Chemistry : general, medical, and pharmaceutical, including the chemistry of the U.S. pharmacopœia, a manual on the general principles of the science, and their applications in medicine and pharmacy / by John Attfield.

  • Attfield, John, 1835-1911.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Chemistry : general, medical, and pharmaceutical, including the chemistry of the U.S. pharmacopœia, a manual on the general principles of the science, and their applications in medicine and pharmacy / by John Attfield. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/751 (page 13)
    CHEMISTRY- GENERAL, MEDICAL, AND PHARMACEUTICAL. The infinite variety of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances of which our earth and atmosphere are composed, may be re- solved with more or less difiiculty into distinct forms of matter appropriately termed Elements, for by no known means can they be further decomposed. Sixty-seven elements have been proved to exist. A few (such as gold) occur naturally in the uncombined state, but the greater number are combined in so subtle a manner as to conceal them from ordinary methods of observation. Thus none of the common properties of water indicate that it is composed of two elements, both gases, but differing much from each other: nor can the senses of sight, touch, and taste, or other common means of examination, de- tect in their concealment the three elements of which sugar is composed. The art by which these and all other compound sub.stances are resolved into their elements is termed Chemis- try, a name derived possibly from the Arabic word kamai, to conceal.f The art of chemistry also includes the construction of compounds from elements, and the conversion of substances of one character into those of another. The general pi-inciples * Students using this book as a guide in following chemistry prac- tically should read the first three pages, and then commence work by preparing oxygen. All students should read the prefatory pages. t The idea tliat common metals contained valuable metals con- cealed witliin them was the one seed from which mainly sprung chemical knowledge. The men who endeavored to find the secret of such concealment were api)ropriately termed alchcumtn, and their efforts spoken of as alchemy (al kimia, from kamai, to conceal). Their persistent labor.s, generation after generation, were unsuccessful so far as the transmutation of baser metals into gold was concerned, yet were invalnal)le to posterity. For new substances were discovered and truths of nature unveiled; from these discoveries nuiltiplication of discoveries resulted, and thus grew the still-growing branch of knowledge called Chemistry. INTRODUCTION.*