545. Ipecacuanha Lozenges. Each Lozenge contains half a grain of Ipecacuanha.

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

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

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

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

550. Essential Salt of Lemons. See Potassæ Super-tartras.

551. Ward’s Essence for the Head-ache.—Nothing more than Liniment. Camph. Comp.

552. Steer’s Opodeldoc.—Castille Soap ℥j, Rectified Spirit, f℥viij, Camphor ʒiiiss, Oil of Rosemary fʒss, Oil of Origanum fʒj. Solution of Ammonia fʒvj.

Bates’s Anodyne Balsam.—It consists of one part of Tincture of Opium, and two of Opodeldoc, i. e. Liniment. Sapon. comp.

Freeman’s Bathing Spirits.—Liniment. Saponis comp. coloured with Daffy’s Elixir. Jackson’s Bathing Spirits differs from the former in the addition of some essential oils.

Lynch’s Embrocation.—Olive oil impregnated with Bergamot and some other essences, and coloured with Alkanet root.

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

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

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

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

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

557. Hankay’s Lotion, or Preventive Wash. This famous nostrum for the prevention of venereal infection, was nothing more than a solution of caustic potass.

558. Dr. Chittick’s Remedy for the Stone. This celebrated nostrum consisted of a fixed alkali in veal broth; the broth was usually made by his patients, and sent to him fresh every day, in order to be medicated. A. D. 1766.

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

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

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

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

563. Essence of Peppermint.—A spirituous solution of the Essential Oil, coloured green by Spinach leaves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

573. See note under the article Opium.

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

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

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

576. Oil of Bricks. So called because this empyreumatic oil was sometimes obtained by steeping hot brick in oil, and submitting it to distillation.

577. Roche’s Embrocation for the Hooping Cough. Olive oil mixed with about half its quantity of the oils of cloves and amber.

Struve’s Lotion for the Hooping Cough. This once famous nostrum consisted of ʒj of Tartarized Antimony, dissolved in f℥ij of water, to which was added f℥j of Tincture of Cantharides.

578. The editors have also unaccountably retained the Oleum de Lumbricis!

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

580. Essence or Bitter Almonds. The preparation sold under this name, for the purposes of perfumery, &c. consists of one part of this essential oil, and seven parts of Rectified spirit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Squire’s Elixir. Opium, camphor, serpentaria, sub-carbonate of potass, anise and fennel seeds, made into a tincture, and coloured with cochineal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

599. The Pix Arida of the late Pharmacopœia.

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

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

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

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

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

605. See next Note.

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