.
To the medical practitioner the history of these waters is most interesting and instructive, involving highly important subjects of chemical and physiological inquiry. These waters are without doubt indebted for their medicinal virtues to the operation of the substances which they hold dissolved, but this is so materially aided by the peculiar state of dilution in which they exist, as well as by the mere bulk and temperature of the water itself, as to render extremely doubtful the success of every attempt to concentrate their powers by evaporation. To what extent dilution may modify the chemical condition of saline solutions has been satisfactorily demonstrated by the researches of Dr. Murray (see Aqua Marina), and to what degree an increase in the solubility of any remedy may influence its medicinal properties has been considered at some length in the first part of this work, (page 172.) It is certain that, in general, soluble salts are capable of exerting a much more powerful effect upon the animal economy, than those which are insoluble; on which account, the earthy muriates, especially that of lime, are amongst the most active ingredients of mineral waters. Although chemical analysis has frequently from its own imperfection failed in ascertaining their presence, it seems probable that muriate of lime and sulphate of soda exist in all those springs that furnish, by the usual methods of examination, sulphate of lime and muriate of soda; for the same reasons it is equally probable that iron, which in certain waters has been supposed from the analysis to exist as a carbonate, is in its native solution a true muriate; this is undoubtedly the fact with respect to the Bath waters. Is it then surprising, that medical practitioners should hitherto have failed in their attempts to emulate, by artificial arrangements, the medical efficacy of active and mineral springs? For the investigation of the true composition of mineral waters the researches of Dr. Murray furnish a simple and elegant formula. Determine by precipitants the weight of the acids and bases, suppose them united in such a manner that they shall form the most soluble salts, and these salts will constitute the true saline constituents of the water under examination.
Mineral Waters admit of being divided into four classes, viz.
1. ACIDULOUS; owing their properties chiefly to carbonic acid; they are tonic and diuretic, and in large doses produce a transient exhilaration; the most celebrated are Pyrmont, Seltzer, Spa, Carlsbad, and Scarborough.
2. CHALYBEATE; containing iron in the form of sulphate, carbonate, or muriate;[391] they have a styptic, inky taste: Hartfell near Moffat, Peterhead, Tunbridge, Brighton, Cheltenham, Bath, Lemington Priors, Castle Horneck, near Penzance, &c.
3. SULPHUREOUS WATERS derive their character from sulphuretted hydrogen, either uncombined, or united with lime, or an alkali: Engien, Aix la Chapelle, Harrowgate, Moffat.
4. SALINE; mostly purgative, and are advantageously employed in those hypochondriacal and visceral diseases that require continued, and moderate relaxation of the bowels; Cheltenham, Leamington, Seidlitz, and all brackish waters.
Some springs, as those of Bath, Matlock, and Buxton, owe their virtues rather to temperature than to any other cause, and others, as Malvern, to the diluent power of the water.
In the Codex Medicamentarius of Paris, formulæ are introduced for the preparation of several of the more distinguished mineral waters, under the head “Aquæ Minerales Arte Factæ.”[392]
ARGENTI NITRAS. L. Nitras Argenti. E.D.
Fused Nitrate of Silver, olim, Lunar Caustic.
QUALITIES. Fused nitrate of silver is in small cylinders of a dark grey colour, and presenting, when broken across, a crystalline structure. Odour, none; Taste, intensely bitter, austere and metallic; it tinges the skin indelibly black; when perfectly free from copper, it is not deliquescent. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; oxide of silver 70, nitric acid 30, or one atom of oxide and one atom of acid. SOLUBILITY. In an equal weight of water, at 60°; it is also soluble in alcohol. The solution readily yields transparent colourless crystals, the primary form of which is a right rhombic prism. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Fixed alkalies and alkaline earths, the muriatic, sulphuric, and tartaric acids, and all the salts which contain them; Soaps, arsenic, hydro-sulphurets, astringent vegetable infusions, undistilled waters. The solutions of nitrate of silver are not disturbed by ammonia, the ammoniuret being very soluble; the carbonate of ammonia, however, produces a precipitation. Nitrate of silver tinges the skin and hair black, and has been frequently employed for the latter purpose;[394] it likewise forms the basis of permanent ink.[395] MEDICINAL USES. Tonic, antispasmodic, and escharotic; it is said to prove efficacious in epilepsy, but during a trial for several years in the Westminster hospital, I never could discover its virtues; many of the cases in which it has been supposed to have been successful, probably derived advantage from the purgative medicines which were simultaneously administered. It possesses a bitter taste, and it has been said to act like vegetable bitters upon the digestive organs, and to offer a resource in dyspeptic complaints. It is principally useful as an external application, and may be considered as the strongest and most manageable caustic that we possess;[396] whilst in solution it acts as a useful stimulant in indolent ulcers; and being possessed of the power of coagulating animal matter, it does not spread to any extent, and is therefore extremely convenient where a large eschar is to be avoided. A weak solution of this metallic salt has lately been strongly recommended by a French surgeon, as a remedy for piles of long standing; it also forms an excellent lotion to excite the weak granulations of fungous ulcers. It is, moreover, said to be highly useful as an injection in cases of puriform discharges from the ear; before we direct however such an application, it is highly necessary that we should ascertain the tympanum to be entire, or the liquid may escape into the internal ear, and occasion very alarming irritation; an event which unhappily occurred, not long since, in the case of a noble duke of high military renown. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. For internal use, in pills made with crumb of bread, with the addition of some sugar, to prevent the mass from being too hard. Dose, gr. 1/8, gradually increased to gr. j. ADULTERATIONS. Copper may be always suspected when it deliquesces, and is to be immediately detected by its solution assuming a blue colour, when supersaturated with ammonia. The sticks should be preserved in closely stopped phials, and covered with soft and dry paper. ANTIDOTE. When this substance has been taken in excess, muriate of soda is its true antidote; indeed, so completely does it decompose, and separate it from water, that if a saturated solution of nitrate of silver be filtered through common salt, it may be afterwards drunk with impunity. This circumstance alone, would of necessity render nitrate of silver a very uncertain remedy; and yet it is evident that the basis of this salt is occasionally absorbed, for there are several cases upon record, in which the oxyd of silver has been deposited in the rete mucosum, and given a purple hue of a very singular appearance to the patient; I have lately witnessed an instance of this kind in a lady who had taken large doses of the nitrate, for the purpose of curing a dyspeptic complaint; and several other similar cases stand recorded in different works.
ARMORACIÆ RADIX. L.E. (Cochlearia Armoracia )
Raphanus Rusticanus, D. Horse[397] Radish Root.
QUALITIES. Taste, hot and acrid; Odour, pungent. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. All its virtues depend upon an essential oil. SOLUBILITY. Both water and alcohol extract its active principles, but they are dissipated by decoction. MEDICINAL USES. As a stimulant in paralysis it is often useful; Sydenham found it successful in dropsies which were consequent on intermittent fevers; Cullen recommends a syrup made with the infusion of horse radish, to remove that species of hoarseness which depends upon local relaxation; Dr. Withering extols an infusion of this root in milk as a cosmetic both safe and effectual. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Alkaline Carbonates; Oxy-muriate of Mercury; Nitrate of Silver; the Infusion of Galls and of Yellow Cinchona Bark, produce precipitates with the infusion of this root. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In substance, scraped or swallowed whole, or in infusion.[398] DOSE of the substance ʒj, of an infusion f℥ij. See Infus Armoraciæ comp. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Infusum Armoraciæ comp: L. Spiritus Armoraciæ comp: L.D.
ARSENICUM ALBUM. (Acidum Arseniosum.)
Oxydum Arsenici. E. Arsenicum. D. White Arsenic.
Arsenious Acid. vulgo Arsenic.
QUALITIES. Form, shining semivitreous lumps, breaking with a conchoidal fracture, and when reduced to powder, bearing some resemblance to white sugar; Taste, acrid and corrosive, but not in any degree corresponding with its virulence, leaving an impression of sweetness. Specific gravity 3·7; it is volatilized at the temperature of 383° Fah: and by a strong heat is vitrified into a transparent glass capable of crystallizing in tetrahedra with truncated angles, or rather in octohedra. In the state of vapour it is quite inodorous, although it is asserted in many chemical works of authority to yield a smell like that of garlic; the fact is that the alliaceous or garlic-like smell is wholly confined to metallic arsenic in a state of vapour, and whenever the arsenious acid seems to yield this odour, we may infer that its decomposition has taken place; this happens when it is projected upon ignited charcoal, or when heated in contact with those metallic bodies which readily unite with oxygen, as Antimony and Tin. It is stated by Orfila and other chemists, that if it be projected upon heated copper the alliaceous odour is evolved. This assertion is undoubtedly true, but the fact requires to be explained with more precision, or we may fall into an important error respecting it. The phenomenon takes place only when the copper is in a state of ignition, at which temperature its affinity for oxygen enables it to reduce the arsenious acid; for I find by experiment that if a few grains of this substance be heated on a plate of copper, by means of a spirit lamp or blow-pipe, no odour is perceptible, for the whole of the acid is dissipated before the copper can acquire a sufficiently exalted temperature to deoxidize it. If the arsenious acid be heated on a plate of zinc, the smell is not evolved until the metal is in the state of fusion; if instead of these metals we employ in our experiments those of gold, silver, or platinum, no alliaceous smell whatever is produced, at any temperature. It however deserves particular notice, that the flame of the spirit lamp is itself capable of decomposing the oxyd, in consequence of the operation of its hydrogen: a fact which is very likely to betray the chemist into the fallacious belief that the oxyd does yield the odour in question.[399] It is probable that arsenical vapours which yield this peculiar odour are less noxious than those which are inodorous, but I am not aware that the knowledge of this fact can be applied to any purpose of practical importance.[400] CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. This substance possesses many of the essential habitudes of an acid, as for instance, that of combining with the pure alkalies to saturation; it is therefore very properly denominated Arsenious Acid. It may be farther acidified by distilling it with nitrous acid, and the compound which results is a white concrete substance termed Arsenic Acid; from experiments on the quantity of oxygen absorbed by metallic arsenic, during its conversion into these two compounds, instituted by Proust and Davy, it appears that the arsenious acid consists of about 25 of oxygen and 75 of metal, and the arsenic acid of 33 of oxygen and 67 of metal; or, the quantity of metal being the same, that the oxygen in the latter compound is to that in the former nearly as three to two. SOLUBILITY. We have but lately been set right upon this point; Klaproth has shewn that it requires for its solution 400 parts of water at 60° and only 13 at 212°, and moreover, that if 100 parts of water be boiled on the arsenious acid, and suffered to cool, it will retain three grains in solution, and deposit the remainder in tetrahedral crystals; this fact shews the importance of employing boiling water in every chemical examination of substances supposed to contain arsenic. It is soluble in alcohol and oils, the former taking up two per cent.; with lime water it produces a white precipitate of arsenite of lime, which is soluble in an excess of arsenious acid; with magnesia it forms a soluble arsenite, which proves very virulent. The poisonous effects of arsenious acid are so amply detailed in medical works,[401] that it would be superfluous to dwell upon them in this place; it may however be interesting and useful to record an account of the pernicious influence of arsenical fumes upon organized beings, as I have been enabled to ascertain in the copper smelting works, and tin burning-houses of Cornwall. This influence is very apparent in the condition both of the animals and vegetables in the vicinity; horses and cows commonly lose their hoofs, and the latter are often to be seen in the neighbouring pastures crawling on their knees, and not unfrequently suffering from a cancerous affection in their rumps, whilst the milch cows, in addition to these miseries, are soon deprived of their milk; the men employed in the works are more healthy than we could a priori have supposed possible; the antidote upon which they all rely with confidence, whenever they are infested with more than an ordinary portion of arsenical vapour, is sweet oil, and an annual sum is allowed by the proprietors in order that it may be constantly supplied; this opinion is not solitary, for Tachenius relates that the poisonous effects, such as convulsions, gripes, and bloody stools, with which he was seized from exposure to the fumes of arsenic, were relieved by milk and oil.
It deserves notice that the smelters are occasionally affected with a cancerous disease in the scrotum, similar to that which infests chimney-sweepers, and it is singular that Stahl in describing the putrescent tendency in the bodies of those who die from this poison, mentions in particular the gangrenous appearance of these parts. It is a very extraordinary fact that previous to the establishment of the copper works in Cornwall, the marshes in their vicinity were continually exciting intermittent fever, whereas since that period a case of ague has not occurred in the neighbourhood; I have heard it remarked by the men in the works, that the smoke kills all fevers. The fact is here stated without any other comment than that the agricultural improvements which have taken place in the district, are not sufficient to afford any clue to the explanation of the circumstance. MEDICINAL USES. Much has been said upon this subject, and the propriety and safety of its exhibition has been often questioned; there can be no doubt but that the greatest circumspection is required in the practitioner who administers it, and it ought not, in my opinion, to be employed until other remedies have failed; that it is capable of accumulating in the system is very evident, and this, in certain habits, may predispose the patient to serious diseases; the form in which it is most manageable and least dangerous, is that of solution. See Liquor Arsenicalis. Some practitioners have exhibited it in substance, made into pills, by rubbing one grain with ten of sugar, and then beating the mixture with a sufficient quantity of crumb of bread to form ten pills, one of which is a dose. The Chinese and other oriental nations form the sulphuret of arsenic (realgar) into medical cups, and use lemon juice, after it has stood some hours in them, by way of cathartic. As an external application, arsenic has long been extolled in the cure of cancers; the caustic so extensively used under the sanction of the late Mr. Justamond in cases of open cancer, consisted of two parts of Antimony, and one of Arsenious acid, fluxed together in a crucible, and afterwards levigated, and reduced to the requisite degree of mildness by the addition of powdered Opium.[402] But it deserves notice in this place, that repeated experiments have proved that arsenic kills[403] more rapidly when applied externally to an abraded part, than when internally administered. See page 132. Lionardo di Capoa relates the case of a child killed by the violent vomiting and purging arising from a slight wound made in the head by a comb, wet with oil, in which Arsenic had been infused for the purpose of killing vermin; and we have numerous instances on record, where the application of arsenical cerates and ointments has been followed by violent and dangerous symptoms. We also learn from the different historians of the Plague of London, that the arsenical amulets which were worn, as preservatives, on that occasion, were sometimes attended with deleterious consequences; Crato (Epist. 168.) observed an ulcer of the breast produced by them. Vernascha, violent pains and syncope. Amongst the foreign authors who have related cases of poisoning by the external application of Arsenic we may mention Desgranges (Recueil Period: de la Société de Med: de Paris, T. vi. p. 22.) who records the history of a chambermaid, poisoned by having rubbed her head with an arsenical ointment for the purpose of destroying vermin; and Roux (Nouveaux Elemens de Med: Operat. par. J. P. Roux,) who confessed to have killed a young girl of eighteen by an application of the “Pate Arsenicale” to a cancerous breast. To the Empirics of our own times we are indebted for many fatal illustrations of the subject. Since the last edition of this work, a Lady applied to a well known Quack, distinguished for his impudent pretensions in the treatment of cancer, and submitted to a caustic application to the breast. In a short time paralysis ensued, and the application was discovered to contain a large proportion of Arsenic, and that the disease, for the cure of which it had been applied, was not cancer. A somewhat analogous case occurred under the care of a bold empiric in the neighbourhood of St. George’s Fields, who undertook to remove the deformity of bow legs in a dandy drawing-master! by rasping the shin bones, and applying arsenic to the surface of the wound; in consequence of which, in addition to extensive local mischief, the unhappy dupe became paralytic. It is also necessary to inform the practitioner that Arsenious acid has been known to produce poisonous effects when applied to the unbroken skin; a case of this nature is related by Desgranges, in the sixth volume of the Recueil Periodique de la Soc: de Med: another may be found in the 22d volume of the Acta Germanica (1730); and Renault obtained similar results in his experiments on animals. When the system is under the influence of arsenic, the following symptoms will appear, viz. thickness, redness, and stiffness of the palpebræ, soreness of the gums, ptyalism, itching over the surface of the body, restlessness, cough, pain in the stomach and bowels, head-ache, and I have also occasionally noticed paucity of urine, and even stranguary, a fact of which I find no mention in other authors. Strange as it may appear, Arsenic has been inhaled, together with the vapours of frankincense, myrrh, and those of other gums during a paroxysm of asthma! This extraordinary practice arose from the practitioner mistaking the gum juniper, or Vernix of the Arabians, which by their medical authors was prescribed in fumigations under the name of Sandarach, for the Σανδαρακη of Aristotle, which was a sulphured of arsenic.
ADULTERATIONS. It is frequently sophisticated with chalk, gypsum, or sulphate of barytes; the fraud is instantly detected by its not being entirely volatilized by heat, or by any insoluble residuum occurring in preparing the Liquor Arsenicalis, according to the directions of the pharmacopœia. To many the adulteration of so active a substance may seem unimportant, but in consequence of its being thus rendered a medicine of variable activity, it is one of the most dangerous frauds which can be committed; a very unpleasant circumstance lately occurred from such a cause in one of our public institutions: arsenic had been obtained from the shop of a respectable chemist, who had not usually supplied the establishment, for the purpose of preparing the arsenical solution: the article happened to be less adulterated than that which had been previously employed; the solution however was prepared in the usual way, and the usual dose was continued, when the patients were soon seized with violent pains in the bowels, and the cause was not detected until by an examination of the bottle the usual sediment was not discovered.
ANTIDOTES. Late researches have shewn that sulphuret of potass, on which physicians have placed so much reliance, merits no confidence. The great indication to be fulfilled in all cases of poisoning is to excite vomiting, and to administer liquids which are the least liable to act as solvents of the acrid matter, on which account lime water presents itself as a very appropriate fluid. The subject, however, is very fully considered in the first part of this work, to which I am very desirous of directing the attention of the medical practitioner; see Antidotes.
Methods of detecting the presence of Arsenious Acid.
1. By its reduction to a metallic state. Mix a portion of the suspected powder with three times its weight of black flux;[404] put the mixture into a thin glass tube, hermetically closed[405] at one end, about eight inches in length, and one-fourth of an inch in diameter; should any of the powder adhere to the sides of the tube, it must be carefully brushed off with a feather, so that the inner surface of its upper part may be perfectly clean and dry; the closed end of the tube, by way of security, may be thinly coated with a mixture of pipe-clay and sand,[406] but this operation is not absolutely necessary; the open extremity is to be loosely plugged with a piece of paper; the coated end must be now heated on a chaffing dish of red hot coals, when the arsenic, if present, will sublime, and be found lining with a brilliant metallic crust the upper part of the tube; a portion of this reduced metal, if it be arsenic, will, when laid on heated iron, exhale in dense fumes, which are characterised by a strong smell of garlic. Mr. Phillips has lately stated that the tube may be sufficiently heated, for the purpose of metallization, by means of a spirit lamp.[407]
It merits particular notice, that in reducing by the above process the arsenious acid to the state of metal, the presence of potass in the flux is very essential, since it forms immediately an arsenite of potass, and thereby fixes the arsenious acid, and prevents it from being volatilized before the temperature is sufficiently high to enable the charcoal to decompose it; an ignorance of this fact has not unfrequently proved a source of disappointment and fallacy.
Another method of identifying white arsenic by metallization, is to form at the moment of its reduction, an alloy with copper, which is easily effected in the following manner,—Mix the suspected powder with black flux, as in the former experiment, and place the mixture between two polished plates of copper, bind them tight together by iron wire, and expose them to a low read heat; if the included substance contained arsenic, a silvery white stain will be left on the surface of the copper, which is an alloy of the two metals. If in this, as in the former experiment, charcoal be employed without the addition of a fixed alkali, the result may, for the same reason, prove unsatisfactory. But, with whatever care this experiment is conducted, it is, to say the least, a clumsy and unsatisfactory test, and ought never to be relied upon.
2. By the application of certain Reagents, or Tests, to its Solutions.
A great and important question has arisen in medical jurisprudence, whether any chemical proof of the presence of white arsenic, short of its actual reduction to the state of metal, can be depended upon, or ought to be received as evidence in the courts of criminal law. After a full experimental investigation of the subject, and an impartial review of all the facts which bear upon the question, I feel no hesitation in declaring it to be my conviction, that white arsenic may be detected without any fear of fallacy, by a proper application of certain tests, and that the contrary opinion is entirely founded in error, and unsupported by experiment, as will more fully appear in the sequel.[408]
(A) Fused Nitrate of Silver, or Lunar Caustic—For this test we are indebted to Mr. Hume of London, who first gave it to the public in the Philosophical Magazine for May 1809, vol. xxxiii. His method of applying it is as follows: into a clean Florence flask introduce two or three grains of the suspected powder, to which add about eight ounces of rain or distilled water, and heat the solution until it begins to boil, then while it boils frequently shake the flask, and add to the hot solution a grain or two of sub-carbonate of potass, agitating the whole to make the mixture uniform. Pour into a wine glass about two table spoonsful of the solution, and touch the surface of the fluid with a stick of lunar caustic. If arsenic be present, a beautiful yellow precipitate will instantly proceed from the point of contact, and settle towards the bottom of the glass as a flocculent and copious precipitate.
By this test the 60th part of a grain may be satisfactorily recognised in two ounces of water. The presence of some alkali is essential to the success of the experiment, since arsenious acid is unable, by the operation of simple affinity, to decompose the nitrate of silver.[409] The validity of this test has been questioned on the following grounds, which shall be fairly examined in order.
OBJECTION 1. The alkaline phosphates are found to produce precipitates with silver, analogous in colour and appearance to the arsenite of silver. This is undoubtedly the case when the experiment is performed in the manner just stated, but there are other reagents which will immediately distinguish these bodies, as will be seen under the history of the Ammoniuret of silver; I have also shewn that there is a mode of so modifying the application of the silver test itself, that no error or doubt can arise in the use of it from the presence of phosphoric salts.[410] My method consists in conducting the trial on writing paper, instead of in glasses, thus—drop the suspected fluid on a piece of white paper, making with it a broad line; along this line a stick of lunar caustic is to be slowly drawn several times successively, when a streak is produced of a colour resembling that known by the name of Indian Yellow; and this is equally produced by the presence of arsenic and that of an alkaline phosphate, but the one from arsenic is rough, curdy, and flocculent, as if effected by a crayon, that from a phosphate homogeneous and uniform, resembling a water-colour laid smoothly on with a brush; but a most important and distinctive peculiarity soon succeeds, for in less than two minutes the phosphoric yellow fades into a sad green, and becomes gradually darker, and ultimately quite black; while, on the other hand, the arsenical yellow remains permanent, or nearly so, for some time, when it becomes brown. In performing this experiment the sun-shine should be avoided, or the transitions of the colour will take place too rapidly. It would be prudent also for the inexperienced operator to perform a similar experiment on a fluid known to contain arsenic, and on another with a phosphoric salt, as a standard of comparison. In this way the nitrate of silver, without the intervention of any other test, is fully capable of removing every ambiguity, and of furnishing a distinguishing mark of difference between the chemical action of arsenic and that of the phosphates. Mr. Hume states that he has repeated this experiment to his entire satisfaction,[411] and that, in a late unfortunate case of poisoning, he derived considerable information by its application. The laborious author of the London Dispensatory accepts it as an excellent test, but observes that it is rendered more luminous by brushing the streak lightly over with liquid ammonia immediately after the application of the caustic, when, if the arsenic be present, a bright queen’s yellow is produced which remains permanent for nearly an hour; but that when the lunar caustic produces a white-yellow before the ammonia is applied, we may infer the presence of some alkaline phosphate, rather than that of arsenic. One of the great advantages of this test is the very small quantity that is required for examination; it would be well therefore for the operator to perform the experiment in both ways on a separate paper.
OBJECTION 2. The Muriates produce precipitates with silver so copious and flocculent as to overcome every indication which the presence of arsenic would otherwise afford. Dr. Marcet proposes to obviate this difficulty, by adding to the fluid to be examined dilute nitric acid, and then cautiously applying the nitrate of silver until the precipitation ceases; in this way the muriatic acid will be entirely removed, whilst the arsenic, if it be present, will remain in solution, and may be rendered evident by the affusion of ammonia, which will instantly produce the yellow precipitate in its characteristic form. This mode however it must be confessed appears complicated, and requires some chemical address for its accomplishment; it should be also known that the yellow precipitate thus produced is not always permanent, for it is soluble in the nitrate of ammonia formed during the process. Under these circumstances, it is surely preferable to precipitate at once from the suspected fluid all the substances which nitrate of silver can effect, and then to expose the mixed and ambiguous precipitate so obtained, to a low heat in a glass tube, when the arsenious acid will be immediately separated by sublimation. In this way the presence of muriates may even in certain cases be serviceable, especially if the quantity of arsenic be minute; for by increasing the bulk of the precipitate we shall decrease the difficulty of its examination. By this process, also, I should propose to meet the embarrassments which arise from the influence of various animal and vegetable substances, as milk, broth, wine, &c. so frequently present in the suspected liquid, and which are known to alter the character of the arsenical indications. In this case, however, we must not rely upon any single precipitant; after having thrown down all that is precipitable by the silver test, the supernatant liquid should be decanted, slightly acidified by acetic acid, and submitted to the action of Sulphuretted Hydrogen; when, should any precipitate occur, it must be separated and added to the former. Dr. Christison has demonstrated the importance of this proceeding by shewing that the precipitates, occasioned by the Ammoniurets of silver and copper, are soluble in certain vegetable infusions.[412] M. Orfila proposes to remove the difficulties and embarrassments, occasioned by the colouring matter of different media, by the application of Chlorine, so as to change the colour to a shade that will not offer any optical impediment to the characteristic indications of the different tests. I am ready to admit that such a mode of proceeding may, on certain occasions, assist the accomplished chemist in his analysis, but in the hands of a person less accustomed to chemical manipulation, I hesitate not to declare that it is subject to fatal fallacies;[413] whereas, by precipitating the whole, and submitting the precipitate to the process of sublimation, we shall avoid every source of error. Why then should we attempt to pursue our game through the windings of a labyrinth, when a direct road lies before us, by which we may at once drive it into the open plain? Mr. Phillips has recently proposed the addition of animal charcoal (Ivory Black) for the purpose of destroying the colouring matter. He found that by mixing this substance with the Liquor Arsenicalis, that the colouring matter was so completely destroyed in a few minutes, that the test of nitrate of silver, or any other might be readily applied. This experiment was repeated with Port wine, gravy soup, and a strong infusion of onions, and he succeeded in these cases in procuring a solution sufficiently colourless for the application of the most delicate reagents. It might be supposed, adds Mr. Phillips, that the Phosphoric acid which the animal charcoal contains, might have some share in the production of the yellow precipitate with silver; he found, however, that water, or wine, which was merely digested on the animal charcoal, produced no effect with the nitrate of silver, except a slight precipitate of chloride; and this even, was prevented by lixiviation. I have, however, a serious objection to offer to this proposal. Animal charcoal, by some mode of operation not understood, possesses the property of removing certain substances from their solution in water; I have already noticed this effect with respect to Lime water, (see p. 247, note), and I have lately found that it takes place with very dilute solutions of Arsenic.[414] Hence charcoal, as we shall presently find, may be employed for the purpose of detecting minute portions of arsenic.
OBJECTION 3. Chromate of potass produces, with Nitrate of Silver, a yellow precipitate which, when placed side by side with one produced by Arsenious acid, cannot be distinguished by colour or appearance from it. This fact has lately been announced by Dr. Porter of the University of South Carolina. (Silliman’s Journal, iii, 355.) But as the presence of chromate of potass can never be suspected in any research after arsenic, in cases of forensic interest, the fact is of no importance to the physician.
Where the Arsenious acid is mixed with vegetable matter, and it becomes difficult to separate it by filtration, the whole may be evaporated to dryness, taking great care that the heat applied for such a purpose never exceeds 250° Fah: or we shall lose the arsenic by volatilization. The residue thus obtained may then be submitted to a higher temperature, in a subliming vessel, in order to procure the arsenious acid in its pure state. Should the arsenious acid have, in the first instance, been dissolved in oil, Dr. Ure proposes to boil the solution in distilled water, and to separate the oil afterwards by the capillary action of wick threads. If the arsenious acid be mixed with resinous bodies, oil of turpentine may be employed as their solvent, which will leave the arsenic untouched. Dr. Black directed the application of alcohol for this purpose, but this is obviously improper, since arsenious acid is soluble in that fluid.
It has been stated that, in consequence of the inability of arsenious acid to decompose nitrate of silver by simple elective attraction, the presence of an alkali becomes indispensable in the examination, for which purpose Dr. Marcet has suggested the superior advantages which will attend the use of ammonia, in cases where the arsenic has not been previously combined with a fixed alkali, since it does not, when added singly, decompose nitrate of silver; a circumstance which in using the fixed alkalies is very liable to occasion fallacy. This led Mr. Hume to improve his original plan, by forming at once a compound, which he calls the Ammoniaco-nitrate of silver, but which may with more propriety be designated as an Ammoniuret.[415] This is a triumph in the art of analysis; for whilst it obviates the necessity of ascertaining the exact proportion of alkali required in each experiment,[416] it possesses the valuable property of not in the least disturbing the phosphate of soda.
(B.) Sulphate of Copper. Like the preceding test, this also requires, for its success, that the arsenious acid should be combined with some alkali, in which case, by the operation of double elective attraction, an arsenite of copper is thrown down of a very striking and characteristic colour, being that of the well-known pigment called Scheele’s green; if arsenic be not present in the liquid so assayed, and a fixed alkali has been employed, the result will be a delicate sky-blue, instead of the grass-green precipitate.
Mr. Hume avails himself also of the peculiar property of ammonia to form a metallic salt, and has employed it with copper: he takes the sulphate or acetate of that metal, and by the same process as that described for the preparation of an ammoniuret of silver, forms another test. In using this, however, care must be taken that it be not too highly concentrated, for in that state it will not produce precipitation. Much controversy has taken place on the subject of sulphate of copper as a test for arsenic, and it has been stated, with more confidence than truth, that a decoction of onions has the property of imparting to the copper precipitate, which is produced by a fixed alkali, a colour and appearance analogous to that which is occasioned by arsenic. This opinion was boldly advanced and supported on a most important[417] trial at the Lent assizes for Cornwall in 1817. Since this event an opportunity[418] has occurred which has enabled me to examine this alleged fact, by a fair and appropriate series of experiments, the result of which satisfactorily proved that the opinion was grounded on an optical fallacy, arising from the blue precipitate assuming a green colour, in consequence of having been viewed through a yellow medium.[419] The phosphoric salts may also, under similar circumstances, be mistaken for arsenic, for the intense blue colour of the phosphate of copper will thus necessarily appear green. This instance of optical fallacy is not solitary, for corrosive sublimate has been said to possess the character of an alkali, because it turns the syrup of violets green, whereas this change is to be attributed solely to the combination of the yellow hue of the sublimate with the blue colour of the violet.
Whenever therefore such a source of fallacy can be suspected, the operator would do well to repeat his experiment on white paper, in the manner I have before proposed, and the results which are obtained in glasses should always be examined by day-light, and viewed by reflected and not by transmitted light. The presence of Peroxide of Iron in the Cupreous salt will also impart a green colour to the precipitate produced by an alkali. To obviate any fallacy which might arise from this circumstance, Mr. Phillips proposes to add some pure Potass to the sulphate of copper; if pure, a fine blue precipitate will be thus obtained; to this may be then added the suspected solution, and if Arsenious acid be present, it will then convert this blue precipitate to a green one.
(C.) Sulphuretted Hydrogen. This is a very delicate test for arsenic, producing with its solution a beautiful golden coloured liquor, which after a short time lets fall a precipitate. Mr. Phillips,[420] in reviewing the third edition of the present work, has stated, that no such precipitate occurs, but I find that in close, as well as in vessels exposed to the air, it takes place by repose. By this reagent, so small a quantity as 1⁄000,000 may be detected in solution; and it may be also stated in farther proof of the utility of this test, that it is less affected than any other by the presence of animal or vegetable matter. The method of preparing a solution of sulphuretted hydrogen gas is extremely simple. Put into an oil flask about two ounces of undiluted muriatic acid and an ounce and a half of powdered Sulphuret of Antimony; fit a cork to the flask and pass through it the short leg of a small glass tube twice bent at right angles; pass the longer leg of the tube into a phial containing distilled water, and then by the heat of a spirit lamp applied to the flask, sulphuretted hydrogen gas will be abundantly liberated, and though much of it will escape, yet a sufficient quantity will be dissolved by the water. The annexed sketch represents the apparatus proposed by Mr. Phillips, and which will require but little practical skill, either for its construction or use.
But it is not always necessary to prepare a watery solution of Sulphuretted Hydrogen, a stream of the gas, introduced into the suspected liquor by means of the above apparatus, will act with equal delicacy, and possesses, as Dr. Christison has observed, the advantage of not diluting it. Before applying this test, it is necessary to add an acid, if any alkali should exist along with the Arsenic, otherwise no precipitate will take place.
(D.) Alkaline Hydro-sulphurets. These bodies do not affect the arsenious solution, unless a few drops of acetic acid be added. To the Hydro-sulphuret, or perhaps more properly, Hydroguretted Sulphuret, of Ammonia there is an insuperable objection, since this fluid, when diluted, possesses the colour which we expect to produce by the action of Sulphuretted Hydrogen upon Arsenious Acid.
(E.) Charcoal Powder. This test was proposed by Mr. A. Thomson, (London Dispensatory, 2nd edition, p. 53.) Into the suspected solution stir a moderate quantity of charcoal powder, allow it to settle, then pour off the supernatant liquor, and when the powder which remains is dry, sprinkle some of it on a red hot poker, when, if the solution should contain Arsenic, the odour of Garlic will be rendered sensible. I have already offered some remarks upon the cause of this phenomenon (page 304.)
There are several other tests by which arsenic may be identified. The process described in the Dublin Pharmacopœia for the preparation of Arsenias Kali, the arseniate, or rather super-arseniate of potass, which has been long known under the name of “the arsenical salt of Macquer,” has been strongly advised as a collateral proof; it consists in decomposing the nitrate of potass[421] by the arsenious acid, but since this problem requires that the suspected poison should be in a solid and palpable form, it is impossible to examine its pretensions to our confidence, without being reminded of the story so often told to us in our infancy, of catching a bird by laying salt upon its tail.
It is necessary to observe in this place, that the arseniate, like the arsenite of potass, or that of ammonia, is obedient to the silver test, but that instead of the yellow precipitate which is produced by the latter salt, we obtain, by the former, a red or brick-coloured one.
If arsenious acid and quick-lime be heated together in a glass tube, a sudden ignition is occasioned at a certain temperature, when metallic arsenic will sublime, and an arseniate of lime be formed. In this case one portion of the arsenious acid is robbed of its oxygen to complete the acidification of the remainder.
In taking an impartial review of all the evidence which the investigation of this subject can furnish, it must appear to the most fastidious, that the silver and copper test above described are capable, under proper management, of furnishing striking and infallible indications, and that in most cases they will be equally conclusive, and in some even more satisfactory in their results, than the metallic reproduction upon which such stress has been laid, and for this obvious reason, that unless the quantity of metal be considerable,[422] its metallic splendour and appearance is often very ambiguous and questionable. It has to my knowledge happened to a medical person, by no means deficient in chemical address, to ascribe to the presence of arsenic that which was no other than a film of very finely divided charcoal: in this state of doubt the last resource was to ascertain whether it yielded, or not, upon being heated, an alliaceous odour. Surely an unprejudiced judge would prefer the evidence of sight, as furnished by the arsenical tests, to that of smell, as afforded in the last experiment. No one will attempt to deny that it is the duty of the medical practitioner who is called upon to decide so important a question as the presence of arsenic, to prosecute by experiment every point which admits the least doubt; he should also remember that in a criminal case, he has not only to satisfy his own conscience, but that he is bound, as far as he is able, to convince the public mind of the accuracy and truth of his researches; and he fails in his duty if he omits, through any false principle of humanity, to express the strong conviction which the success of his experiments must necessarily have produced in his mind. Let it however be remembered, that the application of chemical reagents on solutions suspected to contain arsenic, so far from throwing any obstacle in the way of the metallic reduction of that body, are the very steps which should be adopted as preparatory to the “experimentum crucis,” since the precipitates which are thus produced may be collected, and easily decomposed, as before stated. Those who for judicial purposes may require farther information upon these subjects are referred to the second volume of our work on “Medical Jurisprudence.” Tit: Poisons.
ARSENICI OXYDUM SUBLIMATUM. L.
Prepared Oxide of Arsenic.
The object of this process is to ensure a pure and uniform oxide; it has been already stated that a more dangerous fraud can scarcely be committed than the adulteration of arsenic; I am therefore not inclined to coincide with Mr. Thomson, and to regard “the present process as superfluous,” and the committee of the college entertained a similar opinion.
ASARI FOLIA. L.E.D. Asarum Europæum.
Asarabacca Leaves.
QUALITIES. The leaves, when recent, are nauseous, bitter, and acrimonious, and prove violently purgative and emetic, properties which are impaired by keeping. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, a peculiar acrid principle, not well understood. SOLUBILITY, water by infusion extracts their sensible properties, but they are lost by decoction. USES. As an errhine, Dr. Cullen has remarked that they form the most useful species of this genus of local stimulants. DOSE, gr. iij. to v. repeated every night until the full effect is produced. OFFICINAL PREP. Pulvis Asari compositus. E.D.
ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA.
Pleurisy root. Radix.
[The root of this plant, which is very abundant in every part of the United States, is the part used in medicine. It has a bitter taste, and its most soluble portions are fecula and a bitter extractive matter. Its best menstruum is boiling water. Its medicinal properties are expectorant and diaphoretic. The diseases in which it has been found useful are catarrh, bronchitis, the passive stage of pneumonia, and in rheumatism. In substance it may be taken in doses from ℈j to ʒss. Of the decoction, made by boiling half an ounce of the root in water, a tea cup full may be taken frequently during the day.]
ASSAFŒTIDA.[423] L.E.D.
Ferula Assafœtida. Gummi Resina.
QUALITIES. Form, small irregular masses, adhering together, of a variegated texture, and containing many little shining tears of a whitish, reddish, or violet hue. Taste, bitter and sub-acrid. Odour, fœtid and alliaceous, but this latter property is very much impaired by age. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Gum (or according to Brugnatelli, extractive) 60, resin 30, and essential oil 10 parts. SOLUBILITY. It yields all its virtues to alcohol and æther; if triturated with water it forms a milky mixture, but which is not permanent, unless some intermede be employed for the suspension of the gum-resin; for this purpose egg may be added, in the proportion of one yolk to a drachm of assafœtida, or a permanent mixture may be effected by carefully triturating the gum resin with double its weight of mucilage. If ʒvj of assafœtida be triturated with ʒss of camphor, a mass results of a proper consistence for a plaster; if triturated with carbonate of ammonia, it is easily reduced to powder, but undergoes no other change. FORMS OF EXHIBITION; in mixture or in pills. The Indian physicians have an idea that on account of its stimulating powers, it will, if administered to a pregnant woman, produce abortion. DOSE, gr. v. to ℈j. Form. 23, 29. MEDICINAL USES, stimulant, antispasmodic, expectorant, and anthelmintic; in coughs, attended with pulmonary weakness, and a tendency to spasm, it is very beneficial; in cases of flatulent cholic, it has, in the form of enema, acted like a charm; in habitual costiveness it often proves an invigorating aperient, and may be advantageously combined with resinous purgatives in torpor of the bowels connected with nervous symptoms. OFFICINAL PREP. Mist: Assafœtid: L.D. Tinct: Assafœtid: L.E.D. Spir: Ammoniæ fœtid: (=B=) L.E.D. Tinct: Castori, comp: (=B=) E. Pil: Aloes cum Assafœtid: (=G=) E. Pil: Galbani: comp: (=B=) L. Enema Fœtid: D. IMPURITIES. Its characteristic odour should be powerful, and when broken, its fracture ought to exhibit a bluish-red appearance. It ought not to be brittle.
AURUM.
(Auri Murias.) Muriate of Gold.
[Gold was early used as a medicine. It fell however into total disrepute until its use was a few years since revived in France. Although it has attracted some attention lately, it can hardly be said to have reclaimed a permanent place in the materia medica. The most striking effects which it produces on the system, are an increase of urine and perspiration. It has been recommended in glandular swellings, gleets, schirrus of the uterus, scrofula, and dropsy. It is however as an antisyphilitic remedy that it has been principally celebrated. According to Dr. Chrestien of Montpelier, it would appear that gold was not merely adequate to the cure of syphilis in all its forms, but that it possesses very great advantages over mercury—It does not affect the gums, nor does it in any way disturb the general health of the patient. Notwithstanding this warm recommendation of Dr. Chrestien, it is still doubtful whether gold is adequate to the cure of syphilis. The best form in which the gold can be given is that of the muriate, prepared according to the directions of the Pharmacopœia of the United States; of this the dose is one fifteenth to one fourth of a grain, in pills, given every six, eight, or twelve hours.]
BALSAMUM PERUVIANUM. L.E.D.
(Myroxylon Peruiferum). Peruvian Balsam.
