The following extract from the late 19th century - late 1800's - comes from Savory's Compendium of Domestic Medicine: and Companion to the Medicine Chest. The drugs and medicines were used to keep people in as good a state of health as could be done, during the 19th century. Many of these drugs and medines can still be purchased today, with their use often unchanged. This list of 19th Century drugs and medicines is quite comprehensive in both dosage and use. Hence the large size of this webpage.
DRUGS, CHEMICALS,
&c. &c.
ACID, ACETIC, GLACIAL.
French. Acide Acčtique Concentre.
German. Concentrirte Essigsaure.
This acid, applied by means of blotting-paper, or fine cambric,
speedily produces vesication, and is sometimes used as a substi-
tute for a blister in cases of sudden inflammation, such as croup,
&c, which do not admit of delay. It is also applied with a
camel's-hair pencil to destroy corns and warts, especially when of
a syphilitic character ; but great care should be taken in its
application, that it does not extend beyond the excrescence. It
is likewise, from its pungent odour; a useful stimulant held to the
nostrils in faintness and in severe headache, and it has been sup-
posed to have some influence in preventing infection.
ACID, CARBOLIC.
French. Acide Phčnique.
This substance is obtained from the distillation of coal tar, and
is used both in a liquid and in a crystalline or solid form. Its
disinfecting or antiseptic qualities are very remarkable. It has
also been employed with great advantage as a caustic in the
treatment of haemorrhoids, fistula, &c. In the proportion of one
ounce to 40 ounces of water it has been successfully used for
disinfecting foetid ulcers and certain purulent sores, or when
diluted to one pint in 200 of water, it forms a gargle for sore-
throats attended with foetid breath.
CARBOLIC ACID WITH GLYCERINE.
Dose.—From five to ten minims in water.
2 ACID, CITRIC.
ACID, CITKIC.
Crystallized Lemon Juice.
French. Acide Citrique.
German. Citronen-Saure.
Italian. Acido Citrico.
The solution of this acid in water, in the proportion of nine
drachms and a-half of the crystals, half a drachm of tincture of
lemon-peel, and one pint of water, will answer nearly all the
purposes of recent lemon-juice, and is even preferable for forming
the common effervescing draught with carbonate of potash. One
scruple of this acid triturated with a little sugar and a few drops
of the tincture of lemon-peel, and dissolved in a pint of water,
forms a grateful refrigerant beverage, resembling lemonade, and
is useful in scurvy, liver complaints, and dropsy, in febrile and
inflammatory complaints, allaying heat and irritation, and re-
ducing the pulse.
Fifteen grains of the lemon acid in solution will saturate one
scruple of carbonate of potash, and form an agreeable effervescing
draught.
SALINE MIXTURE.
Take of
Citric acid,
Bicarbonate of potash, of each one drachm.
Syrup of orange-peel,
Spirit of nutmeg, of each one ounce.
Distilled water, twelve ounces.
Mix.
Two tablespoonfuls of this mixture may be taken every four
hours in fevers and inflammatory sore throats.
Lemon-juice forms a usefid and agreeable refrigerant, allaying
thirst and diminishing preternatural heat in febrile and inflam-
matory diseases. The employment of lemon-juice as a remedy in
the treatment of acute rheumatism and gout was proposed by
ACID, GALLIC. 3
Dr. Q. 0. Eees, of London; and many of the Faculty who have
tried it on his authority corroborate his statement of its efficacy.
In acute rheumatism, Dr. Rees began with half an ounce to one
ounce three times a-day; but he soon found that one ounce to two
ounces was a more efficient dose. It may be taken by itself, or
mixed with sugar and water and ten or fifteen drops of sal-volatile.
Lemon-juice is supplied both to the army and navy for the pre-
vention and cure of scurvy. One or two ounces twice or thrice
a week is a preventive dose, and four or six ounces daily will cure
the disease when it has appeared. In order to preserve lemon-
juice, it should be mixed with about a tenth of its weight of
brandy. Dr. H. Bence Jones has made some interesting observa-
tions on citric acid and lemon-juice, and concludes that their
action is identical. Experimental trials showed that the acidity
of the urine is increased : he therefore cautions the practitioner
against the use of the juice for three or four weeks continuously
in chronic gout or rheumatism, for fear that red gravel, or uric
acid calculus, should be produced.
ACID, GALLIC.
French. Acide Gallique.
German. Gallussaure.
Gallic acid is a powerful astringent, its effects being particu-
larly manifested on the urinary organs ; it is therefore a remedy
of great value in all forms of haemorrhage from the kidneys or
bladder, or from the stomach, bowels, or uterus, provided no
inflammatory symptoms are present; also in checking profuse
sweating and diarrhoea in consumption. It is sometimes used as a
gargle in inflammatory sore-throats, externally, in the form of
a lotion, or an injection to suppress bleeding from the nose,
gums, &c, and to lessen the discharge from the mucous membrane
in leucorrlioea, gleet, &c.
Dose.—Three grains to ten, two or three times a day in the
form of pill, or suspended in warm water by means of mucilage
of gum arabic. Children in rickets may take half a grain or one
b 2
4
ACID, MURIATIC.
grain. Dr. B. Jones prescribes as much as twenty grains in
chylous urine.
Take of
Gallic acid, two scruples.
Hydrochlorate of morphia, one grain.
Mucilage of gum arabic, sufficient quantity to form sixteen pills.
Dose.—One at bedtime.
Given with advantage in pyrosis or water brash and night
sweats of consumption.
Take of
Gallic acid, one scruple.
Mucilage of gum arabic, two drachms.
Distilled water, three ounces and a-half.
Syrup of red poppies, two drachms.
Mix,—Take two tablespoonfuls every second or third hour.
Recommended by Dr. Neligan in hemorrhage from the kidneys
or bladder.
