The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

The present Subject I am upon, viz. the Excrements of Men and Animals puts me in mind of a Story relating to Paracelsus, which take as follows.

A Relation of what happened at Vienna between Paracelsus and some of the Imperial-Court Physicians.

Paracelsus being on a time sent for by the Emperor to Vienna, to cure some Persons of high Quality, whom the Imperial Physicians could not help, having successfully performed the Cures he was sent for, went to take his Leave of the Physicians, who earnestly intreated him to leave some of his noble Medicaments with them for a remembrance; whereupon Paracelsus answer’d, that he would fetch something for them; The Physicians, supposing he intended to bestow some part of his prepared Medicins upon them, with impatience expected his return, who soon after came to them, and set down on the Table before them a Silver Dish cover’d with another Dish. The Physicians were very desirous to see what Paracelsus had brought for them; at last one of them taking off the Cover, found a great Turd in the Dish, at which being exceedingly enraged, taking for granted that Paracelsus had done this to affront them, they all departed, and when some call’d them back, Paracelsus said, Let the Asses go, they do not deserve this great Secret, which I intended to communicate to them; And then added, He who doth not know what Mans Dung is, knows nothing, and Heaven and Earth are equally hid from him. With which words he sufficiently intimated, that a great virtue is hid in Mans Dung. Thus much shall suffice, by way of Parenthesis, to have spoken concerning Paracelsus his Opinion concerning the Superfluities of Nature, and particularly the Excrements of Man, we proceed now to speak of the Excrements of other Animals, and in particular of Sheeps Wooll.

An Experimental Demonstration, that a Mineral Virtue is hid in the Hair of Beasts.

℞. Of clean Sheeps Wooll iv Ounces, and pour upon it a like quantity of strong Aqua Fortis, abstract this Aqua Fortis wholly in Balneo, and the Aqua Fortis will dissolve the Wooll, and when abstracted, will leave behind a stinking Stone of a dark brown colour; afterwards dissolve in another Glass Body of Mercury j Ounce, and of the finest Sol iij Ounces, pour these Solutions of Sol and Mercury into the Glass wherein the dissolved Wool is, then abstract the Menstruum from the Metals, till nothing remain but a dry Stone in the bottom of the Glass, take this Stone and put it into a Glass Retort, and distill the Mercury from the Sol in a strong heat. N. B. The Mercury will not come over quick, but in the form of a Butter of Mercury, of great use for the healing of incurable Venereal Ulcers. If you pour some Water upon the said Butter, it will precipitate the Mercury in form of a white Powder, which being edulcorated and dried, is a good Purge in Venereal Distempers. But if you rectifie this Butter, and then pour it upon a pure Calx of Sol, the Butter will dissolve the Sol, and being afterwards digested for some time, the Mercury by means of the Saline Spirits of the Wool will be fixed with the Sol into a Stone, with it make a trial upon Metals, to see what it can do, and thou wilt find thy Labour richly rewarded; but if thou canst not hit it, then think, that it is not the will of God thou shouldst have it, and do not blame me, who have set down nothing but what I have performed my self. Now let us see what course we must take to recover our Sol; break the Retort, and take what was left at the bottom of it, which thou wilt find black as a Coal, in which black matter thou must look for thy iij Ounces of Sol, forasmuch as the Butter has carried but very little of the Sol over with it, which thou may’st separate from the black matter, as follows.