QUALITIES. Form, a viscid liquid of a reddish brown colour. Odour, fragrant and aromatic. Taste, hot and bitter. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Resin, volatile oil, and benzoic acid; it is therefore a true balsam: this term was formerly applied to every vegetable resin having a strong scent and the fluidity of treacle, and which was supposed to possess many medicinal virtues; it is now restricted to those resins which contain the benzoic acid in their composition, of which there are only three, viz. the Balsams of Peru, Tolu, and Benzoin. SOLUBILITY. Water when boiled upon it dissolves only a portion of benzoic acid; æther is its most complete solvent; alcohol dissolves it completely, but the quantity of this menstruum must be considerable. PROPERTIES, stimulant and tonic, on which account in certain chronic affections of the lungs, it has been found a serviceable expectorant; Sydenham gave it in Phthisis, but wherever any inflammatory action is to be apprehended Dr. Fothergill wisely cautions us against its use. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Diffused in water by means of mucilage, or made into pills with any vegetable powder. DOSE, gr. v to ʒj. ADULTERATIONS. A mixture of resin and some volatile oil with benzoin, is often sold for Peruvian Balsam, and the fraud is not easily detected, and is probably of but little importance.
BALSAMUM TOLUTANUM. L.E.D.
(Toluifera Balsamum.) Balsam of Tolu.
QUALITIES. Form, a thick tenacious liquid becoming concrete by age, in which state it is usually found in the shops. Taste, warm and sweetish. Odour, extremely fragrant, resembling that of lemons. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Volatile oil, resin, and benzoic acid. SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in alcohol, forming a tincture which is rendered milky by water, but no precipitate falls. When dissolved in the smallest quantity of a solution of potass, its odour is changed into one that resembles clove pink. MEDICINAL USES. It has been regarded as expectorant. In turning to the classification of expectorants, p. 102, it will be found to occupy a place in the second division of our first class, for it may be considered as capable of stimulating the pulmonary exhalants; whence its use in chronic coughs. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be suspended in water by means of mucilage, or yolk of egg, but it is rarely employed except on account of its agreeable flavour;[424] its virtues are similar to those of the balsam of Peru. OFFICINAL PREP. Tinct: Benzoin. comp: L.E.D. Tinct: Toluiferi Balsam: E.D. Syrup: Tolut: L.
BELLADONNÆ[425] FOLIA. L.E.D.
(Atropa Belladonna.) Deadly Nightshade.
QUALITIES. The leaves are inodorous. Taste, slightly nauseous, sweetish, and sub-acrid; their peculiar properties are not lost by drying. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Vauquelin found that the leaves contained a substance analogous to albumen, salts with a base of potass, and a bitter principle on which its narcotic properties depended, and more lately the presence of an alkaline element has been detected, which has received the appellation of Atropia, the sulphate of which crystallizes very beautifully. SOLUBILITY. Water is the most powerful solvent of its active matter. USES. It is a powerful sedative and narcotic, both as an internal medicine and as an external application; in this latter form, it alleviates local pains very effectually, but is liable to affect the nervous system. The recent leaves powdered, and made into an ointment with an equal weight of lard will be found an efficient form for many purposes; rubbed over the penis it prevents priapism and relieves chordee more effectually than any application which has been proposed. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Every part of the plant is poisonous, and the berries from their beautiful appearance have often tempted the unwary; the leaves however furnish the most convenient and powerful form of exhibition; externally, they may be used as a poultice, internally, one grain of the dry leaves powdered, and gradually increased to 10 or 12 grains, or the leaves may be infused in boiling water in the proportion of four grains to two fluid-ounces, which may be given as a dose. A little of this infusion dropped into the eye permanently dilates the pupil, for which intention it has been successfully applied previous to an operation for the cataract. The extract of this plant, since its active principle is fixed, ought to possess activity, but as it occurs in commerce it is found to be very uncertain and variable, a circumstance which entirely depends upon the manner in which it has been prepared.[426] See Extractum Belladonnæ. An overdose of belladonna produces the most distressing and alarming symptoms, and so paralyzing is its influence, that vomiting can be hardly excited by the strongest doses of tartarized antimony; in such cases vinegar will be found the best antidote, or the affusion of cold water over the surface of the body, after the application of which, emetics are more likely to perform their duty, for physiological reasons explained in p. 85. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Extract: Belladonnæ L. Succus spissatus Atropæ Belladonnæ. E.
BENZOINUM. L.E. Benzoe. D. (Styrax Benzoin)
vulgo, Benjamin.
QUALITIES. Form, brittle masses, composed of white and brownish, or yellowish fragments; Odour, fragrant; Taste, scarcely perceptible. When heated, it exhales benzoic acid in the form of crystals. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Resin, and a large proportion of benzoic acid. SOLUBILITY. It is readily dissolved by alcohol and æther, and is again separated from them by water; solutions of lime, and the fixed alkalies separate the benzoic acid from it, which can afterwards be recovered from such solutions by the addition of an acid. USES. It is considered expectorant, and was formerly used in asthma, and other pulmonary affections; it has however fallen into disuse, and is now principally employed in perfumery, and odoriferous fumigations.[427] OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Acidum Benzoicum L.E.D. Tinct: Benzoini comp:[428] L.E.D. IMPURITIES. It is found in the market in various degrees of purity, the best is yellowish, studded with white spots: the worst is full of dross, and very dark or black.
BISMUTHI SUB-NITRAS L.
QUALITIES. Form, a white, inodorous, tasteless powder. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Oxide of Bismuth in combination with some water and a little nitric acid. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water and dilute acids, but is dissolved by the concentrated acids, and is again precipitated by water. The alkalies, Potass and Soda, also dissolve it, but sparingly; it is more soluble in ammonia. USES. It was formerly employed as a cosmetic, under the name of Magistery of Bismuth, or that of Pearl White;[429] since, however, it becomes black from the operation of Sulphuretted Hydrogen and its compounds,[430] much inconvenience attends its application. Its medicinal powers appear to have been first noticed by Jacobi,[431] but the remedy attracted little or no attention until the publication of a paper upon the subject by Odier[432] of Geneva. The diseases in which its powers as a tonic have been more particularly displayed, are Gastrodynia, Pyrosis, and Dyspepsia attended with cholic. Dr. Marcet in a paper read in 1801 before the Medico-chirurgical Society of London, says, “I have had frequent opportunities of trying the oxide of Bismuth in spasmodic affections of the stomach in Guy’s Hospital, and those trials have fully confirmed the opinion which I formerly gave of the utility of this medicine.” The practitioner will receive a further confirmation of its value by referring to Dr. Bradsley’s Medical Reports: and Dr. Yeats has published in the Royal Institution Journal[433] a striking case illustrative of its efficacy.[434] Dose, gr. v to xv, in the form of pills.
BISTORTÆ RADIX. L.E.D.
(Polygonum Bistorta.) Bistort Root.
QUALITIES. This root has no odour, but is highly astringent. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Its active principles are tannin and gallic acid. MED. USES. It acts as an astringent, and is accordingly used in hemorrhages and fluxes. DOSE of the root ℈j-ʒj; of a decoction f℥j-f℥ij. Combined with Calamus it has been successfully administered for the cure of intermittent fevers. See p. 167.
CALAMI RADIX. L. Acori Calami Radix. E.
Acorus. D. (Acorus Calamus). Sweet Flag Root.
QUALITIES. This root is full of joints, crooked, and flattened on the sides, internally of a white colour, and loose spongy texture. Odour, fragrant and aromatic. Taste, bitter and pungent, qualities which are improved by exsiccation. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The principles in which its qualities reside appear to be essential oil, and bitter extractive; the root likewise contains fecula, which is copiously precipitated from its infusion by sub-acetate and acetate of lead. Watery infusion extracts all its virtues, but decoction impairs them. Spirit is also an appropriate solvent, and a resinous extract may be produced accordingly. USES. It is not employed so frequently as it deserves;[435] it would be a useful addition to many of the compound infusions of vegetable stomachics. DOSE. A cupful of the infusion made by adding ʒvj of the dried root to f℥xij of boiling water. It is so favourite a remedy with the native practitioners of India, in the bowel complaints of children, that there is a penalty incurred by any druggist who will not, in the middle of the night, open his door and sell it, if demanded.
CALUMBÆ RADIX. L. (Cocculus Palmatus.)
Colomba, Radix. E.D. Calumba Root.
QUALITIES. Form, the dried root imported into this country is in transverse sections; the bark is thick, and easily detached; the wood is spongy and yellowish; the pieces are frequently perforated, evidently by worms. Odour, slightly aromatic. Taste, bitter and somewhat acrid. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Cinchonia, bitter resin, volatile oil, and starch, in addition to which M. Planche has found a peculiar animal-like substance; it appears also to contain Malate and Sulphate of Lime. SOLUBILITY. Boiling water takes up about one-third of its weight, but proof spirit appears to be its most perfect menstruum. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. No change is occasioned in the infusion by the solutions of nitrate of silver, sulphate of iron, muriate of mercury, or tartarized antimony; but precipitates are produced by the infusion of galls, and yellow Cinchona bark, by sub-acetate and acetate of lead, oxy-muriate of mercury, and lime-water. The infusion very soon spoils. DOSE of the powdered root gr. xv to ʒss; of the infusion f℥iss to f℥ij. USES. It is one of the most valuable tonics and stomachics which we possess. It seems to be superior to many others, from not possessing astringent, and stimulant powers, on which account it is singularly eligible in certain pulmonary and mesenteric affections; it may be given in combination with chalybeates, aromatics, saline purgatives, or with rhubarb, as circumstances may require. (Form. 34, 155.) OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Infus: Calumbæ. L. Tinct: Calumbæ. L.E.D. It becomes worm-eaten by age, and, in that condition, should be rejected. Those pieces which have the brightest colour, and the greatest specific gravity, are the best. The root of white briony, tinged yellow with the tincture of Calumba, has been fraudulently substituted for this root.
CAMBOGIA. L. Gamboge. (Stalagmitis Cambogioides. ) Gambogia. E.D.
QUALITIES. Form, lumps of a solid consistence, breaking with a vitreous fracture; Odour, none; Colour, deep yellow, bordering on red, and becoming, when moistened, a brilliant light yellow. Sp. Grav: 1·221. Taste, slightly acrid, but which is not experienced unless it be allowed to remain long in the mouth. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. One part of gum, (Cerasin,) and four parts of a brittle resin; but this knowledge throws no light on the nature of its cathartic property. SOLUBILITY. When triturated with water two-thirds of its substance are speedily dissolved, and a turbid solution results; alcohol dissolves nine-tenths, and forms a yellow transparent tincture, which is rendered turbid by the addition of water; sulphuric ether dissolves six-tenths of the substance; it is also soluble in alkaline solutions, and the resulting compound is not rendered turbid by water, but is instantly decomposed by acids, and the precipitate so produced is of an extremely brilliant yellow colour, and soluble in an excess of acid. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. No bodies appear to produce in gamboge such a chemical change as to destroy the chemical properties which distinguish it, but by a mechanical admixture, its solubility and consequently its operation, may be materially modified. Dr. Cullen found that the inconvenience arising from its too rapid solubility, and sudden impression upon the stomach, might be obviated by diminishing the dose, and repeating it at short intervals as directed in Form: 89. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. No form is more judicious than that of pill. Its alkaline solution has been sometimes exhibited in dropsy, when it is said to operate both on the bowels and kidneys. DOSE, gr. 2 to gr. 6. USES. It is a powerful drastic cathartic, and hydragogue, very liable to excite vomiting, and from this peculiar action upon the stomach it has been frequently employed with success in the expulsion of teniæ (Form: 161.) and it accordingly enters as an ingredient into many of the empirical compositions which are sold for the cure of tape worms.[436] OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Pil: Cambogiæ comp: L. There is considerable difference in the degree of purity in which this substance occurs in the market; it should be estimated by its clearness and brilliancy.
CAMPHORA. L.E.D. (Laurus Camphora.[437])
Camphor.
QUALITIES. Form, a white brittle substance, unctuous to the touch, but possessing at the same time a degree of ductility which prevents its being easily pulverised, unless a few drops of spirit be previously added. It is capable of affecting a crystalline form.[438] Odour, peculiar, fragrant, and penetrating. Taste, bitter, pungent, and aromatic. Specific gravity, ·9887, it therefore swims on water; it is so volatile that during warm weather a considerable proportion will evaporate, especially if at the same time the atmosphere be rather moist, for the reason stated in page 175. It is readily ignited, and burns with a brilliant flame and much smoke; it melts at 288°, and boils at 400. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a proximate vegetable principle, resembling the essential oils in many of its habitudes, and probably differs from them in composition only in containing a larger proportion of carbon. SOLUBILITY. Water may be said to dissolve about a nine hundredth part of its weight, or f℥j rather more than gr. ½, but its solvent power is considerably increased by the addition of carbonic acid gas; camphor is also rendered more soluble by trituration with magnesia; it is soluble in an equal weight of alcohol, but it is again separated by the addition of water; it is also dissolved by oils, both fixed and volatile,[439] especially if their temperature be a little raised, and by sulphuric and other æthers, but strong acetic acid may be said to be its most powerful solvent. By repeatedly distilling it with nitric acid it is converted into Camphoric acid, an acid distinguished by peculiar properties, and composing, with alkalies and earths, a class of salts called Camphorates, but which do not possess any medicinal value. The alkalies do not produce any effect upon camphor. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. It is not affected by any substance with which we can combine it. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It is preferable in the form of mixture, since it is very liable in the solid state to excite nausea, and, from swimming on the contents of the stomach, to occasion pain at its upper orifice. If a larger dose be required than that which water can dissolve, an additional proportion may be suspended by means of sugar, almonds, yelk of egg, or mucilage, for which purpose three times its weight of gum arabic is required. If Camphor be first dissolved by trituration in a very small portion of oil, it readily mixes with mucilage of gum arabic, and may then be conveniently blended with liquids. It has also the property of uniting with gum-resins, and of converting them into permanently soft, and uniform masses; hence they may sometimes be conveniently applied for diffusing it in water. It may be formed into pill-masses by stiff mucilage, fœtid gums, or by a confection. MEDICINAL USES. In moderate doses it exhilarates, without raising the pulse, and gives a tendency to diaphoresis; and under certain conditions of the body, when opium fails, it will frequently promote sleep. As its effects are transient, its dose should be repeated at short intervals. Illustrative Formulæ 1, 6, 21, 125, 134, 164. Camphor is said to correct the bad effects of opium, mezereon, cantharides, and the drastic purgatives, and diuretics. DOSE, gr. ij to ℈j. In excessive doses it occasions anxiety, vomiting, syncope, and delirium; these violent effects are best counteracted by opium. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Mistura Camphoræ. L.D. Emulsio Camphorata. E. Spiritus Camphoræ, L.E.D. Tinctura Camphoræ comp: L.E.D. Acidum Acetosum Camphoratum. E.D. Linimentum Camphoræ. L.E.D. Liniment: Camphoræ comp: L. Liniment: Saponis. (=G=) L.E.D. ADULTERATIONS. It has been stated that pure camphor may be known by placing it upon hot bread, when it will turn moist, whereas an adulterated specimen becomes dry—but with what can it be adulterated?
CANELLÆ CORTEX. L.E.D. Canella Bark, (Canella Alba Cortex.)
Wild Cinnamon.
QUALITIES. Form; it occurs in quilled and flat pieces; the former are of a whitish-yellow colour, considerably thicker than cinnamon; the latter, which are probably the bark of the larger branches, or of the stem of the tree, are yellow on the outside, and pale brown within. Odour, resembling that of cloves. Taste, warm, pungent, and slightly bitter. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Its virtues depend upon an essential oil, and a bitter resin. SOLUBILITY. Water extracts only the bitterness, but proof spirits both the bitterness and aroma. MEDICINAL USES. As a warm stimulant to the stomach, and as a corrigent to other medicines. In America it is considered as a powerful antiscorbutic. DOSE of the powdered bark gr. x to ʒss. Officinal Preparations. Tinct. Gentian. comp. (=B. G.=) E. Vinum Aloes, (=G=) L.D. Pulv. Aloes cum canella, (=G=) D.
CANTHARIDES.[440] (Cantharis Vesicatoria.)
Blistering, or Spanish Flies.
This beautiful insect of the beetle tribe is exceedingly abundant in the southern parts of Europe, and particularly in Spain. They are collected from the leaves of the different trees on which they delight to dwell, in June and July, and are afterwards destroyed, as recommended by Dioscorides, by the fumes of strong vinegar, and dried in the sun. The chemical history of Cantharides is still involved in some obscurity; the blistering principle has been obtained by Robiquet in a separate state, when it assumes the form of small crystalline plates, having a micaceous lustre, not unlike spermaceti; Dr. Thomson has given to it the name of Cantharidin;[441] when pure, it is insoluble in water and in cold alcohol; boiling alcohol, however, dissolves it, but precipitates it again on being cooled. Æther and the oils dissolve it readily. Although not soluble in water it is rendered so by the presence of a yellow matter which exists in native combination with it. A very minute portion of this substance dissolved in sweet oil, and applied to the skin with a piece of paper, produces vesication in five or six hours. In addition to this active principle, Cantharides contain a green concrete oil; a yellow fluid oil; a peculiar black substance soluble in water and proof spirit, but not in pure alcohol; a saponaceous or yellow substance, soluble both in water and alcohol; Uric acid; Acetic acid; Phosphate of Magnesia, and a parenchymatous substance.[442] MEDICINAL USES. Cantharides, when administered internally, are powerfully stimulant and diuretic;[443] and whether applied as a vesicatory to the skin, or taken into the stomach, they have a peculiar tendency to act upon the urinary organs, and especially to irritate and inflame the neck of the bladder, and occasion strangury. On this account they have been very successfully employed both for the cure of incontinence of urine, and suppression of this discharge, from torpor or paralysis of the bladder; they have also been used in gleet and leucorrhæa, and in cases of seminal weakness and impotence. In consulting the works of Dioscorides, Galen, and Pliny, we shall find they entertained a notion, that the virus existed only in the body of the fly, and that the head, feet and wings, contained its antidote! Hippocrates prescribed them internally in Dropsy, Jaundice, and Amenorrhœa; and yet in the end of the sixteenth century, Dr. Groenvelt was charged and sued[444] for giving them inwardly, in substance, for the cure of the stone. DOSE, in substance, not exceeding gr. i, combined with opium or hyoscyamus. See Tinctura: Cantharid. A strong decoction of the Cantharides in Oil of Turpentine furnishes a most powerful Epispastic, and may be easily applied by means of dossils of lint. As the general belief, which exists with respect to the aphrodisiac powers of this substance, may induce persons to try its efficacy in large doses, either for goading the exertions of exhausted nature, or for incensing the passions of females whose seduction is meditated, it behoves the medical practitioner to become acquainted with the symptoms which it may produce, and of which the following may be considered as the most prominent;—violent retching; copious alvine evacuations, frequently bloody; very severe colics; active inflammation of the stomach and intestines; sometimes universal convulsions, attended with a horror of liquids, resembling that which occurs in hydrophobia; furious delirium, &c. But the affections of the urinary passages, and organs of generation, may be regarded κατεξοχην, as the peculiar symptoms of poisoning by Cantharides; such as heat in the bladder, bloody micturition, horrible strangury, painful and obstinate priapism, satyriasis, &c. The method of treatment to be pursued on such occasions will consist in copious bleeding, warm bath, local fomentations, mild and mucilaginous drinks; and opium, especially in the form of clyster or suppository. OFFICINAL PREP. Tinct: Cantharid: L. Emplast: Cantharid: L. Ceratum Cantharid: L. Unguent: Infusi Cantharid: Vesicat: E. Unguent: Cantharid: D. The flies do not lose their virtues by being kept; it is, however, curious that even those acrid insects are soon reduced to dust by others feeding upon them; but since the inert parenchymatous portion is alone selected by them, the residue is extremely active.[445]
CAPSICI BACCÆ. L.E.D. Berries of the Capsicum. (Capsicum Annum.)
QUALITIES. Form, pods, long, pointed, and pendulous; Colour, when ripe, a bright orange red. Odour, aromatic and pungent. Taste, extremely acrimonious and fiery. SOLUBILITY. Its qualities are partially extracted by water, but more completely by æther and spirit. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Cinchonia, resin, mucilage, and an acrid principle said to be alkaline.[446] INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The infusions of capsicum are disturbed by Infusion of Galls; Nitrate of Silver; Oxy-muriate of Mercury; Acetate of Lead; the Sulphates of Iron, Copper and Zinc; Ammonia, Carbonate of Potass, and Alum, but not by sulphuric, nitric, or muriatic acid. MEDICINAL USES. It is a most powerful stimulant to the stomach, and is unaccompanied with any narcotic effect; as a gargle in cynanche maligna, and in relaxed states of the throat, it furnishes a valuable remedy; combined with purgatives, it proves serviceable in dyspepsia, (Form: 78,) it has lately been given with success in the advanced stages of acute rheumatism; in various diseases attended with cold feet, it has been recommended to wear socks dusted with Cayenne Pepper. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be given, made into pills with crumb of bread, or in the form of tincture, diluted with water; for the purpose of a gargle, a simple infusion in the proportion of gr. j to f℥j of boiling water, or fʒvi of the tincture to f℥viij of the Infusum Rosæ, may be directed. DOSE, of the substance, gr. vj to x, of the tincture fʒj to fʒij in an aqueous vehicle. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinct: Capsici: L.D.[447]
Cayenne Pepper is an indiscriminate mixture of the powder of the dried pods of several species of capsicum, but especially of the Capsicum baccatum, (Bird pepper.)
ADULTERATIONS. Cayenne pepper is generally mixed with muriate of soda, which disposes it to deliquesce. Red Lead may be detected by digesting it in acetic acid, and adding to the solution sulphuret of ammonia, which will produce, if any lead be present, a dark coloured precipitate; or the fraud may be discovered by boiling some of the suspected pepper in vinegar, and after filtering the solution adding to it sulphate of soda, when a white precipitate will be formed, which, after being dried and exposed to heat, and mixed with a little charcoal, will yield a metallic globule of lead.
CARBO LIGNI. L.E.D. Charcoal.
QUALITIES. It is a black, inodorous, insipid, brittle substance; when newly prepared it possesses the property of absorbing very considerable quantities of the different gases; it is also capable of destroying the smell and taste of a variety of vegetable and animal substances, especially of mucilages, oils, and of matter in which extractive abounds; and some medicines are said to be even deprived of their characteristic odour by remaining in contact with it, as Valerian, Galbanum, Balsam of Peru, and Musk. The use of charring the interior of water casks, and of wrapping charcoal in cloths that have acquired a bad smell, depends upon this property; for the same reason it furnishes a very excellent tooth powder,[448] for which purpose, that which is obtained from the shell of the cocoa nut is to be preferred. None of the fluid menstrua with which we are acquainted have any action whatever as solvents upon carbon.[449] MEDICINAL USES. It is antiseptic, and has been administered internally, to correct the putrid eructations which sometimes attend dyspepsia, but in order to produce this effect it should be newly prepared, or such as has been preserved from the access of air, for it operates by absorbing the putrid gas, as well as by checking the decomposition of the undigested element.[450] DOSE, grs. x to ʒj. It has been lately asserted to possess powers as an antidote to arsenic; if this be true, its action can only be mechanical by absorbing like a sponge the arsenical solution, and thereby defending the coats of the stomach from its virulence.[451] Charcoal, when mixed with boiled bread, forms a very valuable poultice for foul and gangrenous sores. In a state of impalpable powder, it is said to be effectual as a styptic; Dr. Odier informs us that the celebrated powder of Faynard, for stopping hemorrhage, was nothing more than the charcoal of beech-wood finely powdered.
Charcoal is prepared for the purposes of medicine and the arts, from a variety of substances, viz.
BURNT SPONGE. Spongia Usta. L. Consists of charcoal with portions of phosphate and carbonate of lime, and sub-carbonate of soda; it has been highly commended in bronchocele and scrophulous complaints, in the form of an electuary, or in that of a lozenge, and it has been lately asserted that it owes its power to the presence of Iodine.
VEGETABLE ÆTHIOPS. Pulvis Quercus marinæ. From the fucus vesiculosus, or bladder-wrack, used as the preceding.
IVORY BLACK. Ebur Ustum. From ivory shavings burned; used as a dentifrice and a pigment, under the name of “blue-black,” for its hue is bluish; but bone-black is usually sold for it.
LAMP BLACK. Fuligo Lampadum. By burning resinous bodies, as the refuse of pitch, in furnaces of a peculiar construction.
WOOD SOOT. Fuligo ligni, collected from chimnies under which wood is burnt. It contains sulphate of ammonia, which imparts to it its characteristic bitterness. It has been considered antispasmodic, and a tincture was formerly prepared of it.
CARDAMOMI SEMINA. L.D. ( Matonia[452] Cardamomum.)
Amomum Repens. E. Cardamom Seeds.
QUALITIES. Odour, aromatic and agreeable; Taste, warm and pungent, but unlike the peppers, they do not immoderately heat the stomach. SOLUBILITY. Water, alcohol and æther extract their virtues; the two latter most completely, and the result is transparent, whereas the watery infusion is turbid and mucilaginous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Fecula, mucilage, and essential oil. MEDICINAL USES. They are carminative and stomachic, and prove grateful adjuncts to bitter infusions; they are principally employed to give warmth to other remedies. DOSE of the powder, gr. vj to ℈j. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Extract: Colocynth: comp: (=E=) L.D. Tinct. Cardamomi, L.E.D. Tinct. Cardamom: comp: L.D. Tinct: Cinnamomi, co. (=B=) L.E. Tinct. Gentian, co. (=G=) L. Tinct. Rhei, (=E=) L.E.D. Tinct. Rhei cum Aloe, (=G=) E. Tinct. Sennæ, (=E=) L.D. Spir. Ether. Aromat. (=B=) L. Vinum Aloes Socot. (=G=) E. Confect. Aromat. (=B=) L. Pulv. Cinnamom. co. (=B=) L.E.D. Pil. Scilliticæ, (=E=) E. Infus. Sennæ. D. (=E=.)
Cardamom seeds should be kept within their husks, or their virtues will soon be considerably impaired; they are frequently mixed with grains of paradise, which are much hotter and more spicy, but less aromatic in their flavour.
CARICÆ FRUCTUS, L.D. Fici Caricæ Fructus, E.
The preserved Fruit of the Fig.
QUALITIES of the dried fig are too well known to require description. The fig consists almost entirely of mucilage and sugar. USES. It has been already stated that the most ancient cataplasm on record was made of figs, (2 Kings, chap. xx. 7.) they are employed medicinally in many demulcent decoctions, as Decoctum Hordei comp: L.D. They are gently aperient; it is curious to learn that they constituted the chief part of the food of the ancient Athletæ.
CARYOPHYLLI. L.
(Eugenia Caryophyllata. The unopened flowers dried.)
Caryophilli Aromatici Germen, E.
Caryophilli aromat. Calyx, D. Cloves.
Cloves are the unexpanded flowers, or flower-buds, of the clove tree, which are first obtained when the tree is six years old; they are gathered in October and November before they open, and when they are still green; and are dried in the sun, after having been exposed to smoke at a heat of 120°, till they assume a brown hue. It is a curious fact that the flowers when fully developed are quite inodorous, and that the real fruit is not in the least aromatic. QUALITIES. Form, that of a nail, consisting of a globular head, formed of the four petals of the corolla, and four leaves of the calyx not yet expanded; and a germen situated below nearly cylindrical, and scarcely an inch in length. Odour, strong, fragrant, and aromatic. Taste, acrid, aromatic and permanent. Benzoic acid has lately been discovered in them.
SOLUBILITY. Water extracts their odour, but little of their taste; alcohol and ether take up both completely. MEDICINAL USES. They are more stimulant than any of the other aromatics; they are sometimes given alone, but more generally as a corrigent to other medicines. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Infusum Caryophyllorum. L. Spir. Lavand. co. D. (=B=) FRAUDS. The Dutch frequently mix the best cloves with those from which the oil has been drawn.
CARYOPHYLLORUM OLEUM. This essential oil, in consequence of the resinous matter which it holds in solution, has a specific gravity of 1·020, and consequently sinks in water. When the oil has a hot fiery taste, and a great depth of colour, it is adulterated. It is imported from the spice islands. On account of its stimulant properties, it is added to griping extracts, or used as a local application in the tooth-ache. Vauquelin obtained from the leaves of the Agathophyllum ravensara an essential oil, in every respect similar to that of cloves; and I am informed by Dr. Davy that an oil exactly resembling in smell the oil of Cloves is procured in Ceylon from the leaf of the Cinnamon tree; but very little, if any, has ever been exported.
CASCARILLÆ CORTEX. L.D. Croton Eleutheria. E. (Croton Cascarilla.)
Cascarilla Bark.
QUALITIES. Form, curled pieces, or rolled up into short quills; its fracture is smooth and close, of a dark brown colour; Odour, light and agreeable; when burning, it emits a smell resembling that of musk, which at once distinguishes it from all other barks. Taste, moderately bitter, with some aromatic warmth. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mucilage, bitter extractive, resin, volatile oil, and a large proportion of woody fibre; neither Cinchonia nor Quina has hitherto been discovered in it. SOLUBILITY. Its active constituents are partially extracted by alcohol and water, and completely by proof spirit. MEDICINAL USES. Carminative and tonic; it is an excellent adjunct to cinchona, rendering it by its aromatic qualities more agreeable to the stomach, and increasing its powers. It is valuable in dyspepsia and flatulent cholic, in dysentery and diarrhœa, and in the gangrenous thrush peculiar to children. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It is most efficacious in substance; it may however be given in the form of infusion, or tincture. Decoction dissipates its aromatic principle; the extract therefore merely acts as a simple bitter. See Infus. Cascarillæ. DOSE of the powder, grs. xij to ʒss. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Infus. Cascarill. L. Tinct. Cascarill. L.D. Extract. Cascarill. D.
CASSIÆ PULPA. L.E.D. Cassia Pulp. (Cassia Fistula, Lomentorum Pulpa.)
The fruit is a cylindrical pod scarcely an inch in diameter, but a foot or more in length; the exterior is a hard brown bark; the interior is divided into numerous transverse cells, each of which contains an oval seed imbedded in a soft black pulp. QUALITIES. Odour, faint and rather sickly. Taste, sweet and mucilaginous. SOLUBILITY. Nearly the whole of the pulp is dissolved by water, partially by alcohol and sulphuric ether. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Sugar, gelatine, glutine, gum, and a small portion of resin, extractive, and some colouring matter. USES. It is gently laxative, and is adapted for children and very delicate women, but it should be always given in combination with manna or some other laxative, or it is apt to induce nausea, flatulence and griping. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Confectio Cassiæ. L.E.D. Confectio Sennæ (=B.O.=) L.E.D.[453] There are two kinds of this drug in the market; that from the West Indies, the pods of which are generally large, rough, thick rinded, and contain a nauseous pulp; and that from the East Indies, which is to be preferred, and which is distinguished by smaller and smoother pods, and by their containing a much blacker pulp. The pulp ought not to have a harsh flavour, which arises from the fruit having been gathered before it was ripe, nor ought it to be sour, which it is very apt to become by keeping. The heaviest pods, and those in which the seeds do not rattle, are to be preferred.
CASTOREUM. L.E.D. Castor. (Castor Fiber. (Rossicus.) Concretum sui generis.)
This substance is secreted by the beaver, in bags near the rectum.[454] QUALITIES. Odour, strong and aromatic. Taste, bitter, sub-acrid, and nauseous. Colour, reddish brown. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Volatile oil, resin, mucilage, extractive, iron, and small portions of the carbonate of potass, lime and ammonia. It contains also, according to the analysis of Laugier, a small quantity of Benzoic acid. The Canadian variety is also stated by Laugier to contain benzoic acid both free and combined. SOLUBILITY. Its active matter is dissolved by alcohol, proof spirit, and partially by water; the tincture made with alcohol is the least nauseous, and the most efficacious; the spirit of ammonia is also an excellent menstruum, and in many cases improves its virtues. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be given in substance, as a bolus, or in the form of tincture, but its exhibition in the form of extract or decoction is chemically incorrect. DOSE, grs. x to ℈j, and, in clysters, to ʒj. MEDICINAL USES. It is antispasmodic, and seems to act more particularly on the uterine system. It certainly proves beneficial as an adjunct to antihysteric combinations; it was highly esteemed by Van Swieten, De Haen, and many other German practitioners. Baglivi states that it counteracts the narcotic powers of opium, but this is not the case. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinct. Castorei.[455] L.E.D. ADULTER: It is sometimes counterfeited by a mixture of dried blood, gum ammoniacum, and a little real castor, stuffed into the scrotum of a goat; the fraud is detected by comparing the smell and taste with those of real castor; and by the deficiency of the subaceous follicles, which are always attached to genuine specimens. There are two kinds in the market, the Russian and Canadian, the former however, which is the best, has become extremely scarce; it may be distinguished from the latter, by being larger, rounder, heavier, and less corrugated on the outside.
CATECHU EXTRACTUM, L.E.D.
(Acacia Catechu, Extractum.)
Catechu; olim Terra Japonica.[456] Japan Earth.
QUALITIES. There are two varieties of catechu in the market, the one of a light yellowish, the other of a chocolate colour; they differ only in the latter having a more austere and bitter taste. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Tannin, a peculiar extractive matter, mucilage, and earthy impurities. SOLUBILITY. It is almost totally dissolved both by water and spirit. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Its astringency is destroyed by alkaline salts; and precipitates are produced by metallic salts, especially by those of iron; and with gelatine it forms an insoluble compound. MEDICINAL USES. It is a most valuable astringent. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In infusion, tincture, or powder. (Form. 51, 52, 58, 151.) In the form of a lozenge, from its gradual solution, it may be very advantageously applied in relaxed states of the uvula and fauces; I have found this remedy successful in cases where the sulphate of zinc was inefficient. From its great astringency it also forms an excellent dentifrice, especially when the gums are spongy; for this purpose I have employed equal parts of powdered catechu, and Peruvian bark, with one-fourth the quantity of the powder of myrrh. DOSE, grs. x to ℈i. OFFICINAL PREP. Infus. Catechu, Tinct. Catechu, L.E.D. Electuarium Mimosæ Catechu, E.D.
CENTAURII CACUMINA. L.E.D.
(Chironia Centaurium[457] Cacumina.)
The flowering tops of the common Centaury.
QUALITIES. Odour, none; Taste, intensely bitter. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mucilage, resin, and bitter matter. SOLUBILITY. Alcohol and water dissolve all its active matter. MEDICINAL USES. All its value depends upon its bitterness. It entered into the composition of the once celebrated Portland Powder for the gout, for an account of which see page 32. DOSE, of an infusion, made in the proportion of ℥j to oj of boiling water, f℥ij; of the dry powder ʒi.
CERA. L.E.D. Wax.
It is admitted into the list of the Materia Medica under two forms, viz.
1. CERA FLAVA. Yellow or Unbleached Wax.
QUALITIES. Odour, faintly honey-like; it is brittle yet soft; when chewed, it does not, if pure, adhere to the teeth; it melts at 142°, and burns entirely away. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is the honey-comb of the bee melted with boiling water, pressed through cloth bags, and ultimately cast into round cakes for the market. Whether it be an animal product, or a vegetable substance merely collected by the bee, has been a question of dispute; the former opinion is probably correct, although wax is certainly produced as a secretion by many plants. The yellow wax contains a portion of pollen which imparts its colour to it, and increases its fusibility. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water, and in cold alcohol or ether, but it is soluble in boiling alcohol and ether, in fixed oils, and in alkalies. USES. It is chiefly employed in the composition of external applications. ADULTERATIONS. Earth or peas-meal may be suspected when the cake is very brittle, and the colour inclines to grey; Resin is detected by putting it in cold alcohol, which will dissolve the resinous part without acting on the wax. Tallow is discovered by the greater softness and unctuosity of the cake, and by its suffocating smell when melted; when this latter substance is employed, turmeric is added to disguise its paleness.
2. CERA ALBA. White, Bleached, or Virgin’s Wax.
QUALITIES. This substance differs only from the former, in being colourless, harder, heavier, and less fusible. USES. It is said to be demulcent, and very useful in dysentery, but it is rarely used. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be formed into a mixture by melting it with one-third of its weight of soap, and then gradually adding to it any mucilaginous liquid. ADULTERATIONS. White Lead may be detected by melting the wax in water, when the oxide will fall to the bottom of the vessel; tallow may be suspected when the cake wants its usual translucency.
CERATA. L.E. Cerates.
These compositions are characterized by a degree of consistence, intermediate between that of plasters, and that of ointments. As this consistence is obtained from the wax which they contain, they very properly derive from that substance the generic appellation of Cerates.
CERATUM CALAMINÆ. L. (Ceratum lapidis Calaminaris. P.L. 1787. Ceratum epuloticum. P.L. 1745). Ceratum Carbonatis Zinci Impuri. E. Unguentum Calaminare. D.—These preparations have been long known under the name of Turner’s Cerate; they form the basis of many extemporaneous cerates, in some of which nitric oxide of mercury, in the proportion of ʒj of the oxide to ℥j of cerate, and in others, the liquor of sub-acetate of lead, are introduced. By the former combination we obtain a very useful application to indolent and ill-conditioned ulcers, a valuable stimulant for inducing an action conducive to the regeneration of parts. By the latter combination we derive a remedy highly extolled by our most experienced surgeons, in the cure of burns and scalds.
CERATUM CANTHARIDIS. L. The basis of this preparation is spermaceti cerate six parts, to which is added, of powdered flies one part: as it is intended to promote a purulent discharge from a blistered surface, it may be reduced in strength according to circumstances.
CERATUM CETACEI. L. (Ceratum Spermatis ceti. P.L. 1787. Ceratum Album, P.L. 1745). Ceratum Simplex. E. It furnishes a soft and cooling dressing, and constitutes a convenient basis for more active combinations, as in the following instance.
CERATUM PLUMBI ACETATIS. L. (Unguentum Cerussæ Acetatæ, P.L. 1787.) This is cooling for burns, excoriations, and inflamed surfaces.
CERATUM PLUMBI COMPOSITUM. L. (Cerat: Lithargyri acetati compositum. P.L. 1787.) This is “Goulard’s Cerate” and is applicable to the same cases as the former cerate; the camphor which enters into its composition imparts a gently stimulating power to it; it proves extremely serviceable in chronic opthalmia of the tarsus, and for the increased secretion of tears, which so frequently affects the eyes of persons advanced in years.
CERATUM RESINÆ. L. (Ceratum resinæ flavæ, P.L. 1787. Ceratum citrinum. 1745. Yellow Basilicon). Unguent: Resinosum, E. Unguent: Resinæ albæ. D. It is stimulant, digestive, and cleansing, and affords a very excellent application for foul and indolent ulcers.
CERATUM SABINÆ. L. Savine Cerate. It is intended to keep up a purulent discharge from a blistered surface; in practice however it is often found to fail from the difficulty of obtaining it good, since the acrid principle of the plant is injured by long boiling, and by being previously dried; the ointment also loses its virtue by exposure to the air.
CERATUM SAPONIS. L. This preparation was much used and recommended by the late Mr. Pott; in preparing it the greatest possible caution is required; the fire should never be too rapidly applied, the stirring should be uniform and incessant, and the heat should only be sufficient to keep the two compositions liquid at the time when they are united. The original intention of the cerate was to afford, when spread upon linen, a mechanical support to fractured limbs, and to keep the points of the bone in due apposition, while in consequence of the acetate of lead which is formed in the first stage of the process for its preparation, it possesses the virtues of a saturnine dressing. As a mechanical agent it may prove at once effectual and dangerous, for if it be applied before all inflammation and swelling have entirely disappeared, the inflamed vessels may be completely strangulated by its unrelenting pressure, and high erysipelatous inflammation, and a rapid state of gangrene may be the result.
CERATUM SIMPLEX. A useful application to excoriations and sores.
Besides the above cerates, there are many magistral[458] preparations, of great practical value, and I must refer the surgical student for an account of them to that very useful little manual, entitled “Pharmacopœia Chirurgica.”
CETACEUM. L.
(Physeter Macrocephalus, Concretum sui generis.)
Spermaceti. E.D.
QUALITIES. Form, flakes, which are unctuous, friable, and white. Odour and taste, scarcely perceptible. Sp. Grav. 9·433. It melts at 112°. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a peculiar modification of fatty matter. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water and cold alcohol, but soluble in hot alcohol, ether, and oil of turpentine, but it concretes again as the fluids cool; in the fixed oils it is completely soluble. The alkaline carbonates do not affect it, but it is partially dissolved in the pure alkalies, and with hot ammonia it forms an emulsion which is not decomposed on cooling. USES. It is demulcent and emollient, but it possesses no advantages over the bland oils. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be suspended in water by means of mucilage or yolk of egg. (Formulæ 76, 78, 79.) OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Ceratum Simplex. E. Ceratum Cetacei. L. Unguent. Cetacei. L.D. From exposure to hot air, it becomes rancid; but it may be again purified, by being washed in a warm solution of potass.
CINCHONA. L.E.D. Bark. Peruvian Bark.
Jesuit’s Bark.