ACID, MURIATIC.
HYDROCHLORIC ACID.
French, Acide Hydrochlorique.
German. Salzsaure.
Italian. Acido Idrochlorico.
This acid has been given as a refrigerant and antiseptic in scar-
latina and fevers of the typhoid type, in doses of ten or fifteen
minims in a sufficient quantity of barley-water or gruel, every
three or four hours. It is also used, largely diluted, as a gargle
for ulcerated throats in scarlet fever, in the following forms :—
MURIATIC ACID GARGLE.
Take of
Infusion of roses, four ounces.
Muriatic acid, from twenty to forty minims.
Honey of roses, one ounce.
Mix, and gargle the throat frequently.
ACID, MURIATIC.
5
MURIATIC ACID LINCTUS.
Take of
Honey of roses, ten drachms.
Syrup of red poppies, two drachms.
Muriatic acid, ten minims.
Mix, and apply a little of it to the mouth and throat, with a
camel's-hair pencil.
MURIATIC ACID MIXTURE.
Take of
Muriatic acid, half a drachm.
Syrup of mulberries, one ounce.
Distilled water, seven ounces.
Mix.—A tablespoonful every four or five hours.
MURIATIC ACID OINTMENT, FOR SCALD HEAD AND RINGWORM.
Take of
Green elder ointment, ten drachms.
Muriatic acid, half an ounce.
Mix well together, and apply a piece the size of a walnut night
and morning.
As a tonic, muriatic acid may be given in doses of from ten to
twenty minims in two ounces of water, or any vegetable infusion.
This acid is also employed for the destruction of warts, which
may be touched with it night and morning ; taking the same pre-
caution in its use as is recommended under the head of acetic
acid. According to Dr. Paris, this acid, when mixed with a strong
infusion of quassia, is a most effectual remedy in preventing the
generation of worms. In cases of poisoning with this acid, the
antidotes are chalk or magnesia, combined with demulcent and
emollient drinks.
A lotion composed of five or six minims of this acid and an
ounce of water sweetened with syrup of red poppy is very useful
in the thrush of children. If a rag is soaked in this lotion, and
put into the infant's mouth, it sucks it eagerly, and the aphthae
are effectually touched with it. Great care must be taken not to
make it too strong, so as to cause much pain.
6
ACID, NITRIC, DILUTED.
ACID, NITBIC.
French. Acide Nitrique.
German. Salpeter-saure.
Italian. Acido Mtrieo.
This acid is seldom employed except for pharmaceutical pur-
poses ; in its concentrated state, it is a potent caustic, and would
probably be a useful application in the bite of a mad dog in situa-
tions where the knife cannot be employed. Nitric acid vapour
is also used in funiiga' ions for the destruction of contagious and
infectious effluvia. It destroys warts in the same manner as the
acetic and muriatic acids. When used for this purpose, it should
be applied by means of a pointed glass rod. In India, during the
epidemic cholera, nitric acid was employed for the purpose of
vesication; and being found exceedingly successful in that disease
by the quickness of its action (the effect being attained in two
minutes), it was subsequently extended to a variety of other
diseases, where prompt counter-irritation was required. The fol-
lowing is the manner in which it was used :—Two parts of the
acid were mixed with one of water, and spread over the part with
a feather; or the surface was rubbed with the mixture till sharp
pain was induced, and the acid was then neutralized by a solution
of salt of tartar.
In cases of poisoning with this acid, the antidotes are the same
as for muriatic acid.
ACID, NITHIC, DILUTED.
French. Acide Mtrique dilue.
German. Verdunnte Salpeter-saure.
•Is tonic, antiseptic, and anti-syphilitic. The dose of diluted
nitric acid is from teu to thirty minims, taken in three ounces of
water, three or four times a day. If this acid be furthur diluted,
so as to equal the acidity of lemonade, and sweetened with sugar
or capillaire, it will be found an excellent and agreeable beverage ;
it has been given repeatedly with advantage in typhoid, malig-
ACID, NITRIC, DILUTED. 7
nant, and petechial fevers. A lotion made with two drachms of
this acid to a pint of water, has been found serviceable when
applied to ulcers of an unhealthy and foetid character. Diluted
nitric acid has been given with benefit in dyspepsia, particularly
when arising from sympathy with a diseased liver, or some othei
of the abdominal viscera; but to attain its full effect, it should be
long and steadily continued.
In obstinate heartburn, the following draught often gives far
more permanent relief than alkalies :—
Take of
Diluted nitric acid,
Diluted muriatic acid, of each five minims.
Infusion of quassia, ten drachms,
Tincture of quassia,
Syrup of orange-peel, of each one drachm.
Mix, and make a draught.
NITRIC ACID MIXTURE.
Take of
Diluted nitric acid, one drachm.
Distilled water, thirteen ounces.
Syrup of capillaire, one ounce.
Mix.—Two tablespoonfuls of this mixture may be taken for a
dose in typhoid, malignant, and petechial fevers.
Nitric acid is sometimes prescribed as an adjunct to bark in
typhoid fevers, in the following form :
NITRIC ACID DRAUGHT.
Take of
Decoction of bark, twelve drachms.
Tincture of bark, one drachm.
Nitric acid, eight minims.
Syrup of orange-peel, one drachm.
Mix.
8
ACID, PHOSPHORIC, ~DILITTED.
NITRIC ACID DRAUGHT.
Take of
Tincture of squills, ten minims.
Diluted nitric acid, six minims.
Extract of henbane, three grains.
Distilled water, one ounce and a-half.
This draught is very efficacious during a fit of asthma.
ACID, NTTRO-MURIATIC, DILUTED.
French. Acide Nitro-muriatique.
German. Saltpeter-salzsŕure.
