The Edinburgh new dispensatory. Containing I. The elements of pharmaceutical chemistry. II. The materia medica; or, the natural, pharmaceutical, and medical history, of the different substances employed in medicine. III. The pharmaceutical preparations and compositions / By Andrew Duncan. Including translations ... of the new ed. of the Edinburgh pharmacopoeia ... 1805, etc.

  • Duncan, Andrew, Jun., 1773-1832.
Date:
1806
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Edinburgh new dispensatory. Containing I. The elements of pharmaceutical chemistry. II. The materia medica; or, the natural, pharmaceutical, and medical history, of the different substances employed in medicine. III. The pharmaceutical preparations and compositions / By Andrew Duncan. Including translations ... of the new ed. of the Edinburgh pharmacopoeia ... 1805, etc. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/796
    necessary imperfections of a first attempt, than to the principle itself, the propriety of which can scarcely be doubted, when we consider that Materia Medica and Pharmacy are but an application of Natural History and Chemistry to a particu- lar purpose. If the general principle be admitted, it naturally follows, that the names of all substances employed in medicine should be the same with the names of the same substances, ac- cording to the most approved systems of Natural History and Chemistry ; and that the titles of compound bodies should ex- press as accurately as possible the nature of their composition. Considerable difficulties j however, occur, in attempting to form a nomenclature in strict conformity with these principles. The most apparent of tLooo ia, that tko iitloe of tlx? rnore CC(m- pounded medicines would become too verbose and inconveni- ent, if they were to express every ingredient, although of little importance. The college, fully aware of this difficulty, have therefore contented themselves with indicating in the titles the principal ingredients only, on which their powers and uses seem to depend; and when it w&s necessary to introduce more, or to add the epithet compositus, they have endeavoured to abbre- viate them systematically. For the same reason, they have prescribed some well-known simples in very frequent use, by their common names, such as Opium y Manna, Moschus, Cas- tor aan, thinking it sufficient to have pointed out in the cata- logue of the Materia Medica the animals and vegetables from which they are obtained. In most cases, it is proper to mention both the generic and specific names of simples; but where it is necessary to point out even the variety employed, it will be in general more conve- nient to omit the specific name, and to retain those of the genus and variety, as A loos Socotorina for Aloes perfoliaia Socotorina, Crocus Arts;lions for Crocus saticus Anglicus. Also when any substance is .obtained indiscriminately from several species of the same genus, the specific name may be omitted with pro- priety. Thus, it is sufficient to say, Ucsina pini, Oleum vola- tile pint, &c.