Notwithstanding the labours of the Spanish botanists, the history of this important genus is still involved in considerable perplexity, and owing to the mixture of the barks of several species,[459] and their importation into Europe under one common name, it is extremely difficult to reconcile the contradictory opinions which exist upon the subject, nor indeed would such an investigation be consistent with the plan and objects of this work. Under the trivial name officinalis, Linnæus confounded no less than four distinct species of cinchona, and under the same denomination the British Pharmacopœias, for a long period, placed as varieties the three barks known in the shops; this error indeed is still maintained in the Dublin Pharmacopœias, but the London and Edinburgh colleges have at length adopted the arrangement of Mutis, a celebrated botanist, who has resided in South America, and held the official situation of Director of the exportation of bark for nearly forty years.
CINCHONÆ CORDIFOLIÆ CORTEX. L.E. Cortex Peruvianus. D. Heart-leaved Cinchona Bark, commonly called Yellow Bark.
CINCHONÆ LANCIFOLIÆ CORTEX. L.E. Cortex Peruvianus. D. Lance-leaved Cinchona Bark, common Quilled bark—Pale bark.
CINCHONÆ OBLONGIFOLIÆ CORTEX. L.E. Cortex Peruvianus. D. Oblong-leaved Cinchona Bark, called Red bark.
QUALITIES. The odour and taste of these three species are essentially the same, although they differ in intensity. They are all bitter, sub-astringent and aromatic, but the flavour of the Yellow bark is incomparably the most bitter, although less austere and astringent, whilst the red bark has a taste much less bitter, but more austere and nauseous than either of the other species. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Few vegetable substances have been more frequently, or more ably submitted to chemical analysis than the Peruvian bark, and yet but few results of any great practical utility had been obtained previous to the recent experiments of Pelletier and Caventou, communicated to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, since the publication of the fourth edition of the present work.
Dr. Maton[460] had several years ago observed, that an infusion of nutgalls produced a precipitate with the decoctions of Bark; a fact which necessarily produced considerable speculation. Seguin was induced to regard it as arising from the presence of gelatine, (see p. 56,) an opinion which Dr. Duncan proved to be erroneous, and shewed that it depended upon a new proximate principle, to which M. Gomez of Lisbon had previously assigned the name of Cinchonine. Besides which, bark was considered as containing resin, extractive, gluten, tannin, a small portion of volatile oil, and some salts with a base of lime; one of which however had been only found in Yellow bark, and had been discovered to contain a peculiar vegetable acid, denominated by Vauquelin Kinic, a name which Dr. Duncan very judiciously superseded by that of Cinchonic acid.
In the Red bark, Fourcroy detected also a portion of citric acid, some muriate of ammonia, and muriate of lime. Upon which of these principles the tonic and febrifuge virtues of bark depends, has ever proved a fruitful source of controversy. Deschamps attributed them to Cinchonate of Lime, and asserted that two doses of thirty-six grains each, would cure any intermittent. Westering considered Tannin as the active constituent; while M. Seguin assigned all the virtues to the principle which precipitates gallic acid, and which, as it has been before stated, he mistook for gelatine. Fabroni concluded from his experiments, that the febrifuge power of the bark did not belong exclusively and essentially to the astringent, bitter, or to any other individual principle, since the quantity of these would necessarily be increased by long boiling, whereas the virtues of the bark are notoriously diminished by protracted ebullition. This argument however will not go far, when we consider the chemical changes which the liquid is known to suffer during that operation, and by which a considerable portion of its matter is rendered insoluble. Such was the state of our knowledge respecting the composition of the Cinchona, when Pelletier and Caventou, guided by analogy, were led to infer the presence of an alkaline element of activity in its composition. The merit, belonging to the researches of these eminent chemists, does not so much consist in the discovery of new elements, as in the proofs which they have furnished of the well known principle, Cinchonine, being a salifiable base,[461] and in demonstrating the peculiar states of combination in which it exists in the different species of Cinchona.
1. Cinchona Lancifolia.
Their analysis of the Pale Bark, furnished the following principles.
1. Acidulous Kinate of Cinchonia.[462]
2. A green fatty matter.
3. Red Colouring matter, slightly soluble.
4. Ditto soluble. (Tannin.)
5. Yellow colouring matter.
6. Kinate of Lime.
7. Gum.
8. Starch.
9. Lignin.
Cinchonia, when obtained in an isolated form,[463] is distinguished by the following characters and habitudes.
It is white, transparent, and crystallizes in the form of needles; it has but little taste, circumstance depending upon its comparative insolubility, as it requires no less than 7000 parts of cold water for its solution; in boiling water it is soluble in 2500 times its weight, but a considerable part separates, on cooling. In alcohol and the acids it is much more soluble, and imparts to such menstrua the characteristic bitter of the bark; it dissolves only in small quantities in the fixed and volatile oils, or in sulphuric ether. Cinchonia restores the colour of litmus which has been reddened by an acid. With acids it combines and forms neutral salts, of which the solubility and crystalline form vary with the acid employed.
Sulphate of Cinchonia, easily crystallizable and moderately soluble, has been found to consist of Cinchonia 100, Sulphuric acid 13·02.
Nitrate of Cinchonia, uncrystallizable, and sparingly soluble.
Muriate of Cinchonia, crystallizes in very beautiful needles, and is more soluble than the preceding salts.
Oxalate of Cinchonia, nearly insoluble; hence by pouring oxalic acid, or oxalate of ammonia into solutions of any of the soluble salts of cinchonia, we obtain a very white and abundant precipitate, which might be mistaken for oxalate of lime; it is however soluble in an excess of acid, and in alcohol.
Gallate of Cinchonia, equally as insoluble as the Oxalate, whence the precipitate occasioned by pouring an infusion of galls into the decoctions of genuine cinchona.
Cinchonia, when heated, does not fuse before decomposition. Its ultimate elements are oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon; the latter being predominant.
The Kinic acid, which exists in native combination with the Cinchonia, amongst several other peculiar properties, is convertible by means of heat into a substance (acide pyrokinique,) which is crystallizable, and capable of producing with iron a most beautiful green colour.
2. Cinchona Cordifolia.
In the Yellow Bark, these chemists discovered also a salifiable base, quite distinct however in its character and habitudes from Cinchonia; they accordingly have designated it by another name, viz. Quinine, but which we shall hereafter call Quina. In speaking of these two bases, the authors compare them, in point of dissimilarity, to the fixed alkalies, potass and soda. Quina is distinguished from Cinchonia by the following characters. It cannot, like this latter body, be crystallized by evaporation from its alcoholic solution, although it may be obtained in transparent plates. It is very soluble in æther; in water it is as insoluble as cinchonia, but its taste is much more bitter. The salts which it forms are different from those of cinchonia, both in the proportion of their elements, and in the properties which they possess, being generally much more bitter. In comparing their composition, Quina will appear to have less capacity of saturation[464] than cinchonia.
Sulphate of Quina. It forms crystals quite remarkable for their satin-like and pearly lustre. It is soluble in cold water, a property which is very considerably increased by an excess of acid.[465] It appears from the observations of M. Callaude, apothecary at Annecy, that Sulphate of Quina exposed to a gentle heat, becomes highly luminous; and M. Pelletier has since found that Sulphate of Cinchonia, when exposed in a capsule to the steam of boiling water, exhibits the same phenomenon, but that neither Quina nor Cinchonia, by themselves, nor their acetates, possess this phosphorescent quality. This appears to be the most efficient of all the salts of Bark, and is the one from which I have frequently derived much advantage. In its exhibition we must be careful not to combine it with substances that form insoluble compounds with it. The Infusum Rosæ compositum is objectionable as a vehicle, on account of the astringent matter which it contains, and which therefore precipitates the Quina from its solution. I have lately seen a prescription, in which the salt is directed to be rubbed with a few grains of Cream of Tartar, and then to be dissolved in mint water. This is obviously injudicious, since Tartaric acid decomposes the sulphate, and occasions an insoluble Tartrate, which is precipitated. The form in which I have usually prescribed it is in that of solution, with a small quantity of sulphuric acid, in the proportion of a minim to every grain of the salt. A Wine of Quina may be made by adding five grains of the sulphate to a pint of Sherry; a Tincture, by dissolving the same quantity in eight fluid-ounces of Rectified Spirit. The sulphate is to be preferred to the pure Quina in these cases, because, when the tincture is made by using the alkali, not saturated by an acid, a precipitate is formed on adding it to aqueous liquors. Dose of the Sulphate, gr. i.–v.
Acetate of Quina, very remarkable for the great facility with which it crystallizes, and for the pearly aspect and agreeable stellated grouping of the crystals; whereas the acetate of cinchonia crystallizes with difficulty, and simply in plates transparent, and devoid of lustre.
Quina forms with the oxalic, gallic and tartaric acids, salts as insoluble as those which the same acids form with Cinchonia.
3. Cinchona Oblongifolia.
The Red Bark upon analysis was found to contain a double basis, and to yield both Cinchonia and Quina, and, what is still more extraordinary, the quantity of each exceeded that which is known to exist in the grey and yellow barks.
The latest experiments, however, made on very large quantities of the bark, have shewn that Quina and Cinchonia exist simultaneously in all the three species; but the Cinchonia is, relatively to the Quina, in greater quantity in the grey bark; whilst, in the yellow bark, the Quina so predominates, that the presence of the Cinchonia might well have escaped notice when small quantities were operated on.
Having thus furnished a sketch of this curious discovery, we have next to enquire whether the alkaline bases in question do actually concentrate all the virtues of the barks in which they reside? M. Majendie[466] informs us that Pelletier had very early after the discovery transmitted to him a portion of the new substances for trial, and that he has unequivocally determined that they do not possess any deleterious qualities,[467] and are therefore essentially different from the principles of Nux vomica, (Strychnine,) Opium, (Morphia,) &c. According to the testimony of Dr. Double, as related in the same journal, they would seem to possess the medicinal properties of the cinchona.
In the third number of Majendie’s Journal we receive a report from M. le docteur Renauldin, of an intermittent cured by the Sulphate of Cinchonia, in doses of six grains.
As the discovery of an alkaline element in Opium led the way to the detection of salifiable bases in other active vegetables,[468] it has seemed to me preferable that I should introduce those general observations which I wish to offer upon the subject of those bodies, under the history of that narcotic. It is only necessary in this place to caution the practitioner against the hasty generalizations of the too sanguine chemist; it has already been observed that those vegetable remedies, whose value has been established by the sober experience of ages, consist of different principles of activity, or, at least, owe a modified power to the compound effect of their several ingredients. (p. 154, note.)
SOLUBILITY OF THE BARK.[469] Cold water extracts its bitter taste, with some share of its odour; when assisted by a moderate heat, the infusion is stronger, but becomes turbid as it cools; the infusion cannot be kept, even for a short time, without undergoing decomposition, and being spoiled; wine also extracts the virtues of bark, and is prevented by this substance from becoming sour, a fact which probably depends upon the avidity with which some of the principles of bark combine with oxygen, and which may throw some light upon the cause of its antiseptic virtues. The colouring matter of wine is precipitated by bark, as it is by charcoal, in the course of a few days. By decoction the active matter of cinchona is in a great degree extracted, but if the process be protracted beyond eight or ten minutes, it undergoes a very important chemical change, the precise nature of which is not well understood; the balance of affinities, however, by which the different elements are united, is evidently overthrown, and a considerable precipitation ensues; oxygen would also appear to have been absorbed; whether the Cinchonia becomes insoluble has not yet been ascertained, but experience has shewn that the general loss of solubility, produced by such a process, is accompanied with a corresponding loss of medicinal activity; on which account, the extract is necessarily a very inefficient preparation; if we attempt to redissolve it, not more than one half is soluble in water. Vinegar is a less powerful solvent than water; the active matter of bark is rendered more soluble by the addition of mineral acids, and by the earths and alkalies; these latter bodies deepen its colour, and precipitate the Cinchonia, for which reason, when they are employed, the decoction ought not to be filtered; see Form. 41, 42, and note thereon. Lime water has been recommended as a solvent, and it affords an excellent form for children and dyspeptic patients; for the same reason we obtain a stronger and perhaps a more efficient preparation, by triturating it with magnesia, previous to the process of infusion. Alcohol is a very powerful solvent, but the great activity of this menstruum so limits its dose that we are prevented from exhibiting a sufficient quantity of the bark in the form of tincture; it furnishes however an excellent adjunct to other preparations.
INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Precipitates are produced by the salts of iron, sulphate of zinc, nitrate of silver, oxy-muriate of mercury, tartarized antimony, solutions of arsenic, &c. Any considerable portion of a tincture produces also a precipitation, which sometimes does not immediately take place, and the medicinal value of the bark is probably not impaired by it. As the infusions of nut galls and some other vegetable astringents precipitate the cinchonia from bark, it becomes a question how far such liquids are medicinally compatible; saline additions, as alum, muriate of ammonia, &c. have been frequently proposed, but in many such mixtures decompositions arise which must deceive us with regard to the expected effects. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. No form is so efficient as that of powder, a fact which would seem to argue against the exclusive value of the Cinchonia; even the ligneous fibre which the chemist pronounces to be inert and useless, may produce its share of benefit by modifying the solubility of the other ingredients, or by performing some mechanical duty which we are at present unable to understand or appreciate; but where the stomach rejects it, it must be administered in infusion or decoction, with the addition of its tincture. In cases where it is necessary to join cordials, an infusion of bark in Port wine[470] is a popular and very useful form for its administration. DOSE of the powder, gr. v to ʒij or more, of the infusion or decoction ℥ij. MEDICINAL USES. It is powerfully tonic and antiseptic; it was introduced into practice for curing intermittent fevers, but since that period it has been generally used in diseases of debility, in fevers of the typhoid type, and in gangrene. It was first conjectured to be useful in gout by Sydenham, and Dr. Haygarth has strongly recommended its exhibition in acute rheumatism; when however it is used in these diseases, the greatest attention ought to be paid to the state of the bowels, and purgatives should be occasionally interposed. In Dyspepsia, the use of the purer bitters is to be greatly preferred to that of the bark. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Infus. Cinchonæ, L.E.D. Decoct. Cinchon. L.E.D. Extractum Cinchon. L.E. Extract. Cinchonæ resinosum. L.D. Tinct. Cinchonæ, L.E.D. Tinct. Cinchonæ comp. L.E.D. Tinct. Cinchon. Ammoniat. L. MAGISTRAL FORMULÆ, 31, 37, 40, 44, 127. ADULTERATIONS. The frauds committed under this head are most extensive; it is not only mixed with inferior barks, but frequently with genuine bark, the active constituents of which have been entirely extracted by decoction with water. In selecting cinchona bark, the following precautions may be useful; it should be dense, heavy and dry, not musty, nor spoiled by moisture; a decoction made of it should have a reddish colour when warm; but when cold, it should become paler, and deposit a brownish red sediment. When the bark is of a dark colour between red and yellow, it is either of a bad species, or it has not been well preserved. Its taste should be bitter, with a slight acidity, but not nauseous, nor very astringent; when chewed, it should not appear in threads, nor of much length; the odour is not very strong, but when bark has been well cured, it is always perceptible, and the stronger it is, provided it be pleasant, the better may the bark be considered. In order to give bark the form of quill, the bark gatherers not unfrequently call in the aid of artificial heat, by which its virtues are deteriorated; the fraud is detected by the colour being much darker, and upon splitting the bark, by the inside exhibiting stripes of a whitish sickly hue. In the form of powder, cinchona is always found more or less adulterated. During a late official inspection of the shops of apothecaries and druggists, the Censors repeatedly met with powdered cinchona having a harsh metallic taste, quite foreign to that which characterizes good bark.[471] The best test of the goodness of bark is afforded by the quantity of Cinchonia, or Quina that may be extracted from it; and the manufacturer should always institute such a trial before he purchases any quantity, taking a certain number of pieces indiscriminately from the bulk. Much has been said of late concerning the probability of the genuine species of the cinchona tree becoming extinct; in consequence of which some succedaneum has been anxiously sought for; the bark of the broad-leaved willow, Salix Caprea, has been proposed for this purpose. Vogel recommends the root of Geum urbanum avens; others propose that of the Dastisca canabina.
The Cinchona Caribæa of the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia is said, by Dr. Wright, to whom we are indebted for our knowledge of it, to have satisfactorily answered in all cases where the Peruvian bark was indicated. The Geoffræa Intermis is often sold for it.
M. Ré, Professor of the Materia Medica at the Veterinary School at Turin, has announced that the Lycopus Europæus of Linnæus, called by the peasants of Piedmont the Herb China, is a complete succedaneum for Peruvian Bark.[472] The success with which bark has been imitated by medicinal combination, has already been noticed in the first part of this work.
CINNAMOMI CORTEX. L.E.D (Laurus Cinnamomum.)
Cinnamon.
The qualities of Cinnamon depend upon the presence of an essential oil. Benzoic acid has been found in it. It is principally employed to cover the taste of nauseous medicines, and to correct the griping quality of different purgatives. It is, however, in itself, astringent and tonic, whence it has been found efficacious in the relief of alvine fluxes. ADULTERATIONS. It is sometimes intermixed with cinnamon from which the oil has been drawn; the fraud is detected by the weakness of the odour and taste of the specimen; sometimes it is mixed with cassia, but this is soon discovered, for cassia is thick and clumsy, breaks short, and smooth, and has a remarkable slimy taste, whereas the fracture of cinnamon is shivery, and its flavour warm and clean. Cinnamon ought not to leave a mawkish taste in the mouth; this circumstance denotes an inferior quality. There is an inferior kind imported into Europe from China, through the hands of private merchants; this is distinguished by being darker coloured, rougher, denser, and by breaking shorter; the taste is also harsher, more pungent, and ligneous, without the sweetness of Ceylon cinnamon. DOSE of the cinnamon in powder is from grs. x. to ℈j. OFFICINAL PREP. Aqua Cinnamomi, L.E.D, Spir Cinnamomi, L.E.D. Tinct. Cinnamomi, L.E.D. Tinct. Cinnamom. co. L. Pulv. Cinnamom. comp. L.E.
CINNAMOMI OLEUM. It is principally imported from Ceylon: it has a whitish yellow colour, a pungent burning taste, and the peculiar fine flavour of cinnamon in a very great degree.[473] It should sink in water, and be entirely soluble in alcohol. It is one of the most powerful stimulants which we possess. Dose, ♏︎i to iij, on a lump of sugar.
COCCUS. L.E. (Coccus Cacti.) Coccinella. D.
Cochineal.
It is an insect imported from Mexico and New Spain, and has the appearance of a wrinkled berry or seed of a deep mulberry colour, with a white powder between the wrinkles. USES. Its medicinal virtues are now entirely discredited, and it is only employed for the sake of its colouring matter, for the purpose of a dye; it was known to the Phœnicians, and was the tolu of the Jews. Its watery solution is of a violet crimson, its alcoholic of a deep crimson, and its alkaline of a purple hue; the colour of the watery infusion is brightened by acids, cream of tartar, and alum, and at the same time partly precipitated. Dr. John has given the name of Cochenelin to this colouring principle, which M. M. Pelletier and Caventou have lately obtained in a perfectly pure state, as a very brilliant purple red powder with a granular crystalline appearance; these chemists propose to call it Carmine, but as Mr. Children very justly observes, if we adopt the term, its termination should be altered, to avoid confounding the pure colouring matter with the pigment in common use. It may be called Carmina, a more harmonious name than Cochenelin, (Ann: de Chimie, vol. viii). INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The colouring matter is decomposed by sulphate of iron, sulphate of zinc, and acetate of lead. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinct: Cardamom: comp: L.D. Tinct: Cinchon: comp: L.D. Tinct: Gentian, comp: E. Tinct: Cantharid: D. ADULTERATIONS. It is invariably adulterated with pieces of dough, formed in moulds, and coloured with cochineal. I understand that this fraud gives employment to a very considerable number of women and children in this metropolis. A cargo of the counterfeit article was some time since exported, in order to obtain the drawback; by throwing a suspected sample into water, we shall dissolve the spurious ones, and ascertain the extent of the adulteration.
COLCHICI RADIX, ET SEMINA. L.E.D.
Colchicum Autumnale.
The Bulb of the Meadow Saffron.
QUALITIES. When recent it has scarcely any odour, but its taste is bitter, hot and acrid. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Its properties reside in a milky juice, and depend upon an alkaline principle; it contains also gum, starch, inulin, and extractive matter, which, when in solution, undergoes a chemical change, analogous, I apprehend, to that which takes place in the infusion of Senna, and it would appear with similar inconvenience. Sir Everard Home ascertained that this deposit, in the vinous infusion, excites nausea and griping, but that it may be removed without destroying the efficacy of the medicine. The alkaline element, similar to that of the Hellebore (Veratria), lately found in it, appears to exist in combination with gallic acid. (Annales de Chimie, tom. xiv. Mai, 1820.) This alkaline body would seem to display its greatest energies by its action upon mucous surfaces; in small portions it excites violent sneezing, and when applied to the membrane of the stomach, immediate vomiting and purging are the result.[474] See Veratri radix. The virtues of the bulb of Colchicum are very variable, according to the place of growth and season of the year. Since the third edition of this work, I have been favoured with some valuable observations upon this subject by Mr. Alexander Gordon; he says that it is in its greatest perfection from the beginning of June until the middle of August.[475] It is also necessary to extract the virtues of the bulb as soon as it is gathered, for although removed from the earth, the developing process of vegetation continues, and the substance undergoes a corresponding series of chemical changes, and finally becomes as inert as if it had remained in the ground. It is a problem of some importance to discover a method of destroying the vegetable life of the bulb, without at the same time injuring its virtues, for I apprehend that a want of attention to the above precaution frequently renders the vinous infusion inactive. The practitioner engaged in preparing this vegetable remedy will find some valuable directions in the third edition of Thomson’s Dispensatory. The flower of the meadow saffron is very poisonous to cattle. SOLUBILITY. Vinegar and wine[476] are the best menstrua for extracting its active qualities; by decoction its essential oil is dissipated. MEDICINAL USES. It has been much extolled on the continent as a remedy in dropsy, especially in hydro-thorax, and in humoral asthma; its operation however as a diuretic, is less certain than squill, although its modus operandi is analogous to it, as will be seen by referring to our new arrangement of Diuretic remedies. As a specific in gout its efficacy has been fully ascertained; it allays pain, and cuts short the paroxysm. It has also a decided action upon the arterial system, which it would appear to control through the medium of the nerves. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. In my opinion, acids, and all oxygenated substances render the vinous infusion drastic; on the contrary, alkalies render its principles more soluble, and its operation more mild, but not less efficacious. Magnesia may judiciously accompany its exhibition. DOSE of the saturated vinous infusion, the only form in which its successful operation can be insured, fʒss to fʒj, whenever the patient is in pain. See Vinum Colchici. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Acetum Colchici, L. Oxymel Colchici, D. Vinum Colchici, L. Spiritus Colchici Ammoniatus, L. Syrupus Colchici Autumnalis, E.
COLCHICI SEMINA. Dr. Williams of Ipswich has lately published an account of the efficacy of the Seeds of Colchicum, which he says possess all the virtues of the root, without its pernicious[477] qualities; the form in which he administers them, is in that of vinous infusion.[478] He also informs me that he has experienced considerable tonic effects from these seeds; and that unlike other narcotic remedies they do not appear to produce, or favour congestion in the head. The seeds ought not to be bruised, as their virtues reside chiefly in the husk, or cortical part.
COLOCYNTHIDIS PULPA. L.E.D.
(Cucumis Colocynthis.)
Colocynth. Coloquintida. Bitter Cucumber.
QUALITIES. The medullary part of this fruit, which is alone made use of, is a light, white, spongy body. Taste, intensely bitter and nauseous. Odour, when dry, none. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mucilage, resin, a bitter principle, and some gallic acid. SOLUBILITY. Alcohol and water alike extract its virtues, but the active principle resides both in the portion soluble in water, and in that which is insoluble. MEDICINAL USES. It is a very powerful drastic cathartic, and was employed by the ancients in dropsical and lethargic diseases. Many attempts have been made to mitigate its violence, which is best effected by triturating it with gummy farinaceous substances, or the oily seeds; the watery decoction or infusion is much less severe, and has been recommended in worm cases, but it is rarely employed, except in combination with other purgatives. Thunberg informs us, (see his Travels, vol. ii, p. 171) that this article is rendered so perfectly mild at the Cape of Good Hope by being pickled, that it is absolutely used as food both by the natives and colonists. Mixed with paste or other cements, it is used to keep away insects, which it does by its extreme bitterness. DOSE, grs. iv. to x. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The infusion is disturbed by sub-acetate, and acetate of lead; nitrate of silver; sulphate of iron, and by the fixed alkalies. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Extract. Colocynth. L. Extract. Colocynth. comp. L.D. Pil. Aloes cum Colocynth. D.E. (=B=) When the fruit is larger than a St. Michael’s orange, and has black acute pointed seeds, it is not good.
CONFECTIONES L. Confections.
Under this title the London College comprehends the conserves and electuaries of its former Pharmacopœias; but in strict propriety, and for practical convenience, the distinction between conserves and electuaries ought to have been maintained. Saccharine matter enters into each of these compositions, but in different proportions, and for different objects. In conserves it is intended to preserve the virtues of recent vegetables; in electuaries, to impart convenience of form. See Electuaria.
CONFECTIO AMYGDALARUM. L. This preparation affords an expeditious mode of preparing the almond emulsion; it should be used in the proportion of a drachm to each fluid-ounce of distilled water.
CONFECTIO AROMATICA. L. Electuarium Aromaticum. E.D. This is a very useful combination of various aromatics, to which the London and Dublin colleges have added a carbonate of lime; this circumstance makes the preparation a judicious constituent for the exhibition of active salts, liable to be invalidated by the presence of acid in the stomach, but, at the same time, rendering it incompatible with acids, antimonial wine, &c. These observations do not of course extend to the aromatic electuary of the Edinburgh pharmacopœia. See Form: 15, 42, 49, 125, 126. DOSE, ℈j to ʒj.
CONFECTIO CASSIÆ. L. The ingredients of this confection are manna, tamarind pulp, and syrup of roses. It is gently laxative, and from its agreeable flavour is well calculated for children. The pharmaceutist, in preparing it, must take care that he does not substitute the syrup of the red, for that of the damask rose; a substitution, as stated under the head of Syrupi, not very unusual. The confection does not ferment or become acescent. DOSE, ʒj to ℥j.
CONFECTIO OPII. L. Electuarium Opiatum. E. This is a combination of aromatics with opium, intended as a substitute for the Mithridate and Theriaca of the old pharmacopœias. It is highly useful in flatulent cholic and diarrhœa, and in all cases where a stimulant narcotic is indicated. One grain of opium is contained in grs. 36 of the London, and in grs. 43 of the Edinburgh preparation. DOSE, grs. x to xxx.
CONFECTIO PIPERIS NIGRI. L. This preparation has been introduced into the Pharmacopœia, on the suggestion of several eminent practitioners, who have experienced its utility in certain cases of Piles. It is intended to resemble WARD’S[479] PASTE, whose composition has been given in all the former editions of this work, and according to which Formula the committee have directed the present preparation. It is principally useful in those cases attended with considerable debility, in leucophlegmatic habits, and when piles arise from a deficient secretion in the rectum. On the other hand, the composition will as certainly prove injurious in those cases which are accompanied with erysipelatous inflammation, and which require cooling laxatives, and a total abstinence from all stimulants, for their cure.
CONFECTIO ROSÆ CANINÆ, olim Conserva Cynosbati. Its acidity depends upon uncombined citric acid, a circumstance which it is essential to remember when we direct its use in combination. The hip, or fruit of this plant, beat up with sugar, and mixed with wine, is a very acceptable treat in the north of Europe.
CONFECTIO ROSÆ GALLICÆ. Confection of the Red Rose. Principally used as a vehicle for more active medicines. It is sometimes brightened by the addition of a small proportion of sulphuric acid; this is a circumstance of great importance, where the confection is used for making the mercurial pill. See Pilulæ Hydrarg. It is a very common excipient for pills, see Form: 21, 59, 66, 73, 122, 160, 170.
CONFECTIO RUTÆ, Confection of Rue. The principal use of this preparation is as an ingredient in antispasmodic enemas.
CONFECTIO SCAMMONEÆ. L.D. Scammony, two parts, powdered cloves and ginger, of each, one part, to which are added a small portion of oil of carraway, and of syrup of roses, q. s. It is a stimulating cathartic, and may be given in the dose of ʒss to ʒj.
CONFECTIO SENNÆ. L.E.D olim Electuarium Lenitivum. The ingredients of this preparation are senna leaves, figs, tamarind pulp, cassia pulp, the pulp of prunes, coriander seeds, liquorice root, and refined sugar. It is gently laxative, and is an excellent vehicle for the exhibition of more powerful cathartics. (Form. 74, 93.) When properly made, it is an elegant preparation, not apt to ferment, nor to become acescent; the directions of the pharmacopœia are however rarely followed. Jalap blackened with walnut liquor, is frequently substituted for the more expensive article cassia; and the great bulk of it, sold in London, is little else than prunes, figs, and jalap. I understand that a considerable quantity is also manufactured in Staffordshire, into which unsound and spoilt apples enter as a principal ingredient. The preparation sold at Apothecaries’ Hall is certainly unique in excellence. Dose, ʒij or more.
The above are the principal confections which are employed in modern practice, for happily the shops are at length disencumbered of those nauseous insignificant conserves, unknown to the ancients, but which were ushered into use by the Arabian physicians, and which continued for so many years to disgrace our dispensatories and to embarrass our practice. The French, in their new Codex Medicamentarius, have limited their electuaries to a number not exceeding nine; they have however made up in complexity for deficiency in number; the Electuarium de croco, which is intended to answer the same ends as our confectio aromatica, has no less than twelve ingredients, although the force of the combination depends entirely upon carbonate of lime, cinnamon, and saffron; and so it is with the rest.
CONII FOLIA. L.E. (Conium Maculatum.)
Cicuta. D. Hemlock.
QUALITIES. The leaves, when properly dried, have a strong and narcotic odour, and a slightly bitter and nauseous taste: the fresh leaves contain not only the narcotic, but also the acrid principle: by exsiccation, the latter is nearly lost, but the former undergoes no change; the medicinal properties of the leaves are therefore improved by the operation of drying. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The medicinal activity of the plant resides in a resinous element, which may be obtained in an insulated form, by evaporating an ethereal tincture made with the leaves, on the surface of water; it has a rich dark green colour, and contains the peculiar odour and taste of hemlock in perfection; a dose of half a grain will produce vertigo and head-ache. It may be distinguished by the name of Conein. The watery extract of this plant can therefore possess but little power, a fact which Orfila has fully established by experiment. No part of the plant is entirely destitute of efficacy, though the leaves possess the most activity. SOLUBILITY. Alcohol and æther extract its virtues. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Its energies are greatly diminished by vegetable acids; hence vinegar is its best antidote. MEDICINAL USES. It is a powerful sedative, and has been deservedly commended for its powers in allaying morbid irritability: according to my own experience, it is, in well directed doses, by far the most efficacious of all palliatives, for quieting pulmonary irritation. It has been extolled also in the cure of schirrus and cancer, and it will without doubt prove in such cases a valuable resource, from its sedative influence. Externally, it will afford considerable relief in irritable ulcers, when applied in the form of fomentation or cataplasm, see Form. 17, 18. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. The dried leaves, powdered, and made into pills, (Form. 2, 17, 18.) The powder ought to have a fine lively green colour. DOSE, gr. iij, gradually increased, until some effect is produced. Several different plants have been mistaken for, and employed in the place of hemlock, such as Cicuta Virosa, (the water hemlock,) Æthusa Cynapium, Caucalis anthriscus, and several species of Chærophyllum. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Extract. Conii. L.E.D.
CONTRAJERVÆ RADIX. L.E.
(Dorstenia Contrajerva, Radix.) Contrajerva Root.
The qualities of this plant are alike extracted by spirit and water; the watery decoction, however, is very mucilaginous; as it contains no astringent matter, the salts of iron do not affect it. DOSE of the powdered root, gr. v. to ʒss, but it is rarely used. It is considered cordial, and diaphoretic. Has it any virtues? The Spanish Indians have long used it as an antidote to poisons; the Spanish word contrahiérba signifies antidote. OFFICINAL PREP. Pulv. Contrajerv. co. L.
COPAIBA, L.E. (Copaifera Officinalis.)
Balsamum Copaibæ. D.
Copaiba, Copaiva, or Capivi Balsam.
QUALITIES. Consistence, that of oil, or a little thicker. Colour, pale golden yellow. Odour, fragrant and peculiar. Taste, aromatic, bitter, and sharp. Sp. Grav. 0·950. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is improperly denominated a balsam, for it contains no benzoic acid, but consists of resin and essential oil. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in ten parts of alcohol, and in expressed and essential oils; with the pure alkalies it forms white saponaceous compounds which are soluble in water, forming opaque emulsions. MEDICINAL USES. Stimulant, diuretic, and laxative; it seems to act more powerfully on the urinary passages than any of the other resinous fluids; hence its use in gleets and in fluor albus. Its use gives the urine an intensely bitter taste, but not a violet smell, as the turpentines do. By referring to the Synoptical arrangement of Diuretic remedies, it will appear that Copaiba is referred to Class I, 1. b. for there is reason to believe that its active principle undergoes absorption, and by coming in contact with the urinary organs, produces the medicinal effects for which it is so highly valued. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Diffused in soft or distilled water by yolk of egg, or by twice its weight of mucilage, fʒss to every f℥j of water, forms an elegant mixture, or it may be given dropped on sugar, and in this latter form it is certainly more disposed to act on the urinary organs, than when exhibited in that of an emulsion. (Form. 156.) Dr. Chapman has proposed a new mode of exhibiting this medicine; he advises us to pour the Copaiba on half a wine-glassful of water, and afterwards to add slowly a few drops of a common bitter tincture, by which means the Copaiba will be collected in a small globule that may be easily swallowed, while its taste, so nauseous to most patients, will be entirely masked by the bitterness of the vehicle. In whatever form, however, this medicine is administered, it is extremely apt to derange the digestive organs, if long continued, and the unpleasant effects thus occasioned remain, in some cases, for a very long period.[480] ADULTERATIONS. A considerable quantity sold in London is entirely factitious. A curious trial took place some time since, between the owner of certain premises that were burnt down, and the Governors of the Sun Fire Office, in consequence of the latter refusing to indemnify the proprietor for his loss, because the fire had been occasioned by his making Balsam of Copaiba. This article is also adulterated with mastiche and oil; M. Bucholz asserts that if it does not dissolve in a mixture of four parts of pure alcohol, and one of rectified æther, we may infer its adulteration; rape oil is also frequently mixed with it, in which case if dropped into water, the drops will not retain their spherical form, as they invariably will, if pure.
CORNUA. L.E.D. Cervus Elaphus.
Stag’s, or Hart’s Horn.
The horns of the stag differ only from bone, in containing less of the phosphate of lime, and a larger proportion of gelatine; by boiling, they yield a clear, transparent, and flavourless jelly, in quantity about one-fourth of the weight of the shavings employed; to obtain which we should boil ℥iv in f℥vij of water, until reduced to f℥vi. ADULTERATIONS. This article is often sophisticated with the shavings of mutton bone; the fraud is detected by their greater degree of brittleness. They were formerly so much used for the preparation of ammonia, that the alkali was commonly called Salt, or Spirit, of Hartshorn.
CORNUS FLORIDA.
(Common Dogwood.)
Cortex.
[The dogwood is a common forest tree, abundant in almost every part of the United States. It flowers in the months of May and June. The bark, which is the part used in medicine, yields by analysis tannin, gallic acid, resin, gum resin, bitter extractive, and mucilage. The dogwood is a powerful tonic, and by many practitioners has been used as a substitute for the Peruvian bark. The diseases in which it has been found serviceable are intermitting and remitting fevers, dyspepsia, general debility, &c. It may be given in substance, in doses of ʒj to ʒij—in extract, from 5 to 15 grs. or in infusion or decoction.]
CRETA PRÆPARATA. L.D.
Carbonas Calcis Preparatus. E. Prepared Chalk.
This is common chalk, the coarser particles of which have been removed by the mechanical operation of washing. It consists of carbonate of lime, with various earthy impurities. The Dublin Pharmacopœia directs a chemical process for obtaining a perfectly pure carbonate (Creta Præcipitata), but it appears to be an unnecessary refinement. MED. USES. It is antacid and absorbent, on which account it is useful in acidities of the primæ viæ, and in diarrhœas, after removing all irritating matters by previous evacuation. (Form. 52.) From its absorbent properties, it is a good external application to ulcers discharging a thin ichorous matter. DOSE, grs. x to ℈ij, or more. It is almost unnecessary to state that it must not be combined with acidulous salts; I have however seen a formula for a powder, intended as an astringent, in which chalk and alum entered as ingredients. OFFICINAL PREP. Hydrargyrum cum creta. L. Pulvis cretæ comp. L.E. Pulv. Opiatus. E. (=F=) Mist. Cretæ. L.E. Trochisci Carbonatis Calcis. E. Confectio Aromatica. L.E. (=G=)
CROCI STIGMATA. L.E.
(Crocus Sativus.)
Crocus. D. Saffron.
QUALITIES. Form, cakes, consisting of the stigmata of the flower, closely pressed together. Odour, sweet, penetrating and diffusive. Taste, warm and bitterish. Colour, a rich and deep orange red. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. One hundred parts consist of sixty-two of extractive, the remaining parts are chiefly ligneous fibre, with small portions of resin and essential oil. Bouillon Lagrange and Vogel have examined this extractive matter very accurately, and from the circumstance of its watery infusion assuming different colours when treated with different agents, they have named it polychroite. Thus chlorine and light destroy its colour, sulphuric acid changes it to indigo, which gradually becomes lilac, and nitric acid gives it a green hue. SOLUBILITY. It yields its colour and active ingredients to water, alcohol, proof spirit, wine, vinegar, and in a less degree to æther; the watery infusion, and the vinous tincture soon grow sour, and lose their properties, and the solution in vinegar becomes quickly colourless. MED. USES. It is now never employed but for the sake of its colour or aromatic flavour, as an adjunct to other substances. It is much used in foreign cookery to colour rice, &c. OFFICINAL PREP. Syrup. Croci. L. Tinct. Croci sativi. E. Confect. Aromat. L.D. (=O=). Pil. Aloes cum Myrrha. L. (=G=). Tinct. Aloes comp. L.E.D. (=O=) Tinct. Cinchonæ comp. L.D. Tinct. Rhei. L. (=O=). Tinct. Rhei comp. L. (=O=). ADULTERATIONS. It is not unfrequently sophisticated with the fibres of smoked beef, or the petals of flowers, especially of the marigold, (Calendula Officinalis,) and of the safflower, (Carthamus Tinctorius.) The former of these fraudulent ingredients is indicated by the unpleasant odour which arises when the saffron is thrown upon live coals; the latter, by infusing the specimen in hot water, when the expanded stigmata may be easily distinguished from the other petals of substituted flowers; a deficiency of colour and odour in the infusion indicates that a tincture or infusion has already been drawn from the saffron, and that it has been subsequently pressed again into a cake. In the market is to be found saffron from Sicily, France, and Spain, besides the English; that which is imported from Spain, is generally spoiled with oil, in which it is dipt with the intention of preserving it. The cake saffron sold in some of the less respectable shops, consists of one part of saffron and nine of marigold, made into a cake with oil, and then pressed; it is sold in considerable quantities for the use of birds, when in moult.
CUBEBA.[481] L. (Piper Cubeba.) Baccæ.
Cubebs, or Java Pepper.
This Indian spice, a native of Java, formerly held a place in our materia medica, and entered into the composition of mithridate and theriaca, but being inferior in pungency and aromatic warmth to pepper, it fell into disuse. Lately, however, it has been ushered into surgical practice for the cure of gonorrhœa, with all the extravagance of praise which usually attends the revival of an old, or the introduction of a new medicine.[482] It has been pronounced to be a specific in this complaint, if taken in the early stages, in the dose of a dessert-spoonful three times a day, in a sufficient quantity of water.[483] The Indians have been long acquainted with the influence which cubebs exerts upon these organs; thus Garcias, “Apud Indos cubebarum in vino maceratarum est usus ad exitandam venerem.” CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. M. Vauquelin has lately made a very accurate analysis of this pepper, from which its composition may be stated as follows: 1. A volatile oil, which is nearly solid.—2. A resin, resembling Balsam of Copaiba.—3. Another and coloured resin.—4. A coloured gummy matter.—5. An extractive principle, similar to that which is found in leguminous plants.—6. Some saline substances. He considers the resin resembling the Copaiba, to be the peculiar matter in which that property resides, which imparts to it the power of curing gonorrhœa. As the qualities of this spice do not reside in volatile elements, an extract made with rectified spirit will be found to possess the whole of its virtues. The French, in their new Codex Medicamentarius, have introduced the cubebs into their list of materia medica. There is a precaution, with respect to the exhibition of Cubebs, which it is important for the practitioner to remember—to keep the bowels thoroughly open; for where hardened fæces are allowed to accumulate, the spice insinuates itself into the mass, and produces excoriations in the rectum. ADULTERATIONS. The “Turkey Yellow Berries,” i. e. the dried fruit of the Rhamnus Catharticus, are often substituted for the Cubebs, and the similarity between them is so great, that the casual observer may be easily deceived.
CUMINI[484] SEMINA. L. Cumin Seeds.