This acid, when properly diluted, is used as a tonic and
stomachic in dyspepsia, heartburn, &c. It is considered, by Sir
Konald Martin, to have a considerable influence in obstructions of
the liver. Dose, from ten to twenty mimims, well diluted with
water, two or three times a day, or in the following manner :—
Take of
Diluted nitro-muriatic acid, ten minims.
Fluid extract of dandelion, half a drachm.
Tincture of gentian, one drachm.
Tincture of cherettah, one drachm.
Mix, and make a draught, to be taken two or three times a day.
Externally, it is used in the form of a foot-bath, in affections of
the liver, and in deficient secretion of the bile.—See the article on
Medicated Baths,
ACID, PHOSPHORIC, DILUTED,
This acid is employed as a refrigerant and tonic ; it is con-
sidered by some physicians more efficacious than the mineral
acids in quenching thirst in diabetes, agrees better with the
stomach, and is supposed to exert an influence on the growth of
osseous tumours, and earthy deposits in the urine. It is usually
prescribed with aromatic or bitter tinctures. Dose for an adult is
ACID, PYROLIGNEOUS. 9
from ten to thirty minims, largely diluted with water; for a child
twelve months old, three minims. The following mixture is pre-
scribed by Dr. Neligan in phosphatic deposits from urine :—
Take of
Diluted phosphoric acid, half an ounce.
Compound tincture of cardamoms, half an ounce.
Infusion of Calumbo, seven ounces.
Mix.—Two tablespoonfuls three times a day.
ACID, PBTXSSIC.
MEDICINAL OR DILUTED HYDROCYANIC ACID.
French. Acide Prussique medicinal.
German. Cyanwasserstoffsŕure, Blausaure.
As this medicine is a powerful poison, it requires to be care-
fully watched in its operation, and should never be had recourse
to unless under the direction of a medical attendant. It has been
administered with success in nervous and convulsive coughs, in
asthma, hooping-cough, spasmodic palpitations, consumption,
vomiting, and painful affections of the stomach. Dose, two to
eight minims. Externally, as a wash, to allay pain and irritation
in skin diseases.
Preparations containing prussic acid should be put into dark-
coloured bottles, be well corked, and kept in a cool, dark place.
When administered, they should be well shaken. English pre-
scriptions prepared on the Continent containing prussic acid
should be made with the acid of the British Pharmacopoeia,
as the strength of the various preparations differs materially.
ACID, PYBOLIGNEOUS.
French. Acide Pyroligneux.
German. Rectificirter Holls-essig.
Italian. Acido Pyrolignico.
This acid is applicable to all the purposes for which vinegar is
employed, and, by dilution with water, will form vinegar of any
strength. One part of this acid and eleven parts of pure water
b 3
r
10
ACID, SULPHURIC.
form the distilled vinegar used by chemists, and is suitable
to all medical purposes. One part of this acid and six parts
and a-half of water will form the strongest pickling vinegar
(called No. 24); and is applicable to pickling and preserving
meat, fish, game* and every other purpose for which strong
vinegar is required. One part of the acid and nine parts
of water are equal to the best pickling vinegar (called No.
22); and is proper for pickling most kinds of vegetables, for
salads, table, or culinary and family uses. When undiluted, this
acid is suited for exportation and fumigation, and is a powerful
antiseptic application. In diluting the acid with water, it is only
necessary to stir them well together. For medicinal purposes,
distilled water is preferable; for other nses, cold soft water is the
best. This acid is not injured by weather or climate : it will pre-
serve animal matter, cooked or raw, for weeks in the hottest
weather; and by applying it to meat, fish, or game, it will com-
pletely remove must, taint, and incipient putrefaction. It is used
in the same manner as brine for immersing raw or cooked meats,
without the necessity of adding salt or spice. It is also fre-
quently employed in place of common vinegar for inhaling, in
recent sore-throats, hoarseness, &c. ; and the following is the
usual way of applying it:—One part of the acid is put into a tea-
pot, or inhaler, and six parts of boiling water are poured upon it ;
the spout of the vessel should then be introduced into the mouth
and the acid vapour inhaled.
ACID, STJLPHUKIC.
OIL OF VITRIOL.
French. Acide Sulfurique.
German. Schwefelsaure.
Italian. Acido Solforico.
This acid is prescribed chiefly in the form of elixir of vitriol,
which is the acid, in a state of dilution, with an aromatic added.
—{See Elixir Vitriol.) Mixed with nitre, it is used for fumigating
chambers. — {See Nitrous Fumigations.) Externally, it has been
used with advantage for the itch, in the proportion of half a
drachm to an ounce of lard. This ointment is also useful in cases
of ringworm.
ACID, TANNIC, OR TANNIN.
II
ACID, SULPHURIC, DILUTED.
French. Acide Sulfurique dilu§.
German. Verdunnte Schwefelsŕure.
Italian. Acido Solforico diluto.
This acid may be given in doses of from ten to thirty minims,
and is a very useful tonic; it is also generally considered as
astringent, and has been administered with success in many
cases of epidemic diarrhoea and cholera. In putrid sore-throat
and quinsy it is sometimes applied in the following form, as a
gargle :—
Take of
Infusion of roses, five ounces and a half.
Syrup of roses, half an ounce.
Diluted sulphuric acid, twenty-five minims.
Mix, and make a gargle, to be used frequently.
TONIC DRAUGHT.
Take of
Diluted sulphuric acid, ten minims.
Infusion of roses, eleven drachms.
Syrup of ginger, one drachm.
This draught may be taken two or three times during the day.
TONIC MIXTURE.
Take of
Diluted sulphuric acid, two drachms.
Compound tincture of bark, two ounces.
Mix.
One or two teaspoonfnls of this mixture may be taken twice a
day, in a little water, to restrain colliquative sweats.
