Vim purgantem calefacientem, fanguinem fundentem, emmenagogam & lumbricos enecantem, poffidet, data interne a granis aliquot ad duodecim. Externe vim balfamicam, mundificantem & confolidantem exhibet, in carnofis præfertim partibus.'

Herba fpigelia, cum radice, off. Spigelia Anthelmia. Linn. Amerikanisches Würmkrauc.

Vis anthelmintica, & in nimia dofin arcotica. Datur in pulvere ad fcrupulum unum, in infufo autem aquofo ad drachmam unam, duas vel et tres, pro ratione ætatis.

Radix Belladonna, off. Atropa Belladonna. Linn. Tollkirlchen Wolfkirlchenwurzel.

Vis quidem toxica, virofa, narcotica, acris ei ineft, prudenti tamen ufu, infignem fopiendi & refolvendi vim commonftrat, & miafma rabiofum, non tamen fine turbis, per fudorem expellet. Datur in pulvere a grano uno ad duodecim.'

The lift of the Materia Medica is ample; we do not however find many redundancies, nor do we obferve any material omiffions.

The fecond part, which prefcribes the methods of preparing and compounding medicines, is, like the Materia Medica, in alphabetical order; and at the end of each article, are added the qualities and ufes of the compounds, with their dofes. To give a defcription of every formula would be to copy the whole work; we can only, therefore, felect fuch as we think of the greatest importance, either on account of their novelty, neatnefs, or fuch as fhew the chemical abilities of Dr. SCHLERETH either to advantage or difadvantage.

The acetum radicale is directed to be made of the terra foliata tartari and concentrated vitriolic acid. This elegant method of obtaining the acetous acid was fuggefted by us, on a former occafion, as preferable, both medically and chemically, to that of procuring it from verdig reafe.-The diftilled vinegar is dif carded, and its place is fupplied by acetum vini concentratum, which is ordered to be prepared, either by freezing good fragrant wine vinegar and throwing away the ice, until the remaining unfrozen liquor faturates three times its weight of dry fixed vegetable alkali; or by evaporating, with a flow fire, good vinegar, to one third part of its quantity. We formerly recommended the freezing method, and by fresh experiments, we find it capable of being made even ftronger than that above Specified.

The next preparation which is worthy of notice, is the acidum tartari cryftallifatum, f. fal effentiale tartari. It is a moft agreeable falt, and of fingular ufe in inflammatory fevers, or in other cafes where thirst requires to be quenched. Dr SCHLE

• See Rev. vol. lxxviii. p. 453, for June last.

Yy3

RETH

RETH orders it to be made thus: Boil bii. of cream of tartar in ten of water, for an hour; add to the liquor, while on the fire, as much (it requires about nine ounces *) prepared oyfterhelist as is neceflary for a complete faturation, or till the effervescence ceafes; let the mixture ftand for half an hour, until the tartareous felenite be fettled to the bottom: pour off the lixivium, and wash the felenite on a filter, till the wafhings have no tafte. The decanted lixivium and the, washings evaporated and cryftallized, yield about 16 ounces of tartarus tartarifatus. Mix 10 ounces of concentrated vitriolic acid with as much pure water, and place the veffel containing them on a fand heat; add to this mixture the tartareous felenite before obtained, and let the whole ftand in a gentle fand heat for 24 hours. Pour off the lixivium, and wash the refiduum on a filter. This refiduum is gyps. The last lixivium and washings are to be evaporated ad cuticulam, and be fet in a cold place for three or four days, that any remaining felenite may cryftallize: filter again, evaporate to the confiftence of fyrup, and fet it in a cool place to crystallize. The produce will be about 10 ounces.