QUALITIES. Odour, strong, heavy, and peculiar; Taste, bitterish and warm. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Gum, resin, and a yellow pungent oil, upon which the peculiar properties of the seeds depend. SOLUBILITY. Water does not extract more than their odour, but alcohol dissolves all the principles in which their virtues reside, and leaves upon evaporation a powerful extract. MEDICINAL USES. Carminative and stomachic; they are however but rarely used, except as an ingredient in plasters.
CUPRI SULPHAS. L.E.D. Sulphate of Copper.
vulgo Blue Vitriol. Blue Copperas.
QUALITIES. Form, crystals, which are rhomboidal prisms. Colour, a deep rich blue. Taste, harsh, acrid, and styptic; they slightly effloresce; when treated with sulphuric acid, no effervescence occurs, a circumstance which at once distinguishes this salt from Œrugo. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. According to the latest experiments, it is an oxy-sulphate, consisting of one proportional of peroxide with two proportionals of sulphuric acid, and when crystallized, it contains ten proportionals of water; its beautiful colour depends on this last ingredient. SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in four parts of water at 60, and in less than two at 212°; the solution shews an excess of acid by reddening litmus. In alcohol it is insoluble. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Alkalies and their carbonates; sub-borate of soda; acetate of ammonia; tartrate of potass; muriate of lime; nitrate of silver; sub-acetate, and acetate of lead; oxy-muriate of mercury; all astringent vegetable infusions and tinctures. Iron immersed in the solution, precipitates copper in a metallic form; hence the exhibition of the filings of iron has been proposed as an antidote.[485] MEDICINAL USES. It is emetic from grs. ij to xv. tonic gr. 1/4; it is, however, but rarely used internally except as an emetic; externally it is employed as an escharotic; and, in solution, as a stimulant to foul obstinate ulcers.[487] In the proportion of half a drachm to eight ounces of rose water, it forms a lotion which has been found very efficacious in phagedenic ulcers of the face, and in allaying itching when attended with erysipelatous inflammation about the anus and labia pudendi. It is also a styptic when applied in solution. OFFICINAL PREPARATION. Solut. Cupri Sulphat. com. E. Cuprum Ammoniatum L.E.D. (=I=) (Form. 68.)
CUPRUM AMMONIATUM. L.D
Ammoniaretum Cupri. E. Ammoniated Copper.
QUALITIES. Form, a violet coloured mass, which on exposure to air becomes green, and is probably converted into a carbonate. Taste, styptic and metalline. Odour, ammoniacal. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a triple salt, a sub-sulphate of oxide of copper, and ammonia. The Edinburgh College is certainly incorrect in calling it an ammoniuret. SOLUBILITY, f℥j; of water dissolves ℈j of this salt. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES; Acids; the fixed Alkalies; Lime water. MEDICINAL USES. It is tonic and antispasmodic. Dr. Cullen first proposed its exhibition in epilepsy, and it has frequently been employed with evident advantage in that disease. It has been also given in chorea, after a course of purgatives. Brera considers it quite equal to Arsenic, in the cure of obstinate Intermittents; other physicians have commended it in cases of Hysteria. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be formed into pills with bread; to which an addition of sugar has been recommended, to prevent them from becoming hard; but we must remember that recent experiments have shewn that sugar has the power of counteracting the operation of copper. Dose, gr. 1/4 cautiously encreased to grs. v. twice a day. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Liquor Cupri Ammoniati. L.
CUSPARIÆ CORTEX. L. (Cusparia febrifuga.)
BONPLANDIÆ TRIFOLIATÆ CORTEX. E.
ANGUSTURA, CORTEX. D.
Cusparia, or Angustura Bark.
QUALITIES. Form, pieces covered with a whitish wrinkled thin epidermis; the inner surface is smooth, of a brownish yellow colour. Odour, not strong, but peculiar. Taste, bitter, slightly aromatic, and permanent. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Cinchonia, resin, extractive, carbonate of ammonia, and essential oil. SOLUBILITY. Its active matter is taken up by cold and hot water, and is not injured by long decoction, but the addition of alcohol precipitates part of the extractive. Alcohol dissolves its bitter and aromatic parts, but proof spirit appears to be its most complete menstruum. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Sulphate of Iron; Sulphate of Copper; Oxy-muriate of Mercury; Nitrate of Silver; Tartarized Antimony; Sub-acetate, and Acetate of Lead; Potass; and perhaps the Mineral Acids, for they produce precipitates, as do also the infusions of Galls, and Yellow Cinchona. MEDICINAL USES. Stimulant and tonic; it does not, like cinchona, oppress the stomach, but imparts a degree of warmth, expels flatus, and increases the appetite for food: with respect to its powers in the cure of intermittents, many doubts are entertained. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In substance, infusion, decoction, tincture, or extract; its nauseous taste is best disguised by cinnamon. DOSE of the powder, grs. v. to ℈j; of the infusion or decoction, f℥j; in large doses all the forms are liable to produce nausea. Form. 58. OFFICINAL PREP. Infusum Cuspariæ. L. Tinct. Bonplandiæ Trifoliatæ. E. Tinct. Angusturæ. D. ADULTERATIONS. There is found in the market a particular bark, which has been called FINE ANGUSTURA, but which is of a different species, and is a very energetic poison. This bark is characterized by having its epidermis covered with a matter which has the appearance of rust of iron, and which, moreover, possesses certain chemical properties of this metal; for if water acidulated with muriatic acid be agitated in contact with its powder, it assumes a beautiful green colour, and affords with an alkaline prussiate, (Hydro-cyanate of Potass) a Prussian blue precipitate. Late researches have detected the presence of an alkaline element in this bark, on which the name of Brucia has been bestowed. When this alkali is dissolved in boiling alcohol, and crystallized by spontaneous evaporation, it yields colourless and transparent crystals in the form of oblique quadrangular prisms.
DATURÆ STRAMONII HERBA. E.D.
The Herbaceous part of the Thorn Apple.
QUALITIES. Odour, fœtid and narcotic, occasioning head-ache and stupor; Taste, bitter and somewhat nauseous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Gum, resin, and carbonate of ammonia; the recent experiments of M. Brandes have also developed an alkaline element of activity, to which the name of Daturia has been assigned; it appears to exist in native combination with malic acid; when in an uncombined state it is nearly insoluble in water, and in cold alcohol, but boiling alcohol dissolves it. It has been obtained with difficulty in the form of quadrangular prisms. SOLUBILITY. The medicinal powers of the herb are alike extracted by aqueous and spirituous menstrua. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The infusion is precipitated by the salts of lead, silver, mercury, and iron; the mineral acids would also appear to produce some essential changes which may diminish its efficacy. Acetic acid increases its powers, although it relieves the effects of an overdose, if administered after the stomach has been emptied. This apparent anomaly is easily explained when we consider, that in the first case its operation is purely chemical, increasing the solubility of the active principle of the plant, while in the latter case it operates as a vital agent, restoring to the nervous system that energy which has been suspended by the narcotic influence of the vegetable. MEDICINAL USES. It is narcotic, and has been regarded by many authors as eminently antispasmodic; Dr. Barton, an American physician, made very extensive trials of its efficacy in Mania, the result of which is highly favourable to its use. Dr. Marcet first noticed its salutary effects in chronic diseases attended with violent pain; he found it to lessen powerfully, and quickly, sensibility and pain, and to produce a sort of nervous shock, attended with a momentary affection of the head and eyes, with a degree of nausea, and with phenomena resembling those which are produced by intoxication. It seems to be more particularly beneficial in chronic rheumatism, sciatica, &c. Its root, smoked in the manner of tobacco, has been much extolled as a remedy in the paroxysms of spasmodic asthma; this practice however, is not unattended with danger;[488] the same transient feelings of relief may be procured by smoking a mixture of opium and any aromatic herb. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Some discrepancy of opinion has existed upon this point; the native practitioners in the Carnatic gave the powdered root; Hufeland recommends a tincture of the whole plant; in this country an extract of the leaves, or, more lately, of the seeds, has been preferred, and I have been recently informed by Sir Henry Halford, that he has found a tincture made with the seeds,[489] a very efficient and unobjectionable preparation. Dr. Davy, at my request, has made a series of experiments upon the extracts prepared by Mr. Barry in vacuo, and his report upon the effects of that of Stramonium, will be found under the article Extract. Stramonii, which see. DOSE. In the commencement, of the leaves powdered gr. i. of the seeds gr. ss. It is said that the Turks sometimes use the Stramonium instead of Opium, and the Chinese infuse the seeds in beer. Cataplasms of the fresh bruised leaves have been very successfully used in sores of a highly irritable and painful nature. OFFICINAL PREPARATION. Extract. Stramonii.
DECOCTA. L.E.D. Decoctions.
These are solutions of the active principles of vegetables obtained by boiling them in water. To decide upon the expediency of this form of preparation, in each particular case, requires a knowledge of the chemical composition of the substance in question. In conducting the operation, the following rules must be observed.
1. Those substances only should be decocted, whose medicinal powers reside in principles which are soluble in water.
2. If the active principle be volatile, decoction must be an injurious process; and, if it consist of extractive matter, long boiling, by favouring its oxidizement, will render it insipid, insoluble, and inert.
3. The substances to be decocted should be previously bruised, or sliced, so as to expose an extended surface to the action of the water.
4. The substances should be completely covered with water, and the vessel slightly closed, in order to prevent, as much as possible, the access of air: the boiling should be continued without interruption, and gently.
5. In compound decoctions, it is sometimes convenient not to put in all the ingredients from the beginning, but in succession, according to their hardness, and the difficulty with which their virtues are extracted; and if any aromatic, or other substances containing volatile principles, or oxidizable matter, enter into the composition, the boiling decoction should be simply poured upon them, and covered up until cold.
6. The relative proportions of different vegetable substances to the water, must be regulated by their nature; the following general rule may be admitted; of roots, barks, or dried woods, from ʒij to ʒvj to every pint of water; of herbs, leaves, or flowers, half that quantity will suffice.
7. The decoction ought to be filtered through linen, while hot, as important portions of the dissolved matter are frequently deposited on cooling; care must be also taken that the filtre is not too fine, for it frequently happens, that the virtues of a decoction depend upon the presence of particles which are suspended in a minutely divided state.
8. A decoction should be prepared in small quantities only, and never employed, especially in summer, forty-eight hours after it has been made. It should be considered as an extemporaneous preparation, but introduced into the pharmacopœia for the purpose of convenience, and for the sake of abridging the labour of the physician.
It is very important that the water employed for making decoctions, should be free from that quality which is denominated hardness.
The officinal decoctions may be classed into simple and compound preparations.
1. Simple.
DECOCTUM CINCHONÆ. See Cinchona, and Form: 41, 42, 127. The codex of Paris directs a decoction of bark, “Decoctum Kinœ Kinœ,” which is only half the strength of ours, but contains an addition of a small quantity of carbonate of potass.
DECOCTUM CYDONIÆ. The inner coats of the seeds of the Quince (Pyrus Cydonia) yield a very large proportion of mucilage, but as hot water extracts from them also fecula and other principles, the decoction very soon decomposes. It has been strongly recommended as an application to erysipelatous surfaces; and it would seem to be peculiarly adapted for such a purpose, since it is not so easily washed away from the part to which it is applied, as ordinary mucilage; for the same reason it has been preferred as an ingredient in injections, gargles, &c. It is stated by some practitioners to be a very useful application, when united with the acetate of lead, in cases of acute ophthalmia; such a combination, however, is extremely unchemical, and must invalidate the powers of the other ingredients. The native practitioners of India employ it as a cooling mucilaginous drink in gonorrhœa. An ounce of bruised Quince seed will make three pints of water as thick and ropy as the white of an egg; hence two drachms, the quantity directed by the College, is amply sufficient for a pint of the decoction. It is coagulated by alcohol, acids, and metallic salts.
DECOCTUM DIGITALIS. D. This is a very improper form for the exhibition of digitalis, being variable in strength.
DECOCTUM DULCAMARÆ. L. In making this decoction we must take care that the operation of boiling is not continued too long. See Dulcamaræ Caules. DOSE from f℥ss to f℥j.
DECOCTUM LICHENIS. L.E.D. In this preparation we have the bitter principle of the plant united with its fecula. A portion of the former may be removed by macerating the lichen, and rejecting the first water. If ℥j of the mass be boiled for a quarter of an hour in f℥vj of water, we shall obtain mucilage of a consistence similar to that composed of one part of gum arabic and three of water. Its exhibition requires the same precaution as that of Mucilago Acaciæ. From the large proportion of fecula which this moss contains, it is perhaps as nutritive as any vegetable substance, the Cerealia of course excepted. See Lichen Island. DOSE, a wine glass full occasionally.
DECOCTUM PAPAVERIS. L. In making this decoction the whole of the capsule should be bruised, in order to obtain its mucilage and anodyne principle; the seeds should be also retained, as they yield a portion of bland oil which increases the emollient quality of the decoction. A large quantity of fixed oil is constantly in the market, which is derived from the seeds of the poppy. This decoction is a useful fomentation in painful swellings, &c.
DECOCTUM QUERCUS. L.E. Decoction is the usual form in which Oak Bark is exhibited, since all its active principles are soluble in water. Its astringent virtues depend upon gallic acid, tannin, and extractive. The decoction is disturbed by the following substances; the infusion of yellow cinchona; sub-acetate and acetate of lead; solutions of isinglass; the preparations of iron; oxy-muriate of mercury; and sulphate of zinc; all alkaline substances destroy its astringency, and are consequently incompatible with it. It is principally useful as a local astringent, in the forms of gargle, injection, or lotion. Its internal exhibition in obstinate diarrhœas, and alvine hemorrhages, has also proved highly beneficial. See Form: 51, 61. DOSE, f℥ss to f℥j. Dr. Eberle states that in the Intermittents of very young children, he has in some cases used this decoction as a bath with efficacy.
DECOCTUM SARSAPARILLÆ. L.E.D. See Sarsaparilla. In making this decoction, it is rarely properly digested or boiled for a sufficient length of time to extract its virtues. The only salts which occasion precipitates in this decoction are, nitrate of mercury and acetate of lead; lime water has the same effect. DOSE, f℥iv to f℥vj.
DECOCTUM VERATRI. Stimulant and acrid; internally, it is cathartic, but too violent to be safely exhibited; it is useful as a lotion in scabies, and other cutaneous eruptions.
2. Compound Decoctions.
DECOCTUM ALOES COMPOSITUM. It resembles the well known Beaume de vie, although less purgative, and is a scientific preparation, constructed upon the true principles of medicinal combination. Aloes is the base, to which are added, 1st, sub-carbonate of potass, 2ndly, powdered myrrh, 3dly, extract of liquorice, 4thly, saffron, and after the decoction is made, 5thly, compound tincture of cardamoms. By the 1st ingredient the aloes is rendered more soluble; the 2d and 3d suspend the portion not dissolved, and at the same time disguise its bitterness; the 4th imparts an aromatic flavour, and the 5th not only renders it more grateful to the stomach, but prevents any spontaneous decomposition from taking place. Its taste is improved by keeping. It is a warm, gentle cathartic. Form: 80. DOSE, f℥ss to f℥j. Its operation is different from that of simple aloes. See Aloes. The following substances are incompatible with it; strong acids, oxy-muriate of mercury; tartarized antimony; sulphate of zinc; and acetate of lead; and those salts which are decomposed by sub-carbonate of potass.
DECOCTUM GUAIACI COMPOSITUM. E. Commonly called Decoction of woods. This decoction has fallen into disuse, and deservedly, for it can possess but little power, except, as a diluent, or demulcent; the water takes up from the guaiacum only a small portion of extractive matter, and the virtues of sassafras, if any, must be dissipated. DOSE, f℥ss to f℥j.
DECOCTUM HORDEI COMPOSITUM.[490] An elegant and useful demulcent, with an aperient tendency.
DECOCTUM SARSAPARILLÆ COMPOSITUM. L.D. This decoction, which is an imitation of the once celebrated Lisbon Diet Drink,[491] differs materially from the Decoct: Guaiaci comp: from the addition of the mezereon root, which renders it diaphoretic and alterative, and useful in the treatment of secondary syphilis, and chronic rheumatism. DOSE, from f℥iv to f℥vj three or four times a day.
DIGITALIS FOLIA. L.E.D. (Digitalis Purpurea.)
Foxglove.
QUALITIES. The leaves, when properly dried, have a slight narcotic odour, and a bitter nauseous taste, and when reduced to powder, a beautiful green colour. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Extractive matter, and a green resin, in both of which the narcotic properties reside; they appear also to contain ammonia, and some other salts.[492] SOLUBILITY. Both water and alcohol extract their virtues, but decoction injures them. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. See Infusum Digitalis. MEDICINAL USES. It is directly sedative, although some maintain the contrary opinion, diminishing the frequency of the pulse, and the general irritability of the system, and increasing the action of the absorbents, and the discharge by urine. The effects appear to be in a great degree connected with its sensible influence upon the body, which is indicated by feelings of slight nausea and languor; accordingly, every attempt to prevent these unpleasant effects, or to correct the operation of digitalis, by combining it with aromatic, or stimulant medicines, seems to be fatal to the diuretic powers of the remedy. Dr. Blackall, in his “Observations upon the cure of Dropsies,” has offered some remarks which bear upon this point, and to which I have before referred. See page 96 & 150.
Several of the formulæ introduced under the class of diuretics are combinations supported by high authority, but it is doubtful whether their adoption can be sanctioned upon principle; they are however well calculated to illustrate the nature of diuretic compounds, and this is the only purpose for which they were selected. See Form: 103. The French have introduced in their new Codex, an ethereal tincture, Tinctura Ætherea Digitalis purpureæ, in which the sedative influence of the plant must be entirely overwhelmed by the stimulant properties of the menstruum. Under the head of Diuretics, I have so fully considered the value of diuretic combinations, and the modus operandi of Digitalis, that it is unnecessary to dwell upon the subject in this place. Digitalis has considerable influence over the action of the heart; and in certain diseases, attended with inordinate motions of that organ, it proves eminently serviceable; I have employed it with great satisfaction in cases of palpitation connected with a state of general irritability, so frequently occurring in female disorders; and according to my observations where it succeeds, opium generally does harm. Form: 32. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In substance, tincture, or infusion; the latter form is most efficient as a diuretic. DOSE of the powdered leaves gr. j, in a pill, twice a day; the augmentation of the dose should proceed at the rate of one-fourth of the original quantity, every second day, until its operation becomes apparent, either on the kidneys, or on the constitution generally. If it produce such a disturbance in the primæ viæ as to occasion vomiting or purging, its diuretic powers will be lost; in such a case the addition of a small portion of opium, or opiate confection, may be expedient. The distressing effects of an overdose are best counteracted by tincture of opium in brandy and water, and by the application of a blister to the pit of the stomach. A London Surgeon has lately stated that he has prescribed the tincture of Digitalis, in the dose of twenty-five drops, three times a day, in barley-water, with great success in Gonorrhæa. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Infus: Digitalis. L.E. Tinct: Digital: L.E.D. Decoct: Digitalis: D. It is very important that the leaves of this plant be properly collected, and accurately preserved; they should be gathered when the plant is beginning to flower, and, as it is biennial, in the second year of its growth; the largest and deepest coloured flowers should be also selected, for they are the most powerful; they should be also carefully dried until they become crisp, or they will lose much of their virtue; the too common method of tying them in bundles, and hanging them up to dry, should be avoided, for a fermentation is produced by such means, and the parts least exposed soon become rotten. The powdered leaves ought to be preserved in opaque bottles, and kept from the action of light as well as of air and moisture; a damp atmosphere has, upon a principle already explained, a very injurious operation, by carrying off those faint poisonous effluvia with which its efficacy seems to be ultimately connected.
DULCAMARÆ CAULES. L.D.
(Solanum Dulcamara.)
The Twigs of Woody Nightshade, or Bitter-sweet.
The virtues of this plant are extracted by boiling water, but long coction destroys them; the usual and best form in which it can be administered is that of decoction or infusion. This plant is much more appreciated on the continent than in this country; we rarely use it except in cutaneous affections; Professor Richter of Gottingen states that he has employed it in Phthisis Pituitosa with very extraordinary success; and Sir A. Crichton says that in the few cases of chronic tubercular Phthisis in which he has given it, it appeared to increase the powers of the Sarsaparilla with which it was usually combined. OFFICINAL PREP: Decoct: Dulcam: L.
ELATERII PEPONES. L.E.D.
(Momordica Elaterium.)
Wild, or Squirting Cucumber.
This plant appears from the testimony of Dioscorides and other writers, to have been employed by the ancient physicians with much confidence and success. All the parts of the plants were considered as purgative, although not in an equal degree; thus Geoffroy, “radicum vis cathartica major est quam foliorum, minor vero quam fructuum.” This question has very lately been set at rest by the judicious experiments of Dr. Clutterbuck,[493] which prove that the active principle of this plant resides more particularly in the juice which is lodged in the centre of the fruit, and which spontaneously subsides from it; when this substance is freed from extraneous matter, it possesses very energetic powers, and appears to me to be entitled to consideration as a distinct proximate principle, which I shall venture to call Elatin. See Extractum Elaterii.
ELEMI. L.D. (Amyris Elemifera. Resina.) Elemi.
This substance is what is generally termed a gum-resin; that is, a compound consisting of gum, resin, and volatile oil: late researches however seem to shew that these bodies are compounds of a peculiar character, consisting of a volatile substance, something between essential oil and a constituent which possesses the properties of extractive rather than those of gum.
True Elemi has a fragrant aromatic odour, not unlike that of fennel-seeds, but more potent. Sp. gr. 1·0182. When powdered it mixes with any unguent; it also combines with balsams and oils, and by the aid of heat, with turpentine. USES. It is only employed for forming the mild digestive ointment which bears its name, viz. Unguent: Elemi comp: L.D.
EMPLASTRA. L.E.D. Plasters.
The principles upon which this form of preparation is to be constructed are fully detailed at p. 207.
EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI. L. Ammoniacum reduced to a suitable consistence by distilled vinegar. It adheres to the skin without irritating it, and without being attended with any unpleasant smell.[494] There is a peculiar disease of the knee, to which servant maids, who scour floors upon their knees, are liable, and for which this plaster is a specific. I have also found it particularly eligible in cases of delicate women with irritable skins.
EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI CUM HYDRARGYRO. L.D. The mercury in this plaster is in the state of oxidation ad minimum. It is discutient and resolvent, and is applicable to indurated glands, and venereal nodes, and for removing indurations of the periosteum, remaining after a course of mercury; the addition of the ammoniacum increases the stimulating and discutient powers of the mercury, which gives this plaster a superiority over the Emplastrum Hydrargyri. It is also powerfully adhesive.
EMPLASTRUM ASSAFŒTIDÆ. E. Emplast. Plumbi and Assafœtida, of each two parts, galbanum and yellow wax, of each one part. I have seen it useful in flatulent cholic, when applied over the umbilical region.
EMPLASTRUM CANTHARIDIS. L. Emplast: Cantharidis vesicatoriæ. E.D. A variety of substances has in different times been employed for producing vesication, but no one has been found to answer with so much certainty and mildness as the Lyttæ. All the others are apt to leave ill conditioned ulcers: true it is, that the emplastrum lyttæ will occasionally fail, but this is generally attributable to some inattention, or want of caution on the part of the person who prepares it; in spreading it, the spatula should never be heated beyond the degree of boiling water; the plaster also should be sufficiently secured on the part by slips of adhesive plaster, but it ought not to be bound on too tight; where the cuticle is thick, the application of a poultice for an hour, previous to that of the blister, will be useful, or the part may be washed with vinegar. In consequence of the absorption of the active principle of the Lyttæ, blisters are apt to occasion strangury and bloody urine; it has been a problem therefore of some importance to discover a plan by which such an absorption may be obviated, for this purpose, camphor has been recommended to be mixed with the blistering composition, and a piece of thin gauze has been interposed between the plaster and the skin; but it has been lately found, that ebullition in water deprives the Cantharides of all power of thus acting on the kidneys, without in the least diminishing their vesicatory properties: the ordinary time required for the full action of a blister is ten or twelve hours, but if it be applied to the head, double that period will be necessary. Children, owing to delicacy of skin, are more speedily blistered, the epispastic may therefore be removed earlier. In some cases the blistered parts, instead of healing kindly, become a spreading sore; whenever this occurs, poultices are the best applications; it may arise from a peculiar irritability of the constitution, although I apprehend that it not unfrequently depends upon the sophistication of the plaster with euphorbium. In cases where it is desirable to keep up the local irritation, it is still a question with some practitioners whether it be more advisable to encourage a discharge from the vesicated part by some appropriate stimulant, or to renew the vesication at short intervals by repeated blisters; the latter mode is perhaps to be preferred, as being more effectual, and certainly less troublesome to the patient: it has moreover been stated,[495] that by a repeated application of this nature, the influence excited appears to extend much deeper, so as to derive a greater quantity of blood from the immediate neighbourhood of the vessels, or from the vessels themselves which are in a state of disease, than the influence excited by an application less stimulating upon the surface of a part already abraded. The character of the discharge would likewise appear essentially different; it being in the latter cast a purulent secretion from the superficial exhalants of the surface only; in the former, a copious effusion of serum, mixed with a large portion of lymph, produced from a deeper order of vessels.
EMPLASTRUM CERÆ. L. Emplast: Simplex. E. This is the Emplast: Ceræ of P.L. 1787, the Emplast: Attrahens of 1745, so called because it was formerly employed to keep up a discharge from a blistered surface, and the Emplastrum de melilolo simplex of 1720.
EMPLASTRUM CUMINI. L. A valuable combination of warm and stimulant ingredients.
EMPLASTRUM GALBANI COMPOSITUM. L.D. Emplast: Gummos. E. More powerful than the preceding plaster. In indolent glandular enlargements of a strumous character, in fixed and long continued pains in the neighbourhood of the joints, or in anomalous or arthritic pains of the ligaments, this plaster is said to be frequently beneficial.
EMPLASTRUM HYDRARGYRI. L.E. The mercury in this plaster is in the state of oxidation ad minimum; each drachm containing about fifteen grains of mercury, (sixteen grains, Edinb.) It is alterative, discutient, and sometimes sialogogue; but it is inferior to the Emplast: Ammoniac: cum Hydrargyro.
EMPLASTRUM OPII. L.E. This plaster is supposed to be anodyne, but it is very doubtful whether the opium can, in such a state, produce any specific effect. See Form: 5.
EMPLASTRUM PICIS COMPOSITUM. L. Emplast: Picis burgundicæ, P.L. 1787. It is stimulant and rubefacient, and is often employed as an application to the chest, in pulmonary complaints; the serous exudation however which it produces, frequently occasions so much irritation that we are compelled to remove it.
EMPLASTRUM PLUMBI. L. Emplast: Oxydi Plumbi semi-vitrei. E. Emplast: Lythargyri. P.L. 1787. Emplast: commune, 1745. Diachylon[496] Simplex, P.L. 1720. This is a very important plaster, since it forms the basis of a great many others; under the name of Diachylon it has long been known, and employed as a common application to excoriations, and for retaining the edges of fresh cut wounds in a state of apposition, and at the same time for defending them from the action of the air; when long kept it changes its colour, and loses its adhesive properties, and by high temperature the oxyd of lead is revived.[497]
EMPLASTRUM RESINÆ. L. Olim, Emplast: commune adhæsivum, P.L. 1745. Emplast: Resinosum. E. Emplast: Lithargyri cum Resina. D. It is defensive, adhesive, and stimulant.[498]
EMPLASTRUM SAPONIS. L.D. Emplastrum Saponaceum. E. The Soap Plaster is said to be a mild discutient application.
EUPATORIUM PERFOLIATUM.
Boneset.
Herba et flores.
[The boneset is a plant indigenous to the United States, and is to be found in the neighbourhood of marshes and low situations. It is intensely bitter and somewhat astringent. According to the analysis of Dr. Andrew Anderson of New-York, it yields, 1. A free acid; 2. Tannin; 3. Extractive matter; 4. A gummy matter; 5. A resin; 6. Azote; 7. Lime, probably the acetate of lime; 8. Gallic acid, probably modified; 9. A resiniform matter, soluble in water and in alcohol, and which seems to contain a bitter principle. It also appears from this analysis that the free acid may be obtained from all parts of the plant—that tannin is obtained in much the largest quantity from the leaves, and least from the roots—that the extractive and gummy matter reside chiefly in the roots—that the leaves and flowers also contain a larger proportion of resin than the roots—and that azote exists in the flowers, leaves, and roots. The principal properties of the boneset are those of a tonic and diaphoretic. The diseases in which it has been prescribed with success are intermitting and remitting fevers, typhoid peripneumony and catarrh. It may be given in powder, infusion, or tincture. When given as a tonic, the tincture is the preferable form. The dose of the powder is from 20 to 30 grains. When used as a sudorific, it is to be taken in infusion, and in large quantities.]
EUPHORBIA IPECACUANHA.
American Ipecacuanha. Radix.
[This plant is peculiar to the United States. The root is perennial, and of a sweetish taste. By analysis it yields caoutchouc, resin, mucus, and fecula. In its medicinal properties it resembles, and perhaps equals, the common ipecacuanha. As an emetic the dose is from 15 to 25 grains.]
EUPHORBIÆ GUMMI-RESINA. L.
(Euphorbia Officinarum.) Euphorbium.
QUALITIES. This substance is imported from Barbary, in drops or irregular tears; its fracture is vitreous; it is inodorous, but yields a very acrid burning impression to the tongue. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is what is termed a gum resin, but its acrid constituent is exclusively in that portion which is soluble in alcohol, and which might be named Euphorbin; it appears to form as much as 37 per cent. to which are added of wax 19, malate of lime 20·5, malate of potass 2, and water 5. SOLUBILITY. Water by trituration is rendered milky, but dissolves only one-seventh part; and alcohol one-fourth of it. USES. Internally administered, it proves very violently drastic, but it is never employed except as an errhine, cautiously diluted with starch, or some inert powder. The Indian practitioners administer it as a purge in obstinate visceral obstructions; and in those cases of costiveness which so often attend an enlargement and induration of the spleen and liver. Farriers use it for blistering horses, and there is good reason to believe that it is sometimes fraudulently introduced to quicken the powers of our Emplastrum Cantharidis. It enters as an ingredient into a plaster, which has been much celebrated by Cheselden and others, as a stimulating application, to relieve diseases of the hip-joint, and to keep up inflammation of the skin in chronic states of visceral inflammation; the following is its composition. ℞. Emplast: Picis comp: ℥iv.—Euphorbiæ gum-resinœ ʒss.—Terebinth: Vulgar, q. s. CAUTION, in pulverizing this substance, the dispenser should previously moisten it with vinegar to prevent its rising and excoriating his face.
EXTRACTA. L.E.D. Extracts.
These preparations are obtained by evaporating the watery or spirituous solutions of vegetables, and the native juices obtained from fresh plants by expression, to masses of a tenacious consistence. The London college does not arrange the extracts under the titles of watery and resinous, which is the arrangement of the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia, nor under those of simple and resinous, which is the division observed in that of Dublin, but rejecting all specific distinctions, includes, under the generic appellation of extract, both the species, as well as all the inspissated juices. Since however the former of these arrangements will afford greater facilities for introducing the observations which it is my intention to offer, it is retained in this work.
The chemical nature of extracts must obviously be very complicated and variable, depending in a great degree upon the powers of the menstruum employed for their preparation; although Fourcroy and Vauquelin considered that one peculiar principle was the basis of them all, which they called Extract, Extractive, or the Extractive Principle. It is distinguished by the following characters, viz.
It has a strong taste, varying in different plants; it is soluble in water, and in alcohol when it contains water, but is quite insoluble in absolute alcohol and æther; its aqueous solution soon runs into a state of putrefaction; by repeated solutions and evaporations, or by long ebullition, it acquires a deeper colour, and in consequence of its combination with oxygen it becomes insoluble and inert, a fact which is of extreme importance as it regards its pharmaceutical relations; it unites with alumine, and if boiled with its salts, precipitates it, hence wool, cotton, or thread, impregnated with alum, may be dyed of a fawn-colour by extractive; its habitudes with alkalies are very striking, combining most readily and forming with them compounds of a brownish yellow colour, which are very soluble in water; if to a colourless and extremely dilute solution of extractive, an alkali be added, a brown or yellowish tint is immediately produced, so that under certain circumstances I have found an alkali to be a serviceable test in detecting the presence of extractive matter. The usual brown hue of the liquor ammoniæ acetatis, is owing to the action of the ammonia upon traces of vegetable extractive contained in the distilled vinegar.
Much confusion has arisen from the word extract having been employed in this double meaning,—chemically to express a peculiar vegetable proximate principle, and pharmaceutically to denote any substance however complicated in its nature, which has been obtained by the evaporation of a vegetable solution or a native vegetable juice. It is in the latter sense that it is to be understood in the present article.
The different proximate principles of vegetable matter undergo various and indefinite changes with such rapidity, when acted upon by heat, that the process of extraction must necessarily more or less impair the medicinal efficacy of a plant, and not unfrequently destroy it altogether, and hence, says Dr. Murray, “with the exception of some of the pure bitters, as gentian, or some of the saccharine vegetables, as liquorice, there is no medicine perhaps but what may be given with more advantage under some other form;” this however is not exactly true, for when care is taken in the preparation, we are thus enabled to concentrate many very powerful qualities in a small space, and the process lately adopted of evaporating the solutions by the aid of steam, contributes very materially to obviate the failures which so frequently occurred from a too exalted temperature. There is, for instance, great reason to suppose that the black colour which so often characterises the extracts of commerce, is frequently owing to the decomposition and carbonization of the vegetable matter; the colour therefore of an extract becomes in some degree a test of its goodness. I have lately examined the extracts of commerce with some attention, and I find the presence of iron by no means an uncommon circumstance; when thus contaminated they afford a very dirty coloured solution, which rapidly becomes darker on exposure to air. The extracts mentioned in the preface as made by Mr. Barry, by evaporating in vacuo, deserve the attention of the profession; the principle is without doubt well calculated to secure the active matter of the plant from those changes to which it is constantly liable during the ordinary operation of inspissation. The extracts, thus prepared, are certainly more powerful in their effects, and some few of them appear also to possess properties which are not to be distinguished in the Extracts of Commerce; those of narcotic plants, as Hemlock, Hyoscyamus, &c. are decidedly more efficacious; where the practitioner directs their use, he should, to prevent any mistake, add the words in vacuo præp. as in Formula 4; for on account of the difference in the strength of these preparations, and of those prepared by the ordinary method, they cannot be indiscriminately employed. Dr. John Davy, at my request, has made trial of these extracts in the Military Hospital at Fort Pitt, and as his results coincide with those obtained in my own practice, I shall relate, under the history of each Extract, the comparative conclusions which have been obtained.
1. WATERY OR SIMPLE EXTRACTS.
Mucilaginous Extracts of Rouelle.
These extracts must, of course, contain all the principles of a plant which are soluble in water, such as gum, extractive matter, tannin, cinchonin, sugar, fecula, &c. together with any soluble salts which the vegetable may contain. I have also found by experiment that an aqueous extract may even contain, in small proportions, certain elements which, although quite insoluble in water, are nevertheless partially soluble in vegetable infusion. This law of vegetable chemistry has never been expressed, although we have repeated instances of its truth, and a knowledge of it may explain some hitherto unintelligible anomalies. It has been stated that extractive matter is perfectly insoluble in æther, but Mr. A. Thomson found repeatedly, that if a small portion of resin was present, æther would in that case take up extractive in combination with the resin which it so readily dissolves. As decoction or infusion is a process preliminary to that of extraction, the practitioner must refer to those articles for an enumeration of the different sources of error which are attached to them.
EXTRACTUM ALOES PURIFICATUM. L. The resinous element of the aloes is got rid of in this preparation; on which account it is supposed, in an equal dose, to be more purgative and less irritating. Dose, gr. x to xv. Form: 12, 13, 36.
EXTRACTUM ANTHEMIDIS. L.E. Extract. Florum Chamœmeli. D. This extract furnishes an example of the change effected on some plants by the process of extraction; in this case the volatile oil is dissipated, and a simple bitter remains, possessing scarcely any of the characteristic properties of chamomile. This remark, however, does not apply to this extract, when prepared in vacuo. I have lately received from Mr. Pope of Oxford Street, a specimen which retains, in the most eminent degree, all the odour and taste of the recent flower. Dose, gr. x–℈j.
EXTRACTUM CINCHONÆ. L.D. The properties of the bark in this preparation are much invalidated, owing to the oxidizement of its extractive matter, which takes place to such an extent, that not more than one half of the preparation is soluble in water; it is not however altogether devoid of utility, and will often sit lightly on the stomach, when the powder is rejected. Its taste is very bitter, but less austere than the powder. The most beautiful extract of bark, which I have ever seen, was prepared by Mr. Barry of Plough Court; its colour was that of a deep brilliant ruby, and its flavour preserved all the characteristic peculiarity of the recent substance.[499] Dose, grs. x to ʒss. Fourteen ounces of the bark will yield about three ounces and a half of extract. It should be kept soft, so as to be fit for forming pills, and hard, so that it may be reduced to powder.
EXTRACTUM COLOCYNTHIDIS. L. This extract is much milder, although less powerful, than the pulp; Dose, grs. v to ʒss. It soon becomes hard and mouldy.[500]
EXTRACTUM GENTIANÆ. L.E.D. The bitter principle suffers no deterioration in the process: it is used principally as a vehicle for metallic preparations. Form. 36, 53, 103. Dose, gr. x to ℈j.
EXTRACTUM GLYCYRRHIZÆ. L.D. It is usually imported from Spain; in the coarser kinds, the pulps of various plums and of prunes are added; it should dissolve in water without leaving any feculence.[501]
EXTRACTUM HÆMATOXYLI. L.E.D. The astringent properties of the logwood are preserved in the extract, but it becomes so extremely hard, that pills made of it very commonly pass through the body without undergoing the least change. Dose, grs. x to ʒss dissolved in cinnamon water: it sometimes imparts a bloody hue to the urine of those who have taken it.
EXTRACTUM HUMULI. L. The bitter taste of the hop characterises this preparation; whether it possesses, or not, any anodyne properties, seems very doubtful. Dose, grs. v to ℈j.
EXTRACTUM OPII. L.D. As it contains less resinous matter than crude opium, it is supposed to produce its effects with less subsequent derangement. See Opium. Dose, gr. j to v, for an adult.
EXTRACTUM PAPAVERIS. L.D. It is a weak opium. Dose, grs. ij to ℈j.
EXTRACTUM SARSAPARILLÆ. Notwithstanding the reputation which this preparation has acquired, it is very doubtful whether it possesses any medicinal powers. Dose, gr. x to ʒj in pills, or dissolved in the decoction.
EXTRACTUM STRAMONII. This extract was first recommended by Stöerck, as a powerful remedy in maniacal affections; its probable value in such diseases appears to have been suggested by a very curious process of reasoning, viz. that as it deranged the intellect of the sane, it might possibly correct that of the insane. Experience has certainly not confirmed the very sanguine report of Stöerck with regard to its powers, but it has satisfactorily shewn its occasional value in violent paroxysms, in quieting the mind, and procuring rest. I am informed by my friend Dr. Davy, that, for such an object, it has been very frequently and successfully given, in the Lunatic Military Hospital at Fort Clarence. He farther states that he has himself made many trials with the extract of Stramonium, prepared by Mr. Barry (in vacuo) as well as with the common extract; and that he finds the former to be uniformly more powerful. “In most diseases,” says he, “this medicine would seem uncertain in its operation, sometimes occasioning an anodyne effect, and, at other times, producing irritation, and preventing sleep; I have, however, seen very beneficial effects from it in asthma, and in coughs that have a nightly exacerbation, in doses of from gr. 1/4 to gr. 2, daily.”
EXTRACTUM TARAXACI. L.D. The medicinal powers of Dandelion are asserted to exist unimpaired in this preparation, but it becomes inert by keeping. See Taraxacum. Dose. grs. x to ʒj, in combination with sulphate of potass.
2. Spirituous or Resinous Extracts.
These may contain, with the exception of gum, all the ingredients contained in watery extracts, besides resin; their composition however will greatly depend upon the strength of the spirit employed as the solvent; but of this I shall speak more fully under the article Tincture.
EXTRACTUM CINCHONÆ RESINOSUM. L.E.D. The operation of spirit in this preparation is two-fold; it extracts from the bark the element which is insoluble in water, and it diminishes the tendency in the extractive matter to absorb oxygen during the process. Dose, grs. x to xxx. It is said that a spurious extract of bark is to be met with in the market, consisting of the extract of the horse-chesnut tree bark, and yellow resin.
EXTRACTUM COLOCYNTHIDIS COMPOSITUM. L.D. Extract. Catharticum. P.L. 1775. Pilulæ Rudii. P.L. 1720. This preparation has been established through successive pharmacopœias, and has undergone some modification in each; in the present edition the soap has been restored, and its solubility is thereby increased, as well as its mildness as a cathartic. The omission of this ingredient was formerly suggested by the consideration of its being incompatible with Calomel; this however is not the case. It presents a combination of purgative substances which is highly judicious, and will be found to be more powerful than an equivalent dose of any one of the ingredients. Dose, gr. v to ʒss, Form. 71, 81, 88.
EXTRACTUM JALAPÆ. L.E.D. It is purgative, but is liable to gripe, unless it be triturated with sugar and almonds, or mucilage, so as to form an emulsion. Dose, grs. x to ℈j.
