New homœopathic pharmacopæia & posology; or the mode of preparing homoeopathic medicines and the administration of doses / Compiled and translated from the German works of Buchner and Gruner, and the French work of Jahr. With original contributions by Charles J. Hempel.

  • Hempel, Charles J. (Charles Julius), 1811-1879
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New homœopathic pharmacopæia & posology; or the mode of preparing homoeopathic medicines and the administration of doses / Compiled and translated from the German works of Buchner and Gruner, and the French work of Jahr. With original contributions by Charles J. Hempel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    developed in the course of fermentation, which, after this phenomenon, has been termed spirituous or alco- holic. Alcohol may be obtained from a great num- ber of vegetable substances, such as wine, beer, cider, malt, dregs of grapes, sugar-cane juice, germi- nating cerealia, pounded cherries, molasses, juice of carrots or beets, potatoes, honey, &c. Alcohol is always the same, no matter from what substance it is obtained, except that we have to em- ploy means more or less complicated to obtain it pure. In every case it contains more or less water, and very often is mixed either with acetic acid, or a small proportion of prussic acid or empyreumatic oil, &c., according to the substances from which it has been extracted. Alcohol which comes from the labora- tories of chemists or pharmaceutists, and is obtained from the residue of some chemical preparation, such as the resin of jalap, is the least suitable. Nor should we employ alcohol extracted from potatoes, since it contains a large quantity of empyreumatic oil, which cannot be entirely removed even by means of the chloride of lime or pulverized charcoal. Even in the alcohol prepared from rye or wheat this oil is often found; but in this case it is sufficient to mingle the spirit with a suitable quantity of pure olive-oil, and to shake it from time to time for several days; in this way the empyreumatic oil combines with the olive-oil, and floats on the surface of the al- cohol, whence it may easily be removed. Pure and perfectly anhydrous alcohol is a colourless liquid, remarkably fluid, of a sweet and penetrating odour, a burning and pungent flavour; when rubbed be- tween the hands, it should not lather, nor emit any fo- reig’n odour. Its specific weight is much less than that of water, in which it dissolves perfectly and in all proportions, with disengagement of heat. When ex- posed to the air, it partially evaporates, and the re- mainder loses its power by becoming saturated with the moisture of the atmosphere, for which it has a