A complete history of drugs / Written in French by monsieur Pomet, chief druggist to the late French King Lewis XIV. To which is added what is further observable on the same subject, from mess. Lemery and Tournefort, divided into three classes, vegetable, animal, and mineral; with their use in physic, chemistry, pharmacy, and several other arts. Illustrated with above four hundred copper-cuts ... A work of very great use and curiosity. Done into English from the originals.

  • Pomet, Pierre, 1658-1699.
Date:
1748
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A complete history of drugs / Written in French by monsieur Pomet, chief druggist to the late French King Lewis XIV. To which is added what is further observable on the same subject, from mess. Lemery and Tournefort, divided into three classes, vegetable, animal, and mineral; with their use in physic, chemistry, pharmacy, and several other arts. Illustrated with above four hundred copper-cuts ... A work of very great use and curiosity. Done into English from the originals. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the former beaten Mafs muft beforehand be moif- hence it is concluded, that the larger Grains are tened with the following Liquor. Çt Spirit of Wine ? xx. Spirit of Wine Vinegar, Jxij. Spirit of Nitre, Jiiij. Spirit of Sal Armoniack, fij. Camphire, f j. diffolved in Spirit of Wine, mix together for the Purpofe aforefaid. Or inftead thereof, if all thefe Things cannot be had, with this, ft Brandy, xl. Camphire fj. mix and dif~ much of its Strength. folve-, the Mafs being made up into Balls as large ~ * ‘ as Eggs, put them into the Sieve, and with them a wooden Ball, fo moved up and down about the Sieve that it may break the Balls of Powder : make all pafs through the little Holes into Corns. But in making of vaft Quantities, to do it all by the Hand, would be a moft tedious and flavifh Work, and therefore Lings and the fupreme Rulers of Countries have provided Mills for that Purpofe, by Help of which they can do more in one Day than a Man can in an hundred. You may tnake Powder of various Colours, if you fo pleafe, but then you muft leave out the Charcoal, and put in as much for it of another Thing of the Colour you intend, which may be as apt to kindle or take Fire as Charcoal is ; but for real Service, whether for War or Hunting, &c. the black Powder is much to be preferred j yet for Satif- faeftion Sake, we will give you the Directions for making White Powder. White Powder. Take Salt-petre, iolfc. Sulphur, ftj. Saw-dujl of Elder, or the like Wood, dried and powdered fine, ftij. mix and make Powder by the former Directions. Or thus: ft Nitre ioft. Sulphurs It jQ. dried and finely powdered, Saw- dujl ifcij. mix and make Powder. Or thus : Ik Ni¬ tre iolfc. Sulphur, itij. Rotten Wood dried and powdered it ij. Salt of Tartar, | iij. mix and make Powder, to be kept clofe from the Air. This is alfo to be noted, that in making Pijlol Poivder, if you would have it ftronger or more violent, you ought to ftir it up feveral Times while it is in the Mortar, and moiften it with Wa¬ ter diftilled from Orange or Lemon-peels in an Alembick, and then beat it for twenty-four Hours, as aforefaid. ftronger than the fmaller, and for that Reafon Cannon Powder is granulated larger than Mufket, and Mulket than Piftol; and therefore being put into Ordnance, Mutkets, or Piftols, it ought not to be forced or beaten fo home or hard into the Piece, as to bruife the Grains, left it thereby lofe To know the Goodnefs of Gun-powder. It is tried three Ways, by Sight, by Touch, and by Fire. Firjl by Sight-, If it be too black, it is too moift, or has too much Charcoal in it ; fo alfo if rubbed upon white Paper, it blacks it more than good Powder does. If it be of a kind of Azure Colour, or a little obfeure, fomething bordering upon red, it is a Sign of good Powder. Secondly by Touching ; If in crufhing of it with your Fingers Ends the Grains eafily break and turn to Duft, without feeling hard, it has too much Coal in it. If in prelfing under your Fingers upon a frnooth hard Board, fome Grains feel harder than the Feft, or as it were dent your Fin¬ ger’s End, or very hardly yield to preffing, the Sul¬ phur is not well mixed with the Nitre, and the Powder naught. Thirdly by Burning ; Lay little Heaps of Powder, three Inches or more afunder upon white Paper, and fire one of them ; if it only fires and burns all away, and that fuddenly, almoft imperceptibly, without firing the others, and makes a fmall thun¬ dering Noife, and a white clear Smoak rifing in the Air, almoft like a Circle, the Powder is very good : But if it leaves black Marks behind it, it has too much Coal in it, or is not well burnt. If it leaves a Greafinefs behind it, the Sulphur or Nitre are not well cleanfed or ordered as they fhould be. And if two or three Corns of Powder be laid upon a Paper an Inch afunder one from another, and you put Fire to one of them, and they all fire at once, leaving no Sign behind but a white fmoaky Colour in the Place, and the Paper not touched, the Powder is good ; fo alfo if fired in your Hand, and it burns it not; but if black Knots, which burn downwards in the Place where Proof was made, remain after firins, it is not Moreover, you ought to know, that Powder, _ _ when it is corned, is of much greater Force and ftrong enoughrbut wantsNkre Power than when in Duft or Meal ; and from VOL, II. BOOK