EXTRACTUM RHEI. L. The powers of the Rhubarb are considerably impaired in this extract. Dose, grs. x to ʒss. Form. 78.
3. Inspissated Juices.
These preparations are obtained by expressing the juices from fresh plants, and evaporating them in a water-bath; they are generally of a lighter colour than common extracts, and they are certainly much more active, although there is a great difference in the activity of different samples; and perhaps the medicinal powers of the juices themselves are very much under the controul of soil and season. That they vary in quantity from such causes we have ample proof; thus in moist seasons, Beaumé obtained five pounds of inspissated juice from thirty pounds of elder berries, whereas, in dry seasons, he could rarely get more than two. From hemlock he procured in October, 1796, 7·5 per cent. of inspissated juice, and in May of the same year only 3·7; on the contrary, in August, 1768, 4 per cent., and in May, 1776, as much as 6·5; but in general, the product in the autumnal months was the most considerable.
The modes of preparing the inspissated juices of the same plant vary in the different pharmacopœias, and in several points that are very essential; some direct the expressed juices to be immediately inspissated, others allow them to undergo a slight degree of fermentation, and some defecate them, before they proceed to their inspissation.
EXTRACTUM (Succus Spissatus. E.) ACONITI. L.E. The medicinal properties of this preparation are analogous to those of the recent Wolfsbane, viz. narcotic, and in some cases diuretic, (see Form. 128.) It is however rarely used. Dose, at first, should not exceed gr. ½, but it may be gradually increased. I have not yet, says Dr. Davy, in a letter recently received from him, had much experience of the Extractum Aconiti, but that little is favourable to its use; “in some cases of chronic rheumatism, and in some of intermittent fever, complicated with visceral disease, it has had a beneficial effect not to be mistaken; the dose has been from one to two grains.” Dr. Stöerck, who first tried this medicine, observed from it a powerful diaphoretic effect; this, says Dr. Davy, “I have not noticed, and yet the extract which I have used was prepared by Mr. Barry, in vacuo, which is certainly far more powerful than that employed by Stöerck; the latter, when applied to the tongue, “levissimam tantum titillationem excitabat,” whereas that of Mr. Barry produces a most disagreeable sensation of burning, which extends to the throat; and in one instance, when applied to the tip of my tongue, it occasioned ulceration.”
EXTRACTUM BELLADONNÆ. L.E. See Belladonnæ Folia. Dose, gr. j, gradually increased to gr. v, in the form of pill. Dr. Davy has made a few trials of Barry’s Extract; the results of which he informs me are not at all favourable to the use of this medicine; it is much more powerful than the common extract, and can only be given with safety in small doses; “in several instances,” says he, “I have not been able to repeat a grain dose daily, more than thrice, on account of the alarming symptoms produced, as head-ache, vertigo, indistinct vision with dilated pupil, and, in one case, irritation of the bladder, occasioning very frequent micturition; in chronic rheumatism and catarrh, with severe cough, the only diseases in which I have yet given it, it has not appeared to be in the least serviceable; it may probably prove valuable to the oculist; from trials that have been made of it here by Mr. Miller, Assistant Surgeon to the Forces, it has been found to dilate the pupil beyond the common extract. Stöerck even introduced his extract into the eye with impunity. Acrid as the preparation is which I have used, the patients have never complained of it, nor have I known any disagreeable effects from it, when applied in solution, sufficiently dilute.”
EXTRACTUM (Succus Spissatus. E.D.) CONII. L. Much of this extract, as it is found in commerce, has not been prepared with equal fidelity, nor with due attention to the season when the plant is in its greatest perfection; Dr. Fothergill says, “I know from repeated experiments, that the extract which has been prepared from hemlock, before the plant arrives at maturity, is much inferior to that which is made when the plant has acquired its full vigour, and is rather on the verge of decline: just when the flowers fade, the rudiments of the seeds become observable, and the habit of the plant inclines to yellow, is the proper time to collect it;” the plants which grow in places exposed to the sun should be selected, as being more virose than those that grow in the shade: still however with every precaution, it will always be uncertain in strength. Orfila found that an extract prepared by boiling the dried powder in water, and evaporating the decoction, was inert; in fact, the whole of the activity of the plant resides in a resinous element insoluble in water, and for which I have proposed the name of Conein. Extract of hemlock, when judiciously prepared, is a very valuable sedative; I state this from ample experience, and when combined with Hyoscyamus, and adapted by means of mucilage and syrup, to the form of a mixture, it affords a more effectual palliative than any remedy with which I am acquainted, for coughs and pulmonary irritation. Form. 19. is that from which I have derived the greatest benefit in such cases. See also Form. 2, 3, 4, 19, 57. Since the fourth edition of the present work, I requested my friend Dr. John Davy to make trial of its efficacy in the Military Hospital at Chatham, and I here introduce his report upon the subject;—“My experience of the effects of the Extractum Conii perfectly agrees with that of Dr. Paris, as stated in the fourth edition of the Pharmacologia, and I am of his opinion that when properly prepared, and administered, it is a very valuable sedative; I have given it to the extent daily of from a scruple to a drachm, in chronic catarrh, and in phthisis pulmonalis, either alone or in conjunction with the Extract of Hyoscyamus, and it has afforded more relief than any other medicine that I have tried. From two or three trials of it in pneumonia, I am disposed to think it may be very serviceable in certain forms of this disease, in which venesection is contra-indicated by extreme debility; and also in measles. In the trials alluded to, I commenced giving it in the large dose of a drachm, daily, suspended in water containing in solution a grain of Antimonium Tartarizatum. In a very few instances, where I have from the commencement given it in a large dose, as from ʒj to ʒiss, it has occasioned hallucination of ideas, which in two cases was attended with excitement of the sensorium and increased action of the heart, and in one case, with diminished activity of both. The Extract of Conium, prepared by Mr. Barry, is the most powerful one I have ever used, indeed, until I tried it, I had no just idea of the virtues of Conium as a medicine; but I am now disposed to give credit to Stöerk’s account of its efficacy in various chronic diseases; and I have no doubt but that this valuable medicine has fallen into comparative disrepute and disuse from the bad quality of the extract commonly employed.” Dr. Maton has found that the value of this extract is greatly increased by including the seeds in its preparation. Dose, grs. v to ℈j; or more, twice or thrice a day; in a full dose it produces giddiness, a slight nausea, and a tremor of the body; a peculiar heavy sensation is also experienced about the eyes; and the bowels become gently relaxed: unless some of these sensations are produced, we are never sure that the remedy has had a fair trial of its effects. Patients will generally bear a larger dose at night than at noon, and at noon than in the morning.
EXTRACTUM ELATERII. L. This substance spontaneously subsides from the juice of the wild cucumber, in consequence I presume of one of those series of changes which vegetable matter is perpetually undergoing, although we are hitherto unable to express them by any known chemical law. It is therefore not an extract, either in the chemical or pharmaceutical acceptation of the term, nor an inspissated juice, nor is it a fecula,[502] as it has been termed; the Dublin College has perhaps been more correct in simply calling it Elaterium, the name given to it by Dioscorides.
It occurs in commerce in little thin cakes, or broken pieces, bearing the impression of the muslin upon which it has been dried; its colour is greenish, its taste bitter, and somewhat acrid; and when tolerably pure, it is light, pulverulent, and inflammable.
The early history of this medicinal substance is involved in great perplexity, each author speaking of a different preparation by the same name; for instance, the Elaterium of Dioscorides must have been a very different substance from that of Theophrastus; and, wherever Hippocrates mentions the term, he evidently alludes to any violent purgative. “Hippocrati Elaterium medicamentum est quod per alvum expurgat.” (Bod: in Theophrast.) This will, in some degree, reconcile the discordant testimonies of different authors with regard to the powers of Elaterium; for example, Dioscorides states its dose to be from grs. ii to ℈j—in Ætius, Paulus, and Actuarius, it is recommended to the extent of ʒss—in Mesue from ℈ss to ℈j—in Bontius (Med: Ind:) from ℈j to ʒss—Massarias exhibits it in doses of gr. vj—Fernelius and Sennertus to ℈j—Herman from grs. v vj—Quincy to grs. v—and Boerhaave does not venture to give more than gr. iv—while the practitioners of the present day limit their dose from gr. ½ to grs. ij. Dr. Clutterbuck, with a laudable intention to discover some method of procuring this article at a cheaper rate, and at the same time of establishing some process which might ensure a preparation of more uniform strength, has lately performed a series of interesting and instructive experiments,[503] the results of which prove in a satisfactory manner “that the active principle of this plant is neither lodged in the roots, leaves, flowers, nor stalks, in any considerable quantity: nor is it to be found in the body of the fruit itself, or in the seeds, but in the juice around the seeds; the substance which spontaneously subsides from this liquor, obtained without pressure, is genuine Elaterium, the quantity of which, contained in the fruit, is extremely small, for Dr. Clutterbuck obtained only six grains from forty cucumbers.” This gentleman communicated the detail of these experiments to the President of the College of Physicians, who requested me, as professor of Materia Medica, to report upon them. I accordingly deemed it to be my duty to enter upon a series of new experiments, which I have lately completed, with the able assistance of Mr. Faraday, in the laboratory of the Royal Institution. The results of which will shew, that although Dr. Clutterbuck found that an eighth part of a grain of elaterium seldom failed to purge violently, yet, strange as it may appear, that not more than one grain in ten of elaterium, as it occurs in commerce, possesses any active properties, and that this decimal part is a vegetable proximate principle, not hitherto noticed, to which I shall give the name of ELATIN. I shall subjoin the detail of my experiments, and I think it will appear that their results will authorise me to express the chemical composition of Elaterium in the following manner.
F. Water ·4 { B. Extractive 2·6 I. { B.DJ Fecula 2·8 { C. Gluten ·5 K. Woody matter 2·5 H. Elatin { 1·2 G. Bitter Principle { ——— 10 grains.
Proximate Analysis of Elaterium.
Experiments. Series 1st.
A.
Ten grains of Elaterium, obtained from a respectable chemist, and having all the sensible properties which indicated it to be genuine, were digested for twenty-four hours with distilled water, at a temperature far below that of boiling; four grains only were dissolved.
B.
The solution was intensely bitter, of a brownish yellow colour, and was not in the least disturbed by alcohol, although a solution of Iodine produced a blue colour; the solution therefore contained no gum, and only slight traces of starch.
C.
The solution, after standing twenty-four hours, yielded a pellicle of insoluble matter, which when burnt appeared to resemble Gluten.
D.
The six grains which were insoluble in water, were treated for forty-eight hours with alcohol of the specific gravity ·817, at 66° of Fahrenheit; a green solution was obtained, but by slow evaporation only half a grain of solid green matter was procured. The insoluble residue obstinately adhered to, and coated the filtre like a varnish, and completely defended the mass from the action of the alcohol; it is probable that it consisted principally of Starch.
Experiments. Series 2d.
E.
Ten grains of Elaterium, from the same sample, were treated with alcohol of the specific gravity ·817, at 66° Fahrenheit, for twenty-four hours; upon being filtered, and the residuum washed with successive portions of alcohol, the Elaterium was found to have lost 1·6 of a grain. The high specific gravity of the alcohol in this experiment was important; had it been lower, different results would have been produced.
F.
The alcoholic solution obtained in the last experiment, was of a most brilliant and beautiful green colour, resembling that of the oil of cajeput, but brighter; upon slowly evaporating it, 1·2 grains of solid green matter were obtained.
G.
The solid green matter of the last experiment was treated with boiling distilled water, when a minute portion was thus dissolved, and a solution of a most intensely bitter taste, and of a brownish yellow colour, resulted.
H.
The residue, insoluble in water, was inflammable, burning with smoke and an aromatic odour, not in the least bitter; it was soluble in alkalies, and was again precipitated from them unchanged in colour; it formed, with pure alcohol, a beautiful tincture, which yielded an odour of a very nauseous kind, but of very little flavour, and which gave a precipitate with water; it was soft, and of considerable specific gravity, sinking rapidly in water; circumstances which distinguish it from common resin; in very minute quantities it purges. It appears to be the element in which the purgative powers of the Elaterium are concentrated, and which I have denominated ELATIN.
I.
The residuum, insoluble in alcohol, weighing 8·4 grs. (Expt. E) was boiled in double distilled water, when 5·9 grs. were dissolved.
J.
The above solution was copiously precipitated blue by a solution of Iodine, and was scarcely disturbed by the Per-sulphate of Iron.
K.
The part insoluble, both in alcohol and water, which was left after Experiment I, amounting to 2·5 grains; it burnt like wood, and was insoluble in alkalies.
It appears that the whole of the Elatin does not separate itself from its native juice by spontaneous subsidence, and that, on this account, the supernatant liquor possesses some powers as a cathartic. We cannot be surprised therefore that the Elaterium of commerce should be a very variable and uncertain medicine; for independent of the great temptation which its high price holds out for adulterating it, which is frequently done with starch, it necessarily follows that where the active principle of a compound bears so small a proportion to its bulk, it is liable to be affected by the slightest variation in the process for its preparation, and even by the temperature of the season; where pressure is used for obtaining the juices, a greater or less quantity of the inactive parts of the cucumber will be mixed with the Elatin, in proportion to the extent of such pressure, and the Elaterium will of course be proportionally weak.[504] There is one curious result obtained in my experiments which deserves notice, viz. that there is a bitter principle in the Elaterium, very distinct from its extractive matter, and totally unconnected with its activity, for I diluted the solution obtained in experiment G. and swallowed it, but it produced upon me no effect, except that which I generally experience upon taking a powerful bitter,—an increased appetite; and yet notwithstanding this fact, when in combination with Elatin, it is far from being inert, since this latter body is considerably quickened by its presence. See page 152. The solution B was given to a person, but no effect whatever ensued. Dose of good Elaterium, as it occurs in commerce, is about one grain, or it is better to give it only to the extent of half a grain at a time, and to repeat that dose every hour until it begins to operate. It is probably, when thus managed, the best hydragogue cathartic which we possess; it differs however from the class of remedies to which it belongs, for it excites the pulse and whole animal system, so as to produce a considerable degree of febrile action. It was strongly recommended by Sydenham, Lister, and Hoffman, and all their cotemporaries and immediate successors, as a valuable remedy in dropsy; but in consequence of some fatal results from its improper application, it was driven from practice with a violence that marks prejudice rather than conviction; one author, in descanting upon its virulence, exclaims, “Elaterium esse in catalogo diaboli quo necat homines.” For its restoration to medicine, we are indebted to Dr. Ferriar of Manchester, who used it with great success in the cure of Hydrothorax.
EXTRACTUM (Succus Spissatus. E.D.) HYOSCYAMI. L. This preparation is certainly powerfully narcotic, and tends to relax rather than astringe the bowels; where the constitution is rebellious to opium, it furnishes a more valuable resource to the practitioner than any other narcotic extract. Dose, gr. v to ℈j, in pills. See Form. 1, 3, 4, 19, 139.
EXTRACTUM LACTUCÆ. L. SUCCUS SPISSATUS LACTUCÆ SATIVÆ. E. This preparation has found its way into the London Pharmacopœia, in consequence of the testimony of many highly respectable practitioners in favour of its sedative properties. In the memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, various suggestions are offered as to the best mode of obtaining an extract from the milky juice of the garden Lettuce, to which Dr. Duncan has bestowed the name of “LACTUCARIUM;” it was first recommended to take the milk with cotton, afterwards with a sponge, and more recently with a painter’s brush; all these methods however are attended with considerable difficulty, and the juice cannot be collected in any quantity. Mr. Probart, a chemist in Great Portland Street, has lately cultivated large plantations of the lettuce, for the purpose of instituting experiments upon the subject, and I am happy in being enabled through his liberality, to introduce in this place, an account of the process which he pursues, and which he considers the only one by which the article can be brought into the market at any reasonable price.[505]
In concluding the history of Inspissated juices, it deserves notice that the London College uniformly directs that the feculence should be preserved in the compound: there can be no doubt of the propriety of such advice, but the Colleges of Edinburgh and Dublin reject it. The French Codex gives directions for two extracts from each of these substances, one containing what they please to denominate the fecula, the other not; thus there is “Extractum Cicutæ absque Fecula” and “Extract: Cicut: cum Fecula.” There is one curious fact respecting these narcotic preparations, that most, if not all of them, contain nitre, common salt, and muriate of potass.
Manufacturing chemists, in order to give a smooth and glossy appearance to their Extracts, generally add to every ℔j, about ʒss of gum, fʒj of olive oil, and ♏︎xx of rectified spirit; there is no harm in the practice.
FERRI SUB-CARBONAS. L. CARBONAS FERRI
PRÆCIPITATUS. E. CARBONAS FERRI. D.
Carbonate of Iron.
In a former Pharmacopœia of London, a sub-carbonate of iron was prepared, under the name of ferri-rubigo (rust of iron,) by exposing iron-filings to the action of air and water; and although the Colleges of Edinburgh and Dublin still retain this mode of preparation, yet they admit at the same time of another which, like the sub-carbonate of the present London Pharmacopœia, is produced by precipitation. QUALITIES. Form, a chocolate brown powder. Odour, none. Taste, slightly styptic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mr. Phillips has shewn that this precipitate is liable to vary according to the temperature at which it is prepared, as well as from other differences of manipulation; it generally consists of mixtures of peroxide, and proto-carbonate of iron, in the proportion of four parts of the latter, and six of the former. By referring to the Medicinal Dynameter the practitioner may find the quantity of those ingredients in any given weight of the preparation, and compare its strength with the other chalybeate medicines. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water, but acids dissolve it with effervescence. Forms of Exhibition. In powder or pills, combined with aromatics. DOSE, gr. v to xxx. (Form. 38.) It has lately been brought into particular notice by the publication of Mr. Hutchinson of Southwell, who states that in doses of half a drachm to a drachm, two or three times a day, it has proved in his hands a most efficacious remedy in the cure of Tic doloureux. Mr. Hutchinson is well known to the profession as a judicious and inquiring practitioner, and we are well satisfied that he would not recommend any remedy to the attention of his brethren, without a well grounded assurance of its efficacy; at the same time it must be remembered that this disease is very frequently the consequence of an irritation in some nerve, by the mechanical operation of osseous spiculæ; in such cases we cannot expect the sub-carbonate of Iron to afford relief. A noble Marquis who lost his leg at Waterloo, suffered excruciating pains in his face, in consequence of exfoliation in the stump, which were relieved as soon as the local irritation subsided; and a late lamented physician appears to have owed his severe sufferings to the irritation produced on the brain by a bony excrescence. I have little doubt if cases of Tic doloureux were more carefully examined, they would be frequently found to derive their origin from a similar source. If it were necessary I could add several of such instances to those already enumerated.[506]
FERRI RAMENTA ET FILA. L. FILA ET
LIMATURA. E. FERRI SCOBS. D.
Iron Filings and Wire.
Iron seems to be a metal that proves active in its metallic state; its filings may be given in the form of powder, conjoined to some aromatic, or what is perhaps more eligible, in the form of an electuary. The Mahometan practitioners are in the habit of prescribing them, in conjunction with ginger, and cummin seeds, in cases requiring tonics. DOSE, grs. v to ʒss. IMPURITIES. Iron filings should be carefully purified by the application of the magnet, since those obtained from the work-shops are generally mixed with copper and other metals. For pharmaceutical purposes, iron wire should be preferred, as being the most pure, since the softest iron only can be drawn, and Mr. Phillips has shewn us, in his experiments upon the “Ferrum Tartarizatum” that soft iron is more easily acted upon by Tartar.
FERRI SULPHAS. L. SULPHAS FERRI. E.D.
Ferrum Vitriolatum. P.L. 1787. Sal Martis. P.L. 1745.
Sal, seu Vitriolatum Martis. P.L. 1720.
Sulphate of Iron, formerly Green Vitriol.
QUALITIES. Form, crystals, which are rhomboidal prisms, transparent, and of a fine green colour; when exposed to the air they effloresce, and at the same time become covered with a yellow powder, owing to the attraction of oxygen; when exposed to heat, they undergo watery fusion, and at a higher temperature, the acid is driven off and the peroxide of iron alone remains, which in commerce is known by the name of Colcothar. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. According to Dr. Thomson, it consists of 27·7 of sulphuric acid, 28·3 of protoxide of iron, and 45 of water; 8 parts, however, of this water, exist in combination with the oxide of iron. The Medicinal Dynameter will shew the proportion of protoxide in any given weight of this salt. SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in two parts of water at 60°, and three-fourths at 212°. The solution reddens vegetable blues. It is insoluble in alcohol; when however the iron is farther oxidized, it becomes soluble in that menstruum.[507] INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Every salt whose base forms an insoluble compound with sulphuric acid; the earths, the alkalies and their carbonates; borate of soda; nitrate of potass; muriate of ammonia; tartrate of potass and soda; acetate of ammonia; nitrate of silver; sub-acetate and acetate of lead; and Soaps. Whether the medicinal virtues of a salt of iron are injured by combination with astringent vegetable matter, seems to admit of doubt. Such substances have been usually ranked amongst the incompatibles, but I am disposed to think without sufficient grounds, for I have frequently witnessed the salutary effects of iron when exhibited in this questionable state of combination—may not the absorbents be more disposed to take up iron, when combined with vegetable matter, than when it is presented in a more purely mineral form?[508] MEDICINAL USES. Tonic, astringent, emmenagogue, and anthelmintic; in large doses, it occasions griping in the bowels. DOSE, gr. j to v, combined with rhubarb, or some bitter extract. (form: 72, 87.) If given in solution, the water should be previously boiled, or the oxygen contained in the atmospherical air, which is diffused through it, will partially convert the salt into an oxy-sulphat, and render it insoluble. As an external astringent it is useful in the aphthæ of children.[509] OFFICINAL PREP. Mist: Ferri comp: L. (=K=) Pil: Ferri comp: L. (=J=).
FERRUM AMMONIATUM. L. MURIAS
AMMONIÆ ET FERRI. E.D.
Ferrum Ammoniacale, P.L. 1787. Flores Martiales.
P.L. 1745. Ens Veneris. P.L. 1720.
QUALITIES. Form, crystalline grains, which deliquesce; Colour, orange yellow; Odour, resembling that of saffron; Taste, styptic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. This is very variable; depending upon the degree of heat and length of time employed for its preparation. It seems to be a mixed mass, consisting of sub-muriate of ammonia and sub-muriate of iron, the metal being in the state of red oxide; and, Mr. Phillips states that in the London preparation a portion of sub-carbonate of ammonia is necessarily present. The same chemist has also shewn that the proportion of Peroxide of iron in 200 grains is not more than three grains. Its equivalents will be seen in the Medicinal Dynameter. SOLUBILITY, f℥j of water dissolves ʒiv of it; it is also very soluble in alcohol. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The Alkalies, and their Carbonates; Lime water, and Astringent vegetables. MEDICINAL USES. It is tonic, emmenagogue, and aperient, but it is so uncertain in its composition and effects that it is rarely used. OFFICINAL PREP: Tinct: Ferri Ammon: L. Form: 36, 43, 95. IMPURITIES. These are indicated by the dull and pale yellow colour of the salt; it may be purified by resubliming it.
FERRUM TARTARIZATUM. L.
TARTRAS POTASSÆ ET FERRI. E.
TARTARUM FERRI. D.
QUALITIES. Form, a powder of a brownish green colour; Odour, none; Taste, slightly styptic; it attracts humidity from the atmosphere, but does not deliquesce. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Mr. Phillips has devoted much attention to this subject, and he states that as it is frequently prepared, it is a mere mixture of metallic iron with super-tartrate of potass, coloured by oxide of iron; when however it is made with more care, it appears to be a double salt, consisting of tartrate of potass and tartrate of iron; or may it not be one of those combinations which cream of tartar forms with metals, and of which I have spoken under the article Antimonium Tartarizatum? The quantity of peroxide of iron contained in any weight of this preparation may be seen by referring to the Medicinal Dynameter; five grains, for instance, will be found to contain gr. j of peroxide, which, it will be observed, are equivalent to ♏︎xiv of the Tinctura Ferri Muriatis, and to ♏︎xxv of the Liquor Ferri Alkalini, or to f℥j of the Vinum Ferri. SOLUBILITY. It is very soluble in water, and the solution remains for a great length of time without undergoing any change, except that of depositing tartrate of lime, which is an incidental impurity in the super-tartrate of potass. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. All strong acids; lime water; hydro-sulphuret of potass; astringent vegetables? The fixed alkalies and their carbonates decompose the solution very slowly, unless heated; but ammonia and its sub-carbonate produce upon it no effect, whether it be hot or cold; this fact, observes Mr. Phillips, will enable us to exhibit iron in solution with an alkali, without the occurrence of an precipitate. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. The perfect preparation, from its tendency to deliquesce, cannot be well ordered in the form of powder; that of solution is probably the most judicious. MED. USES. It is supposed to add to its chalybeate virtues those of a diuretic nature. DOSE, grs. x to ʒss. See Form: 34, 53, 92. Dr. Bateman has recommended a watery solution of it, as a chalybeate peculiarly suited to children, from its tasteless quality.[510]
FILICIS RADIX. L.E.D.
(Aspidium Filix, Mas.)
Root of the Male Fern.
QUALITIES. This root is nearly inodorous; its taste slightly bitter, sweetish, sub-astringent, and mucilaginous; as it contains no volatile ingredient, it may be given in decoction, but on account of its astringency, it must not be conjoined with a chalybeate. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. According to M. Morin, the Male Fern root owes its anthelmintic property to a fatty substance, capable of being saponified; of a nauseous odour quite like that of the root; of a very disagreeable taste, heavier than water, and distilling with water, and when burnt, giving a dense aromatic smoke. The root, moreover, contains gallic and acetic acids; uncrystallizable sugar; tannin; starch; a gelatinous matter insoluble in water and alcohol; lignine; and various salts. M. Morin considers the fatty matter as formed of a fixed and a volatile oil, but farther experiments are required to make the characteristic principle of this root better understood. (Ann. de Chim. xxvi. 219.) DOSE, as an anthelmintic,[511] ʒj to ʒiij, followed by a cathartic; its use however is superseded by more powerful and certain vermifuges. The root is sometimes boiled in ale to flavour it.
GALBANI GUMMI RESINA. L.E.D.
Galbanum.
QUALITIES. Form, variegated masses, of a yellowish brown colour; Odour, fetid; Taste, bitter and acrid. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is one of those vegetable products to which the name of gum-resin has been given, see Elemi. The latest analysis of galbanum by M. Meisner, affords the following results, Resin 65·8; Gum 22·6; Cerasin 1·8; Malic acid 0·2; Volatile oil 3·4; Vegetable Debris 2·8; loss 3·4. SOLUBILITY. Water, wine, and vinegar, by trituration, take up one-fourth of its weight, and form a milky mixture, which deposits its charge by rest; a permanent suspension, however, may be effected by the intermedium of egg or of gum arabic, for which purpose the galbanum will require half its weight of gum. Alcohol takes up one-fifth of its weight, and a golden yellow tincture results, which has the sensible qualities of the galbanum, and becomes milky on the addition of water, but no precipitate falls. A mixture of two parts of rectified spirit and one of water, will dissolve all but the impurities. By distillation, galbanum yields half its weight of volatile oil, which at first has a blue colour. MED. USES. It is antispasmodic, expectorant, and deobstruent, and in a medical classification, might be placed between ammonia and assafœtida. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. No form is preferable to that of pill. OFFICINAL. PREP. Pil. Galbani comp. L. Pil. Assafœtid. comp. E. (=B=) Pil. Myrrh. co. D. Tinct. Galb. D. Empl. Galb. D. Emplast. Galb. co. L. Emplast. Assafœtid. E. (=B=) Emplast. Gummos. E.
GALLÆ. L.E.D.
(Cynips Quercus folli Nidus.) Gall Nuts.
QUALITIES. Form, excrescences, nearly round and of different magnitudes, smooth on the surface, but studded with tuberosities; they are heavy, brittle, and break with a flinty fracture. Odour, none; Taste, bitter and very astringent. SOLUBILITY. The whole of their soluble matter is taken up by forty times their weight of boiling water. Alcohol, by digestion, dissolves .7, and æther .5 of their substance. The watery infusion possesses all the properties of the gall-nut, and reddens vegetable blues. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Is at present involved in some obscurity; it contains tannin, gallic acid, a concrete volatile oil, and perhaps extractive and gum. M. Braconnot has also lately discovered in the gall-nut a new acid, which he calls Ellagic acid, from the word galle reversed, a nomenclature which it must be confessed is at least free from the objections urged against that which is founded upon chemical composition. (See Annales de Chimie, vol. ix. p. 187, new series; also Children’s Essay on Chemical Analysis, p. 276.) INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The infusion and tincture of galls possess habitudes with which it is very important for the medical practitioner to be acquainted, not only for the purpose of directing their exhibition with success, but because the elements which impart to them their characteristic traits, viz. Gallic Acid and Tannin,[512] are very widely diffused through the products of the vegetable kingdom, and will be found to be constantly active in their chemical, medicinal, and pharmaceutical relations. Metallic salts, especially those of iron, produce precipitates with infusion of galls, composed of tannin, gallic acid, and the metallic oxide; of these compounds the tanno-gallate of iron is the most striking, being of a black colour; those of sub-acetate and acetate of lead are greyish; tartarized antimony produces a yellowish; sulphate of copper a brown; sulphate of zinc reddish black; nitrate of silver, a deep olive; and nitrate of mercury, a bright yellow precipitate; the oxy-muriate of mercury produces only an opacity. Sulphuric acid throws down a yellowish curdy precipitate, muriatic, a flaky and white one, and nitric acid merely modifies the colour of the infusion, although it destroys its astringency; the solution of ammonia occasions no precipitate but renders the colour deeper, the carbonate however throws down a precipitate; the carbonates of the fixed alkalies produce a yellowish flaky, and lime water a copious green precipitate. The tannin in the infusion of galls is precipitated by a solution of isinglass or of any other animal jelly, by that of starch, and by many metallic oxides. MEDICINAL USES. Galls are most powerfully astringent. The native practitioners of India not only administer them as astringents in dysentery, but as tonics in cases of intermittent fever. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In that of powder; and in combination with other astringents (Form. 51,) or with aromatics and bitters. As a local remedy the gall-nut enters into gargles and injections; for blind piles, an ointment composed of 2½ parts of finely powdered galls, and a small portion of opium, with three parts of simple ointment as an excipient, offers a very valuable resource. (Form. 55.) In some cases of hemorrhoids, prolapsus ani, and fluor albus, the application may be made in the form of a fomentation, for which purpose two drachms of bruised galls should be macerated for an hour in a pint of boiling water, which, when cold, may be used in the usual manner. DOSE, for internal exhibition, grs. x–℈ij, or more. OFFICINAL PREP. Tinct. Gallarum. E.D. OBSERVATION. Those which are small, protuberant, bluish, and heavy, are the best, being such as have been collected before the larvæ within them had changed to the state of fly, and eaten their way out; a white, or a red hue indicates an inferior quality, and are those from which the insect has escaped. Aleppo galls are the most valuable, as being the most astringent.
GENTIANÆ RADIX. L.E.D.
(Gentiana Lutea, Radix.) Gentian Root.
QUALITIES. Form, wrinkled pieces of various length and thickness; Odour, not particular; Taste, intensely bitter, but not nauseous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, resin, a small portion of oil, bitter extractive, and a proportion of tannin; it contains also mucilage, in consequence of which the infusion frequently becomes ropy. Since the last edition of this work, the continental chemists have announced the existence of an alkaline principle, which they call Gentia or Gentiania, and which is said to concentrate within itself all the virtues of the Gentian root; it does not appear to be in the least poisonous; M. Majendie has injected it into the veins without any obvious effects, and has himself swallowed two grains without experiencing any sensation but that of extreme bitterness, followed by gentle warmth in the region of the stomach.[513] The root, moreover, contains saccharine matter, for when fermented with water, it yields a spirit which is extensively used by the Swiss. SOLUBILITY. The virtues of this root are extracted by water and alcohol; proof spirit is perhaps its most perfect menstruum. See Infus. Gentian. comp. MED. USES. It is tonic and stomachic, and its use for such purposes is of ancient date;[514] in dyspepsia, hysteria, and in all cases where a vegetable bitter is indicated, it will be found a serviceable remedy. DOSE, in substance, from grs. x to ʒj. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Extract: Gentian. L.E.D. Infusum Gentianæ comp. L.E.D. Tinct. Gentian. comp. L.E.D.[515] Vinum Gentianæ compositum. E.
GERANIUM MACULATUM.
(Spotted Geranium.)
Radix.
[This plant is very common in the United States, and is usually found in the vicinity of moist, woody situations. From the analysis of Bigelow, it appears to contain a very large proportion of tannin. It is accordingly powerfully astringent, and has been used with advantage in diarrhœa, chronic, dysentery and cholera infantum. In powder the dose of the Geranium is from 20 to 30 grs.—in extract, 10 grs.—in tincture from ʒj to ʒij—and in decoction from ℥j to ℥ij.]
GLYCYRRHIZÆ RADIX. L.E.D..nf c
(Glycyrrhiza Glabra.)
Liquorice Root. Stick Liquorice.
QUALITIES. Taste, sweet and mucilaginous. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Gum, with a peculiar modication of saccharine matter (Glycion), or sugar in its purest form, for it is not fermentable; on which account it is added to beer for the purpose of imparting a sweet taste, and at the same time enabling it to keep better. SOLUBILITY. Water extracts both its principles, but by long coction it becomes bitter; alcohol extracts only its saccharine matter. MED. USES. It is principally employed as a demulcent in combination with other mucilaginous vegetables; the root will yield nearly half its weight of extract. Liquorice covers the taste of some unpalatable medicines more effectually than any other substance, and it has long enjoyed the reputation of assuaging thirst, whence the Greeks distinguished this root by the term Adipson; and, perhaps, the English word Liquorice may be derived from the same belief. OFFICINAL PREP. Decoct: Sarsaparill: comp. L.D. (=O=) Infus: Lini, L. (=B=) Extract: Glycyrrhizæ. L.E.D. Confectio Sennæ[516] L.E. (=O=) ADULTERATIONS. The powdered root is generally sophisticated with flour, and sometimes with powdered guaiacum; the fraud may be detected by its colour being a fine pale, instead of a brownish yellow, and by its reduced or foreign flavour.
GRANATI CORTEX. L.E.D.
Punica Granatum. Pomorum Cortex.
Pomegranate Bark.
What has been said respecting the Gall-nut, applies with equal truth to this substance. The efficacy of the bark of the root of the pomegranate, says Dr. Ainslie (Mat. Med. of Hindostan), as a remedy for the tape worm is now well established in India; it is given in decoction, prepared with two ounces of the fresh bark, boiled in a pint and a half of water until only three quarters of a pint remain.
GUAIACI RESINA ET LIGNUM. L.E.D.
(Guaiacum Officinale).
The Resin and Wood of Guaiacum.
A. THE WOOD.
QUALITIES. This wood is heavier than water, and emits when heated an aromatic odour; Taste, bitterish and sub-acrid; to extract its virtues long decoction is required. It has enjoyed great reputation as a specific in the venereal disease; it was imported into Europe in 1517, and gained immediate celebrity from curing the celebrated Van Hutten: long before this period, however, it was used by the natives of St. Domingo. Boerhaave, so late as the eighteenth century, maintained its specific powers. It seems probable that the discipline which always accompanied its exhibition, such as sweating, abstinence, and purgation, might be the means, in the warmer climates, of effecting cures which were attributed to the guaiacum. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Decoct: Guaiaci comp: E. Decoct: Sarsaparill: comp: L.D.
B. THE GUAIAC, or Resin.
QUALITIES. Form; it has the aspect of a gum resin; Colour, greenish brown; it is easily pulverized, and the powder, which is at first grey, becomes green on exposure to air and light, which appears to depend upon the absorption of oxygen: when heated, it loses its colour; it melts by heat; and has a sp. grav: of 1·2289. SOLUBILITY. Water dissolves out of it about 9 per cent. of extractive matter; alcohol 95, and æther 40 parts in a hundred. The alkaline solutions and their carbonates dissolve it readily; Sulphuric acid dissolves it with scarcely any effervescence, and affords a solution of a rich claret colour; Nitric acid dissolves it with a copious extrication of nitrous fumes; Muriatic acid dissolves a small portion only; but in all these cases the guaiacum is decomposed; the acids are therefore incompatible with it. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The experiments of Mr. Hatchett demonstrate that it is a substance sui generis, and not a resin, or gum-resin. MED. USES. Stimulant, diaphoretic,[517] and in large doses, purgative. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In that of bolus; or diffused in water, by means of one half of its own weight of gum arabic. DOSE, gr. x. to ʒss. OFFICINAL PREP: Mist: Guaiac: L. Tinct. Guaiac. L.E.D. Tinct. Guaiac. Ammoniat. L.E.D. Pulv. Aloes com. L.D. (=O.M.=) ADULTERATIONS. Common resin may be detected by the turpentine emitted when the guaiac is thrown upon hot coals; Manchinal gum, by adding to the tincture a few drops of sweet spirit of nitre, and diluting with water; the guaiac is thus precipitated, but the adulteration floats in white striæ.
HÆMATOXYLI LIGNUM. L.E.D.
(Hæmatoxylon Campechianum). Logwood.
QUALITIES. The wood is hard, compact, and heavy. Odour, none; Taste, sweet, and astringent; Colour, deep red. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The colouring matter of this wood has been very recently submitted to a rigid examination; and the name of Hematin has been given to it; it affords small brilliant crystals of a reddish white colour, and slightly astringent, bitter, and acrid flavour; sulphuretted hydrogen passed through its solution in water, gives it a yellow colour, which disappears in a few days. Gelatine throws it down in reddish flakes. The habitudes of Logwood are curious with respect to mutability of colour. The recent infusion, made with distilled water, is yellow, but that with common water has a reddish purple colour, which is deepened by the alkalies, and changed to yellow by the acids; various salts precipitate it; acetate of lead; alum; the sulphates of copper and iron; tartarized antimony; and sulphuric, muriatic, nitric, and acetic acids, are on this account incompatible with it. MED. USES. It is supposed to be astringent, and is therefore given in protracted diarrhœas, and in the latter stage of dysentery. OFFICINAL PREP. Extract. Hæmatoxyli. L.
HELLEBORI FŒTIDI FOLIA L.
(Helleborus Fœtidus). HELLEBORASTER. D.
The Leaves of Fœtid Hellebore.
As this plant is merely retained in the list of materia medica on account of its anthelmintic properties, it might be well dispensed with, since we possess many others which are much more safe, as well as more efficacious.
HELLEBORI NIGRI RADIX. L.E.D.
The Root of Black Hellebore. Melampodium.[518]
Christmas Rose.
QUALITIES. The fibres of the root are the parts employed; they are about the thickness of a straw, corrugated, externally of a deep dark colour, hence the epithet black; internally white, or of a yellowish hue. Odour, unpleasant; Taste, bitter and acrid. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. An analysis of this root has lately been effected by M. M. Feneulle and Capron, from which it appears that its active principle, unlike that of the White Hellebore (Veratrum) is not an alkali; the following substances enter into its composition, viz. 1. A Volatile Oil.—2. A Fatty matter.—3. A Resin.—4. Wax.—5. A Volatile Acid.—6. A bitter principle.—7. Mucus.—8. Alumina.—9. Gallate of Potass.—10. Acidulous Gallate of Lime.—11. A Salt, with an Ammoniacal base. SOLUBILITY. Both water and alcohol extract its virtues, but the spirituous solution is the most active; long coction diminishes its powers, hence the watery extract acts more mildly than the root. MEDICINAL USES. This is one of the most ancient articles of the materia medica. Ctesias, who lived in the time of Plato, and anterior to Hippocrates, speaks of it as a medicine of important virtues. By the Greek and Roman physicians it was highly esteemed as a remedy in Mania (see p. 8.) The extraordinary cures performed at the island of Anticyrus, famous for its Hellebore, are celebrated by the poets and historians of antiquity. It is a drastic cathartic, and may prove therefore emmenagogue, and hydragogue, but in this country, its reputation has been destroyed by the decided manner in which Dr. Cullen reprobated its use. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It is seldom given in substance, but in the form of tincture or extract; or in that of decoction, made with two drachms of the root to a pint of water. DOSE of the powdered root, grs. x to ℈j; of the decoction, f℥j. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinct. Hellebori Nigri. L.E.D. Extractum Hellebori Nigri. E.D. ADULTERATIONS. The roots of the poisonous aconites are often fraudulently substituted; this is easily discovered, for the aconite is lighter coloured than the palest specimens of black hellebore; it is safe therefore to choose the darkest.
HORDEI SEMINA. L.E.D.
(Hordeum Distichon. Semina, tunicis nudata.)
Hordeum Perlatum. Pearl Barley.
Barley is formed into Pearl Barley, by the removal of its husk or cuticle,[519] and afterwards by being rounded and polished in a mill. These well known granules consist chiefly of fecula, with portions of mucilage, gluten, and sugar, which water extracts by decoction, but the solution soon passes into the acetous fermentation; the bran of barley contains an acrid resin, and it is to get rid of such an ingredient that it is deprived of its cuticle. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Decoct. Hordei. L.E.D. Decoct. Hordei. comp. L.D.