To prevent the acid from injuring the enamel of the teeth, the
medicine should be sucked through an acid-tube, or quill, and the
mouth carefully washed after each dose.
ACID, TANNIC, OR TANNIN.
This acid is a powerful astringent, and has been given with
great advantage in menorrhagia, hematuria, hemoptysis, in-
12
ACIDULATED KALI.
creased mucous and other discharges, hectic sweating, diarrhoea,
and dysenteric affections. A suppository composed of one
drachm of tannic acid placed in the vagina, and plugged in with
a soft sponge, effectually stops hemorrhage. Dr. Porta, an
Italian physician, employed tannic acid with great success in
the treatment of uterine haemorrhage and bleeding from the
rectum. In diarrhoea, and dysenteric affections, it has been
found more beneficial than ordinary astringents, being less liable
to irritate the stomach and bowels. Dr. P. Garnier has found
tannic acid very beneficial in the dropsy of Bright's disease ; he
gave from half a drachm to a drachm in divided doses, through
the day, and found its curative influence beginning on the second
day by a return of the urine to a healthy state. Tannic acid is
more useful as a gargle in relaxed uvula, or as an injection, than
gallic acid. Dose, from two to ten grains, in pills. For injec-
tions, four to ten grains to an ounce of water. Tannin lozenges
are a most convenient form for taking this medicine: each lozenge
contains half a grain.
ACID, TAKTAEIC.
French: Acide Tartarique.
German. Weinsteinsaure.
Italian. Acido Tartarico.
Refrigerant, antiseptic, diuretic, and slightly aperient. Two
drachms of tartaric acid, one ounce of sugar, and about eight
drops of the essence of lemon, dissolved in three pints of spring
water, form a pleasant fever drink. Thirty grains of tartaric
acid, and the same quantity of bicarbonate of soda, dissolved in
half a pint of spring water, form an excellent substitute for soda-
water, slightly aperient.
ACIDULATED KALI.
(For making Saline Draughts.)
The beneficial effects of this pleasant and efficacious remedy in
fevers, its singular use in stopping vomiting, from whatever cause
it may proceed, the immediate relief which it affords in bilious
ACONITE ROOT.
13
affections, particularly in cases of heartburn, have been so long
known to the public, that they have considered it as one of the
most useful domestic medicines.
Unfortunately, lemons are not to be purchased at all seasons;
and in no situation are they at all times equally good. To remedy
this inconvenience, the juice of the lemon is reduced to a concrete
form, and combined with an alkali. In this state the peculiar
properties of this valuable remedy will remain unimpaired by
time and uninfluenced by climate.
To four large spoonfuls of water add one large teaspoonful
of the concrete acidulated kali, stir it briskly, and let it be taken
during the state of effervescence. It may be repeated every fourth
or sixth hour.
Persons in the habit of drinking soda-water as a pleasant beve-
rage, will find one teaspoonful of this concrete acidulated kali,
mixed with half a pint of spring water, much more palatable
if drunk during the state of effervescence.
ACONITE ROOT.
MONKSHOOD.
The medicinal properties of this root are the same as the leaves,
the root being considered the most active. It is a powerful
poison, and many fatal cases have occurred in consequence of
the root, when scraped, being mistaken for horseradish ; but the
want of pungency so well known to the horseradish, the imme-
diate tingling of the tongue, and the appearance of a pinkish
colour of the root when scraped, wrill soon discover the mistake.
In case of suspected poisoning by aconite, some animal charcoal
mixed with water should be given immediately, followed up,
after a short time, with a zinc emetic; after the operation of
the emetic, ammonia, sal-volatile and brandy should be adminis-
tered, and the patient kept in continual motion.
According to Dr. Flemming, aconite is a powerful sedative to
the nervous system, reducing also the force of the circulation.
It is employed in rheumatism, neuralgia, gout, hooping cough,
and scrofula. It may be administered in powder, extract or
tincture. The dose of the powdered leaves is one grain, of the
14
ALOES, SOCOTRINE.
extract one to two grains, of the tincture five to ten minims. The
Aconite Liniment mixed with chloroform liniment, in the pro-
portion of seven ounces of the former and one part of the latter,
is an excellent external application for neuralgia or lumbago. It
should be sprinkled thinly on spongio piline.
ACONITIWE,
Chiefly used in the form of an ointment for the relief of
neuralgic pains, rheumatism, &c.; it is never given internally.
ACT^A RACEMOSA.
BLACK SNAKE ROOT, OR COHOSH.
A tincture of this root has been extensively used in America
in affording great relief in neuralgia, dropsy, and, according to
Br. F. N. Johnson, in acute rheumatism, with great success.
Dr. Hildreth says he has prescribed it combined with iodine in
the early stages of consumption with equal success. Dose, thirty
to sixty minims.
ALOES, SOCOTKINE.
French. Aloes Socotrin.
German. Sucotrinische Aloe.
Is a warm and somewhat stimulating cathartic, acting slowly,
and exerting its effects chiefly upon the large intestines. In small
doses of two or three grains, it usually acts as a gentle laxative;
discharging, at a single operation, the fsecal contents of the lower
bowels with little uneasiness. In females, it acts also upon the
uterine system; not unfrequently producing pain in the loins, and
either increasing the menstrual discharge, if present, or restoring
it if suppressed. Aloes has also the property of exciting the
stomach, thereby increasing the appetite and invigorating diges-
tion, when these are impaired in consequence of deficient tone of
that organ. It is frequently and most usefully prescribed to re-
lieve habitual constipation, dependent upon torpor or deficient
Aloes, socotfvIne.
