Thomson's Conspectus of the British pharmacopoeias.

  • Thomson, Anthony Todd, 1778-1849.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thomson's Conspectus of the British pharmacopoeias. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/248 (page 9)
    effects observed in the course of the author's own practice have been cautiously adopted. In marking the incompatible articles, those only are given which are likely to enter into extempo- raneous prescriptions with the substance under which they stand: and it is to be wished that more attention were bestowed upon these by the majority of practitioners; for, undoubtedly, many of the confused and contradictory accounts which have been given of the effects of different remedies, have arisen from the injudicious combinations into which they have been made to enter, as well as the improper circumstances of the cases in which they have been prescribed. To make up for the shortness of the descriptions in the body of the work, a more general and full account of each of the classes of substances employed is given in the Introduction; and to facilitate the art of prescription to the student, a few of the more common formulae are introduced by way of example; besides a Table, graduating the doses of medicines to the ages of the patients. As the work is an acknowledged compilation, very little of novelty can be expected in it, and the sole merit it can claim is that of correctness. As it is, he presents it to the public, whose decision must eventually stamp the value of every production, either of labour or of intellect; and, therefore, while he sets the rudder of his little bark, and commits it to the popular tide, he trusts that, if it be worthy of attention, and can prove useful, it will be wafted to a safe port; but if not, it will quickly founder, and be for ever forgotten. a5