HUMULI STROBILI. L.E.
(Humulus Lupulus. Stroboli Siccati.)
QUALITIES. Odour, fragrant, and sub-narcotic. Taste, bitter, astringent, and aromatic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Tannin, 5 grs.; Extractive, 10 grs.; Bitter principle, 11 grs.; Wax, 12 grs.; Resin, 36 grs.; Lignin, 46 grs. The fact, with respect to the residence of the properties of the hop in the yellow grains scattered over its scales, has been since confirmed by the observations of M. Payen and A. Chevalier, who have moreover detected a volatile oil in the Lupulin, amounting to 2 per cent.; its proportion, however, appears to vary in the Hop of different countries; the French hop, for instance, has been found to contain more than the Belgic, but less than the English; Hops, moreover, soon after having been picked, yield, cæteris paribus, more oil and less resin than the old; a circumstance which induced M. M. Payen and Chevalier to suspect that the oil is capable of being resinified. (Journal de Pharmacie, Juin 1822.) This oil is similar in odour to the hop, but much more penetrating, narcotic, and very acrid in the throat.
SOLUBILITY. Boiling water, alcohol, and æther, extract their virtues; but their aromatic flavour is destroyed by decoction; like most vegetable bitters, the cold is more grateful than the warm infusion; its colour is deepened by alkalies, and rendered turbid by the mineral acids; metallic salts also produce decomposition. MEDICINAL USES. Hops have been said to be tonic, narcotic, and diuretic; they have been recommended in the cure of rheumatism; and, like many articles in the materia medica which have received the sanction of respectable practitioners, they have been extolled far beyond their merit. They undoubtedly possess the advantages of a pleasant bitter combined with a feeble narcotic; the late Mr. Freake was very sanguine as to their powers, and at his request I made a series of experiments at the Westminster Hospital, but I confess that their results have not established my confidence in their efficacy. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Extract. Humili. L. Tinct. Humili. L. Their use as a preservative of beer is well known, and the philosophy of their agency is fully described in the first part of this work, (page 168); it is equally notorious, that various vegetable substances are daily substituted for them, such as Quassia[520] and Wormwood, both of which are inferior to the Menyanthes Trifoliata, or Marsh Trefoil. The people of Jersey are said to use the wood-sage, Teucrium Scorodonia; it imparts however a very high colour to the beer. During the first four years that the Cape of Good Hope was in the possession of the British, more than 300,000 pounds of Aloes were imported into England; how could such a quantity be consumed? except, as Mr. Barrow states, by the London Porter brewers; it must however be allowed that a considerable quantity of this article is used by the Varnish makers.
HYDRARGYRUM.[521] L.D. HYDRARCYRUS. E.
Olim, Argentum vivum. Mercury, or Quicksilver.
Mercury, in its metallic state, is never applied to any medical use,[522] except in visceral obstruction, in hopes of forcing a passage by its gravity; but under various forms of preparation, it affords a series of very active remedies. ADULTERATIONS. With the exception of Peruvian Bark, there is perhaps no active article in the materia medica more shamefully adulterated; its impurity is at once indicated by its dull aspect; by its tarnishing, and becoming covered with a grey film; by its diminished mobility, in consequence of which its globules are unable to retain the spherical form, and therefore tail, as it is technically expressed. Lead is discovered by dissolving it in nitric acid, and adding to the solution water impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, when, if lead be present, a dark brown precipitate will ensue. Bismuth, by pouring the nitric solution into distilled water, when it will appear as a white precipitate. Zinc, by exposing the mercury to heat. Tin is detected by a dilute solution of nitro-muriate of gold, which throws down a purple precipitate. The presence of lead in mercury is a most dangerous circumstance; I have once witnessed a case of cholica pictonum in consequence of it. The usual mode of purifying quicksilver, by pressing it through chamois leather, will not separate the lead, if it be, as is generally the case, in combination with bismuth; for the manner in which the adulteration is effected, is by melting with a gentle heat these two metals, and adding the alloy to the mercury; and although this alloy should exceed one-fourth of the whole bulk, it will pass, together with the mercury, through chamois leather. On standing, the bismuth will be thrown upon the surface, in the form of a dark powder, but the lead will remain in solution. The greatest part of the mercury of commerce comes from Istria and Friuli, and from the Palatinate, and as it passes through the hands of the Dutch, we must expect to receive it in a state of alloy. On a superficial examination, it ought not, when shaken with water, to impart to it any colour; when agitated or digested with vinegar, it should not communicate a sweetish taste; and when exposed in an iron spoon to heat, it ought to evaporate entirely. The French are so well aware of the mischievous extent to which this metal is falsified, that in their late Codex they direct the reduction of the red oxyd in order to obtain it; the process however is too expensive for general adoption. The Italian Jews purify quicksilver for their barometers, by digesting it in dilute sulphuric acid, which is by no means an improper process. The mode directed for the purification of mercury by the London College, (Hydrargyrum Purificatum) is unable to separate it completely from its more deleterious contaminations. It is a general opinion in Germany, that mercury, boiled in water, will impart to it an anthelmintic virtue;[523] this, if it happens, can only depend upon the impurities of the mercury; but large draughts of cold water are in themselves anthelmintic. Although metallic mercury in its fluid form exerts no effect upon the animal system, it, nevertheless, in a state of vapour, manifests considerable powers; and it is necessary for the practitioner to be informed that it assumes this condition at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. I have stated several experiments in proof of this fact in my work on Medical Jurisprudence, Art. “Aerial Poisons,” to which the reader may refer.
HYDRARGYRUM PRÆCIPITATUM ALBUM. L.
SUB-MURIAS HYDRARGYRI AMMONIATUM. D.
White Precipitate.
QUALITIES. Form, an impalpable powder of a snowy whiteness; Odour and Taste, none. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a triple compound of oxide of mercury 81, muriatic acid 16, ammonia 3 parts. SOLUBILITY. It is insoluble in water, and in alcohol; when triturated with lime water it does not become black. It is now only used in combination with lard as an ointment; formerly it was administered internally, and Boerhaave strongly recommends it as a safe and mild mercurial, and as seldom, if ever, exciting copious salivation. OFFICINAL PREP. Unguent. Hydrarg. præcipitati albi. L.D.
HYDRARGYRUM CUM CRETA. L.D.
Mercury with Chalk.
This is mercury slightly oxydized by trituration, and mixed with chalk. Grs. iij contain about one grain of mercury. DOSE, grs. v to ʒss. It is a mild and excellent mercurial, and has been known to cure syphilitic affections, when the constitution had proved rebellious to every other form of preparation. Dr. George Fordyce committed a great error, when he denied to this compound any mercurial efficacy. The peculiar mildness of this preparation has been very justly attributed to the effects of the carbonate of lime, in neutralizing acid matter in the primæ viæ. In Mesenteric affections I have employed it with much advantage; in certain forms of Dysentery it is also a very valuable medicine.
HYDRARGYRI NITRICO-OXYDUM. L.
OXYDUM HYDRARGYRI RUBRUM PER ACIDUM NITRICUM. E.
OXYDUM HYDRARGYRI NITRICUM. D.
Nitric Oxyd of Mercury—Red Precipitate.
QUALITIES. Form, small scales of a bright red colour; Taste, acrid and corrosive. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is strictly speaking a sub-nitrate of mercury, for if it be boiled for a short time with six times its weight of water, the liquor when filtered yields a precipitate with ammonia. SOLUBILITY. It is slightly soluble in water, but extensively in nitric acid, without any effervescence. USES. It is used only externally, as an escharotic. OFFICINAL PREP. Unguent. Hydrargyri Nitrico-oxyd. L.E.D. ADULTERATIONS. Red Lead may be detected by digesting it in acetic acid, and adding sulphuret of ammonia, which will produce a dark-coloured precipitate: it should be totally volatilized by heat.
HYDRARGYRI OXYDUM CINEREUM. L.E.
PULVIS HYDRARGYRI CINEREUS. D.
Grey Oxyd of Mercury.
QUALITIES. Form, an impalpable grey coloured powder, which becomes paler on exposure to air and light. Odour and taste, none. CHEM. COMPOSITION. When properly prepared it is protoxide of mercury; but, as frequently found in the shops, it contains a mixture of the triple salt consisting of oxide of mercury, ammonia, and nitric acid. It is rarely used; although Dr. Saunders suggested it as a succedaneum for Plenck’s remedy, and Mr. Abernethy considers it preferable to the red Sulphuret for mercurial fumigation, on account of its not yielding any suffocating vapour. OFFICINAL PREP. Unguent. Oxyd. Hydrarg. ciner. E.
HYDRARGYRI OXYDUM RUBRUM. L.
OXYDUM HYDRARGYRI. D.
Red Oxyd of Mercury.
The Precipitate per se of the older Chemists.
QUALITIES. Form, minute crystalline scales, of a deep red colour, inodorous, but acrid and caustic; it is soluble in several of the acids without decomposition; it is also slightly soluble in water; from which solution it is precipitated by ammonia. USES. It is very active as a mercurial, and has been a favourite remedy with John Hunter (Form. 141) and other celebrated practitioners; it is however apt to affect the bowels, and is therefore now rarely employed except as an external application. DOSE, gr. j. combined with opium gss. ADULTERATIONS. It is seldom adulterated, as it would be difficult to find a substance suited to that purpose. If well prepared it may be totally volatilized by heat.
HYDRARGYRI OXY-MURIAS. L.
MURIAS HYDRARGYRI CORROSIVUS. E.D.
Oxy-muriate of Mercury.
Corrosive Muriate of Mercury. Corrosive Sublimate.
QUALITIES. Form, a crystalline mass, composed of very small prismatic crystals, which is easily pulverized, and undergoes a slight alteration by exposure to air, becoming on its surface opaque and pulverulent. Light, however, has no effect upon it, although a different opinion has existed, and it has accordingly been recommended to be kept in black bottles. Odour, none. Taste, very acrid, with a metallic astringency, occasioning a sensation of obstruction in the throat which continues for some time. Sp. gr. 5·1398. When pulverised and thrown upon burning coals, it is immediately volatilized, giving out a thick white smoke of a very pungent smell, which irritates the mucous membranes extremely, and is highly dangerous to those who inhale it. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. According to the latest views, it is a Bi-chloride of mercury, consisting of one proportional of mercury, to two proportionals of chlorine. In the French codex, it is termed “Deuto-Chloruretum Hydrargyri.” SOLUBILITY. It is soluble in eleven parts of cold, and in three of boiling water, and in half its weight of alcohol; it is also very soluble in æther; indeed this latter liquid has the curious property of abstracting it from its solution in water, when agitated with it. Its solubility in water is greatly increased by the addition of a few drops of rectified spirit, or of muriatic acid. In a solution of muriate of ammonia it is seventeen times more soluble than in water, no decomposition however arises; it is therefore probable that a triple salt is formed; it is also soluble in the sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids, and may be obtained again unaltered, by simply evaporating the solutions. Dr. Davy, in his late researches upon corrosive sublimate states that with muriatic acid, common salt, and some other muriates, it forms definite compounds remarkable for their solubility. Its watery solution is said to change vegetable blues to green, but this is an optical fallacy, (see page 306.) On exposure to light this solution slowly undergoes decomposition; but Dr. Davy has shewn that corrosive sublimate remains unaltered when exposed in solution in media having a strong affinity for it, as in alcohol, æther, muriatic acid, &c. and that decomposition only takes place under circumstances of complicated affinities, as in the instance of Liquor Hydrargyri Oxymuriatis, and in that of the aqueous solution; in which cases Calomel and Muriatic acid appear to be formed, and oxygen to be evolved. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The carbonates of the fixed alkalies precipitate it of a yellow hue, but the precipitates are not pure oxides; ammonia forms with it a white triple compound. Lime water decomposes it more perfectly than any alkaline body, occasioning a precipitate of a deep yellow colour,[524] which is a per-oxyd of mercury containing a little muriatic acid; this result forms a useful lotion to ill conditioned ulcers, and has been long known under the title of Aqua Phagadenica; f℥j of lime water should be employed for the decomposition of two grains of the salt. Tartarized antimony, nitrate of silver, acetate of lead, sulphur, sulphuret of potass, and soaps, decompose it. Iron, lead, copper, bismuth, and zinc, in their metallic state, also decompose it, producing precipitates which consist of an amalgam of the metal employed, except in those cases where the metal in question refuses to amalgamate with mercury, when this latter metal appears as a metallic dew, composed of very minute globules, with calomel; hence mortars of glass or earthenware should be used for dispensing this article; when triturated with olive oil, the oil becomes white, and when boiled with it, calomel is precipitated; the same happens if sugar be substituted for oil. The volatile oils reduce it. When Oil of Turpentine was used, some traces of artificial camphor was discovered by Dr. Davy, and when the oils of Cloves and Peppermint, a purple compound distilled over, consisting of the oil employed and muriatic acid. The following vegetable infusions produce precipitates, viz. the infusions and decoctions of chamomile, horse-radish root, calumba root, catechu, cinchona, rhubarb, senna, simarouba, oak bark, tea and almond emulsion. Swediaur observes, that “many authors have recommended sublimate combined with bark, but that a reciprocal decomposition is thus produced, by which the energies of both remedies are alike annulled;” to this ignorance, however, he thinks that many patients have been indebted for their lives; for, says he, “I see every day examples of weak and very delicate persons of both sexes, to whom ignorant practitioners prescribe, and sometimes in very large doses, the corrosive sublimate, with a decoction of bark; certainly without curing the syphilis, but at the same time without occasioning those grave and dangerous symptoms, which that acrid medicine would certainly produce, if given alone, or without that decoction.” We have here presented the reader with the opinion of Swediaur; but it is just to state, that the experience of this country has rather tended to subvert, than to confirm, such a belief. That the corrosive sublimate of mercury is actually decomposed by the vegetable principles of the bark is sufficiently evident, but it would seem that the oxide thus developed, and recombined with vegetable extractive, is a very active mercurial, especially with respect to its alterative powers. The same observation will, to a certain extent, apply to the results of its decomposition by other agents; the fixed alkalies have been found by actual experiment to be incapable of disarming this salt of its virulence, because, as Orfila has stated, the oxide liberated is, in itself, an active poison. Mr. Rose has lately transmitted to me a formula for the preparation of “Alterative Drops,” which he states, from ample experience, to possess very considerable powers as a mercurial, and to excite ptyalism, with a quickness and certainty which characterize but few preparations of the same class. The principal ingredients are an alcoholic solution of corrosive sublimate and a vinous solution of tartarized antimony. It is scarcely necessary to observe that upon admixture a mutual decomposition takes place; the peroxide of mercury is precipitated by the alkaline element of the antimonial compound, whilst this latter salt, having its affinities thus overthrown, parts with the protoxide of antimony; so that the preparation holds a considerable quantity of insoluble matter in suspension, and which is to be carefully incorporated with the liquid by shaking the phial, whenever the drops are administered. Now there can be but little doubt but that the activity of this preparation is owing to the peroxide of mercury, thus diffused in a state of minute division, while at the same time the antimonial protoxide very probably disposes the stomach and system to be more readily influenced by it, for reasons which have been fully discussed in the first part of this work, p. 152. MED. USES. It is one of the most acrid and active of all metallic preparations; in well directed doses, however, it is frequently of service in secondary syphilis, and in cases of anomalous disease, when it would be improper to administer the other forms of mercury.[525] In obstinate cutaneous diseases its administration in small doses is often very serviceable; I have, however, seen extreme emaciation and hectic fever produced by its too long continued exhibition, although ptyalism was never occasioned. Its application also as a lotion to leprous affections, in the proportion of about one grain to a fluid-ounce and a half of some liquid vehicle, I have frequently seen highly beneficial; in directing the use of so acrid a lotion, we should caution the patient not to touch his eyes until his hands have been washed; in consequence of a neglect of this kind I have seen a very severe ophthalmia produced. The practitioner should also remember that the system may become affected by such external applications; a case stands recorded in which a girl of five years old became salivated, and died, in consequence of an application made to the head for the cure of Tinea, which consisted of Pomatum rubbed up with a few grains of this salt. Its internal exhibition should be accompanied with mucilaginous drinks; when an overdose has been taken, the white of egg, diluted with water, is the best antidote, for Orfila has found that albumen decomposes it, reducing it to the state of mild muriate, whilst the compound which it forms with it is inert. Many examples are recorded of the success of this practice. In the Transactions of the King and Queen’s College of Physicians in Ireland, an interesting case of this kind is related by Dr. Lendrick; it is, however, at the same time but justice to state, that there are instances also of the failure of this antidote. In the 41st volume of the London Medical and Physical Journal, p. 204, the reader will find the case of a girl, who was poisoned by a drachm of Sublimate, and who, notwithstanding the copious ingestion of albumen, died in ninety hours. More recently vegetable gluten, as existing in wheat-flower, is said to answer as well as albumen; for the administration of which all that is required is to give wheat-flower and water. Dose, gr. 1/8 to ½, see Liquor Hydrargyri Oxymuriatis, and Form. 142. ADULTERATIONS. It ought to be volatilized by heat; it is frequently met with in commerce contaminated with muriate of iron, sometimes with arsenic; the presence of calomel is at once discovered from its insolubility. TESTS OF ITS PRESENCE. If any powder be suspected to contain this salt, expose it to heat in a coated tube, as directed in the treatment of arsenic, but without any carbonaceous admixture, when corrosive sublimate, if present, will rise and line the interior surface with a shining white crust. This crust is then to be dissolved in distilled water, and assayed by the following tests; 1st, lime water will produce, if the suspected solution contains this salt, a precipitate of an orange yellow colour. 2d, a single drop of a dilute solution of sub-carbonate of potass will at first produce a white precipitate, but on a still farther addition of the test, an orange-coloured sediment will be formed. 3rd, sulphuretted water will throw down a dark coloured precipitate, which when dried and strongly heated may be volatilized without any alliaceous odour. 4th, ammonia produces a white precipitate, which is an insoluble triple salt, composed of muriatic acid, ammonia, and oxide of mercury, which, on being heated, grows yellow; it passes afterwards to a red, and gives out ammoniacal gas, nitrogen, calomel, and metallic mercury. In this operation the oxide is supposed to be decomposed by the hydrogen which results from a portion of the ammonia. 5th, Nitrate of tin, according to Dr. Bostock, is capable of detecting the three-millionth part of a grain; a single drop will occasion an immediate and copious dark-brown precipitate. All the above precipitates, if rubbed on a bright plate of copper, will render its surface very white. Where the salt is mixed with various coloured liquids, we must proceed as directed under the head of Arsenic. A very ingenious application of galvanic electricity has been also proposed by Mr. Silvester, for the detection of corrosive sublimate, which will exhibit the mercury in a metallic state. A piece of zinc or iron wire about three inches in length, is to be twice bent at right angles, so as to resemble the Greek letter Π, the two legs of this figure should be distant about the diameter of a common gold wedding ring from each other, and the two ends of the bent wire must afterwards be tied to a ring of this description. Let a plate of glass, not less than three inches square, be laid as nearly horizontal as possible, and on one side drop some sulphuric acid, diluted with about six times its weight of water, till it spreads to the size of a halfpenny. At a little distance from this, towards the other side, next drop some of the solution supposed to contain corrosive sublimate, till the edges of the two liquids become joined; and let the wire and ring, prepared as above, be laid in such a way that the wire may touch the acid, while the gold ring is in contact with the suspected liquid. If the minutest quantity of corrosive sublimate be present, the ring in a few minutes will be covered with mercury on the part which touched the fluid. This experiment may be beautifully simplified in the following manner; drop a small quantity of solution containing corrosive sublimate on a piece of gold, and bring into contact a key, or some piece of iron, so as to form a galvanic circuit, when the gold will be immediately whitened. A solution of nitrate of silver will, under similar circumstances, occasion on the gold a white precipitate, but as no amalgamation takes place, it is readily wiped off, and cannot possibly occasion any fallacy.[526]
Certain metals likewise decompose solutions of this salt, by virtue of superior affinity; in those cases where the precipitating metal is capable of forming a direct union with Mercury, we shall find the precipitates to consist of an amalgam of the metal employed; where no such combination takes place, the mercury will be frequently seen standing on the surface as a metallic dew. This is particularly striking where iron or steel has been employed; these metals are also at the same time blackened by it.
Brugnatelli[527] has proposed the following method of distinguishing corrosive sublimate from arsenic—Take a quantity of fresh wheat starch, mix with water, and add a sufficient quantity of iodine to give the liquid a blue colour; if corrosive sublimate or arsenic be added to this liquor, the colour is alike destroyed and it becomes reddish, but if the change has been effected by the latter substance, a few drops of sulphuric acid will restore the blue colour, but if by the former it is not recoverable by such means.[528]
HYDRARGYRI SUB-MURIAS. L.
SUB-MURIAS HYDRARGYRI SUBLIMATUM. D.
SUB-MURIAS HYDRARGYRI MITIS. E.
vulgo. Calomel.[529]
This preparation has been known in pharmacy for upwards of two centuries under a variety of fanciful names, such as Draco mitigatus; Aquila alba; Aquila mitigata; Manna metallorum; Panchymagogum minerale; Panchymagogus quercetanus; Sublimatum dulce; Mercurius dulcis sublimatus; Calomelas; and yet there is not a name in this list that is so objectionable as the one at present adopted by our colleges: for whether we adhere to the theory of muriatic acid being the simple body, or accede to the new views of chlorine, the name is equally inappropriate; if we regard it as a compound of muriatic acid and oxyd of mercury, it is not a sub-muriate, but as much a muriate as the corrosive sublimate; the only difference depending upon the degree of oxidizement of the mercury, which is at a minimum in calomel, and at a maximum in sublimate. According to the new views respecting chlorine, calomel must consist of one proportional of chlorine with one proportional of metal, and is therefore a chloride of mercury. (“Proto-chloruretum Hydrargyri.” Codex Med. Paris.)
QUALITIES. Form. A semi-transparent mass, consisting of short prismatic crystals;[530] inodorous, insipid, and of an ivory colour, which deepens by exposure to light. SOLUBILITY. It is considered as being insoluble, since according to Rouelle, one part requires 1152 of water, at 212° for its solution. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Alkalies and lime water decompose it and turn it black, in consequence of precipitating the black oxyd of the metal; it is also decomposed by soaps, sulphurets of potass and antimony; and by iron, lead, and copper; hence it is improper to employ any metallic mortar for dispensing medicines which contain it. There seems to be reason for supposing that this preparation may undergo decomposition in transitu, and that therefore some substances may be chemically, and yet not be medicinally incompatible with it. If calomel be boiled for a few minutes in distilled water to which alcoholized potass has been added, it is completely decomposed, a muriate of potass and black oxyd of mercury being the new products. Calomel is not affected by sulphuric acid in the cold, but, at a boiling temperature, corrosive sublimate, and deuto-sulphate of mercury are formed. MEDICINAL USES.[531] This mercurial preparation is more extensively and more usefully employed than almost any other article of the materia medica. It is capable of curing syphilis in every form, provided it does not run off by the bowels; and in obstructions and hepatic affections, it is in well-regulated doses a most valuable remedy; in combination, it probably merits the appellation of Dirigens, more decidedly than any other remedy with which we are acquainted, for when combined with certain diuretics, it is diuretic, (Form. 103, 104) and in diaphoretic arrangements, it is diaphoretic: it moreover imparts force to many of the mild, and moderates the severity of drastic medicines: whenever we wish a strong and permanent impression to be made on the alimentary canal, and through it on the neighbouring viscera or the system generally, Calomel by universal consent is adopted for such a purpose. (Form. 81, 88, 119, 161.) In larger doses it is one of the most efficient purgatives which we possess, especially when in combination with other cathartics: it appears to be particularly eligible in the diseases of children; and it is singular that infants can generally bear larger doses of it than adults. DOSE, as an alterative, from gr. ss to j, night and morning; as a purgative, from gr. ij to gr. x, or in some cases even to gr. xv, or ℈j. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. That of pill; its insolubility and specific gravity render any other form ineligible. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Pil. Hydrargyri submuriat. comp: L. IMPURITIES. Corrosive sublimate may be detected by precipitation being produced, by the carbonate of potass, in a solution made by boiling the suspected sample with a small portion of muriate of ammonia, in distilled water; calomel ought also, when rubbed with a fixed alkali, to become intensely black, and not to exhibit any trace of an orange hue.
HOWARD’S OR JEWEL’S Hydro-sublimate. Instead of subliming so as to obtain the calomel in a concrete state, as directed by the Pharmacopœia, the salt in the act of sublimation is exposed to aqueous vapour, and received in water. Being in a state of very minute division, it is lighter than common calomel in the proportion of three to five, and it cannot contain any corrosive sublimate. The French in their late codex have introduced a similar formula, under the title of “Murias Mercurii dulcis mediante aqua subtilissime divisus, juxta Methodum Josiæ Jewel.”
This Patent Calomel of Howard is undoubtedly to be preferred, and appears, in consequence probably of its minute division, to affect the system more readily than that made according to the Pharmacopœias.
SUB-MURIAS HYDRARGYRI PRÆCIPITATUS. E.D. This is produced by precipitating a nitrate of mercury by muriate of soda; the preparation will generally contain a small portion of sub-nitrate, and it is on that account more liable to run off by the bowels in small doses: in other respects it is essentially the same as that procured by sublimation.
HYDRARGYRI SULPHURETUM RUBRUM. L.
SULPHURETUM HYDRARGYRI RUBRUM. D. Olim, Hydrargyrus Sulphuretus ruber. P. L. 1817—Cinnabaris[532] factitia, 1745.
QUALITIES. Form, a red crystalline cake, inodorous, insipid, and insoluble in water, alcohol, acids, and alkalies, although these bodies decompose it when melted with it; it is also decomposed by nitro-muriatic acid, which unites with the metal, and disengages the sulphur. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a bi-sulphuret of Mercury, i. e. it consists of two proportionals of sulphur and one of mercury. USES.[533] It is now only used for the purpose of mercurial fumigation, which is done by inhaling the fumes, produced by throwing ʒss of it on red hot iron; the effect which is generally produced is violent salivation; this however does not depend upon the action of the substance as a sulphuret, but upon its decomposition, and the volatilization of the metallic mercury with a portion of sulphate and sulphureous vapour. Mr. Pearson observes that it is useful in those cases of venereal ulcers in the mouth, throat, and nose, where it is an object to put a sudden stop to the progress of the disease, but that mercury must at the same time be introduced into the constitution, by inunction, just as much as if no fumigations had been made use of. Ulcers and excrescencies about the pudendum and anus in women are particularly benefitted by it; and in these cases it is conveniently applied by placing a red hot heater at the bottom of a night-stool pan, and after sprinkling on it a few grains of the sulphuret, placing the patient upon the stool. ADULTERATIONS. Red Lead[534] may be discovered by digesting it in acetic acid, and by adding sulphuret of ammonia, which will produce a black precipitate; or by burning a small portion of the suspected sample on a piece of bread in the candle, when metallic globules will announce its presence; for the oxide of mercury, although revived by this process, will at the same time be volatilized. The bread, by combustion, affords the carbon by which the metallic reduction is effected. Dragon’s Blood, by its giving a colour to alcohol when digested with it; Chalk, by its effervescence, on the addition of an acid. It is known in the arts under the name of Vermillion; and by the following simple expedient its presence may, in very minute quantities, be easily recognised; boil a portion with sulphuric acid in a platina spoon, and lay the sulphate thus produced, in a drop of muriatic acid, on a piece of gold, and bring a piece of metallic tin in contact with both, when the white mercurial stain will be produced.
HYDRARGYRI SULPHURETUM NIGRUM. L.E. Hydrargyrus cum Sulphure. P.L. 1787. Olim, Ethiop’s Mineral.
QUALITIES. Form, a very black, impalpable, insipid, and inodorous powder. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a Sulphuret of Mercury, i. e. it consists of one proportional of sulphur, and one proportional of mercury; when heated in contact with the air it is converted into a bi-sulphuret. SOLUBILITY. It is entirely soluble in a solution of pure potass, from which the acids precipitate it unchanged; it is insoluble in nitric acid. MED. USES. It is supposed to be alterative, and has been given for such a purpose, in doses from gr. v. to ʒss, but its medicinal virtues are very questionable. ADULTERATIONS. It is frequently imperfect, globules of mercury being still discoverable in it by a magnifying glass, or by its communicating a whiteness to a portion of gold upon which it is rubbed; ivory black may be discovered by the residue, after throwing a suspected sample on a red hot iron; it is also sometimes mixed with equal parts of crude antimony.
HYOSCYAMI FOLIA ET SEMINA. L.E.D.
(Hyoscyamus Niger.) Henbane.
QUALITIES. This plant, when recent, has a strong fetid, and narcotic odour; properties which are nearly lost by exsiccation. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Resin, mucilage, extractive matter, gallic acid, and some salts; an alkaline element (Hyoscyama) is said to constitute its active principle. This principle differs from other vegetable alkalies, in being able to resist a low red heat, without undergoing decomposition. SOLUBILITY. Water freely extracts the narcotic powers of this plant, and decoction destroys them; diluted alcohol is the best menstruum. INCOMPATIBLES. Precipitates are produced by acetate of lead, nitrate of silver, and sulphate of iron; vegetable acids weaken its narcotic powers. The extract or inspissated juice is the best form in which it can be exhibited; see also the Tincture; its leaves form an anodyne cataplasm, and the smoke from its seeds, when applied by a funnel to a carious tooth, is recommended in severe fits of odontalgia. The root of this plant is poisonous.[535] In Dr. Molyneux’s appendix to Threlkeld’s “SYNOPSIS STIRPIUM HIBERNICARUM” are related several cases of its effects on persons who had eaten them instead of Skirrets. OFFICINAL PREP. Extract: Hyoscyam: Tinct: Hyoscyam: L.E.D.
ICHTHYOCOLLA.
(Acipenser Huso & Ruthenus. The great and small Sturgeon.)
Isinglass. Fish Glue.
The following kinds, imported from St. Petersburg, are found in the market. Short Staple; Long Staple; Book; and Leaf. Picking the Staple, as it is called, is a peculiar art practised by persons in this town, who gain a very good livelihood by it; they engage to return the same weight of isinglass in shreds, as they receive in Staple; this in itself secures very fair profit, for by damping the isinglass in order to pick it, it gains considerable weight; these persons moreover are in the habit of adulterating it with pieces of bladder, and the dried skin of soles; such frauds however are easily detected by their insolubility, for pure isinglass will dissolve entirely, and yield a clear and transparent jelly; a single grain will produce, with an ounce of water, a solution of considerable thickness; it is also soluble in acids and alkalies; and although insoluble in alcohol, yet it is not precipitated by it from its watery solutions, unless when added in a very considerable quantity; it is coagulated by the infusions and decoctions of vegetable astringents; carbonate of potass likewise throws down a precipitate. 100 parts of good isinglass consist of 98 of gelatine, and 2 of the phosphates of soda and lime. Its solutions soon putrefy. USES. It is now rarely used except as a nutrient; its mechanical application in fining wines and turbid liquors is well known, and its mode of operation is equally obvious, for by forming a skin, or fine network, which gradually precipitates, it acts just like a filtre, with this difference, that in this case the filtre passes through the liquor, instead of the liquor through the filtre.
INFUSA. L.E.D. Infusion.
These are watery solutions of vegetable matter, obtained by maceration, either in cold or hot[536] water without the assistance of ebullition. In selecting and conducting the operation, the following general rules should be observed.
I. Infusion should always be preferred to decoction, where the medicinal virtues of the vegetable substance reside in volatile oil, or in principles which are easily soluble; whereas, if they depend upon resino-mucilaginous particles, decoction is an indispensable operation.
II. The temperature employed must be varied according to the circumstances of each case;[537] an infusion made in the cold, is in general more grateful, but less active, than one made with heat.
III. The duration of the process must likewise be regulated by the nature of the substances, or the intention of the prescriber; for the infusion will differ according to the time in which the water has been digested on the materials; thus, the aroma of the plant is first taken up, then, in succession, the colouring, astringent, and gummy parts.
Infusions are liable to undergo decompositions by being kept, and therefore, like decoctions, they must be regarded as extemporaneous preparations. Unless the dose of them be otherwise stated, it is generally from f℥j to f℥ij.
I. Simple Infusions.
INFUSUM ANTHEMIDIS. L.E. It is a good stomachic; and when exhibited warm, is well calculated to assist the operation of emetics: (Form. 66): the cold infusion, i. e. made with cold water, is more grateful. Incompatibles. All soluble preparations of iron; nitrate of silver; oxy-muriate of mercury; acetate, and sub-acetate of lead; solutions of isinglass; infusion of yellow cinchona bark. Dose, f℥j-f℥ij.
INFUSUM CALUMBÆ. L.E. See Calumbæ Radix. This infusion is more perishable than that of other bitters; in twenty-four hours a copious precipitation takes place in it, and in two days it becomes ropy, and even musty. Form. 155. Dose, f℥i-f℥ij.
Infusum Caryophyllorum. L. f℥j. of this infusion holds in solution the active matter of grs. vj of cloves. Incompatibles. Precipitates are produced by sulphate of iron; sulphate of zinc; acetate of lead; nitrate of silver; tartarized antimony; lime water, and yellow cinchona. Dose, f℥j-f℥ij.
INFUSUM CASCARILLÆ. L. It is incompatible with the substances mentioned under Infus. Caryophyll: Form. 33. Dose, f℥j-f℥ij.
INFUSUM CINCHONÆ. L.E.D. We obtain in this preparation a feeble solution of the active constituents of bark, which will agree with many stomachs that are rebellious to the stronger preparations. Dose, f℥i-f℥iij.
INFUSUM CUSPARIÆ. L. This is a judicious form of the bark, possessing its stimulant and tonic properties. Dose, f℥j-f℥ij.
INFUSUM DIGITALIS. L.E. This is the best form in which we can administer the foxglove, where our wish is to obtain its diuretic effects as speedily as possible. (Form. 110.) Dose, fʒij to f℥ss, twice a day, see Digitalis. Incompatibles. We shall counteract its effects by endeavouring to obviate its nauseating tendency by brandy and water, &c. Precipitates are produced by sulphate of iron, and the infusion of yellow cinchona, &c.
INFUSUM LINI COMPOSITUM. L.E. A cheap and useful demulcent; alcohol and preparations of lead, are of course incompatible with it; the tinctura ferri muriatis produces a flocculent precipitate.
INFUSUM QUASSIÆ. L.E. The proportion of Quassia directed for half a pint of water, is that of ℈j by the London, and ʒss by the Edinburgh College; the former is much too small, for, in order to obtain a saturated infusion, ʒij are required for that quantity of water. Incompatibles. The salts of iron produce no change in it; nor is it affected by any of those substances with which it is likely to come in contact in a medical prescription. It is highly useful in debilities of the stomach and intestinal canal, and in irregular and atonic gout, and it has been observed, that in hysterical atony, to which the female sex is so prone, the Quassia affords more vigour and relief to the system, than the Peruvian Bark, especially when combined with a small portion of sulphate of zinc. To this, as well as the other stomachic infusions, it is usual to add at the time of prescribing them a small quantity of aromatic tincture or spirit. Form. 35; 144. Dose, f℥ss-f℥iss.
INFUSUM RHEI. L.E. The Edinburgh infusion is stronger than that of London, and is rendered more grateful by the addition of spirit of cinnamon; these infusions, however, when given without any adjuvants, produce but a feeble effect. This is obvious, since ℈j of rhubarb in substance, is at least equivalent in its effects to ʒiss when in infusion. Incompatibles. The stronger acids; the sulphates of iron and zinc; nitrate of silver; tartarized antimony; acetate of lead; oxy-muriate of mercury, and the infusions of cusparia, cinchona, catechu, galls, and some other astringent vegetables; the alkalies deepen the colour, but produce no decomposition. Dose, f℥j-f℥ij.
INFUSUM SIMAROUBÆ. L. This infusion is inodorous, of a clear straw colour, with a slightly bitter taste. It presents the best mode of exhibiting Simarouba bark. Dose, f℥ij, beyond this it will prove emetic. Incompatibles. Alkaline carbonates and lime water render it milky; and it is precipitated by the following substances; infusions of catechu; galls, and yellow cinchona; oxy-muriate of mercury; nitrate of silver, and acetate of lead. See Simaroubæ Cortex.
INFUSUM TABACI. L. It is never used but as an enema, in incarcerated hernia, and in ileus. See Tabaci Folia.
2. Compound Infusions.
INFUSUM ARMORACIÆ COMPOSITUM. L. In this preparation the stimulant property of the horse-radish is materially aided by the mustard; pure alkalies, but not their carbonates, may form extemporaneous additions; for the other incompatibles, see Armoraciæ Radix. Dose, f℥iss. Form. 45.
INFUSUM AURANTII COMPOSITUM. L. A grateful stomachic, having the agreeable compound taste of its several ingredients; it has the merit of sitting easily on the stomach. Dose, f℥j-f℥iss.
INFUSUM CATECHU COMPOSITUM. L.E. This infusion is a powerful astringent, rendered grateful by the addition of cinnamon; it will keep for several months, provided the directions of the Edinburgh College be not followed in adding the syrup. In prescribing it, we must remember that it contains a large proportion of tannin. See Catechu. Dose, f℥j-f℥iij.
INFUSUM GENTIANÆ COMPOSITUM. L. An elegant tonic and stomachic infusion. It affords a good example of the virtues of a natural substance being enhanced by the additions of art, as discussed at page 164, for the bitterness of the gentian is here subdued by the aromatic quality of the lemon and orange peel. Incompatibles. Acetate of lead throws down a copious precipitate from the infusion, and sulphate of iron strikes a brown colour, but no precipitate takes place for several hours.
INFUSUM ROSÆ COMPOSITUM. L.E.D. This is an infusion of the petals of the red rose, rendered astringent and refrigerant,[538] by the addition of dilute sulphuric acid. By referring to the DYNAMETER, it will be seen that f℥j; does not contain more than four and a half minims of dilute acid, which are equivalent to three-sevenths of a minim of the strong concentrated acid. Wherever therefore we expect any advantage from this latter ingredient, the quantity must be increased by extemporaneous addition. Incompatibles. All those bodies which are decomposed by the sulphuric acid; the sulphates of iron and zinc do not immediately alter the infusion, but they slowly decompose it, producing precipitates of a dark colour. Dr. Clarke of Cambridge detected iron in the petals;[539] may not the presence of this metal enhance the tonic powers of the infusion? It affords a most elegant vehicle for the exhibition of cathartic salts.
INFUSUM SENNÆ COMPOSITUM. L.E.D. A pint of water will take up the active matter of ℥j of senna, but nothing beyond that proportion; hence there is an unnecessary waste in the London process. The quantity of infusion directed to be made at one time, is also injudicious, since by simple exposure to the air for only a few hours, in consequence of the powerful affinity of its extractive matter for oxygen, a yellow precipitate takes place, and the infusion loses its purgative quality, and excites tormina in the bowels; in preparing it therefore, we see the necessity of conducting the process in covered vessels, and of making only such a portion as may be required for immediate use; indeed, notwithstanding every precaution, the extractive will to a certain extent become oxidized, and the infusion have a tendency to gripe.[540] Dr. Cullen used to say that Senna was one of the best purgatives, if it could only be divested of its griping quality; this however he was unable to obviate, because he was not aware of its cause, and therefore conjoined it with various aromatics, instead of those salts[541] which might be capable of increasing the solubility of its oxidized extractive, or the purgative activity of the infusion; see page 150, and 161. Soluble tartar and alkaline salts are its most useful adjuncts; it is however rarely prescribed in practice without the addition of other cathartics. (Form. 70, 76, 90.) Sydenham’s favourite “potio cathartica lenitiva,” consisted of an infusion of tamarinds, senna leaves, and rhubarb, with the addition of manna and syrup of roses. The addition of tamarinds renders the infusion more grateful but less active; when made with bohea tea, it is in a great degree deprived of its nauseous taste; a decoction of guaiacum increases its powers, and is said at the same time to render it milder. Bitters also very considerably exalt its efficacy, see page 153. A pint of the infusion with a drachm of jalap forms an excellent combination for a purgative enema. Incompatibles. The infusion is disturbed by strong acids; lime water; nitrate of silver; oxy-muriate of mercury; acetate of lead; tartarized antimony; and by an infusion of yellow cinchona. DOSE, f℥j-f℥ij.
IPECACUANHÆ RADIX. L.E.D.
(Callicocca[542] Ipecacuanha.) Ipecacuanha.
