Persons who require a stronger vomit may add to the above half a grain, or a grain, of emetic tartar.
Those who do not chuse the powder, may take ten drachms of the ipecacuanha wine; or half an ounce of the wine, and an equal quantity of the syrup of squills.
ELECTUARIES.
Electuaries are generally composed of the lighter powders, mixed with syrup, honey, conserve, or mucilage, into such a consistence, that the powders may neither separate by keeping, nor the mass prove too stiff for swallowing. They receive chiefly the milder alterative medicines, and such as are not ungrateful to the palate.
Astringent electuaries, and such as have pulps of fruit in them, should be prepared only in small quantities; as astringent medicines lose their virtues by being kept in this form, and the pulps of fruits are apt to ferment.
For the extraction of pulps it will be necessary to boil unripe fruits, and ripe ones if they are dried, in a small quantity of water till they become soft. The pulp is then to be pressed out through a strong hair sieve, or thin cloth, and afterwards boiled to a due consistence, in an earthen vessel, over a gentle fire, taking care to prevent the matter from burning by continually stirring it. The pulps of fruit that are both ripe and fresh may be pressed out without any previous boiling.
Lenitive Electuary.
Take of senna, in fine powder, eight ounces; coriander seed, also in powder, four ounces; pulp of tamarinds and of French prunes, each a pound. Mix the pulps and powders together, and with a sufficient quantity of simple syrup, reduce the whole into an electuary.
A tea-spoonful of this electuary, taken two or three times a day, generally proves an agreeable laxative. It likewise serves as a convenient vehicle for exhibiting more active medicines, as jalaps, scammony, and such like.
This may supply the place of the electuary of Cassia.