An enquiry into the natural history, cehmical properties, and medical virtues, of the rock oil, or green mineral naphtha, of Barbados : particularising the successful experiments ... observations on digestion ... / by C.H. Wilkinson.

  • Wilkinson, C. H. (Charles Henry)
Date:
1830
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An enquiry into the natural history, cehmical properties, and medical virtues, of the rock oil, or green mineral naphtha, of Barbados : particularising the successful experiments ... observations on digestion ... / by C.H. Wilkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    87/90 (page 75)
    of preparing this water is to employ a glass vessel compe- tent to hold a gallon of water; to introduce first the con- tents of a small bottle,* and to pour upon the Naphtha a gallon of boiling water, to frequently agitate it for three or four days: afterwards to be poured off clear from the supernatant Naphtha, and kept in quart bottles. In cases of indigestion, half a pint, moderately warm, with ten grains of the carbonate of soda, should be taken every morning; and if accompanied with constipation, a teaspoonful of Epsom Salts may be added. In the West Indies it is not uncommon to add a little Camphor, which may be effected by adding a drachm of Camphor to the Naphtha before the water is poured on; or, what is more convenient, to put a quarter of an ounce of Camphor, in a muslin bag, into a decanter of cold water, and in twelve hours it is ready for use: of this, half a wine-glass is a proper dose. As an embrocation, in those cases where the pure Am- monia is not found too stimulating, then three parts of the Naphtha, with one of the Aqua Ammonia pura (pure Am- monia), may be employed. In cases where this admixture would produce too much excitement, then the Spirits of Turpentine may be substituted for the pure Ammonia, and in the same proportion. In ring-worm, after the hair has been removed, the following preparation applied by a pencil to the part, every morning and evening, has been found particularly success- ful, covering the part affected immediately afterwards with a piece of skin, or thin bladder, smeared with the same substance :—One table spoonful of Naphtha, a teaspoonful of pure Ammonia, and the same quantity of Borax in powder. * The small bottle holds 4 ounces.