QUALITIES. Form, tortuous pieces of the thickness of a goose-quill, surrounded by numerous prominent rings, separated by deep grooves. This root, when powdered, has a faint disagreeable odour, and a bitter sub-acrid taste. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The late researches of M. M. Majendie and Pelletier have detected the existence of a new vegetable proximate principle in this root, to which ipecacuan is indebted for its emetic properties; they have, accordingly, denominated it Emetine.[543] It assumes the form of transparent brownish red scales, which are nearly inodorous, but have a slightly bitter, acrid, but not nauseous taste. Emetine is decomposed by a heat higher than that of boiling water; it is insoluble in water, in every proportion, without undergoing the least change; and in a moist atmosphere it deliquesces; it is also soluble in alcohol, but not in æther; nitric acid dissolves it, but at the same time decomposes it; dilute sulphuric acid has no action on it; muriatic acid and phosphoric acid dissolve it, without altering its nature; acetic acid dissolves it with great facility; corrosive sublimate precipitates it from its solutions, but tartarized antimony has no effect upon them; gallic acid, the infusion of galls, and acetate of lead, precipitate it. A grain excites violent vomiting, followed by sleep, and the patient awakes in perfect health! It exerts also a specific action on the lungs and mucous membrane of the intestinal canal; when taken in an overdose, its action can be instantly paralysed by a decoction of galls. There seems to be no great advantage in substituting this body for the ordinary powder of Ipecacuanha, except perhaps that its taste being much less offensive, it may very easily be given to children.[544] Emetine appears to exist in Ipecacuanha, combined in the following manner, emetine 16, oils 2, wax 6, gum 10, starch 40, woody fibre 20.
Since the discovery of Emetine, whose properties are described above, Pelletier has extended his researches into its composition and nature; and he has lately been enabled to state that this body, which in conjunction with Majendie, he had formerly announced as “a new vegetable proximate principle,” turns out to be a compound of a peculiar alkaline basis, which may be called Emeta, and some acid, together with an admixture of colouring matter; when compared with Emetine, it is what white crystallized sugar is to moist sugar. Its ultimate elements are oxygen, hydrogen and carbon; it is a white and friable substance, and unlike Emetin, is not altered by exposure to air; it is slightly bitter, and very sparingly soluble in water; with the mineral acids it forms salts, from whose solutions the infusion of galls throws down white and flocculent precipitates; the alcoholic solution of Emeta acts upon vegetable colour as an alkali.
MEDICINAL USES OF IPECACUAN. It is unquestionably the most valuable of the vegetable emetics, and in cases where the stomach is irritable it is to be preferred to Tartarized Antimony, and it is also less liable to act upon the bowels. In the form of decoction (made by boiling three drachms of the bruised root in a quart of water down to a pint) it has been found serviceable as an enema in Dysentery, and internal piles. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. All vegetable astringents, as infusion of galls, &c. vegetable acids, especially the acetic, weaken its power; Dr. Irvine found that grs. xxx, administered in f℥ij of vinegar, produced only some loose stools. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. The form of powder is most energetic, although the vinous solution is both active and convenient. DOSE. The medicinal operation of this substance varies with its dose, thus grs. x to ʒss act as an emetic; (Form: 65,) grs. j to ij, as an expectorant, (Form: 134, 138,)and in still smaller doses it proves stomachic and diaphoretic; by combination with opium, this latter quality becomes more powerful, (Form: 28, 130.) The primary effect of this medicine is that of stimulating the stomach, and it is equally obvious that its secondary ones depend on the numerous sympathies of other parts with the organs of digestion. The action of this remedy upon the pulmonary organs is extremely interesting; it would seem that in certain conditions of these organs, attended with a dry, hard cough, it promotes expectoration, while in affections attended with an inordinate secretion of mucus, it as certainly represses it, and acts the part of an astringent. In dysentery, and chronic diarrhœa, its astringent power is also very decided. Form: 58. When combined with cathartics it aids and accelerates their operation; Form: 84. In Hemorrhage from the lungs and uterus, it is decidedly useful, when administered in such doses as to excite a slight degree of nausea, by which the force of the circulation is controlled; I have usually combined it, for such a purpose, with the Acetate of lead in Hæmopthysis; and Bergius relates a case of violent uterine hæmorrhage which was successfully treated by giving half a grain every half hour. In certain forms of Dyspepsia it proves highly beneficial, when administered as proposed by Daubenton, in doses just sufficient to excite a slight sensation of vermicular motion of the stomach, without carrying it to the point of nausea, which may be generally effected by half a grain three times a day. Its peculiar nauseous taste is completely covered by the addition of powdered Gum Arabic. SOLUBILITY. Alcohol takes up four parts in twenty of Ipecacuan; proof spirit six and a half; and boiling water rather more than eight parts; one pint of good sherry wine will dissolve about 100 grains; the alcoholic is more emetic than the aqueous solution; decoction destroys the emetic property of the root. OFFICINAL PREP. Pulvis Ipecacuanhæ comp: L.E.D. Vinum Ipecac. L.E.D.[545] The powder is liable to become inert by exposure to air and light. The root is refractory, and is reduced to powder with difficulty, unless a few drops of oil, or an almond or two, be previously added. It is a curious fact that the effluvia of this root occasion in some persons the most distressing sensations of suffocation. I am acquainted with a lady, who is constantly seized with a violent dyspnœa, whenever the powder of Ipecacuan is brought into her presence. ADULTERATIONS. There are several varieties of Ipecacuan to be found in the market, which it is important to distinguish; viz. 1, The brown variety, which is the best, containing sixteen per cent. of emetin; 2, the grey variety, with fourteen per cent. of emetin; 3, the white variety, with only five of emetin. The two former varieties are those usually met with, being imported into this country in bales from Rio Janeiro; the brown is distinguished from the grey, in being more wrinkled; the white variety has no wrinkles whatever. We are informed by Decandolle that the genuine root is frequently mixed with those of violets, Apocynæ, Euphorbia, &c. It is also sometimes mixed with the roots of several species of Ionidum.
JALAPÆ RADIX. L.E.D. (Convolvulus Jalapa.)
Jalap.
QUALITIES. This root is pulverulent, furnishing a powder of a pale brownish yellow colour. Odour, peculiar; Taste, sweetish and slightly pungent. Chemical Composition. Resin, gum, extractive, fecula, lignin, and some salts. The combination of the three first principles appears requisite for the production of its full cathartic effect. The gum has been supposed to possess diuretic properties. Very lately a saline principle has been obtained from Jalap by Mr. Hume, jun.: but I am not aware that its medicinal properties have been ascertained. It is procured by macerating the powdered root for twelve or fourteen days in acetic acid, by which a solution is obtained, which must be filtered, and then saturated with ammonia; the mixture is to be shaken violently, when a sabulous deposit will take place, and a few crystals be collected on the sides of the vessel; both of these must be collected, and washed in distilled water; and then redissolved in concentrated acetic acid, and reprecipitated by ammonia added in excess. By which means, small white acicular crystals are thrown down, to which the name of Jalapine has been given. SOLUBILITY. Proof spirit is its appropriate menstruum. MED. USES. It is a cathartic of a stimulating description, acting principally upon the colon, and, notwithstanding the tormina it may sometimes induce, it is no less safe than efficacious; as a hydragogue purgative it has been greatly extolled, but for such a purpose it will answer better in combination, as in Form. 73. Its action is said to be promoted by the addition of Ipecacuan, or tartarized antimony. (Form. 84.) In dropsy its union with super-tartrate of potass is calculated to promote its beneficial operation. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. That of powder is the most eligible, especially when combined with some other powdered substance: pulverization increases its activity, see Pulveres. Van Swieten advised it to be pulverised, and mixed with sugar, and a small quantity of some aromatic. The addition of Soap is supposed to render its operation much milder, and the Prussian Pharmacopœia contains a formula for such a combination, which is said to operate mildly and promptly. To this preparation the name SAPO JALAPINUS[546] is given. DOSE, grs. x to ʒss. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Pulv. Jalap. comp. E. Extract. Jalap. L.E.D. Tinct. Jalap. L.E.D. Tinct. Sennæ comp. E. (=B=). ADULTERATIONS. Briony root is sometimes mixed with that of jalap, but it may be easily distinguished by its paler colour and less compact texture; and by not easily burning at the flame of a candle. When the teredo has attacked it, it should be rejected.
JUGLANS CINEREA.
Butternut.
Cortex.
[The Butternut tree is to be found in almost every part of the United States. The inner bark is the part used in medicine. It yields, by analysis, a large quantity of soluble matter, principally of the extractive kind. Water extracts its virtues, and the Extract, which is the form in which it is employed, has long been known and used in this country as an excellent Cathartic. To obviate habitual costiveness, it is one of the best articles that can be used. By the addition of Calomel, its powers as an active Cathartic may be greatly increased. The proper season for gathering the bark for medicinal purposes is in the months of May and June. The dose of the Extract is from 10 to 30 grains.]
JUNIPERI BACCÆ ET CACUMINA. L.E.D.
(Juniperus Communis.)
Juniper Berries and Tops.
The principal constituents of these berries are mucilage, sugar, and volatile oil; in the latter of which their diuretic virtues reside. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. That of an infusion, made with ℥ij of the berries, to oj of hot water. Unless pains however are taken, by strong contusion, to bruise and break the seeds, the preparation will contain but little of the juniper flavour. The bruised berries may be also triturated with sugar or some neutral salt, and be thus exhibited in substance, Dose ℈j to ℈ij. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Oleum Junip. L.E.D. Spirit. Junip. Co. L.E.D. The taste and diuretic properties of Hollands depend upon this oil; English gin is flavoured by oil of turpentine.
KINO. L.E.D. Kino.
(Pterocarpus Erinacea.[547] Extractum. L. Eucalypti Resiniferi. Succus Concretus. E. Butea Frondosa. D.)
There is very considerable obscurity with regard to the history and chemical constitution of this substance; three varieties of it are met with in the shops, viz. 1. African Kino, which bears the highest price, and has all the appearance of a natural production, slender twigs being often intermixed in its substance; it is of a reddish brown colour, and has a bitterish astringent taste. 2. Botany Bay Kino, has also the aspect of a natural production, it is in more solid masses than the former species, is less brittle (for it contains a very small proportion of resin) and, with its astringency, has a disagreeable sweetish taste. 3. Jamaica Kino, this is the one most commonly met with; it has the appearance of a dry extract, is in small fragments, of a colour more nearly approaching to black than that of the others, and has an astringent and slightly bitter taste. There is also a fourth variety mentioned, viz. the East India or Amboyna, but this does not appear to differ from the African variety. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. In all the varieties the predominant principles are tannin and extractive. SOLUBILITY. The best menstruum is diluted alcohol. Incompatible Substances, vide Gallæ. Mr. Thomson also states a fact which I have reason to consider quite correct, that the alkalies destroy the astringent properties of kino. All the varieties are soluble in solutions of pure potass and ammonia, and no precipitation takes place on the addition of water. MEDICINAL USES. It is principally employed as an astringent, but from its liability to vary in strength, it has been very generally superseded by Catechu.[548] FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Either in substance or in the form of watery infusion, or in that of tincture. DOSE, grs. x to ʒss. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinct. Kino. L.E.D. Elect. Catechu. E.D. Pulvis Alum. co. E.
KRAMERIÆ RADIX. L. (Krameria Triandra Radix.)
Rhatany.
This root, although it has been for some time employed in medicine, has only lately found its way into the Materia Medica of the London Pharmacopœia. Its extract, which was some years ago imported into this country, is supposed to have been employed for giving astringency to Port wine. According to recent analysis the root contains a peculiar modification of Tannin, with only a trace of Gallic acid; Gum; Fecula; and certain salts of Lime. It may be used either in decoction, or tincture, the latter of which may be made by dissolving two ounces of the root in a pint of proof spirit. In all its forms it is eminently astringent. I have used it with much success in Leucorrhæa, and in uterine hemorrhages. The extract may be distinguished from Kino, to which it bears a great resemblance in appearance and taste, by being very fusible by heat, whereas Kino does not possess that character.
LICHEN. L.E.D. (Lichen Islandicus.) Lichen.
Iceland Liverwort. Iceland Moss.
QUALITIES. Odour, none; Taste, mucilaginous and bitter. SOLUBILITY. The effect of water upon this vegetable substance is materially modified by temperature; if cold, the lichen absorbs nearly its own weight by maceration, but gives out to the menstruum little or none of its virtues; if the water be warm, it soon acquires a bitter impregnation; by ebullition, a decoction is obtained, which, as it cools, gelatinizes. See Decoct. Lichen. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Proust has shewn by analysis that 100 parts of this moss contain 64 parts of a substance bearing some analogy to vegetable gluten, 33 of matter, soluble in hot water, and resembling starch, and 3 parts of a bitter principle. MEDICINAL USES. This vegetable was introduced to the notice of the profession by Linnæus, who recommended its decoction, as having been administered with great success for coughs in Sweden. Upon its introduction into this country, its patrons bestowed so many extravagant eulogiums upon its powers, that the less sanguine practitioner at once abandoned its use in disgust, and it fell into unmerited disrepute. It would be idle to speak of its specific effects in phthisis; but, as a demulcent, it is certainly very superior to the mucilaginous mixtures in ordinary use, and its simple bitter principle at the same time tends to produce a tonic effect, which is frequently desirable in the debilitated condition which characterizes the latter stages of this disease. There are circumstances, however, which may render the removal of the bitter advantageous; in which case, maceration in successive waters, or in a weak alkaline ley, as recommended by Westring, will be found to answer the intended purpose. OFFICINAL PREPARATION. Decoct. Lichen. Island. E. D. Sir Alexander Crichton has offered some observations upon the genuineness of this article which deserve attention. He says that there are two varieties in the market; the best of which has a horny texture, and yields a bitter mucilage. It is that which comes from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The inferior kind has a membranous texture, and yields little bitter or mucilage in comparison with the former. Where it comes from he knows not, but he suspects it to be British, as it is much cheaper than the other.
LIMONES. L.E.D. (Citrus Medica. Baccæ.)
Lemons.
SUCCUS—THE JUICE consists of Citric acid, mucilage, extractive matter, and small portions of sugar and water. Specific gravity, 1·0384. It may be preserved for a considerable length of time, by covering its surface with fixed oil.
Its use in making saline draughts has been already noticed, see Acid. Citric. Its principal medicinal value consists in its antiscorbutic[549] virtues; indeed it may be fairly asserted that this disease, so peculiarly incident to a sea life, has been nearly eradicated by the juice of lemons. Sir Gilbert Blane, in speaking of its efficacy, asserts that “those only who have made themselves acquainted with the early part of the Naval history of this country, or those who have perused the interesting, popular, and eloquent narrative of Commodore Anson’s voyage, can duly appreciate the value of this simple remedy.” Lemonade, as a beverage in putrid diseases, was first introduced by the French physicians in the beginning of the 17th century, and about the year 1660, an Italian from Florence, having learnt a process of freezing confectionary, conceived the happy idea of converting such beverage into ice. This found a ready sale, and was the occasion of so great an increase in the number of sellers of Lemonade, that in the year 1676, the Lemonadiers of Paris were formed into a company, and received a patent from the government.
CORTEX—THE RIND OR PEEL is composed of two distinct parts; the exterior, which contains glands, filled with a fragrant volatile oil, upon which all its properties depend, and the interior coat, which is tasteless and indigestible. The flavour may be obtained by rubbing lump sugar upon it, which will imbibe the oil, and if it be then dried by a very gentle heat, may be preserved unimpaired for any length of time, and will be preferable to the volatile oil obtained by distillation, for the fire generally imparts an unpleasant or empyreumatic flavour.[550]
It has been already stated, that “the different parts of the same plant have frequently very different properties.” The Lemon offers a good example of this fact, for its juice is acid, its seeds bitter, and its peel aromatic.
LINIMENTA. L.E.D. Liniments.
These are external applications, having the consistence of oil or balsam. If we except the Liniment. Æruginis, all the officinal liniments are decomposed by the substances which are incompatible with soaps.
LINIMENTUM ÆRUGINIS. L. Oxymel Æruginis. P.L. 1787. Mel Ægyptiacum. P.L. 1745. Unguentum Ægyptiacum. P.L. 1720. Diluted with water, it has been recommended as a gargle in venereal ulcerations, but its use is hazardous; it is a detergent escharotic preparation.
LINIMENTUM AMMONIÆ FORTIUS. L. Oleum Ammoniatum. E. Linimentum Ammoniæ. D. It consists of liquor ammoniæ one part, olive oil two parts, (oil eight parts, E.D.) The alkali forms with the oil a soap, which is held dissolved by the water in the liquor ammoniæ. Is an excellent rubefacient, and penetrating liniment.
LINIMENTUM AMMONIÆ SUB-CARBONATIS. L. Linimentum Ammoniæ. P.L. 1787. LINIMENTUM VOLATILE. P.L. 1745. The carbonic acid prevents the perfect formation of soap in this liniment; unlike the former one, therefore, it deposits the soapy matter on standing. It is much less stimulating than the preceding one.
LINIMENTUM CALCIS. E.D. Oil and lime water, equal parts. This is an earthy soap, formed by the combination of lime and oil; the soapy matter separates on standing, it should therefore be extemporaneous. In cases of burns and scalds where the cuticle has been destroyed, it is an advantageous application.
LINIMENTUM CAMPHORÆ. L. Oleum Camphoratum. E.D. Camphor one, olive oil four parts. It is a simple solution of camphor in fixed oil, and forms a very useful embrocation to sprains, bruises, glandular swellings, and in rheumatic affections.
LINIMENTUM CAMPHORÆ COMPOSITUM. L. Camphor two, liquor ammoniæ six, spirits of lavender sixteen parts. It is highly stimulating.[551]
LINIMENTUM HYDRARGYRI. L. A pound of this liniment contains nearly ℥iv of mercury; it affects the mouth more rapidly than strong mercurial ointment, although it will be seen by the Medicinal Dynameter to contain less Mercury. This effect is to be attributed to the stimulating properties of its adjuncts, viz. Camphor and Ammonia.
LINIMENTUM SAPONIS COMPOSITUM. L. Hard soap iij, camphor j, spirit of rosemary xvj parts. It is a stimulant and anodyne application, and in local pains opium may be advantageously added to it. It is commonly used under the name of Opodeldoc.[552] See Sapo.
LINIMENTUM TEREBINTHINÆ. This liniment was introduced by Mr. Kentish of Newcastle, as a dressing to recent burns, which he continued until the eschars became loose.
LINUM CATHARTICUM. L.D. Purging Flax.
The qualities of this plant reside in extractive matter, hence water extracts, but long decoction injures them. MEDICINAL USES. It is strongly purgative. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. ʒij of the dried herb infused in oj of boiling water. DOSE, f℥ij.
LINI USITATISSIMI SEMINA. L.E.D.
Linseed, or Common Flax Seed.
These seeds contain a large proportion of mucilage, and one-sixth of their weight of fixed oil; the former of which resides principally in the cuticle, the latter, in the parenchymatous portion of the seed; by infusion in boiling water, a clear, colourless, inodorous, and nearly insipid mucilage is obtained; ℥ss of the unbruised seed is sufficient for oj of water; cold water does not extract any mucilage from them when unbruised; the farina of the seeds is well adapted for cataplasms. OFFICINAL PREP. Infus. Lini Comp: L. Oleum Lini. L. E. D.
LIQUOR ALUMINIS COMPOSITUS. L.
Aqua Aluminosa Bateana. P. L. 1745.
This is a compound solution of alum and sulphate of zinc; a fluid-ounce containing about seven grains of each ingredient, it is powerfully astringent, and is successfully used as a detergent lotion to old ulcers; as a collyrium, or as an injection in gleet and fluor albus; it will also often answer in removing chilblains, and in curing slight excoriations.
LIQUOR AMMONIÆ. L. AQUA AMMONIÆ. E.
AQUA AMMONIÆ CAUSTICÆ. D.
Solution of Ammonia.
QUALITIES. Form, a limpid, colourless fluid; specific gravity, ·960, or f℥j weighs about 438 grs. Odour, strong and pungent; Taste, extremely caustic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. A solution of ammoniacal gas in water, which varies considerably in strength in the different pharmacopœias. When prepared according to the London and Edinburgh Colleges, it contains nearly 25 per cent. of ammonia, whereas the Dublin preparation does not contain more than 16. SOLVENT POWERS. It is an active solvent of many vegetable principles, e. g. oils, resins, &c. With alcohol it unites in every proportion; it assists the oxidizement of copper and zinc, and dissolves many of the metallic oxides. MED. USES. Stimulant, rubefacient, and antacid. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In milk, or any liquid vehicle; if in decoctions, or infusions, they must be previously cooled; for at 130° the ammonia will escape in the form of gas. DOSE, ♏︎x to xxx. OFFICINAL PREP. Linimentum Ammoniæ. L.D. Oleum Ammon. E. Spir. Ammoniæ. L. Spir. Ammoniæ comp. L. Spir. Ammon. succinat. L. Liniment. Camphor. comp. L. ADULTERATIONS. The presence of other salts in the solution may be discovered by saturating a portion with pure nitric acid, and applying the test for sulphuric acid, (Barytes) and that for muriatic acid, (Nitrate of Silver.) Carbonic acid is detected by its effervescing with acids, or by its forming with lime water, a precipitate, soluble with effervescence in nitric acid; it ought to be free from all fetor; its strength can only be determined by taking its specific gravity. It should be preserved in well closed bottles, and their dimensions should be small, for when in large vessels it often becomes carbonated before it is half used.
LIQUOR AMMONIÆ ACETATIS. L. AQUA ACETATIS AMMONIÆ. E.D.
Solution of Acetate of Ammonia.
olim, Spirit of Mindererus.
This preparation is a solution of the neutral acetate of ammonia, with a proportion of carbonic acid diffused through it; it is made by saturating the sub-carbonate of ammonia with distilled vinegar, for which purpose it will generally be found that ℥j of the alkali will saturate oiss of the vinegar; since, however, the quantity of acid in distilled vinegar as well the strength of the ammonia, are liable to constant variation, the exact point of neutralization should be ascertained by the alternate application of litmus and turmeric papers; for if the proportions be not accurately adjusted, some of the metallic salts, especially those of antimony, which are often prescribed in conjunction with it, are decomposed, and thus rendered inefficacious; and on this account an excess of alkali is to be feared more than that of acid. This preparation is also not unfrequently employed as a collyrium, when much serious mischief may arise from the carbonate of ammonia predominating. It has been already stated that a very minute proportion of extractive matter is rendered sensible on the addition of an alkali; hence this preparation frequently derives from the vinegar a brown hue, which may be removed by filtering the solution through a little well burnt charcoal. It also deserves notice that the presence of a trace of copper, derived from the copper cocks through which the vinegar has passed, will impart a brown tinge, whilst in larger quantities this metal yields a blue colour with ammonia. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Acids; fixed alkalies; alum; lime water; sulphate of magnesia; corrosive sublimate; nitrate of silver; and the sulphates of zinc, copper, and iron. Acetate of lead produces also a copious precipitation, but this depends upon the presence of the carbonic acid diffused through the solution, which decomposes the salt and forms an insoluble carbonate of lead. Magnesia likewise, contrary to what might be supposed, decomposes the solution and renders it pungent, from the extrication of ammoniacal gas; this phenomenon depends upon the magnesia forming a triple acetate with one part of the ammonia, and setting the remainder at liberty. MED. USES. When assisted by warmth and plentiful dilution, it is an excellent diaphoretic, and produces its effects without quickening the circulation: (Form: 117, 126,) by keeping the surface of the body cool, its action is determined to the kidneys, and it proves diuretic, especially when combined with remedies of a similar tendency. (Form: 111.) DOSE, fʒiv to fʒxij. Externally it furnishes a lotion, valuable as a refrigerant, especially when combined with some spirituous preparation. See Form: 148.
LIQUOR AMMONIÆ SUB-CARBONATIS. L.
SOLUTIO SUB-CARBONATIS AMMONIÆ. E.
AQUA CARBONATIS AMMONIÆ. D.
This is merely a solution of the solid sub-carbonate in distilled water, see Ammoniæ Sub-carbonas. DOSE, fʒss to fʒj in any bland liquid. ADULTERATIONS. There is frequently a deficient quantity of the sub-carbonate in solution, its pungency being kept up by the addition of liquor ammoniæ; this may be discovered by shaking it with twice its bulk of alcohol, when a coagulum of considerable density should occur, the absence of which will denote the sophistication of the article. Its specific gravity should be 1·150. The Incompatibles are those enumerated under the history of Ammoniæ Sub-carbonas.
LIQUOR ARSENICALIS. L.
SOLUTIO ARSENICALIS. E.
This is a solution of the Arsenite of Potass, coloured and flavoured by the Compound Spirit of Lavender, fʒj of which contains gr. ½ of arsenious acid. It was introduced into practice by Dr. Fowler of Stafford, as a substitute for the empirical remedy known by the name of “The Tasteless Ague Drop.” It is a powerful tonic, and has been very successfully administered in the cure of intermittent and remittent fevers, periodical headaches, and as an alterative in many anomalous diseases of the skin. It has been also given, with decided effect, in certain visceral obstructions; its use however is to a great degree empirical, although we may observe, generally, that wherever strong arterial action exists, arsenic will do harm. The addition of a few drops of Vinum Opii is said to render its operation safer and more efficacious. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Lime water; nitrate of silver; the salts of copper; hydro-sulphuret of potass, and the infusions and decoctions of bark. DOSE, ♏︎iv, gradually increased to ♏︎xxx, twice a day. See Arsenicum Album.
LIQUOR CALCIS. L. AQUA CALCIS. E. D.
Lime Water.
It is a saturated solution of lime in water; f℥j of which contains 3/4 of a grain.[553] INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. All alkaline and metallic salts; borates; tartrates; citrates; acids; sulphur; spirituous preparations, and the infusions of all astringent vegetables. It should be kept in close vessels, for if exposed to the air, the lime will attract carbonic acid, and become an insoluble carbonate; the addition of an alkaline carbonate produces the same effect instantaneously.[554] If animal charcoal be boiled with lime-water, it will precipitate the whole of the lime, an effect which is not produced by charcoal of vegetable origin. MED. USES. It is an antacid, and is therefore useful in dyspepsia attended with acidity; Form. 149. Mixed with an equal quantity of milk, it furnishes an excellent remedy in infantile complaints connected with bowel affections; it is likewise astringent in leucorrhæa, in the last stages of dysentery, and in protracted diarrhœa. It dissolves also the slimy mucus with which disordered bowels are so generally infested; on account of this latter property, it has been exhibited in calculous affections,[555] with the view of dissolving the cementing ingredient of the concretion, and thereby of destroying its cohesion: see page 123. Not being very nauseous, it is easily given under any circumstances, and it is not liable to produce that irritability of stomach which frequently attends the long continued use of the fixed alkalies. It also frequently forms the basis of astringent gargles. Lime water moreover affords a successful remedy in certain cutaneous affections, particularly those affecting the face, as Gutta Rosea. Sir G. Blane has also seen some remarkable cures of herpetic complaints of the legs by large doses; he has also employed it with effect as a lotion. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Milk disguises its flavour, without impairing its virtues. DOSE, f℥j to f℥vj. Sugar has the curious property of rendering lime more soluble in water. See Saccharum.
LIQUOR CALCIS MURIATIS. L.D.
Solution of Muriate of Lime.
This solution is said to be tonic and deobstruent, and to have been advantageously given in scrofula. It has also been found useful in Urticaria, and several other forms of cutaneous disease. INCOMPATIBLES. Sulphuric acid, and the Sulphates; the fixed alkalies and their carbonates; ammonia produces no change in the solution, but its carbonate decomposes it, and precipitates carbonate of lime. DOSE, ♏︎xx to fʒij.
LIQUOR CUPRI AMMONIATI. L.
Solution of Ammoniated Copper.
This is a simple solution of the salt in distilled water. The preparation, although perfectly transparent when first formed, soon becomes turbid and deposits oxide of copper; this arises from the escape of ammonia, and may be prevented by the occasional addition of a small quantity of the volatile alkali. See Cuprum Ammoniatum. The Medicinal Dynameter will show the proportion of salt in any given quantity of the solution.
LIQUOR FERRI ALKALINI. L.
Solution of Alkaline Iron.
This preparation is nearly the same as Stahl’s Tinctura Martis Alkalina. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is by no means ascertained. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. It is a most injudicious preparation, for it cannot be exhibited in any form without decomposition; water, especially if not distilled, and vegetable infusions and decoctions, produce dense precipitates; pure acids, alkalies, and spirit, also decompose it. I must confess my regret at the College having retained this preparation in their Pharmacopœia; the committee agreed to reject it, but their judgment was reversed by the votes of the Comitia Majora. Should any practitioner be unable to procure this preparation, I will give him an easy receipt for producing it, viz. Let him keep the Mistura Ferri composita in an open vessel, until it is entirely spoilt!
LIQUOR HYDRARGYRI OXY-MURIATIS. L.
This solution of corrosive sublimate is intended to facilitate the exhibition of minute doses of the salt; f℥j contains gr. ½; when long kept, or exposed to light, the oxy-muriate is decomposed, and calomel is precipitated; (see Hydrag: Oxymuriatis:) or, what is more dangerous, it is sometimes deposited in crystals, without decomposition; a small portion of muriatic acid, or muriate of ammonia in the solution, prevents this precipitation. DOSE, fʒss to fʒij, in an infusion of linseed.
LIQUOR PLUMBI SUB-ACETATIS. L.
LIQUOR SUB-ACETATIS LITHARGYRI. D.
Aqua Lithargyri Acetati, P. L. 1767.
Solution of Sub-acetate of Lead: olim, Extract of Saturn.
This preparation was introduced by M. Goulard of Montpellier, hence it has been commonly known by the name of Goulard’s Extract. QUALITIES. It is of a greenish straw colour, and has an austere, sweetish taste; when kept it deposits a quantity of oxide, and becomes lighter coloured. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is a saturated solution of the sub-acetate of lead, consisting, according to Berzelius, of one proportional of acid, and three proportionals of oxide of lead; hence its name is correct. It is the only instance with which we are acquainted of a real sub-salt being soluble in water. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Alkalies and their carbonates precipitate a white sub-salt; alkaline sulphates and sulphurets; mucilage. Spring Water, from the salts which it contains, produces with it a very milky and turbid appearance; and even when distilled, in consequence of the carbonic acid diffused through it, it occasions precipitation. The Surgeon will remember that the Linimentum Saponis cannot be mixed with it, without mutual decomposition. See Sapo. MED. USES. It is only used externally, in superficial and phlegmonic inflammations of the skin, and in herpetic affections. It has been a question whether Lead, in any form, should ever be applied to an open wound, or to an abraded surface;[556] as a general rule, it should not certainly be applied to such as are recent, nor to those whose character indicates a diminished state of vitality in the parts, and exhibits a disposition to gangrene. The abuse of Saturnine lotions has been frequently descanted upon by foreign writers, and, among the evils which are supposed to be thus induced, impotence is mentioned as one of not unfrequent occurrence. See Institutioni di Medicina Forens: di Tortosa, vol. 1. p. 58. also Fritze Compend: sopra le Malat: Vener: p. 189. and Monteggia Annotat: sopra i Mali Venerei, p. 36. There is a paper in the third volume of the Medical Transactions, by Dr. Reynolds, in which the case of a gentleman is detailed, who brought on a temporary paralysis of the Sphincter Ani, by freely using Goulard’s lotion for the cure of the Piles. The value of Saturnine applications in common inflammation most probably arises from a partial paralysis of the nerves of the part, produced by the sedative agency of the lead.
LIQUOR PLUMBI SUB-ACETATIS DILUTUS. L.
As the former preparation is very rarely employed in its concentrated form, the College has directed its dilution, and added a portion of spirit, with a view to accelerate its evaporation, and thus to produce a refrigerating effect; but for such a purpose the quantity of spirit is far too small, and should therefore be increased by extemporaneous addition.
LIQUOR POTASSÆ. L. AQUA POTASSÆ. E.
AQUA KALI CAUSTICA. D.
Aqua kali puri. P.L. 1787. Lixivium Saponarium, 1745.
QUALITIES. A limpid, dense, colourless solution; a pint should weigh ℥xvj; when rubbed between the fingers it feels soapy, in consequence of a partial solution of the cuticle. The solution, as usually prepared, contains small portions of muriate and sulphate of potass, silica and lime; but these incidental impurities do not invalidate its virtues; it ought not to effervesce with acids. MED. USES. Antacid, diuretic, alterative, and lithonthryptic; and externally, when diluted, it acts as a stimulating lotion,[557] and if concentrated, as a caustic; see Potassa Fusa. The operation of this and other alkaline remedies, have at different periods been celebrated as powerful lithonthriptics, and whilst experience has in some cases confirmed the value of the practice, it has in others proved no less decidedly its mischievous agency; these contradictory results are at length capable of explanation, for Chemistry has drawn aside the veil that has so long obscured the history, origin, and cure of calculous diseases, and has demonstrated that these extraneous bodies vary in composition, and are consequently very differently affected by the same chemical solvents; but this subject has already been so fully discussed in the first part of this work, under the chapter on “Antilithics and Lithonthryptics,” that it is unnecessary to dwell upon it in this place.
It has also been found highly useful in the cure of several species of cutaneous affections; as in Lepra, Psoriasis, &c. which diseases generally appear to have some connection with a morbid state of the digestive functions; see Form: 149. DOSE of the solution of potass, ♏︎x to fʒss, in veal broth[558] or table beer; this latter vehicle disguises its nauseous flavour completely. In many cases, the infusion of some bitter tonic will be the most eligible liquor in which it can be exhibited, especially where our object is to promote its absorption: the theory of such a combination has been already explained in the first part of this work, p. 153. OFFICINAL PREP. Potassa fusa, L.E.D. Potassa cum calce, L.E.D. Liquor Sulphureti Kali, D. Antimonii Sulphuretum Præcipitatum, L.E.
LIQUOR POTASSÆ SUB-CARBONATIS. L.
AQUA SUB-CARBONATIS KALI. D.
Aqua Kali præparati, P.L. 1787.
Lixivium Tartari. 1745.
Oleum Tartari per deliquium, P.L. 1720.
QUALITIES. It is a clear, colourless, and inodorous solution; Spec. grav. 1·446. DOSE, ♏︎x to fʒj. See Potassæ Sub-carbonas, and Form: 39, 41. The proportion of the salt contained in any quantity of the solution may be learnt by referring to the Dynameter.
LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA.
American Tulip bearing poplar.
Cortex.
[This is a native tree of America, and one of the most magnificent to be found in our forests—distinguished no less by its great altitude than by its beautiful foliage. It grows in almost every part of the United States. The part used in medicine is the Bark. This has a rough, fibrous appearance and is of a whitish colour. Its taste is bitter, astringent, and somewhat acrid and aromatic. By analysis, it yields gum, resin, muriatic acid, iron, mucus, &c. In its action on the system, it is decidedly tonic, exhibiting at the same time, to a certain extent, stimulant properties. If given in considerable quantities it acts also on the skin and kidneys. It has been used with advantage and success in intermittent fever, chronic rheumatism, gout, hysteria, and in debilitated states of the stomach. It may be given in substance, which is the most efficacious form of using it, in doses of from ʒss to ʒij.]
LOBELIA INFLATA.
Indian Tobacco. Herba.
[This is a plant very common in the United States. It has an acrid taste, very similar to that of green tobacco. By analysis it is found to contain an acrid principle, caoutchouc, and extractive. It is soluble both in water and alcohol. In its medicinal effects, the lobelia is analogous to common tobacco, and varies very much according to the dose in which it is given. It may thus be made to act either as an emetic, antispasmodic, expectorant, or diaphoretic. The diseases in which it has been found useful are asthma, croup, hooping cough, and catarrh. The tincture is the best preparation, and is prepared by digesting, for ten days, ℥ij of the plant in a pint of diluted alcohol. The dose is from ʒj to ʒiv—of the powder, the dose to prove emetic is from 10 to 20 grs.]
MAGNESIA. L. MAGNESIA USTA. D.
Calcined Magnesia.
QUALITIES. Form, a white, very light, soft powder; Specific gravity, 2·3; it turns to green the more delicate vegetable blues. SOLUBILITY. Although it requires 2000 times its weight of water to hold it in solution, yet it has the property of considerably increasing the solubility of camphor, opium, and resins in the same fluid; it is soluble in solutions of the alkaline carbonates, but not in those of caustic alkalies. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. It is an oxide of a peculiar metal. MEDICINAL USES. Antacid, and when acidity prevails, purgative; it is preferable to the carbonate whenever the bowels are distended with flatus, (Form: 150): in other respects, its virtues are the same. See Magnes. Carb. The Medicinal Dynameter will shew the equivalent doses of the pure earth and its carbonate; it will be seen for instance that 12 grains of the former will be as efficient, as an antacid, as 25 grains of the latter. INCIDENTAL IMPURITIES. It ought not to effervesce with acids, and if magnesia and muriatic acid be placed at one time in separate cups, in a scale of a balance, no diminution of weight should take place on mixing them. Lime is detected by its solution in dilute sulphuric acid affording a precipitate with oxalate of ammonia; the sulphuret of lime betrays itself by yielding, when moistened, the smell of sulphuretted hydrogen.[559]
MAGNESIÆ SUB-CARBONAS. L.
CARBONAS MAGNESIÆ. E. MAGNESIA. D.
Olim, Magnesia Alba.
Carbonate of Magnesia, vulgo, Common Magnesia.
This preparation was formerly considered by Mr. Phillips to be a mixture of carbonate and sub-carbonate of magnesia, an opinion which he has lately retracted; it is, says he, evidently a carbonate, i. e. magnesia combined with one proportion of carbonic acid, or forty-eight of carbonic acid to forty-three of magnesia. Dr. Thompson entertains a different opinion, he observes that it seems to be a mechanical mixture of carbonate of magnesia, caustic magnesia, and perhaps of hydrated magnesia; he found too great a diversity in its composition to permit the conclusion that it was a definite chemical compound; in a specimen purchased at Glasgow, he also found six per cent. of sulphate of lime. I take this opportunity of stating that in some specimens which I have examined, I have also detected portions of gypsum; and from the experiments of Dr. Percival, it appears that if hard water be employed for its preparation it will be less light, and will contain a portion of lime. Magnesia will be also liable to contain traces of silicious earth, derived from the alkali used in producing it. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Acids, and acidulous salts; alkalies and neutral salts; alum; cream of tartar; nitrate of silver; acetate of mercury; oxy-muriate of mercury; acetate of lead; sulphates of zinc, copper, and iron. MEDICINAL USES. Antacid, and purgative. In cases of lithic calculi, carbonate of magnesia, in doses of ℈j to ʒj, has been proposed by Mr. Hatchett, as a valuable substitute for alkaline remedies. Its insolubility must render its absorption equivocal; its beneficial operation must therefore principally depend upon its neutralizing any excess of acid in the primæ viæ, and in this way there can be no doubt of its lithonthryptic agency; “but,” says Dr. Marcet, “such is the tendency which the public has to over-rate the utility of a new practice, or to take a mistaken view of its proper application, that there is every reason to believe that the use of magnesia has of late years become a frequent source of evil in calculous complaints.” See page 124. OFFICINAL PREP. Hydrarg. cum Magnesia. D. Magnesia. L.E.D. ADULTERATIONS. Chalk may be detected by adding dilute sulphuric acid to a suspected portion, when, should any be present, the solution will be loaded with a white and insoluble precipitate; gypsum, by boiling a sample in distilled water, and assaying the solution by a barytic and oxalic test.[560]
MAGNESIÆ SULPHAS. L. SULPHAS MAGNESIÆ. E.D.
Magnesia Vitriolata. Sal catharticum amarum.
Bitter purging Salt. Epsom Salt.
QUALITIES. Form, small needle-like crystals. Taste, bitter and nauseous; when pure, it effloresces. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. In its crystallized state, it may be considered as composed of 1 proportional of dry sulphate (Magnesia 18·5, and sulphuric acid 37·5) and 7 proportionals of water. SOLUBILITY. f℥j of water dissolves ℥j, and the solution measures fʒxj¼; it is insoluble in alcohol. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Muriates of ammonia, baryta, and lime; nitrate of silver; sub-acetate, and acetate of lead. The fixed alkalies and their carbonates, precipitate from it magnesia and its carbonate. Phosphate of soda occasions no immediate precipitate, unless ammonia be present, in which case the triple ammoniaco-magnesian phosphate will be produced. The addition of ammonia, which in the form of Spiritus ammoniæ aromat. is not unfrequently prescribed in conjunction with a solution of this sulphate, forms also a triple salt, and a portion of magnesia is precipitated: whenever therefore this ammoniacal stimulant is ordered with a purgative salt, the scientific physician will prefer a solution of the sulphate of soda. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. Dissolved in the Infusum Rosæ, or in a suitable quantity of beef tea, gruel, or any aqueous vehicle, its cathartic powers are increased by dilution, as well as by the addition of a little common salt; magnesia renders the taste of its solution less nauseous; and tartarized antimony quickens its operation. DOSE, ℥ss to ℥ij, taken either at once, or in divided doses. Form. 37, 69, 72, 76. OFFICINAL PREP. Enema Catharticum. Enema Fœtid. D. ADULTERATIONS. Sulphate of Soda is often substituted for this salt, which it may be made to resemble by stirring it briskly at the moment when it is about to crystallize; the fraud may be detected by a precipitation not ensuing on adding carbonate of potass; if only a part of the salt be sulphate of soda, the degree of sophistication can be learnt by the quantity of the precipitate formed; 100 parts of sulphate of magnesia, if pure, will yield between 30 and 40 of the dry carbonate. Epsom salt, as it commonly occurs, contains muriate of magnesia, which disposes it to deliquesce, but lately this salt has appeared in the market in a state of great purity and beauty; the mode of purification is founded upon the well known chemical law, that a saturated solution of one salt is still capable of dissolving another; in the present instance, therefore, the impure crystals are washed in a saturated solution of the same sulphate, which, although unable to act upon its kindred salt, can dissolve with facility the muriate, and any other saline contamination. I confess, however, that I am induced to regard this process as rather chemically ingenious than as medicinally useful, for the usual saline impurities of Epsom salt are not only harmless, but capable of increasing its purgative powers; the double refined sulphate is certainly less efficient as a cathartic. The presence of the muriate may be at once detected by dropping upon the suspected sample some sulphuric acid, by which the disengagement of muriatic acid vapour will be produced. Since the publication of the fourth edition of the present work, I have received samples of the sulphate of Magnesia, prepared by Mr. West of Lymington, and I can confidently recommend the article to the profession; he contrives to obtain them in large and beautiful crystals, which cannot be so easily mistaken for those of oxalic acid, a circumstance of no small importance to the drug vender; the form of these crystals is that of a square prism, having its edges replaced, and commonly terminated by a pyramid of four planes; the only cleavage is parallel to one of the diagonals of the prism. The numerous accidents which so frequently occur from mistaking Oxalic acid for Epsom Salts have given rise to many suggestions for obtaining an easy and popular test which may at once distinguish these bodies; it is evident that no test can be so simple as that afforded by the taste; but if such accidents are in future to be prevented, it must be done by imparting to the acid some external character by which it may be at once recognised; if a test were even discovered a hundred times more sensible than any which we possess, what would it avail?
