Formulary for the preparation and employment of several new remedies : namely, resin of nux vomica, strychnine, morphine, hydrocyanic acid, preparations of cinchona emetine, iodine / Tr. from the 6th ed. of the Formulaire of M. Magendie, published in Paris, 1827. With an appendix containing the experiences of British practitioners with many of the new remedies, by Joseph Houlton.

  • Magendie, François, 1783-1855.
Date:
1830
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Formulary for the preparation and employment of several new remedies : namely, resin of nux vomica, strychnine, morphine, hydrocyanic acid, preparations of cinchona emetine, iodine / Tr. from the 6th ed. of the Formulaire of M. Magendie, published in Paris, 1827. With an appendix containing the experiences of British practitioners with many of the new remedies, by Joseph Houlton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    LACTUCARIUM. The lactucarium of Dr. Duncan, of Edinburgh, such as is prepared by Mr. Probart, of London,* and the thridacej of Dr. Francois, are nothing more than the white viscid juice of the garden lettuce (lactuca sativa). The extract is made at the time the plant flowers, and without heat. For some years this has been employed in England, and its properties are described by Dr. Paris in his pharmacologia, and by other English writers on the Materia Medica. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES. The white viscid juice obtained from the lettuce by inci- sion is bitter, it concretes and turns brown rapidly ; it becomes hard and brittle after the manner of gums, but it easily resumes a pasty consistence if exposed to the free air. If preserved in a well-stopped bottle it disengages a slightly ammoniacal very fugaceous odour. This juice, evaporated by a gentle heat, preserves the peculiar odour of the plant, and possesses a strong flavour. When dried, it attracts moisture from the atmosphere ,* which distinguishes it from the extract of lettuce prepared in the usual way, over the fire ; this continues dry when exposed to a free air ; lactucarium dissolved in distilled water, and filtered, presents a clear yellow brown solution, which strongly reddens turnsol paper ; ammonia produces in it a white flocculent precipitate, which appears to be chiefly formed of phosphate of lime ; infusion of nut-galls produces in it likewise an abundant precipitate, as do also the oxalate of ammonia, nitrate of barytes, nitrate of silver, and alcohol in a large proportion ; the chloruret of platina produces no precipitate. MM. Caventou and Boulay, were desirous of ascertaining if any particular principle analogous to morphine existed in the thridace, and were not able to discover any. * See Paris's Pharmacologia, vol. ii. rage 23 h ed. t Qptdal, lettuce. K 2