A manual of pharmacy / by William Thomas Brande.

Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of pharmacy / by William Thomas Brande. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    the same portion repeatedly, by which it loses its charac- teristic adhesiveness and irritating quality, and is little more active than common rosin. It should always be applied fresh, and spread upon the leather with the aid of as little heat as possible. Upon some skins a Burgundy pitch plaister, or any similar application, creates incessant itching, and excites a pimply eruption, attended by almost unbearable irritation, so that it is frequently necessary to remove it within a few hours after its application: in these instances, however, it often does great service, especially in chronic rheumatism, where it may thus prove almost as effectual as a blister. Spurious Burgundy pitch, manufactured here, is detected chiefly by deficiency in the strong and peculiar odour and viscidity of the genuine resin. ABSINTHIUM—Artemisia Absinthium, or common Worm- wood, has very long had a place in the Materia Medica, but it is difficult to say why it is now retained, for although a powerful bitter, it has been generally discarded on account of its nauseous flavour*. Its bitterness is derived from what is usually called extractive matter, and is retained by the decoction after long boiling; but its aroma depends upon essential oil, which may be obtained by distillation, 1 cwt. of the fresh herb yielding upon an average 4 ounces of oil. Wormwood is sometimes spoken of as an antispasmodic, and the older writers extol it as a vermifuge f ; but it deserves little attention at the present day in either of these characters. The French are fond of it as a stomachic, and spoil some of their excellent liqueurs with its flavour; and what our pub- licans sell under the name of purl, is said to be ale seasoned with the tops of wormwood. Applied externally, infusion of wormwood has no advantage over warm water ; it is not more discutient, and scarcely more antiseptic. If used internally, wormwood should be fresh ; and for this purpose ^ij. of the recent plant may be infused in a pint of boiling water for four hours. * As implied by its name from a privative, and 'I'lvres pleasure. -j- Hence the name wormwood, probably a corruption of wormwort.