15
irritability of the bowels. With this view it is given in small
doses of from one to five grains, repeated daily, or as often as cir-
cumstances may call for its use. It should, as a general rule, be
taken at bedtime, as the slowness of its operation will usually
preclude any disturbance of rest during the night. In this way,
it often proves highly advantageous in chronic rheumatism, green-
sickness, and various nervous affections, relieving the inconve-
niences arising from the constipated state of the bowels, without
producing either local or general debility. When taken in the
quantity of one or two grains a short time before dinner, it pro-
motes the appetite, renders the food less oppressive to the stomach,
and obviates the flatulence so frequently a troublesome attendant
upon dyspeptic complaints : in fact, aloes is the basis of almost all
those combinations which have enjoyed so much popular credit
under the names of Antibilious and Dinner Pills.
The emmenagogue Virtues of aloes have been long and generally
known ; it forms, therefore, an ingredient in most of the com-
pounds employed in cases of obstructed menses. The cases to
which it is best adapted are those in which deficient energy of the
uterus is accompanied with constipation of the bowels, and more
or less general debility. In these it may be combined with myrrh
and the carbonate of iron. Advantage may sometimes result from
full purgative doses of aloes about the period at which the men-
strual efforts should occur ; but it ought not to be given where the
suppression depends upon inflammatory excitement of the uterus,
or a plethoric condition of the system, nor in such cases as are
complicated with hemorrhoidal discharges. Wherever tendency
to hemorrhoidal disorder exists, aloetic preparations will in-
variably prove injurious. Aloes is also contra-indicated in preg-
nancy during its advanced stages, or at any stage when there is a
likelihood of miscarriage.
Aloes is not often given to children, from the bitterness of its
taste, and its liability to gripe ; but there is no purgative that, if
judiciously employed, is more useful. The taste of aloes is well
hidden by combination with liquorice-root, and perhaps there are
few medicines to the taste of which children sooner become
reconciled. Of its various preparations, the compound decoction
and the wiue of aloes are those best fitted for administration to
children.
1()
ALOES, SOCOTR1NE.
THE APERIENT AND TONIC ALOETIC PILLS.
Take of
Socotrine aloes, twenty-four grains.
Extract of bark, twelve grains.
Powdered gentian, four grains.
Mix, and divide into eight pills.
Two of these pills may be taken an hour before dinner.
THE ALOETIC PILLS.
Take of
Extract of aloes, twenty grains.
Powdered myrrh, thirty grains.
Extract of gentian, twenty grains.
Sulphate of iron, ten grains.
Mix, and divide into eighty pills.
Two or four of these pills may be taken in leucophlegmatic and
strumous habits, when the alvine excretion is irregular.
THE COMPOUND CATHARTIC PILLS WITH ALOES.
Take of
Socotrine aloes, one scruple.
Scammony in powder, twelve grains.
Extract of rhubarb, two scruples.
Powdered capsicum, six grains.
Oil of cloves, five minims.
Mix, and divide into sixteen pills.
Two of these pills may be taken occasionally at bedtime.
DR. BAILLIE'S PILLS FOR INDIGESTION AND COSTIVENESS.
Take of
Extract of aloes, twenty grains.
Powdered ginger, half a drachm.
Powdered ipecacuanha, eight grains.
Syrup, sufficient quantity.
Mix, and divide into sixteen pills.
Dose.—One, an hour before dinner,
ALUM, COMMON.
ALUM, COMMON".
French. Alun.
German. Alaun.
Italian. Allume.
Alum is a powerful astringent. It is used both as an internal
and external remedy for restraining violent haemorrhages, in which
cases it is given in doses of five grains to one scruple, repeated
every hour or two till the bleeding abates. It is sometimes admi-
nistered, dissolved in the serum of milk, in the form of whey,
which is a useful beverage in fevers, and is prepared by boiling
two drachms of powdered alum in a pint of milk, and then strain-
ing. The dose is a wine-glassful. A small piece of alum,
briskly agitated with the white of an egg, forms a coagulum,
which, applied between two pieces of gauze, or thin rag, has been
found serviceable in some species of ophthalmia. Alum has the
property of clearing turbid water, wine, and spirituous liquors,
for which purpose it is extensively employed. Alum is also ad-
ministered in hooping-cough and lead colic. Locally, its saturated
solution is used as a styptic, and a weaker solution as a lotion to
chilblains, collyrium in chronic ophthalmia, and as a gargle in
relaxed sore-throat.
ALUM ELECTUARY.
Take of
Powdered alum, half an ounce.
Powdered Peruvian bark, one ounce and a-half.
Syrup of lemons, a sufficient quantity to form an electuary.
Dose.—A piece the size of a walnut three times a day, in
haemorrhages, immoderate flow of urine, and fluor albus.
ALUM COLLYKIUM.
Take of
Powdered alum, five grains.
Rose-water, one ounce.
Mix.
18
ALUM, COMMON.
ALUM GARGLE, FOR RELAXED UVULA AND TONSILS.
Take of
Bruised oak bark, one ounce.
Water, one pint and a-half.
Boil down to one pint, strain and add—
Powdered alum, half a drachm.
Spirit of wine, or brandy, two ounces.
Mix.
ALUM PILLS, FOR SPITTING OF BLOOD.
Take of
Powdered alum, five grains.
Powdered nutmeg, four grains.
Extract of gentian, two grains.
Mix, and divide into two pills.
ALUM MIXTURES FOR HOOPING COUGH.
Take of
Alum, half a drachm.
Distilled water, three ounces and a-half.
Syrup of red poppies, half a drachm.
Mix. —A teaspoonful twice a day in hooping cough.
Take of
Alum, twenty-five grains.
Extract of hemlock, ten grains.
Syrup of red poppies, two drachms.
Dillseed water, three ounces.
Mix.—A dessert-spoonful every six hours in the second stage of
hooping-cough.
FOR FLOODING.
Take of
Powdered alum, twelve grains.
Powdered catechu, five grains.
Powdered cinnamon, four grains.
