Pharmacologia / Fourth American, from the Seventh London Edition

by John Ayrton Paris

Whitehead’s Essence of Mustard Pills.—Balsam of Tolu, with resin!

Ready Made Mustard.—This is made up with currant wine, and sugar; formerly Must, or grape juice, was employed for this purpose, whence the name Mustard.

[637]. This term is also applied to the Sub-carbonate of Ammonia. The objection to its use depends upon the solecism which it involves; the division of an atom, which, according to chemical principles, is indivisible; but this objection may be answered by stating, that the term is one merely of convenience, and serves to express the proportions of the acid and its base. The chemical difficulty is at once solved by multiplying each by two, which will make the proportions as 3 to 2. instead of 1½ to 1.

[638]. Sodaic Powders.—Contained in two distinct papers, one of which is blue, the other white; that in the former consists of ʒss of the carbonate of soda, that in the latter of grs. xxv of tartaric acid. These powders require half a pint of water. It is very evident that a solution of these powders is by no means similar to “Soda Water,” which it is intended to emulate; for in this latter preparation, the soda is in combination only with carbonic acid; whereas the solution of the “Sodaic Powders” is that of a neutral salt, with a portion of fixed air diffused through it.

Patent Seidlitz Powders.—These consist of two different powders; the one, contained in a white paper, consists of ʒij of Tartarized Soda, and ℈ij of Carbonate of Soda; that in the blue paper, of grs. xxxv of tartaric acid. The contents of the white paper are to be dissolved in half a pint of spring water, to which those of the blue paper are to be added; the draught is to be taken in a state of effervescence. The acid being in excess renders it more grateful, and no less efficacious as a purgative. This preparation cannot be said to bear any other resemblance to the mineral water of Seidlitz, than in being purgative. The water of this spring, which was discovered by Hoffman about a century ago, contains Sulphate of Magnesia as its active ingredient, together with Muriate of Magnesia, and Sulphate, and Carbonate of Lime. In the Codex Medicamentarius of Paris there are two formulæ for the preparation of a water which may resemble that of Seidlitz, the one differing from the other merely in the proportion of its Sulphate of Magnesia.

[639]. Our English Salt is generally thus contaminated; for which reason it is unfit for the curing of several kinds of fish; this will not appear strange, says Mr. Parkes, when it is considered that merely its own weight of water is all that is necessary for the complete solution of muriate of magnesia; a circumstance which renders it impossible to preserve such salt for any length of time in a dry state. This muriate however might be separated from common salt, on a large scale, for one shilling per cwt. By exposing the salt to a gentle heat in reverberatory furnaces, the muriatic acid of the magnesian muriate will fly off, and the magnesia (on a subsequent solution of the salt) will be precipitated. It is well known that muriate of magnesia begins to part with its acid at a temperature a little higher than that of boiling water.

[640]. The annual quantity of salt raised from the Salt Mines and Springs in Europe, is estimated at from 25 to 30 millions of cwt.

[641]. The respect paid to Salt amongst Eastern nations is very remarkable, and may be traced to the highest antiquity. Homer gives to it the epithet of θεὶον, Il. ix. p. 214.

[642]. In addition to the numerous instances cited by these authors, I may here introduce one which has been just communicated to me by my friend Mr. John Taylor, the agent of the London Company for working the Real del Monte Silver Mines in Mexico. He states that the ore, which consists of the Sulphuret of Silver, is, together with Mercury, amassed in heaps with iron pyrites and common salt; and that such is the greediness of the Mules employed in the works for the Salt, that they are constantly licking the materials; the consequence is that a portion of the Silver Amalgam is introduced into their stomachs; the animals, however, suffer no inconvenience; but, after death, on opening their stomachs, it is not unusual to find considerable masses of Silver, the mercury having escaped, or been dissolved by the gastric juice.

[643]. The celebrated Indian Tonic for Dyspepsia and Gout, called Bit laban, is prepared by fusing together muriate of soda and some other ingredients. See Dr. Fleming’s Catalogue of Indian Medicinal plants and drugs, p. 54, 55.