Pharmacologia: comprehending the art of prescribing upon fixed and scientific principles : together with the history of medicinal substances (Volume 2).

  • Paris, John Ayrton, 1785-1856.
Date:
1823-24
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pharmacologia: comprehending the art of prescribing upon fixed and scientific principles : together with the history of medicinal substances (Volume 2). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    ACIDUM HYDRO-CYANICUM. Hydro-cyanic Acid. Prussic Acid. This peculiar acid exists in a great variety of native combi- nations in the vegetable kingdom,* and imparts to them cer- tain properties which have been long known, and esteemed in medicine. It is, however, only lately, that it has been admi- nistered in its simple but diluted form. As few practitioners will choose to prepare the acid, it seems unnecessary in the present work to dwell upon the merits of the different processes which have been proposed for its preparation; for a full account of them, as well as for other details of importance, the practitioner is advised to consult a work by Dr. Granville, entitled An Historical and Practical Treatise on the use of Prussic Acid. Second Edition. London, 1820. Qualities. A colourless transparent liquid, although it occasionally exhibits a yellow tinge ; Odour like that of bitter almonds ; Taste bitterish and peculiar ; these properties how- ever are soon lost by exposure to air and light, and the acid undergoes spontaneous decomposition. Chem. Composition. The true nature of Prussic acid was not ascertained until 1815, when Gay Lussac presented to the Royal Institute of France, a memoir which at once developed its real chemical constitu- tion ; and it is now admitted to consist of a peculiar gaseous * The more familiar of these are Bitter Mmow's; Ihe Cherry Laurel, (Lauro Cerasus,) the leaves of the Peach-tree, the kernels of fruit, pips of apples, &c. The Prussic acid would appear to be most abundant in the thin pellicle that envelopes the kernel; the fleshy parts of these fruits do not contain it, and even the berries of the Lauro Cerasus may be eaten with impunity ; and yet the distilled water, and oil of this plant is the most destructive of all narcotic poisons, as was evinced by the murder of Sir Theodosius Boughton, by Laurel Water; and by the untimely fate of Dr. Price of Guildford, in the year 1782, who professing to convert Mercury into Gold, offered to repeat bis ex- periments before an adequate tribunal, but put a period to his existence before the appointed day, by a draught of Laurel Water. Consistent with theory, the watery extract of Laurel is harmless, a fact easily explained, since the narcotic acid is entirely volatilized before the fluid can assume the con- sistence of an extract. The Laurel Water as a medicinal agent appears to have been long known. Linnaeus informs us, that it was frequently used in Holland, in Pulmonary consumption. {Jimanitat. Academ. vol. iv. p. 40.) The Bark of the Prunus Padus, orBird Cherry Tree, was cscertainedto contain Prussic acid.by Mr. Bergeman, in 1811, and it is cgrtainly a curious fact, as Dr. Granville has observed, that superstitious people should have selected the ber- ries of this shrub to form necklaces, which are hung round the neck of chil- dren to prevent fit3 and allay cough from teething. For farther information upon this subject, the reader may consult The Chronological recapitulation respecting the Introduction of the Prussic acid into the Practice of Physic, in the work above cited by. Dr. Granville.