The new dispensatory: containing, I. The elements of pharmacy. II. The materia medica, or an account of the substances employed in medicine with the virtues and uses of each article, so far as they are warranted by experience and observation. III. The preparations and compositions of the London and Edinburgh pharmacopoeias / By William Lewis, M.B., F.R.S.

  • Lewis, William, 1708-1781.
Date:
1768
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The new dispensatory: containing, I. The elements of pharmacy. II. The materia medica, or an account of the substances employed in medicine with the virtues and uses of each article, so far as they are warranted by experience and observation. III. The preparations and compositions of the London and Edinburgh pharmacopoeias / By William Lewis, M.B., F.R.S. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    35/712 (page 19)
    This procefs takes place, in fome degree, in the bodies of living animals; as often as the juices (lagnate long, or are prevented, by an obftruftion of the natural emun£tories, from throwing off their more volatile and corruptible parts. The doctrine of patrefa£lion, both in living and in dead animals, has lately received great light from the curious and interefting ex¬ periments and obfervations of Dr. Pringle. He obferves, that if the corruption is great and fudden, a fever or a flux enfue ; but that, if the accumulation of corrupted matter is fo flow, that the body becomes habituated to the putrefa£lion, a fcurvy prevails. Hence the frequency of this laft diftemper, in long voyages, on board unventilated {hips, from corrupted air and proviflons; in mar- (hy countries, from limilar caufes ; and in a lefler degree, in all northern climates, in moift fituations, from a want of due per- fpiration. During putrefa£lion, a quantity of air is generated ; all the hu¬ mours become gradually thinner, and the fibrous parts more lax and tender. Hence the tympany, which fucceedsthe corruption of any of the vifcera, or the imprudent fupprefiion of dyfenteries by aftrin- gents; and the weaknefs and laxity of the veflels obfervable in fcurvies, &c. The craflamentum of human blood changes by putrefa&ion .into a dark livid-coloured liquor; a few drops of which tinge the ferum of a tawny hue; like that of the ichor of fores and dyfenteric fluxes, and of the white of the eye, the faliva, the ferum of blood drawn from a vein, and that which oozes from a blifter, in deep fcurvies, and in the advanced ftate of malignant fevers. The putrid craflamentum changes a large quantity of recent urine to a flame-coloured water, fo common in fevers and in the fcurvy. This mixture, after (landing an hour or two, gathers a cloud, refembling what is feen in the crude water of acute diflem- pers; with fome oily matter on the furface, like the fcum which floats on fcorbutic urine. The ferum of blood depofits, in putrefa£lion, a fediment refembling well-digefted pus, and changes to a faint olive green. A ferum, fo far putrefied as to become green, is perhaps never to be feen in the veflels of living animals : but in dead bodies this ferum is to be diftinguiflied by the green colour which the flefh acquires in corrupting. In falted meats, this is commonly afcribed to the brine, but erroneoufly; for that has no power of giving this colour, but only of qualifying the tafte, and in fome degree the ill effects of corrupted aliments. In foul ulcers, and other fores, where tire ferum is left to (lagnate long, the matter is likewife found of this colour, and is then always acrimonious. The putrefa£lion of animal fubftances is prevented or retarded by all faline matters, even by the fixt and volatile alkaline falts, which C 2 \ have