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.

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    feveral of the colouring and medicinal parts of animals ; of fome mineral bituminous fubftances, as of ambergris; and of foaps, though it does not adf upon the exprefled oil and fixt alkaline fait, of which foap is compofed ; whence, if foap contains any fuperfluous quan¬ tity of either the oil or fait, it may, by means of this menftruum, be excellently purified therefrom. It diffolves, by the afiiftance of heat, volatile alkaline falts ; and, more readily, the neutral ones, compofed either of fixed alkali and the acetous acid, as the fal di- ureticus, or of volatile alkali and the nitrous acid, as alfo the fait of amber, &c. It mingles with water and with acids not with alkaline lixivia. Oils difiolve vegetable refins and balfams, wax, animal fats, mineral bitumens, fufphur, and certain metallic fubftances, parti¬ cularly lead. The exprefled oils are, for moft of thefe bodies, more powerful menftrua, than thole obtained by difiillation ; as the for¬ mer are more capable of fuftaining, without injury, a ftrong heat, ■which is, in moft cafes, neceflary to enable them to adl. It is faid, that one ounce of fulphur will difiolve in three ounces of exprefled oil, particularly that of linfeed, but requires fix ounces of eflential oil, as that of turpentine. All acids difiolve alkaline falts, alkaline earths, and metallic fubftances. The different acids differ greatly in their adtion upon thefe laft; one diffolving only iome particular metals -} and another, others. The vegetable acids difiolve a confiderable quantity of zinc, iron, copper, lead and tin ; and extradt fo much from the me¬ tallic part of antimony, as to become powerfully emetic : they difiolve lead more readily, if the metal is previoufly calcined by fire, than in its metallic ftate. The marine acid diffolves zinc, iron, and copper; and though it fcarce adds on any other metallic fubftance in the common way of making fclutions, it may neverthelefs be artfully combined with them all except gold : the corrofive fublimate, and antimonial cau- ftic of the (hops, are combinations of it with mercury and the me¬ tallic part of antimony, eftedted by applying the acid, in the form of fume, to the fubjedfs, at the fame time alfo ftrongly heated. The nitrous acid is the common menftruum of ail metallic fub¬ ftances, except gold and the metallic part of antimony ; of which two, the proper folvent is a mixture of the nitrous and marine acids, called aqua regia. The vitriolic acid, diluted with water, eafily diffolves zinc and iron : in its concentrated Hate, and afiifted by a boiling heat, it may be made to corrode, or imperfedtly difiolve, moft of the other meals. Alkaline