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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    the diftinguiftiing characters of fuch, as, from a refem- blance in external appearance, are liable to be confounded with others of different qualities. With regard to their virtues, particular care has been taken to rejed the fabu¬ lous ones, which are flill preferved in other books of this kind; and to give only thofe, which have either been con¬ firmed by repeated experience, or may be rationally in¬ ferred from the fenfible qualities of the fubjeCl, or from its agreement in fmell, tafle, &c. with others of known virtue. Under each fimple are mentioned all the preparations made from it, and all the compofitions in which it is an ingre¬ dient, in the London and Edinburgh pharmacopoeias. Many of the capital articles I have examined pharmaceutically, and (hewn in what feparable part of the mixt its virtue refides, by what means the aCtive principle is belt extract¬ ed or preferved, and in what form the fubftance itfelf or its preparations are moft commodioufly and advantageouily exhibited. At the end of this part, the directions for the collection and prefervation of medicinal fubflances are re- confidered. The third and fourth parts contain the preparations and compofitions of the new London and Edinburgh pharma¬ copoeias ; with a few of the old ones, which I am informed are If ill kept in fome ihops, and occafionally called for; feveral of the more celebrated medicines which have come into efteem in France and Germany, many from our Hof- pitals ; and fome elegant extemporaneous prefcriptions, fuch as are directed in practice. In the diftribution of thefe materials, it has been found neceffary to depart from the order hitherto received. In other difpenfatories, and in the former edition of this, me¬ dicines are divided into two general heads, officinal and extemporaneous. This divifion is apparently faulty ; for many of thofe called officinal are flriCUy extemporaneous, being made only as they are wanted; and many of thofe, which are called extemporaneous, are very well fitted for keeping: if we fhould appropriate the term officinal to A3 - thofe