Confection of roses, sufficient to make a bolus, which may be
taken three times a day in flooding from relaxation.
AMMONIA, CARBONATE OF. 19
ALUM, BURNT.
French. Alun calcine.
German. Gebrannter Alaun.
Italian. Allume calcinato.
Astringent. Used in gargles and lotions. It is also employed
as an escharotic to destroy fungus in ulcers.
AMMONIA, BENZOATE.
Benzoate of ammonia acts as a stimulant and diuretic, and is
prescribed in gout when chalk stones are deposited near the
joints, also in chronic inflammation of the bladder, especially
where there is a tendency to phosphatic deposits. Dose, from ten
to twenty grains, in any fluid vehicle.
AMMONIA, CARBONATE OF.
VOLATILE ALKALI.
French. Sesquicarbonate d'Ammoniaque.
German. Kohlensaures Ammoniak.
Italian. Sottocarbonato d' Ammoniaco.
Is stimulant, anti-spasmodic, diaphoretic, antacid. The dose is
from five to ten grains dissolved in camphor-julep, or water. It
is useful in fainting and hysterics, in the form of smelling-salts ;
combined with opium, it affords a powerful resource in protracted
diarrhoea, attended with debility of the alimentary canal. A
plaster, composed of one part of powdered carbonate of ammonia
mixed with three of extract of belladonna, is very effectual in
allaying rheumatic and spasmodic pains. Fifteen grains of car-
bonate of ammonia dissolved in two tablespoonfuls of water, and
adding to the solution half an ounce of fresh lemon-juice, form a
useful saline draught for allaying nausea*
From five to ten grains of this alkaline salt, joined with ten or
fifteen grains of Jamaica ginger, are sometimes given in a little
peppermint-water in gouty acidities of the stomach. Ammonia
has also been supposed to remedy the nervous disorders produced
by alcoholic drinks and the use of tobacco. Volatile alkali is
much used by confectioners to give lightness to their pastry, by
its free evolution of carbonic acid gas when subjected to heat.
20
AMMONIA, CARBONATE OF.
ANTACID DRAUGHT.
Take of
Carbonate of ammonia, ten grains.
Peppermint-water, twelve drachms.
Syrup of roses, one drachm.
Mix.
This draught will frequently check diarrhoea arising from
acidity.
ANTACID PILLS, FOR HEARTBURN AND GOUTY HABITS.
Take of
Carbonate of ammonia,
Extract of gentian, of each half a drachm.
Mix, and divide into twelve pills, two of which may be taken
twice or thrice a day.
DIAPHORETIC DRAUGHT.
Take of
Sesquicarbonate of ammonia, one scruple.
Fresh lemon-juice, six drachms; or, citric acid, twenty-four
grains.
Distilled water, seven drachms.
Syrup of Tolu,
Spirit of nutmeg, of each half a drachm.
Mix.
ANTACID PILLS, FOR DYSPEPSIA.
Take of
Carbonate of ammonia, five grains.
Extract of rhubarb, eight grains.
Mix, and divide into three pills.
ANTI-SPASMODIC MIXTURES.
Take of
Sesquicarbonate of ammonia, four grains.
Musk, six grains.
White sugar, three drachms.
Dillseed water, two ounces and a-half.
Mix.
A teaspoonful of this mixture may be given every hour in the
spasms of infants.
AMMONIUM, CHLOEIDE OF.
21
Take of
Carbonate of ammonia, five grains.
Essence of sumbul, ten minims.
Hoffman's ether, half a drachm.
Camphor julep, ten drachms.
Peppermint water, two drachms.
Mix.
This draught may be taken during a severe fit of spasms.
AMMONIA, MURIATE OF,
See Sal Ammoniac,
AMMONIA, PHOSPHATE OF.
This salt has been employed by several practitioners, both in
this country and on the Continent, with apparently useful results
in chronic gout, and certain urinary diseases. The dose is from
five to twenty grains, three or four times a day, dissolved in a
tablespoonful of water.
AMMONIUM, BROMIDE OF.
Similar in its medicinal effects to bromide of potassium. Dose,
two to twenty grains. Lozenges containing two grains of bromide
of ammonium will be found very convenient for travellers, espe-
cially persons who are subject to epileptic fits, as this salt has
been found useful when the bromide of potassium has failed.
One or two may be given during the day.
AMMONIUM, CHLORIDE OF.
Is a stimulant, diaphoretic, discutient, and irritant. Ten to
fifteen grains dissolved in a wine-glassful of water frequently
checks the distressing fits of coughing in chronic bronchitis. It
has also been found useful in scrofulous and syphilitic enlarge-
ments of the glands. Externally it has been prescribed as a
resolvent in indolent tumours.
22 ANTIMONIAL POWDER.
AISTG-TTSTTTRA OR CUSPARIA BARK.
French. Ecorce d'Angusture.
German. Angusturarinde.
Italian. August ura.
Is a valuable tonic, especially in cases of dyspepsia, with diar-
rhoea and loss of appetite. It is not much used in England, but
in South America it has been prescribed with success in the
treatment of low fevers, especially in marshy districts. It may
be given in powder, in doses of ten grains, twice or thrice a day ;
or in infusion or decoction. In cases of ilatulency of the stomach,
attended by nausea, five grains, with the same weight of rhubarb,
taken an hour before dinner, will often effectually restore the
appetite and digestion.
Take of
Infusion of cusparia, six ounces.
Tincture of cusparia, half an ounce.
Powdered cusparia, one scruple.
Compound spirit of lavender, half a drachm.
Jeremie's solution of opium, five minims.
Mix.
Three or four tablespoonfuls of this mixture may be given in
diarrhoea, with irritability and exhaustion.
\
ANTIMOMTAL POWDER.
French. Poudre Antimoniale.
