This is an excellent powder against the heart-burn, or other crudities of the stomach and bowels; for whilst it absorbs the crudities and accidities in the first passage, it is at the same time a gentle digestive, and withal a carminative: Hence in heart-burn, belching, and other disagreeable symptoms of depraved appetite it is highly useful.
N. Calomel:
This is a dulcified mercury, made of sublimate mercury four ounces, pure quicksilver three ounces; intimately mixed, and sublimed six times, according to the art in chymistry.
This is the safest and gentlest of all mercurial preparations, and if judiciously administered, may be deemed one of the greatest of all medicines. I shall therefore be somewhat particular on this head. In the first place, it should be faithfully prepared; and secondly, levigated as fine as is possible; to do this therefore, I have in my Treatise on the Venereal Disease, recommended it to be ground with a little water on a flat marble, to the finest degree possible, and then dried up for use. The fineness of this excellent medicine is of the greatest importance, and ought to be strictly attended to, for not only much mischief has been done by its rough particles in the bowels, but it must follow, that the finer it is, the farther it goes. And with all mercurials, it should be strictly observed, the less quantity we can make do, the more we may hope for success.
There is not an acrimony in the human body but what may be corrected by this universal antacrid medicine, if properly administered. In venereal cases, it should be one of the first, and the principal remedy throughout the cure; but care should be taken that the quantity be small, and adapted to the strength of the patient, and to prevent it from falling on the salivary glands, and thence to produce salivation. The dose should never exceed one grain, a quantity sufficient for twenty-four hours, except where there is evacuation, or other discharges of the body required; in which case it may be occasionally increased, especially in malignant fluxes, or when purges are given, or in other evacuations.
It may be made up in many forms; the best, however, is in pills, with a little flower and water, &c. or it may occasionally be mixed up with other medicines, as I shall frequently have occasion to speak of.
O. Precipitate:
This is made up of equal weight of Quicksilver and compound Aqua Fortis, well mixed, evaporated to dryness, in a broad bottomed vessel, by a sand heat, according to the art of chymistry; in which operation it turns red.
This is an excellent medicine, applied to all kinds of ulcers, as it will correct the malignity of the matter, take off fungous flesh, bring on a kind suppuration.
It will also clear the skin from all kinds of breaking-out, and perfectly destroy lice, nits, &c. It should, however, like the former, be levigated very fine, for thereby it loses greatly its sharpness, and becomes more efficacious. It should also be mixed with some cerate, ointment, or other dressing, and never, or very seldom, be used by itself, as I shall hereafter point out.