The gall of various animals was formerly used in medicine. From whatever source it was obtained, it was believed to be calefacient, desiccant, detergent, discutient, and parturifacient; but besides these properties, each variety was conceived to possess virtues peculiarly its own. Thus, bear-gall (fel ursi) was reputed anti-epileptic; eel-gall (fel anguillarum), parturifacient; hare-gall (fel leporis), “good in cataract;” and ox-gall (fel bovis), “sovereign against stiff joints, rheumatics, angry ulcers, and stomach colics.” The gall of the bat, goat, hen, hog, partridge, silurus, &c., were also employed as remedies. At the present time ox-gall is the only one used in medicine and the arts.
Ox-gall has been recently reintroduced into medicine by Dr Allnatt and others, and in certain cases of dyspepsia and biliary derangement appears to be a valuable remedy.
Crude ox-gall is extensively employed by the scourers of woollen cloth, clothes renovators, &c. It rapidly extracts grease and oil from textile fabrics without injuring the colour. See Constipation, Dyspepsia, Ox-gall, &c.
Gall, Glass. See Saniver.
GAL′LATE. Syn. Gallas. L. A salt of gallic acid. The alkaline gallates are soluble. They rapidly suffer decomposition in the presence of excess of the base, and the liquor gradually acquires a blackish colour. The gallates of most of the other metallic oxides are insoluble.
GALLEN-MIXTUR FÜR PFERDE—Gall Mixture for Horses (F. Barth, veterinary surgeon, Freibach-by-Altenhofen, Carinthia). A clear decanted solution of 8 parts wood tar in 92 parts common kienöl (ol. pini). (Hager.)
Gallen-Mixtur—Gall Mixture (Ph. Barth, Marburg in Steiermark). The same preparation as the above, coloured with 3⁄4 per cent. of dragon’s blood. (Wittstein.)
Gallen-Tinctur—Gall Tincture (Dr G. Krieger, Garz). 5 parts wood tar, 10 parts water, 30 parts spirit, 1 part corrosive sublimate, and 1⁄20 part rosanilin, mixed with a gentle heat, allowed to deposit, and filtered. (Hager.)
GAL′LIC ACID. H3C7H3O5.Aq. Syn. Acidum gallicum (B. P.), L. “A crystalline acid prepared from galls.” (B. P. L.) It may be also obtained from other vegetable substances. It appears to be a product of the oxidation of tannic acid, and probably does not exist ready formed in recent vegetables.
Prep. 1. (Dumas.) Nut-galls, reduced to powder, are moistened with water, and exposed to the action of the air, in a warm situation (say 70° to 80° Fahr.), for two or three months, adding more water, from time to time, to make up for that lost by evaporation. At the end of the above period the mouldy, dark-coloured mass is strongly pressed in a cloth, and the solid portion boiled in a considerable quantity of water. The solution (filtered whilst hot) deposits, on cooling, crystals of gallic acid, which, after being thoroughly drained and pressed dry between bibulous paper, are purified by boiling them along with about 1⁄6th of their weight of prepared animal charcoal in 8 parts of water, and filtering, &c., as before.