The new dispensatory: containing, I. The elements of pharmacy. II. The materia medica ... III. The preparations and compositions of the new London and Edinburgh pharmacopoeias / [William Lewis].

  • Lewis, William, 1708-1781
Date:
1785
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The new dispensatory: containing, I. The elements of pharmacy. II. The materia medica ... III. The preparations and compositions of the new London and Edinburgh pharmacopoeias / [William Lewis]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    neral kingdom. The fine foft chalk, the coarfer limeftones. the hard marbles, the tranfparent fpars, the earthy matter contained in waters, and which, feparating from them, incruftates the fides of caverns, or hangs in icicles from the top, receiving from its dif- ferent appearances different appellations; howftrongly foever fome of thefe bodies have been recommended for particular medicinal purpofes, arc at bottom no other than different forms of this cal- careous earth, fimple pulverization depriving them of the fuper- ficial characters by which they were diftinguifhed in the mafs. Moft of them contain generally a greater or lefs admixture of fome of the indiflpluble kinds of earth ; which, however, affcCts their medicinal qualities no otherwife, than by the addition which it makes to their bulk. Chalk appears to be one of the pureft, and is therefore in general preferred. They all burn into a ftrong quicklime : in this ftate, a part of them diffolves in water, which thus becomes impregnated with the affringent and iithontriptic powers that have been erreneoufiy aferibed to fome of the earths in their natural Hate. 2. The animal calcareous earth : burning into quicklime, like the mineral. Of this kind are ovfter fhells, and all the marine fhells that have been examined ; though with fome variation in the ftrength of the quicklime produced from them. 3. The earth of bones and horns : not at all burning into quick- lime. This kind of earth is more difficult of folution in acidsthan cither of the preceding. It is accompanied in the fubjects with a quantity of gelatinous matter, which may be feparated by long boiling in-water, and more perfeCljy by burning in the open air: the earth may be extVaCtcd alfo from the bone or horn, though difficultly, by means of acids ; whereas vegetables, and the foft parts of animals, yield their pure earth by burning only. II. Earths fcluble with cafe in the •vitriolic as well as other acids ; and yielding, in all their combinations therewith, jaline concretes foluble in zvater. 1. Magnefia alba : compofng with the vitriolic acid a bitter pur- gative liquor. This earth has not yet been found naturally in a pure ftate. It is obtained from the purging mineral waters and their ialts, from the bitter liquor which remains after the cryftallization of fea fait from fea water, and from the fluid which remains un- cryftallized in the putrefaction of fome forts of rough nitre. The afhes of vegetables appear to be nearly the fame kind of earth. 2. Aluminous earth : compofng with the vitriolic acid a very afringent liquor. This earth alfo has not been found naturally pure. It is obtained from alum, which is no other than a combi- nation of it with the vitriolic acid : it may likewife be extracted, by ftrong boiling in that acid, from days and boles. III. Earths