Such is the fubftance of Dr. SCHLERETH's prescription; it is founded on true principles, and is a beautiful experiment to fhew the doctrine of affinities. There is nevertheless a method of conducting the procefs fo as to make the produce about a third greater, and yet exhibit more curious phenomena refpecting the affinities; and that is by fubftituting burnt oyfter-fhells, i. e. de erated lime, for the prepared fhells. Such a quantity must be used as will fully faturate the tartareous acid of the cream of tartar, and then the lixivium will be cauftic vegetable alkali, and not tartarus tartarifatus; for the tartareous acid has a ftronger attraction to the lime than to the vegetable alkali; the acid will therefore unite to the lime, and quit the alkali, By experiment, we have found 10 parts of cream of tartar to require four of dry quicklime. There is an abfolute neceffity for afcertaining the quantity of vitriolic acid to be used; but as this is difficult on account of the various ftrength of the vitriolic acid, the proper quantity ufed may be known by the following teft. After the tartareous felenite is added to the vitriolic acid, take a fmall quantity of the liquor, and put into it a few drops of concentrated extract of lead; a white precipitate will immediately appear; if this white precipitate vanishes on the addition of a few drops of nitrous acid, then the liquor is perfectly free from any vitriolic acid: but if, on the contrary, the precipitate does not d:fappear on the addition of the nitrous acid, it is a fign of the

*Thefe weights are divided in the fame manner as our apothe caries weight is.

+ Levigated without calcination.

Who would make falt of tartar by the ordinary laborious way of calcination, when it may be thus eafily procured?

prefence

presence of the vitriolic acid, and in this cafe it will be neceffary to add more of the tartareous felenite to the mixture.

The general direction for diftilling the fimple waters is to fufpend the flowers or herbs, whofe water is to be diftilled, in a linen bag over the water in the ftill, inftead of macerating them in the water. This method will certainly prevent any empyreu ma from taking place.

The elixir fætidum appears to be a moft excellent antihysteric and antifpafmodic medicine: it may indeed be used either internally or externally. The formula is, R Caflor. Ruff. 3ís. Alfafætid. 3. Opii zís. Sal volat. c. c. zi. Spt. vin. rectificat. 3iv. Mixta, et per quatuor dies in vafe bene claufo digesta, per linteum colentur.'

The Flores Benzoës is called fal volatile Benzoës, and is prepar ed by boiling the powdered gum in fix times its weight of water, and placing the filtered liquor in the cold to cryftallize: the remaining gum, if any, is to be again powdered and boiled with a fresh quantity of water (the fame water, after cryftallization, would furely be preferable), and the filtered liquor to be again fet to cryftallize. These cryftals are faid to be of a filver colour (argentei coloris), and confequently perfectly free from the pungent oil, a circumftance which renders them much fuperior to the ordinary Flares Benzoës. We have not repeated this experiment, but we perceive that Dr. LEWIS has mentioned it in his Mat. Med. p. 129. edit. of 1761. It is certainly a much better method than the ordinary one of fublimation: the process is eafier, and the crystals are more pure.

The lapis caufticus is fimply an infpiffation of the cauftic lixivium of vegetable alkali. How much neater, and how much more powerful, is it than the pafte that is made by thickening the lixivium with powdered lime?

In the direction for making magnesia, the washing is ordered to be continued till the water from the filter is not precipitated either by a folution of quickfilver in the nitrous acid, or by the extract of lead. This direction may, at firft fight, be thought to favour of chemical pedantry; but, on mature confideration, it will be found abfolutely neceffary, because the falt contained in the washings is of very difficult folution, and confequently not eafily difcoverable by the tafte in a fmall quantity.

The calomel, under the name of mercurius dulcis, is prepared according to SCHEELE's method, by the humid procefs. The corrofive fublimate is alfo made via humida. The formula for it is, to diffolve a pound of purified quickfilver in a fufficient quantity of aq. fort. and mix it hot with a faturated-folution of a pound and a half of common falt. A precipitation immediately takes place, and red fumes arife; the precipitation how-, ever is foon re-diffolved, and the liquor, when cool, depofites

on the bottom and fides of the vessel, fharp, three-fided, prismatical cryftals, which are true corrofive fublimate. Should, however, any cubical cryftals appear, which are foda nitrata, they can only be feparated by fubliming the mercurius muriatus in the

common way.

An æther is prefcribed under the name of Naphtha Aceti, to be made from equal parts of radical vinegar, and rectified spirit of wine: the mixture muft ftand for a few days, until it does not smell either of the vinegar or of the fpirit, and is to be then diftilled till half of it is come over: to the liquor in the receiver is added a folution of vegetable alkali in water; the naphtha, feparated by this means, fwims on the top of the liquor.

