The Edinburgh new dispensatory : containing, I. The elements of pharmaceutical chemistry : II. The materia medica ... : III. The pharmaceutical preparations and compositions : including complete and accurate translations of the octavo editionof the London pharmacopoeia, published in 1791 : Dublin pharmacopoeia, published in 1794 : and of the new edition of the Edinburgh pharmacopoeia, published in 1803 : illustrated and explained in the language and according to the priciples of modern chemistry : with many new and useful tables, and seveal copperplates, explaining the new system of chemical characters, and representing the most useful pharmaceutical apparatus / by Andrew Duncan, Jun. M.D.

  • Lewis, William, 1708-1781.
Date:
July 1805
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Edinburgh new dispensatory : containing, I. The elements of pharmaceutical chemistry : II. The materia medica ... : III. The pharmaceutical preparations and compositions : including complete and accurate translations of the octavo editionof the London pharmacopoeia, published in 1791 : Dublin pharmacopoeia, published in 1794 : and of the new edition of the Edinburgh pharmacopoeia, published in 1803 : illustrated and explained in the language and according to the priciples of modern chemistry : with many new and useful tables, and seveal copperplates, explaining the new system of chemical characters, and representing the most useful pharmaceutical apparatus / by Andrew Duncan, Jun. M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The Commentaries upon this part, are more or lefs fuli, as the fubjecl feemed to be more or lefs important. Little alteration has been made in the obfervations upon their medical powers, becaufe thefe vvc-re generally the refult of more practical experience than we poftefs, and becaufe this Difpcnfatory is to be confidered rather as a pharmaceutical than a pr; cli- cal expofition of the Bntifh Pharmacopoeias. At cr,e time it was alfo in- tended to have inferted examples of extemporaneous prefcription, with ob- fervations ; but it would have extended the work too much beyond its ufual limits ; and fortunately the latter deficiency is well fupplied by the The- faurus Medicaminum, and the former by the practical Synopliscf the Ma- teria Alinienfaria et Medica, and by Dr. Cullen's claffical work. During the progrefs of this publication, all the beft Journals and fyftems of Chemiftry, particularly Fourcroy's Syjlcme des Conaaiffances C'oimt- <jues, have been occasionally confulted, for chemical information. But we lie under more immediate obligations to feme of the German writers en Pharmacy, fr.ch as Hagen, Hermbstaedt, Gottling, Gren and Westrume. The writings of the French Chemifts, alfo contain detached pharmaceutical facts ; but it is not a little remarkable, that a nation which has publifhed the beft fyftems of Chemiftry, fhould net have produced a (in- gle elementary work on Pharmacy that is not below mediocrity. THE ancient practice of naming medicines from their inventors, or fup- pofed virtues, has been for fome time exploded from our Pharmacopoeias ; but it has been long cuftomary to defcribe both fimple fubftances and then- preparations or compofitions by what are generally termed Officinal Names in contradistinction to the prefent fyftematic names of the fame fubftances. But their officinal names are in fact the old fyftematic names, which v ere unaccountably retained for the denomination of medicinal fubftances, after the improvements in Natural Hiftory and Chemiftry rendered the intro- duction of a new nomenclature into thefe fciences Decenary. Attempts have been made, both in this Country and in Germany to in- troduce the language of Chemiftry into Pharmacy ; but thefe attempts, however ufeful, were but feeble and incomplete. The honor of being the firftto compofea Pharmacopoeia in the pure and unmixed language of Sci- ence,belongs indifputably to the Royal College of Phyficians of Edinburgh, in the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. It is extremely probable that to this innovation many objections may be made ; but it is probable that they will rather apply to the neceftary imperfections of the fir ft: attempt, than to the principle itfelf, the propriety of which can fcarcely be doubted, twhen we confider, that Materia Medica and Pharmacy are but an applica- ion of Natural Hiftory and Chemiftry to a particular purpofe. lithe general principle be admitted^ it naturally follows, that the names of all Subltances employed in Medicine, fhould be the fame with the names of the fame fubftances, according to the moft approved fyftems of Natural Hiftory and Chemiftry, and that the titles of Compound Bodies fhould ex- cprefs as accurately as pcftible the nature of their compofition. Confiderablc difficulties, however, occur, in attempting to form a no- menclature in ftrict conformity with thefe principles. The mqft apparent of thefe is, that the titles of the more compounded medicines would be- come too verbofe and inconvenient, if they were to exprefs every ingredi- ent, although of little importance. The College, fully aware of this diffi- culty, have therefore contented themfelves with indicating in the titles the principal ingredient only, on which their powers and ufes feem to depend.