Melt good Nitre in a strong Crucible, and when it is in Flux, cast into it one piece of your black Matter after another, and the Nitre will burn away the Sulphur contained in the said Coals or black Matter, and the Sol melts down into a Body, pour forth the Nitre together with the Golden Regulus out of the Crucible into a Cone, and the Sol will settle at the bottom in form of a Regulus, which, when separated from the fæces, appears snow-white and brittle, much resembling a Regulus of Antimony; the fæces are of a red colour, and contain much good. This white Sol being expos’d upon the Cupel with Saturn to a fiery trial, a third part only of the Sol will be found remaining of the colour of good Sol, two parts being vapour’d away. The Question is now, What that white colour was, which evaporated on the Test? If thou say’st, that the Coals of the Wool, with the help of the Nitre, have rob’d the Sol of its colour, thou art not altogether out of the way, nor wholly in the right. If thou say’st, that there is no Mineral Virtue in the Wool, but that the Sol became white by the addition of Mercury, thou art not wholly out of the way neither; but this is not to be understood of the Common Mercury added to the Sol, but of the Mercury contained in the Wool, which has joined it self with the Sol; for Common Mercury cannot abide with Sol in a strong melting Fire, but flies away, leaving the Sol alone, as is well known to Chymists. If thou say’st, that there is a Mercurial Virtue in the Wool, which within a few hours so changeth the Common Mercury, that it is able to abide a melting Fire with Sol, then it will follow, that by means of the Salt which is in Wool any Common Mercury may in a short time be made capable of enduring not only a melting Fire, but the Cupel also. This I suppose is a plain and evident demonstration, that there is a Mineral Virtue in Animals, and especially in the Superfluities of Nature, which we will now proceed to demonstrate with another Experiment. Now if the Superfluities of Animals are able to do this, have we not reason to conclude, that the right Superfluity of the Microcosme will do the same much better?

Another Experiment to demonstrate, that a Mineral Mercury and Sulphur is contained in the Superfluities of Animals.

℞. Of filed or rasped Horns of Sheep, Oxen, Goats and Deer, but Harts and Goats Horns are the best, and the Horns of Wild Goats, and the Tusks of Wild Swine yet better; and the Horns of Fishes, which are commonly called Unicorns Horns, and the Elephants Teeth are the best of all for this purpose; but where these cannot be had, the Experiment may be performed with Goats or Harts-Horn. Dissolve ij Ounces or iij of either of these in a good Aqua Fortis which has been abstracted from decrepitated Salt, into this Solution put j Ounce of Sol, abstract in a Glass Body the Aqua Fortis from the Horn, in which abstraction the Sol becomes dissolved, and a brown Stone is left behind, which must be melted down in a cover’d and well luted Crucible with a blast, by which means the Horn will be turned into black fæces, and the Sol will fall white to the bottom, brittle as a Regulus of Antimony; from whence it follows, since this brittleness and whiteness of the Sol could not be caused by the Aqua Fortis, that the same must be attributed to the white Mercury and Sulphur drawn from the Horns. Whereby it clearly appears, that a Mineral force and virtue is hid in the Horns of Animals. What I have said concerning the covering of the Crucible with another, and well luting them together, is not without reason, for if the Crucible should be set open in the Fire, and continue there for some time, the Sulphur of the Horns would be kindled and consumed, and the Mercury would be revivified and fly away, and the Sol would remain unalter’d. For it is to be noted, that the Mineral Mercury and the Sulphur of the Horns are very tender and volatile, and are soon lost when the operation is not performed, as before hinted, in a close luted Crucible. This Experiment may be done in like manner, with the Superfluities of Fishes, viz. their Skales, Teeth, and the Stones or Bones that are found in several of them, and the effect will be found the same as before mentioned.

The same may also be performed, with the Feathers and Egg-shells of tame and wild Fowl. N. B. Egg-shells are dissolved with more ease than Feathers. ℞. The Egg-shells of Hens, Geese, or other Fowl, wash them clean, taking out the inward skin or film, then dry them, and abstract from them a Solution of ☉, and melt the remainder in a close covered Crucible, and you will find the same effect, as before.

If you have a mind to make the same Tryal with Vegetables, then take Tartar which is fitter for this purpose, than either the Wine it self, or the Wood of the Vine, instead of Tartar of Wine, you may take the Tartar that cleaves to the Vessels, wherein the juice of Crabs hath been keep, or the juices of any other sowr Fruit, or instead of Tartar we may take the Grounds of Wine, first dried. ℞. Any one of these, and abstract from it a Solution of ☉, melt the remainder as before in a close luted Crucible, and the ☉ will be found white and brittle, like to a Regulus of ♁ at the bottom.