A medicine forming the basis of the celebrated Dr. James's powder.
This is an excellent diaphoretic and sudorific remedy in fevers,
procuring with ease and safety the most salutary evacuations, and
not unfrequently inducing a speedy and favourable termination
of the complaint; but several circumstances are necessary to be
attended to in regard to the administration of this medicine.
1.—Whenever it is indicated, the patient should be confined to
bed, but not overloaded with bed-clothes. If the pulse be full,
ANTIMONIAL POWDER.
23
hard, and quick, and the skin hot, blood-letting, if not contra-
indicated by some peculiar circumstance, should precede the use
of this powder; and the bowels, also, should be freely opened.
2.—The free use of diluents is necessary during the administra-
tion of antimcnial powder, unless the stomach be in a highly
irritable state.
3.—During the administration of antimonial or diaphoretic
medicines, it is essential to use bad conductors of heat as cover-
ings ; both the body-clothes and bed-clothes of the patient should
be woollen, which, being of a light spongy texture, not only pre-
serves an uniform temperature, but also absorbs the moisture as
the perspiration flows. Attention to this circumstance is most
necessary, if it be intended to keep up the sweating for ten or
twelve hours.
4.—The morning, directly after sleep, is the best period of the
day for administering diaphoretics, as the system is then easily
excited, and the surface is more relaxed.
Antimonial powder is given in doses of from three to six grains,
every five or six hours, in the form of pill, combined with opium
or camphor, in fever or inflammatory disorders ; or repeated twice
or thrice a day, with demulcent drinks; or mixed in jelly or
honey; and a saline sudorific draught, with four or five drops
of laudanum, may at the same time be taken with advantage. In
eruptive diseases, such as measles, small-pox, scarlet-fever, &c,
it is a remedy of the highest value; but it should always be
recollected that, in all cases for which it is required, the bowels
must first be attended to; for, until they are evacuated, little
advantage can be expected to accrue from the action of the skin
only.
DIAPHORETIC POWDER.
Take of
Antimonial powder, four grains.
Cream of tartar, six grains.
Mix.
DIAPHORETIC PILL.
Take of
Antimonial powder, two grains.
Extract of henbane, one grain.
Mix, and make one pill.
24
ARROW-ROOT.
AROMATIC CHALK POWDER.
Pulvis Gretas Aromaticus.
This preparation is introduced into the new British Pharma-
copoeia as a substitute for the aromatic confection. It is a proper
addition to sethereal and tonic remedies in low fevers, relaxation
of the bowels, and other affections where warm stimulants are
indicated. Dose, thirty to sixty grains, mixed with ten drachms
of camphor-julep, or the infusion of cascarilla, two drachms of
peppermint-water, and half a drachm of sal-volatile.
SIMPLE AROMATIC DRAUGHT.
Take of
Powdered rhubarb, ten grains.
Aromatic chalk powder, thirty grains.
Peppermint water, six drachms.
Distilled water, six drachms.
Syrup of ginger, one drachm.
Mix.
CORDIAL DRAUGHT FOR RELAXED BOWELS.
Take of
Aromatic chalk powder, thirty grains.
Tincture of catechu, one drachm.
Sal-volatile, twenty minims.
Cinnamon-water, eleven drachms.
Syrup of poppies, one drachm.
Mix.
ARROW-ROOT.
French. Arrow-root.
German. Pfeilwurzel.
A most wholesome, nutritious, and agreeable aliment; sup3rior
to sago, tapioca, rice, or any other farinaceous substance. It
makes a better food for infants than either bread, biscuits, or
rusks.
Directions for making the Jelly,—Put into a basin a dessert-
ASSAFCETIDA. 25
spoonful of the powdered root, and mix it with as much cold water
as will make it into a soft paste; then pour on it half a pint of
boiling water, stirring it briskly, and boil it a few minutes, when
it will become a clear, smooth jelly; to which add two or three
tablespoonfuls of sherry, or other white wine, a little lemon-peel,
and sugar. Lemon or Seville orange-juice may be added, if agree-
able. If it is intended for very young children, milk may be sub-
stituted for water and wine. When required for invalids affected
with relaxation of the bowels, such as occur in consumptive
persons, a dessert-spoonful of the tincture of rhatany root is an
excellent substitute for wine. Arrow-root is now extensively
prepared in this country from the potato, and in the island of
Portland from the roots of the Arum maculatum, or wake robin :
these kinds are very inferior to the genuine arrow-root, which
also varies considerably in quality and price.
ASSAFCETIDA.*
French. Assafoetida.
German. Teufelsdreck, Stinkender Asand.
Italian. Assafetida.
This substance is used as a stimulant and anti-spasmodic in
hysterical and nervous diseases, and spasmodic cough; as an ex-
pectorant in asthma; and as a carminative in flatulent colic. The
usual dose is from five grains to half a drachm, combined, if
necessary, with expectorants in coughs, and with chalybeates and
aloetics in hysterical complaints. The following formula will
sometimes allay obstinate attacks of spasmodic cough, and has
been found useful even in hooping-cough :—
* Assafoetida was used by the ancients as a condiment, under the names of
Silphion and Laserpitium. In Persia it is still esteemed as a condiment and
mixed with almost all their dishes. Gastronomers, as the French term those
who delight in the pleasures of the palate, among the moderns, employ it for
the same purpose; having the hot-plates on which they eat beef-steaks
rubbed with a shallot, the Allium ascalonicum of linnseus.
C
26
asses' milk.
Take of
Assafcetida, half a drachm.
Mindererus's spirit, two ounces.
Pennyroyal water, two ounces.
Mix. and take one or two tablespoonfuls for a dose.
ANTI-HYSTERIC MIXTURE.
Take of
Assafcetida, one drachm.
Mint-water, one ounce and a half.