The procefs for making vitriolic æther is new. Two pounds of rectified fpirit of wine are ordered to be mixed with half a pound of concentrated vitriolic acid; and the mixture is to ftand, tightly corked, in a cool place, for a month, and then to be diftilled with a very gentle fand head, until the black foam begins to rife in the retort. The liquor in the receiver is the Spt. vitriol. dulc. or Liquor anodyn. mineral. Hoffman. To the black refiduum, left in the retort, a pound of rectified fpirit is added, and a fresh receiver being applied, the diftillation is repeated till the black foam begins to rife: the receiver is then removed, and another pound of rectified fpirit is added to the refiduum in the retort, and the diftillation repeated as before for ten times, a pound of fresh fpirit being added each time. The æther, or naphtha, as it is here called, is feparated from the phlegm, in the refpeétive retorts, by lime water, or by a cauftic alkaline lixivium. The phlegm that remains after the feparation of the naphtha, may be put into a retort, and a confiderable portion of naphtha will be further obtained from it by gentle diftillation.

The pure mineral alkali is obtained by decompofing Glauber's falt with the fixed vegetable alkali. The vitriolated tartar formed by the mixture of thefe two falts is cryftallized, and the mineral alkali remains in the lixivium; but it does not appear that this lixivium, after the cryftallization, is perfectly free from the vitriolated tartar. Dezërated terra ponderofa would be preferable to the vegetable alkali for this decompofition.

We might give feveral other proofs of Dr. SCHLERETH's pharmaceutical knowlege, and of the neatness of the formula which he preferibes, especially thofe in the third part of the work, which contains a number of excellent extemporaneous compofitions. We muft, however, remark, that fome of the receipts may be thought rather to belong to books on the art of Cookery and confectionary, as white wine whey, milk whey, peppermint drops, chocolate, harts-horn jelly, with a few

*By this is meant alkohol.

others i

others; but allowance muft be made for the cuftoms of the country; the duties of the German and English apothecaries are very different; the former are under the neceffity of being chemifts: it were to be wifhed that the English apothecaries would pay more attention to this effential part of pharmaceutical knowlege. The operative chemifts in this kingdom, bave been the principal caufe why apothecaries neglect chemical inquiries; and indeed the neceffity which our apothecaries are under of acquiring a knowlege of medical and furgical prac-, tice, leaves them not much time for ftudies which are not abfolutely neceffary.

We fhall only add to the general opinion which we have. already given of the Difpenfatorium Fuldenfe, that were it reduced to a fyftematical form, it might ferve as an excellent text book for a courfe of pharmaceutical chemistry. In its prefent form, it is extremely convenient for the operator, becaufe the alphabetical order precludes the neceffity of an index; and, in a book that is intended only for occafional confultation, the form is of little confequence, if the different articles can be referred to with ease and expedition.

ART. XXII.

*

Verhandelingen uitgegeeven door de Hollandfche Maatschappye der Weetenfchappen te Haarlem. i. e. Memoirs publifhed by the Philofophical Society at Haarlem. Vol. xxv. 8vo.. Haarlem. 1788. HE first piece in this volume is a moft prolix DifferTHE tation on the Hydrops Pectoris, by J. VEIRAC, M. D. Member of the Imperial Academy of Phyfics, and of the Philofophical Societies of Zeeland, Utrecht, &c.

Had this paper been put into our hands as the thefis of a candidate for a medical degree, we should have beftowed praife on his diligence in reading, and his attention in filling, his common-place book; but whether this be the kind of merit required in a prize differtation, can be deterinined only from knowing the particular defign of thofe who propofed the fubject. If their object be to have a complete treatife on this dreadful difeafe, compiled for the inftruction of village apothecaries, who understand no language but their own, and have no opportunity of confulting the beft medical writers, Dr. VEIRAC has fully anfwered their intention; and an abridgment of his work, printed feparately in a cheaper form, may be of excellent fervice. But if he has written for the information of those who are supposed to be converfant with medical studies, a great part of his labour might have been fpared, and he need not have *For our accounts of former volumes, fee Review, vol. lxxvii. P. 526.