An Account of the Extraordinary Medicinal Fluid, called Aether.

Transcribed by David Ross <davidross@despammed.com> from an undated
edition, c. 1761.
Project Gutenberg E-Text of An Account of the Extraordinary Medicinal Fluid, called Aether. By Matthew Turner (d. 1788?)
By M. TURNER, SURGEON, IN LIVERPOOL.
LONDON: Printed by J. WILKIE, at the Bible in St. Paul's Church-yard.
The Publisher of the following short Account of the AETHER having prepared, and successfully made Use of it in his private Practice, for several Years, has at length determin'd to endeavour to extend it's Utility, by thus making it public; as he knows of no one who has ever published it's medicinal virtues ; or offered it to Sale in it's Perfection ; or given the Criteria by which they who are unacquainted with it might distinguish the Genuine from the Spurious : And he doubts not but every candid Person who examines it, will agree with him, That it carries with it the strongest Marks of a valuable Addition to the Materia Medica , and therefore ought to lie no longer in Obscurity.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE AETHER, &c.
It is a kind of ETHEREAL OIL, produced by the Decomposition of the Vinous Spirit by Means of the Vitriolic Acid, and differs essentially both from Vinous Spirits and Essential Oils in several Respects, tho' it agrees with them in some, as will appear hereafter: But as the Vinous Spirit may be decomposed by means of all the three Mineral Acids, viz. the Vitriolic , the Nitrous and the Marine , and as these all act differently on the Spirit, they will, of Course, produce three different Kinds of AETHER, which, from the Name, of the Acid employ'd in making them, are term'd Marine, Nitrous , or Vitriolic : the last only is the Kind here understood, it's Properties being more singular and extraordinary, and, as an AETHER, more perfect than either of the others; the Reason of which seems to be, that the Vitriolic Acid is a much stronger Agent on the Spirit, and more perfectly decomposes it, than either the Nitrous or Marine .