MANNA.[561] L.E.D.
(Fraxinus Ornus. Succus Concretus.)
Manna.
QUALITIES. Form, flakes of a granular texture; Colour, whitish, or pale yellow; Odour, slight but peculiar; Taste, nauseous sweet, with some degree of bitterness. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. This concrete vegetable juice, besides sugar, appears to contain mucilage and extractive, to which its taste and other peculiar properties are owing. SOLUBILITY. It is entirely soluble in water and alcohol. MED. USES. It is now merely regarded as a laxative for children, or for weak persons. It generally requires some laxative adjunct, as castor oil, with which it may be combined by the medium of mucilage. DOSE, for children, from ʒj to ʒiij, in warm milk. OFFICINAL PREP. Confectio Cassiæ. L.E.D. Enema Cathart. D. Enema Fœtid. D. Syrup. Sennæ. D. ADULTERATIONS. There are several varieties in the market, the best of which is flake manna, manna canulata, in a stalactitic form. An article, entirely factitious, consisting of honey or sugar, mixed with scammony, is sometimes sold for genuine manna, but its colour, weight, transparency, and taste, must instantly lead to its detection.
MASTICHE. L.
(Pistachia Lentiscus. Resina.)
Mastich.
The use of this resinous substance is to fill the cavities of carious teeth; a solution of it in oil of turpentine is sold as an odontalgic. The Turkish and Armenian women use it as a masticatory for cleaning the teeth, emulging the salivary glands, and imparting an agreeable odour to the breath. It forms a constituent of the Dinner Pills. See Aloes. Sonnini tells us that, in Egypt, the smoke of Mastich is supposed to kill any sick person that inhales it.
MEL. L.E.D. Honey.
This well known substance appears to be merely collected from the flowers, and not elaborated by the internal economy of the insect; when properly diluted it undergoes vinous fermentation, the product of which is the beverage well known by the name of Mead. The English honey is more waxy than that from the south of Europe. Virgin honey is that wrought by young bees which have never swarmed, and permitted to run from the comb without heat or pressure. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Sugar, mucilage, wax, an acid, and occasionally some essential oil. Clarified Honey, (Mel Despumatum. L.D.) has not the agreeable smell of crude honey; it does not however ferment so readily, nor is it so apt to gripe. USES. It is principally employed for forming several officinal preparations, i. e. Mellita, viz. Mel Boracis. L. Mel Ros. L.D. Oxymel. L.D. Oxymel Colchici. E. Oxymel Scillæ. L.D.[562] Sir John Pringle considered it as useful in nephritic disorders; it possesses also a laxative property, which renders it on many occasions preferable to Syrup. ADULTERATIONS. Flour may be detected by diffusing the honey in tepid water, by which it will be separated, and, by subsequent boiling, converted into a thick paste.
MELIA AZEDARACH.
PRIDE OF CHINA. Cortex radicis.
[This plant is a native of the East Indies, from whence it was introduced into Europe and North America. The part used in medicine is the bark of the root. It is a powerful anthelmintic, and affects the system in a way very similar to the Spigelia Marylandica, producing not unfrequently confusion of the head, stupor, trembling of the hands, &c. This is particularly the case if it be used in the months of March and April, when the sap rises in the tree. It is chiefly against the round worm that the Melia has been found successful, though in some cases it has proved effectual also against the Tænia. It is generally given in the form of decoction: to prepare this, ℥iij or ℥iv of the bark of the fresh root are put into a quart of water and boiled down to a pint, of which ℥ss to ℥j may be given every two or three hours till it operates. Administered in this way, it frequently causes both purging and vomiting.]
MENTHA PIPERITA. L.E.D.
MENTHA PIPERITIS. D. Peppermint.[563]
All the qualities of this plant depend upon an essential oil and camphor; it readily and strongly impregnates either water or spirit, by infusion; its infusion, and the water distilled from the plant, are carminative and antispasmodic; they also serve as vehicles for other medicines, to correct their operation, or to disguise their flavour. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Aq. Menth. Piperit. L.E.D. Spir. Menth. Pip. L.D. Ol. Menth. Pip. L.D. If this plant be cut in wet weather, it turns black, and is worthless.
MENTHA VIRIDIS. L. MENTHA SATIVA. D.
Spearmint.
Cold water extracts the more agreeable and active parts of mint in a few hours; a longer maceration extracts the grosser and less agreeable portions; hot water more quickly extracts its virtues, but if it be boiling it dissipates the aroma. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Aq. Menth. virid. L.D. Infus. Menth. comp. D. Ol. Menth. virid. L. D. Spir. Menth. virid. L.
MEZEREI CORTEX. L.E.D.
(Daphne Mezereum. Radicis Cortex.)
Mezereon.
The inner bark of this plant, when fresh, is corrosive and even vesicatory; the fruit is equally so, but neither have any smell; its virulence is counteracted by camphor. It contains, besides extractive matter, an acrid resinous substance, which, according to Plaff, bears a strong resemblance to the active principle of Cantharides. It is now seldom used except as an antivenereal remedy, or in cases of chronic cutaneous disease. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. In a decoction, made by boiling ℥ss of the bark, with an equal quantity of Liquorice root, in oiij of water down to oij; of which f℥ss may be given twice a day. From its pungency it is one of the substances used by fraudulent brewers to communicate a strong flavour to their beer. Where a discharge from issues cannot be kept up by the common means, it is said that the introduction of a little of this bark, instead of the pea, will in a few hours produce the desired effect. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Decoct. Sarsaparill. comp. L. Decoct. Daphnes. Mezerei. E. The Daphne Laureola is very generally sold for Mezereon.
MISTURÆ. L.E.D. Mixtures.
The principles upon which this form of preparation is to be constructed, are fully detailed in the first part of this work, page 199.
Officinal Mixtures.
MISTURA AMMONIACI. L. This mixture is expectorant, and may be exhibited with tincture of squills, &c. (Form. 115, 136.) It is slightly curdled by vinegar, oxymel, æther, and oxy-muriate of mercury.
MISTURA AMYGDALARUM. L. Emulsio Amygdali communis. E. Lac Amygdalæ. D. It is a useful demulcent and diluent, and forms an elegant vehicle for more active medicines. Incompatibles—Acids, Oxymel, Syrup of Squill, Spirit, and Tinctures, unless added in very small quantities, decompose this mixture; tartaric acid, super-tartrate of potass, and oxy-muriate of mercury, also disturb it. Form. 137.
MISTURA ASSAFŒTIDÆ. L. A nauseous preparation; and where its use is indicated, it will be more judicious to prescribe it as an extemporaneous mixture. See Assafœtida.
MISTURA CAMPHORÆ. L. This solution of camphor forms an elegant vehicle for more active stimulants. The camphor is separated from the water by a solution of pure potass, by sulphate of magnesia, and by several saline bodies. See Form. 7, 24, 25, 32, 47, 72, 116, 117, 123.
MISTURA CORNU USTI. L. Decoctum Cornu Cervini. D. This is nothing more than a simple diffusion of phosphate of lime in a thin mucilage—Cui bono? It was retained in the Pharmacopœia in deference to the opinion of some experienced practitioners.
MISTURA CRETÆ. L.D. A common and useful remedy in diarrhœa, and may be combined with opium, catechu, or any other astringent. Form. 52. It is of course incompatible with acids, and acidulous salts.
MISTURA FERRI COMPOSITA. L. This is nearly the same as the celebrated anti-hectic mixture of Dr. Griffith; to the result of the decompositions which take place from the mixture of its ingredients, it is wholly indebted for its medicinal energies; thus, a proto-carbonate of iron is formed, i. e. the iron combined with carbonic acid is at its minimum of oxidation, which renders it more active than the common carbonate, and probably less stimulant than the sulphate; this product, by means of the saponaceous compound formed by the union of the myrrh with the excess of alkali, is partly diffused and suspended in the mixture, and partly dissolved, whilst at the same time a sulphate of potass is formed, which serves to correct the astringent influence which iron is apt to exert upon the bowels. The iron in this preparation is disposed to combine with an additional proportion of oxygen, hence its ingredients should be quickly mixed together, and it ought to be considered as an extemporaneous preparation, and be preserved in a closely-stopt vessel. Its change of colour will generally indicate its loss of efficacy. This preparation must be regarded as permanently serviceable in Chlorosis, and the numerous sympathetic affections connected with it. In the painful swellings which infest the breasts of chlorotic young women, I have found it almost a specific. DOSE, f℥j-f℥ij. The proportion of Proto-carbonate of iron, contained in any given quantity of this mixture, may be found by referring to the Medicinal Dynameter; for instance, bring the preparation to 12, and we shall perceive that this number of fluid-drachms contain 1 grain of Protoxide, or rather more than gr. iss of Proto-carbonate of iron; and we shall, at the same time, perceive that to give an equivalent quantity in the form of Pil. Ferri comp. we must prescribe ℈j. See Form. 96.
MISTURA MOSCHI. This is an eligible form for the administration of Musk. Dose, f℥j-f℥ij, to which may be added extemporaneously, ammonia, æther, and other diffusible stimulants.
The Dose of the above mixtures is f℥j-to f℥ij twice or thrice a day.
MOSCHUS. L.E.D. Musk.
QUALITIES. Form, grains concreted together, dry, yet slightly unctuous. Colour, deep brown with a shade of red; Odour, aromatic, peculiar, diffusive, and durable; and it has the curious property, when added in a minute quantity, to augment the odour of other perfumes without imparting its own; this renders it a valuable article in perfumery, on which account it is a usual ingredient in lavender water. Taste, bitterish and heavy. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Resin combined with volatile oil, and a mucilaginous extractive matter, with small portions of albumen, gelatine, muriate of ammonia, and phosphate of soda. SOLUBILITY. Boiling water dissolves it perfectly; rectified spirit takes up most of its active parts, although the odour is only discovered upon dilution; sulphuric æther is its most complete menstruum. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. The solutions are decomposed by Oxy-muriate of Mercury; Sulphate of Iron; Nitrate of Silver; and the Infusion of Yellow Bark. MED. USES. Stimulant and antispasmodic. As early as the time of Meade it was employed in typhus fever; Pringle administered it in gout of the stomach, a practice which received the concurrence of Cullen; conjoined with ammonia it has been celebrated for its powers in arresting the progress of gangrene, and of imparting fresh excitement to the nervous system. It has been also administered with success in epilepsy, hooping cough, and other spasmodic affections. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. The best form is that of bolus, combined with ammonia or camphor, or some other similar remedy, (Form. 21); it may be also administered in a mixture, for which purpose it requires five times its weight of mucilage, consequently the London College has not directed a sufficient quantity to retain the musk in suspension: by previously triturating it with sugar, its minute division is much facilitated. DOSE, grs. x to xxx. See Form. 22, 30. OFFICINAL PREP. Mist. Mosch. L. Tinct. Mosch. D. ADULTERATIONS. The bag containing the musk should have no appearance of having been opened: the presence of dried blood may be suspected, by its emitting, as it inflames, a fetid smoke; Asphaltum is discovered by its melting and running before it inflames: the artificial bags are known from the deficiency of the membrane which lines the real musk bags. To increase the weight of the musk, fine particles of lead are frequently added; this is easily detected, for by rubbing it with water the metallic particles will subside.
MOSCHUS FACTITIUS. Artificial Musk, strongly resembling the real, may be formed by digesting f℥ss of Nitric Acid, for ten days, upon ℥j of fetid animal oil, obtained by distillation; to this is to be next gradually added oj of rectified spirit, and the whole is then to be left to digest for one month: or—
2. Drop fʒiiiss of nitric acid upon fʒj of rectified oil of amber; after standing twenty-four hours, a black, resinous pellicle, exhaling the odour of musk, will be formed.
MUCILAGO ACACIÆ. L.E.
MUCILAGO GUMMI ARABICI. D.
This preparation consists of one part of gum and two of water; in preparing it, the dispenser is particularly recommended to pulverize the gum, and never to employ that which is purchased in the state of powder, as it is always impure and incapable of forming a pellucid and elegant solution.[564] INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Neither the strong acids nor alcohol, when considerably diluted, occasion any disturbance in it; but sulphuric æther and its compound spirit, the tincture of muriated iron, and sub-acetate of lead, produce very dense precipitates: the acetate of lead only occasions decomposition, when an alkaline salt is present in the formula; the volatile alkali curdles the mucilage, and hard calcareous waters render the mixture difficult and often impracticable. In the pharmaceutical application of this mucilage, it should be remembered that it contains in its composition an astringent principle, which is perhaps of but trifling consequence except in the exhibition of some very few active metallic salts, which are certainly decomposed by it (e. g. grs. x of nitrate of mercury are decomposed by ʒij of gum arabic.[565]) It contains also lime in combination with some vegetable acid. USES. Diluted with four times its bulk of water, this mucilage forms a demulcent mixture of appropriate tenacity, which affords a convenient vehicle for several efficient remedies; the pharmaceutical use of this mucilage depends upon the fact of its rendering expressed and essential oils, balsams, resins, gum-resins, resinous tinctures, and fatty bodies, miscible with water, but if a syrup be added, the union will be more perfect; the proportions necessary for this purpose vary according to the nature of the substances; thus, oils will require about three-fourths their weight, Balsams and Spermaceti an equal part, Resins a double quantity, and Musk five times its weight; the following Formulæ illustrate this property, 9, 19, 22, 135.
MUCILAGO AMYLI. L.E.D.
Mucilage of Starch.
This is a strong, insipid, inodorous mucilage, which is principally employed as a vehicle for exhibiting Opium in the form of Enema, see Amylum.
MUCILAGO ASTRAGALI TRAGACANTHÆ. E.D.
Tragacanth Mucilage.
Tragacanth is, strictly speaking, not soluble in water, but imbibes a large portion of it and swells into a considerable bulk, forming a soft but not a liquid mucilage; on the farther addition of water, a fluid solution may be obtained by agitation, and the liquor is turbid; but on standing, the mucilage subsides, the limpid water on the surface retaining a little of the gum;[566] it differs from all gums in giving a thick consistence to a larger quantity of water, its power in this respect being to that of gum arabic as twenty to one; one part converts twenty of hot water into a stiff mucilage. Tragacanth is not increased, but actually diminished in solubility by the addition of any other gum, it accordingly separates from water with much greater facility when gum arabic is present. This preparation, according to the Edinburgh college, consists of one part of gum and eight of water; the resulting mucilage is stiff, and is principally employed for making troches. The Dublin preparation contains four times that quantity of water.
MYRISTICÆ NUCLEI. L.E.
Nux Moschata. D. Nutmeg.
All the properties of this well-known substance depend upon an essential oil, filling the dark coloured veins which run through its substance, the other components are starch, gum, wax, and a fixed oil. The oil obtained by expression is improperly called oil of mace, for it would appear to be a triple compound of fixed oil, volatile oil, and wax, and which, although limpid when first drawn, soon acquires on cooling the consistence of spermaceti. Mace is the involucrum of the nut. MED. USES. Stimulant, and in large doses, as from ʒij to ʒiij, narcotic, frequently producing delirium. See Cullen Mat. Med. ii. 201. OFFICINAL PREP: Spir: Myristicæ. L.E.D. FRAUDS. Nutmegs are frequently despoiled of their essential oil, by being punctured and submitted to the operation of decoction, the orifices being subsequently closed by powdered Sassafras; the imposition is detected by the comparative lightness of the nutmeg, and by its extreme fragility; the holes may also be discovered by carefully examining the surface of the nut, after having steeped it in hot water.
MYRRHA. L.E.D.
(Arboris nondum descriptæ, Gummi-resina.)
Myrrh.
QUALITIES. Form, irregularly shaped pieces, translucent, of a reddish yellow colour; Odour, peculiar and fragrant; Taste, bitter and aromatic. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Resin, gum, essential oil, and some extractive. SOLUBILITY. When triturated with soft, or distilled water, nearly the whole appears to be dissolved, forming an opaque, yellowish solution, but by rest the greater part is deposited, and not more than one-third is actually dissolved; its solubility, however, in water may be increased by trituration with camphor or an alkali; rectified spirit dissolves it, and the resulting tincture, when diluted, becomes turbid, although no precipitate occurs. MED. USES. Stimulant, as in Form. 103. Expectorant, 132, 133, 138. Emmenagogue, 95, 98, 99. It is also tonic, and agrees with some constitutions better than any of the bitters. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. No form is so eligible as that of substance. DOSE, grs. x to ʒj. The alkalies, in their crystalline state, when triturated with myrrh, reduce it to the form of a tenacious fluid. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Tinct. Myrrh. L.E.D. Tinct. Aloes et Myrrh. E. Tinct. Aloës Ætherea. E. Mist. Ferri comp. L. (=G L=) Pil. Aloes cum Myrrha. L.E.D. Pil. Ferri cum Myrrha. L. Pil. Galb. comp. L.D. (=B=) Pil. Assafœtid. comp. E. (=B=) Pil. Rhei, comp. E. (=G=) ADULTERATIONS. It is subject to a variety of frauds, being frequently mixed with adventitious gums, which are to be detected by their foreign odour, their white or dark colour, and by their opacity.
NUX VOMICA. (Strychnus Nux Vomica.)
Nux Vomica.
This seed has not at present a place in the British pharmacopœiæ; it presents however several points of interest to the physiologist, the physician, and the chemist. Its virulent action upon animals has been long known; and it has been administered in combination with gentian in intermittents.[567] (Ludovic. Phar. p. 113,) and as a narcotic in mania; it also constituted an ingredient in the famous Electuarium de ovo, (Ph. Angl. p. 263.) Nux vomica has been said to produce benefit in the plague; the German writers have strongly commended it in mania, epilepsy, and hydrophobia; as well as in chronic rheumatism, gout, scrophula, lues venera, and cutaneous eruptions; in Sweden it is stated to have displayed very beneficial effects in Dysentery. Dr. Fourquier has lately introduced its use in the Hopital de la Charité, in cases of partial paralysis, and it is said, with very great success.[568] The value of the practice has been since confirmed by the experiments of Dumeril, Majendie, Hebreard, Husson, and Asselin. The dose is four or five grains of the powder in pills, during the day. The French codex contains two alcoholic extracts of this substance; the one prepared with a strong spirit (22, 32, Beaumé, i. e. from sp. gr. ·915 to ·856,) is much more active and powerful than that made with a weak spirit. (12, 22, Beaumé, i. e. from sp. gr. ·985 to ·915.)
M. M. Pelletier and Caventou have discovered in this substance, a peculiar proximate principle, to which its virulence is owing; it was named Vauqueline, in honour of the celebrated French philosopher, but in deference to the opinion of the French Academy of Sciences, the discoverers have substituted the name Strychnia, because “a name dearly loved, ought not to be applied to a noxious principle!”[569] (Annales de Chimie, vol. 8 to 10.) Strychnia is highly alkaline, and crystallizes in very small four-sided prisms, terminated by four-sided pyramids; its taste is insupportably bitter, leaving a slight metallic flavour, and is so powerful as even to be perceptible when a grain is dissolved in eighty pounds of water;[570] it has no smell; is not changed by exposure to the air, nor is it either fusible or volatile, for when submitted to the action of heat, it only fuses at the moment of its decomposition which takes place at a temperature inferior to that which destroys most vegetable substances; it is so extremely active and violent, that in doses of half a grain it occasions serious effects, and in larger ones convulsions and death; it is perhaps the most powerful,[571] and next to hydro-cyanic acid, the most rapid of poisons; notwithstanding its strong taste, it is very sparingly soluble in water, requiring 6667 parts of that fluid for its solution at 50, and 2500 at 212°. It is very soluble in alcohol, but unlike most of the other vegetable alkalies, is nearly insoluble in æther; with acids it forms neutral and crystallizable salts; these salts as well as their base, have the singular property of becoming bloodred by the action of concentrated nitric acid. The alcoholic solution of Strychnia has the property of precipitating the greater number of metallic oxides from their acid solutions. It is precipitated by alkalies and alkaline earths. Strychnia exists in native combination in the Strychnus with an acid which has some analogy with the malic, and which Pelletier and Caventou propose to call the Igasuric acid, from the Malay name for the bean of St. Ignatius,[572] (Strychnus Ignatius,) in which its properties were first examined. In conformity with such views, the active principle of the tribe of Strychni is an Igasurate of Strychnia;—a fact which suggests the existence of a most singular and striking analogy between the chemical constitution of these narcotico-acrid bodies[573] and that of opium. The recent experiments of Pelletier have shewn, moreover, that besides Strychnia, the Nux Vomica contains Brucia, an alkaline body which had been previously discovered in spurious Angustura. Its properties are similar to those of Strychnia, but it is less active. Being much more soluble in alcohol than Strychnia, if care be taken to crystallize the latter several times in alcohol, it will be separated, the Brucia remaining in the mother waters. Strychnia has been given in doses of one-twelfth of a grain, but it is a most dangerous remedy, and is liable to occasion tetanic convulsions.[574] It has been said, however, to prove serviceable in cases of Epilepsy that had resisted every other method of cure. Dr. Fleming informs us that the Hindoos of upper India are in the habit of adding Nux Vomica in the process of distilling Arrack, for the purpose of rendering the spirit more intoxicating. The London Porter brewers have been accused of the same pernicious practice.
OLEA DESTILLATA. L. OL. VOLATILIA. E.
OL. ESSENTIALIA. D.
Distilled, Volatile, or Essential Oils.
The British pharmacopœiæ direct them to be obtained by distillation only; the French codex orders several of them to be prepared by expression. QUALITIES. Form, liquid, sometimes viscid; specific grav. various; oil of turpentine, which is the lightest, being only 0·792, whilst the oil of cloves, cinnamon, and allspice, exceed 1·030, and that of sassafras, which is the heaviest, amounts to 1·094; these latter oils hold resin in solution, and of course sink in water. Odour, penetrating and fragrant; Taste, acrid; they are volatilized at a temperature somewhat below that of boiling water; they are very inflammable. SOLUBILITY. Very soluble in alcohol, forming what are termed in perfumery Essences; in water they are very sparingly soluble; the solutions are known in pharmacy under the title of distilled waters; they are also dissolved by æther, and the fixed oils; when digested with ammonia, some of the less odorous acquire a considerable degree of fragrance, whilst on the contrary, fixed alkalies universally impair their odour; they are rapidly decomposed by nitric and sulphuric acids, and their action is sometimes attended with instant inflammation. Volatile oils, from continued exposure to the air, absorb oxygen, and become resinous, by which they lose their volatility, fragrance, and pungency, hence they should be preserved in small opaque phials, completely full and well stopped. MED. USES. They act as powerful stimulants and aromatics; they remove nausea and flatulence, correct the griping of certain purgatives, and cover the offensive taste of various remedies. See Aquæ destillatæ. They, moreover, have the property of defending certain animal and vegetable preparations from mouldiness. This curious fact has been already noticed, see page 177. The following is a list of the species admitted into our British pharmacopœiæ; those designated in italics are principally for internal use. OLEA Anisi, Anthemidis, Carui, Juniperi. Lavandulæ, Menthæ Piperitæ, Menthæ viridis, Origani, Pimentæ, Pulegii, Rosmarini, L. OLEA VOLATILIA, Juniperi communis, Juniperi Sabinæ, Lavandulæ Spicæ, Lauri Sassafras, Menthæ Piperitæ, Myrtæ Pimentæ, Pimpinellæ Anisi, Rorismarini Officinalis. E. OLEA Juniperi, Pimento, Corticis et Ligni Sassafras, e Seminibus Anisi, Carui, Fœniculi dulcis, Florum Lavendulæ, Foliorum Sabinæ, Herbæ florescentis Menthæ Sativæ, Origani, Pulegii, Rorismarini, Rutæ, D. ADULTERATIONS. Fixed Oils may be detected by moistening writing paper with the suspected article and holding it before the fire: if the oil be entirely essential, no stain of grease will remain; as castor oil is more soluble in spirit than the others, it is the one generally selected for this fraudulent purpose, and the addition of alcohol restores the sophisticated oil to its proper degree of consistency. Alcohol is discovered by adding water, which, if it be present, occasions a milkiness, and at the same time, an increase of temperature; a decrease of bulk also takes place, which may easily be ascertained by measuring the oil and water separately, and then transferring them, in a state of mixture, into a tube of small diameter. Cheaper oils, as that of turpentine, are recognised by their peculiar odour, which may be developed by rubbing a drop upon the hand and holding it to the fire, or, by the dense black smoke with which they burn. The oil of aniseed, as it crystallizes at 50°, is frequently sophisticated with wax, spermaceti, or camphor; the fraud is detected by warming the oil, when the crystals, if genuine, will dissolve.[575] In some cases the refractive power of the oil affords a test of its purity. See my work on Chemistry in its relations to Medicine, § 318.
OLEA EXPRESSA. L.D.
OLEA FIXA, SIVE EXPRESSA. E.
Expressed or Fixed Oils.
These are obtained from animal matter by fusion, and from vegetable by expression, or decoction with water. QUALITIES. Odour, none; Taste, mild; they boil at 600°, but undergo decomposition, becoming acrid and empyreumatic; the oil, in this state, was formerly used in medicine under the name of philosopher’s oil.[576] By exposure to air they absorb oxygen and become rancid; they congeal at a temperature of 32°, and some even above that. When the oil is expressed by heating the plates of the press, or by previously roasting the seeds, it is more disposed to become rancid; cold drawn oils are on this account to be preferred for the purposes of pharmacy. SOLUBILITY. They are insoluble in water, and, except castor oil, nearly so in alcohol and æther; with caustic alkalies they combine and form soaps; when aided by heat they readily unite with oxide of lead, forming the solid compound well known by the term plaister. They unite also very readily with each other, and with volatile oils. SOLVENT POWERS. They dissolve sulphur, and form a kind of balsam with it; they also possess the power of extracting and dissolving the narcotic and acrid principles of several vegetable and animal substances, in consequence of which, the French pharmacopœia directs a series of preparations under the term “Olea Medicata;” thus there are olea Cicutæ, Hyoscyami, Solani, Stramonii, Nicotianæ;[577] which are made by digesting with a gentle heat, one part of the subject in two parts of olive oil.[578]
OLEUM AMYGDALARUM. L.E.D.
Oil of Almonds.
This fixed oil, whether procured from the sweet or bitter almond, has the same properties, for the bitter principle resides exclusively in combination with a peculiar volatile oil attached to the mucilage;[579] that from the latter keeps longer without rancidity. It is sometimes made from old Jordan almonds, by heat, in which case it very soon grows fetid. Nut oil, Oleum nucum Coryli, has been proposed as a substitute for that of almonds; in China it is drunk with tea, instead of cream. MEDICAL USES. For forming emulsions, in coughs, and other pulmonary complaints. FORMS OF EXHIBITION. It may be formed into an emulsion by the intermedium of mucilage, the yelk of an egg, or by that of an alkali.
1. BY MUCILAGE. This is in general a more convenient medium than the yelk of an egg; one part of gum, made into mucilage, will be sufficient for the diffusion of four parts of oil, (see Mucilago Acaciæ) the oil and mucilage must be carefully triturated together, and the water then gradually added; the emulsion thus formed is permanent, and the addition of a moderate quantity of acid, spirit, or tincture, will not produce decomposition. See Form. 73.
2. BY ALKALIES. This oil, by uniting with alkalies and water, forms an elegant and grateful mixture, for which purpose the following proportions are to be observed, every fʒj of oil requires ♏︎viij of liquor potassæ, and f℥iss of distilled water. INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES. Acids; oxymel; syrups of poppies and squills; tartrate and super-tartrate of potass; super-sulphate of potass; oxy-muriate of mercury; resins; hard water. See Form. 166, 167.
OLEUM AMYGDALÆ AMARÆ VOLATILE.
QUALITIES. Colour, pale yellow; Odour, fragrant and pungent, having the characteristic smell of prussic acid. Taste, pungent, bitter, and peculiar. SOLUBILITY. Like other essential oils, its sensible properties and medicinal effects are imparted to water; in alcohol it is very soluble.[580] CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. A peculiar oil, combined with hydro-cyanic acid. M. Vogel of Munich has lately succeeded in separating these constituents, by agitating the whole in a concentrated solution of potass, and distilling to dryness; the oil volatilized together with water, while the residuum in the retort was found to contain Cyanide of Potassium. The volatile oil, thus purified, is without odour, and heavier than water. Its taste is extremely acrid and burning; by contact with air it crystallizes rapidly; it dissolves easily in alcohol and æther, but only in a very small proportion in water. The flame of its combustion is very brilliant, and accompanied with much smoke. In order to discover whether this oil, when freed from its hydro-cyanic acid, is still poisonous, M. Vogel put a drop of it on the tongue of a sparrow; when it died, after violent convulsions, in a few seconds; he also poisoned a dog, two months old, with four drops of it; whence he concludes that the volatile oil, divested of its hydro-cyanic acid, is still a poison, although less energetic than the oil that has not undergone such a change. Med: Uses. It has all the characteristic effects of prussic acid, but is so powerful and dangerous as to preclude its application. It is principally sold to perfumers and confectioners.
It is generally obtained by distilling the expressed cake of bitter almonds; the operation however requires considerable pharmaceutical address, and is, moreover, attended with unpleasant consequences.[581]
OLEUM OLIVÆ. L.E.D. Olive Oil.
QUALITIES. Colour, pale yellow, somewhat inclining to green; Taste, bland; Odour, none; it ought to congeal at 38° Fah. With the exception of the oil of Almonds, it is the lightest of the fat oils, its specific gravity being only ·915. According to the recent observations of Dr. Clarke of Cambridge, this oil crystallizes in rectangular four-sided prisms with square bases. USES. Although much less laxative than Castor oil, it is a useful aperient. It was long regarded, but erroneously, as possessing antidotal powers against the bites of venemous snakes and insects; and it has been confidently recommended, in the form of liniment, as a remedy against the Plague. OFFICINAL PREPARATIONS. Linimentum Ammoniæ Fortius. L. ADULTERATIONS. It is not unfrequently mixed with the oil of poppy seeds, (see Papaveris Capsulæ), a fraud which may be easily discovered by exposing a sample to the freezing temperature, when the olive oil will congeal, while that of poppies will remain fluid; and since those oils which freeze with most difficulty are most susceptible of rancidity, the admixture of poppy oil must be regarded as injurious: it also deserves notice that the peculiar habitudes of Oil of Olives, with the Pernitrate of Mercury, offer a distinguishing character, by which the adulteration of the oil may be satisfactorily detected; for if the pernitrate, made by dissolving 6 parts of the metal in 7·5 of nitric acid, of sp. grav. 1·36, at a common temperature, be mixed with olive oil, the mixture, if kept cold, will in the course of a few hours become solid, whereas if it has any admixture of the oil of grains, it will not undergo such a change. The contamination derived from lead, which is frequently immersed in the oil for the purpose of removing its rancidity, may be detected by shaking one part of the suspected sample with three parts of water, impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, in a stopped phial.
OLIBANUM. L.D.
Juniperus Lycia. Gummi-resina.
Olibanum.[582]
QUALITIES. Form, fragments of a translucent, whitish yellow, and generally powdered with a whitish dust, occasioned by the friction of the pieces against each other; Odour, when burning is fragrant; Taste, bitterish and acrid. SOLUBILITY. When triturated with water, a milky solution results, which after some time deposits the resinous part, and retains not more than three-eighths dissolved. Alcohol dissolves three-fourths of it, and forms a solution perfectly transparent. Æther dissolves more than half, leaving a white opaque residuum soluble in water. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. The latest analysis of this substance is by Braconnot, who found in 100 parts of it, of volatile oil 8, resin 56, gum 39, and of an anomalous principle resembling gum, but insoluble in water and alcohol, 5·2 parts. The oil, in colour and smell, very strongly resembled that of lemons. MED. USES. It is now less used than formerly; it is however stimulant and diaphoretic. Pulverized it enters into several popular electuaries for gleets, fluor albus, &c. and very probably acts by finding a passage into the urine, without undergoing any change or decomposition.
OPIUM. L.E.D. (Papaver Somniferum.) Capsularum immaturarum Succus concretus. (Turcicus.)
Turkey Opium.[583]
Two kinds are found in commerce, distinguished by the name of Turkey and East India Opium.
QUALITIES. Form, Turkey opium occurs in flat pieces, of a solid compact texture, and possessing considerable tenacity; Sp. gr. 1·336, so that, when compared with the condensed juices of other plants, it is heavy, being exceeded only in this respect by opoponax and gum-arabic. By long exposure to the air it becomes hard, breaks with a glimmering fracture, owing to the presence of a few saline particles, and affords a yellowish powder. It is opaque, tenacious, plastic, adherent to the fingers. Colour, a reddish-brown, or fawn. Odour, peculiar, heavy, and narcotic. Taste, at first a nauseous bitter, which soon becomes acrid with some degree of warmth. It is inflammable, but yields no narcotic odour on burning. SOLUBILITY. It is partially soluble in water, alcohol, æther, wine, vinegar, and lemon juice; when triturated with hot water, five parts in twelve are dissolved, six suspended, and one part remains perfectly insoluble and resembles gluten. By long boiling, its soporific powers are impaired and ultimately destroyed: the alcoholic is more highly charged with its narcotic principle than the aqueous solution; but spirit, rather below proof, is its best menstruum. The watery solution when filtered is transparent, and reddens the colour of litmus; it undergoes no change on the addition of alcohol, but precipitates occur from pure ammonia and from the carbonates of fixed alkalies; from the solutions of oxy-muriate of mercury, nitrate of silver, sub-acetate and acetate of lead, the sulphates of copper, zinc, and iron, and from an infusion of galls. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. Resin, gum, bitter extractive, sulphate of lime, gluten, Narcotine (see note) and a peculiar alkaline body, to which the soporific virtues of opium are owing, and to which the appropriate name of Morphia has been assigned; and it appears moreover that this new alkaline body exists in combination with an unknown acid, which has therefore been denominated the Meconic Acid; so that the narcotic principle of opium is Morphia in the state of a meconiate, or perhaps of a super-meconiate.
For these important facts we are indebted to the successive labours of Derosne,[584] Seguin,[585] Sertuerner,[586] and Robiquet. And the French codex contains, in its appendix, formulæ for the preparation of morphia[587] according to the directions of these two latter chemists: viz. Robiquet’s process. Three hundred parts of pure opium are to be macerated during five days, in one thousand parts of common water; to the filtered solution, fifteen parts of perfectly pure magnesia (carefully avoiding the carbonate,) are to be added; boil this mixture for ten minutes, and separate the sediment by a filter, washing it with cold water until the water passes off clear; after which, treat it alternately with hot and cold alcohol, (12, 22, Bé.) as long as the menstruum takes up any colouring matter; the residue is then to be treated with boiling alcohol (22, 32, Bé.) for a few minutes. The solution, on cooling, will deposit crystals of Morphia.
Rationale of the Process. A soluble Meconiate of Magnesia is formed, whilst the sediment consists of Morphia in the state of mixture, with the excess of magnesia; the boiling alcohol with which this residuum is treated, exerts no action upon the magnesia, but dissolves the Morphia, and on cooling surrenders it in a crystalline form. A repetition of the treatment with boiling alcohol will procure a fresh crop of crystals, and the process should be continued until they cease to appear.
Sertuerner’s method. It differs from the preceding, in substituting ammonia for magnesia, and in adding to the sediment, separated as before mentioned, as much sulphuric acid as is sufficient to convert the Morphia into a sulphate, which is subsequently decomposed by a farther addition of ammonia; the precipitate thus produced is then dissolved in boiling alcohol, which on cooling surrenders the Morphia in a state of crystalline purity. It appears however that the Morphia produced by this latter method, is less abundant and more impure and coloured, than that which is furnished by the process of Robiquet.
Characters of Morphia. When pure, it crystallizes in very fine, transparent, truncated pyramids, the bases of which are either squares or rectangles, occasionally united base to base, and thereby forming octohedra. It is sparingly soluble in boiling water, but dissolves abundantly in heated alcohol; and the solution is intensely bitter; in æther it is far less soluble. It has all the characters of an alkali; affecting test papers, tinged with turmeric or violets; uniting with acids, and forming neutral salts, and decomposing the compounds of acids with metallic oxides. It unites with sulphur by means of heat, but the combination is decomposed at the same instant; it is incapable of forming soap with an oxidized oil. It fuses at a moderate temperature, when it resembles melted sulphur, and like that substance, crystallizes on cooling; it is decomposed by distillation, yielding carbonate of ammonia, oil, and a black resinous residue, with a peculiar smell; when heated in contact with air, it inflames rapidly; the voltaic pile exerts but little action upon it, yet, when mixed with a globule of mercury, the latter appears to become increased in bulk, and to change consistence. When analyzed by means of the deutoxide of copper, it yields carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; and if ammonia has been employed, as a precipitant in its preparation, we shall also obtain some nitrogen, but not if prepared according to the improved process of Robiquet. Its habitudes with different bodies have not hitherto been sufficiently investigated, but they are highly important, in as much as they will explain the operation of those various medicinal compounds, into which opium enters as a principal ingredient. Sertuerner has given us an account of the effect of the alcoholic solution of Morphia on himself and three of his pupils; he found, that repeated small doses of half a grain produced at first decided excitation; then weakness, numbness, and tendency to fainting; after swallowing vinegar while in this condition, violent vomiting was excited, profound sleep intervened in one delicate individual, and next day he suffered from nausea, vomiting, head-ache, anorexia, constipation, and heaviness (Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. T. v.) This case is sufficient to shew that although Morphia possesses the characteristic powers of opium, its strength is by no means commensurate with its supposed concentration. When uncombined it exerts little or no action in consequence of its insolubility. The following history of its saline compounds may be useful.
The Carbonate crystallizes in short prisms.
The Acetate in needles, very soluble, and extremely active.
The Sulphate, in arborescent crystals, very soluble.
The Muriate, in plumose crystals, much less soluble; when evaporated, it concretes into a shining white plumose mass on cooling.
The Nitrates, in prisms grouped together.
The Meconiate, in oblique prisms, sparingly soluble.
The Tartrate, in prisms.
Morphia is separated from the above combinations by ammonia.
Morphia is very soluble in olive oil, and according to the experiments of M. Majendie, the compound acts with great intensity; with extractive matter, it forms a compound which is almost insoluble in water, but very soluble in acids.
The solubility of Morphia in acids explains why the administration of vinegar increases the powers of opium, (see page 135.) M. Majendie considers Morphia to produce a more purely soporose effect than opium, and that it is moreover exempt from the consecutive operation which so generally renders opium objectionable. This opinion, however, has not been confirmed by the trials made in this country; equally gratuitous is the assertion of the same physiologist, that by ringing changes on the salts of Morphia, its hypnotic effects may be kept up without increasing its dose.
As M. Majendie considers the after effects of opium to be independent of Morphia, it was necessary for him to point out the particular principle from which these noxious consequences arose, and he accordingly ascribed them to the Salt of Derosne, now more usually denominated Narcotine, and which may be entirely removed from the extract of opium by macerating it in sulphuric æther; and in this way, it is said, a preparation is obtained, which, like Morphia, is exempt from the occasional bad consequences of the common drug; but no satisfactory trials have as yet been made with it.
The Meconic acid, when separated from the residuum of the magnesian salt, as described above, does not appear to possess any medicinal activity. Its distinguishing chemical character is, that it produces an intensely red colour in solutions of iron oxidized ad maximum.
EAST INDIA OPIUM is an inferior species;[588] it differs from Turkey Opium, in its texture being less compact, and much softer; its colour darker; its narcotic odour fainter, but combined with a strong empyreuma, and in its taste being more bitter, but less acrimonious. According to the experiments of Mr. A. T. Thomson, Turkey Opium contains three times more morphia than the East Indian variety. This latter, when triturated with water, is taken up without any residuum; hence it contains no gluten, but the sulphate of lime is more abundant, as appears from the relative proportion of precipitate produced by oxalic acid. The solution of the acetate of barytes, whilst it occasions no disturbance in the solutions of the Turkey variety, produces a copious precipitate with the East Indian.
MED. USES. Are so well known that a few practical remarks will suffice.[589]