CON′CRETE. A compact mass or cement,
composed of pebbles, lime, and sand, employed in the foundations of buildings. The best proportions have been said to be—60 parts of coarse pebbles, 25 of rough sand, and 15 of lime; but Semple recommends 80 parts of pebbles, 40 parts of river sand, and only 10 parts of lime. The pebbles for concrete should not exceed about 1⁄2 lb. each in weight.
CON′DIMENTS. Substances taken with the food, to season or improve its flavour, or to render it more wholesome or digestible. The principal condiments are COMMON SALT, VINEGAR, LEMON-JUICE, SPICES, AROMATIC HERBS, OIL, BUTTER, SUGAR, HONEY, and SAUCES. Most of these, in moderation, promote the appetite and digestion, but their excessive use tends to vitiate the gastric juice, and injure the stomach.
CONDY’S FLUID (from England). A weak solution of permanganate of soda. (Wittstein.)
CONFEC′TION. Syn. Confectio, L. Anything prepared with sugar; a sweetmeat, or candy. In medicine the name is commonly applied to substances, usually pulverulent, mixed up to the consistence of a soft electuary, with powdered sugar, syrup, or honey. In the ‘London Pharmacopœia’ (1836 and 1851) both CONSERVES and ELECTUARIES are included under this head, though there appears to be some little distinction between them.
In the preparation of confections all the dry ingredients should be reduced to very fine powder, and passed through a sieve, not coarser than 80 holes to the inch; and the pulps and syrups used to mix them up should be perfectly homogeneous, and of a proper consistence. The mixture should be intimate and complete, in order that the characteristic constituents may be equally distributed throughout the mass. The consistence of the newly made confection should be sufficiently solid to prevent a separation of the ingredients, and yet soft enough to allow of it being easily swallowed without previous mastication.
Confections should be preserved in stone jars covered with writing paper, and placed in a cool and not too dry a situation. Without this precaution they are apt to mould on the top. If at any time the mass ferments and swells up, the fermentative process may be arrested by placing the jar in a bath of boiling water, for an hour or two, or until the whole becomes pretty hot; when it should be removed from the heat, and stirred occasionally until cold. Should the sugar crystallise out of the confection, or ‘candy,’ as it is called, the same method may be followed. Or, the mass may be well rubbed in a mortar until the hard lumps of sugar are broken down and a uniform consistence again produced. On the large scale it may be passed through the mill.
As remedial agents, the officinal confections possess little value, and are chiefly used as vehicles for the administration of more active medicines. See Conserves and Electuaries.
Confection of Acorns. Syn. Confec′tio sem′inum quer′cus, L. Prep. (Bories.) Powdered acorns, 3 oz.; red coral and catechu, of each 11⁄2 oz.; confection of dog-rose, 10 oz.; syrup of red roses, q. s. to make a confection.—Dose, 1 dr., every 4 hours; in chronic diarrhœa, &c.
Confection of Almonds. Syn. Almond paste, Conserve of almonds; Confec′tio amyg′dalæ (Ph. L.), Conser′va amygdala′rum (Ph. E.), Confec′tio amygdala′′rum (Ph. D. 1826), L. Prep. (Ph. L.) Sweet almonds, 8 oz.; white sugar, 4 oz.; powdered gum Arabic, 1 oz.; macerate the almonds in cold water, then remove the skins, and beat them with the other ingredients until reduced to a smooth confection. The Ph. E. form is similar. See Powders, Compound Powder of Almond.