Rub the assafcetida gradually with the water,
and when well mixed, add
Ammoniated tincture of valerian, two drachms.
Tincture of castor, three drachms.
Rectified eether, one drachm.
Mix.—One tablespoonful every two hours.
For the relief of colic in the bowels, the following clyster may
be administered :—
Take of
Assafcetida, two drachms.
Thin gruel, ten ounces.
Mix.
ASSES' MILK.
Artificial.—There are several ways of preparing this, but two
will suffice.
1.—Boil in three pints of water till half wasted, one ounce each
of eryngo root, pearl barley, sago, and rice; strain, and put a
tablespoonful of the mixture into a coffee-cup of boiling milk, so
as to render it of the consistence of cream. Sweeten it with
sugar or honey to suit the taste.
2.—Take two large spoonfuls of good hartshorn shavings, two
ounces of pearl barley, one ounce of eryngo root, the same quan-
tity of china root and preserved ginger; boil the whole in three
quarts of water till reduced to three pints. Then boil a pint of
new milk, mix it with the rest, and put into it half an ounce
of balsam of tolu. Dose, half a pint morning and night. The
BALSAM, COPAIVA. 27
milk of the ass and the camel, and in northern countries that of
the goat, is principally employed for medicinal purposes. When
infants are nursed on cows' or asses' milk, it is of the greatest
importance to give it directly from the animal, as the atmosphere
speedily makes a great change in this delicate fluid. If this
be not possible, it ought to be carefully covered and kept warm,
by placing the vessel containing it over boiling water. This is
generally done when asses' milk is given as a medicine, and is
probably one great cause of the good effects arising from it.
A pint of warm milk from the cow, with a little sugar or honey,
and a tablespoonful of good rum, has frequently been found
successful in chronic debility, when the milk of asses or women
has failed.
BAEL.
Ext. Belse Liquid.
Indian bael has been much recommended in India for diarrhoea
and dysentery, but experience does not prove it to be superior to
many other vegetable astringents. It is given in the form of
decoction, made by boiling down two ounces of the dried fruit
slowly with a pint of water to one-fourth. In severe attacks of
dysentery, three tablespoonfuls of this decoction are administered
every second or third hour. The preparation of it in the British
Pharmacopoeia, is the fluid extract, the dose of which is one or two
teaspoonfuls three times a day. A preserve prepared with sugar is
also recommended for patients labouring under bowel complaints.
BALSAM, COPAIVA.
Ě French. Baume de Copahu.
German. Copaiva Balsam.
Italian. Balsamo Copeviano.
Stimulant, diuretic, and laxative. It seems to act more power-
fully on the urinary passages than any of the other resinous fluids ;
hence its use in gleets, and in fluor albus. It has also been pre-
scribed of late with peculiar advantage in these diseases, com-
bined with the tinctures of cubebs and buchu leaves. It may be
c 2
28 BALSAM, PERUVIAN.
given in doses of from fifteen to forty drops twice or thrice a day,
either upon water or rubbed into an emulsion by the aid of yolk
of egg, or gum arabic, as in the following forms :—
Take of
Mucilage of gum arabic, one drachm and a half.
Balsam of copaiva, half a drachm.
To be well rubbed together in a mortar j then
add by degrees,
Peppermint or cinnamon water, one ounce.
Tincture of capsicum, five minims.
Mix.
Take of
Compound powder of tragacanth, four drachms.
Spirit of nitre, one drachm.
Balsam of copaiva, one drachm.
Syrup of mulberries, half an ounce.
Distilled water, seven ounces.
Mix.—A third part may be taken three times a day.
BALSAM, PERUVIAN.
French. Baume de Pčrou.
German. Peruvianischer Balsam.
Italian. Balsamo Peruviano.
This balsam has been recommended in doses of half a drachm
to a drachm as a stimulant in chronic rheumatism, and it appears
to have been effectual in some obstinate cases. In chronic asthma
and old dry coughs it is said to have proved a serviceable expec-
torant. Mixed with twice its weight of spermaceti ointment, and
applied to indolent sores, it will sometimes improve and cleanse
them. One ounce of white cerate, made wTith almond oil, and
fifteen drops of Peruvian balsam, wTell mixed by trituration, form
an excellent lip-salve. A mixture composed of one drachm of the
balsam and three drachms of ox-gall, is useful, when dropped into
the ear every day, after syringing with solution of soap, in fetid
discharges from that organ.
BARK, PERUVIAN.
29
BALSAM, FRIAR'S.*
French. Teinture de Ben join composče.
German. Zusammengesetze Benzoe tinktur.
Italian. Alcoole Benzoato composito.
Internally it is given in doses of half a drachm to two drachms,
rubbed up with mucilage, yolk of egg, or water, as a stimulant,
expectorant, and anti-spasmodic, in chronic catarrh and asthma.
Externally, it was long celebrated as a styptic for the speedy cure
of fresh wounds, cuts, &c.; but nothing could be more improper
as it is stimulant and irritating.
BARK, PERUVIAN.
French. Quinquina.
German, Chinarinde, or Peruvianische Rinde.
Italian. China.
The highly valuable and restorative qualities of bark; its spe-
cific effect in the cure of intermittent and low fevers, and of
complaints arising from a general relaxation of the system, induced
by intemperance or residence in warm climates, and its property
of restoring and increasing the general health and strength, &c,
are so generally known as to render unnecessary any further
remark on its efficacy. It may, however, be wTell to observe,
that bark in substance has fallen into considerable disuse, since
the discovery of sulphate of quinine, a substance which con-
tains all the active principles of the bark divested of extraneous
matter, and the dose being consequently small, it is less likely to
produce nausea or any derangement of the stomach. In intermittent
and other fevers the bark has frequently failed, from the inability
of the patient to retain on the stomach a sufficient quantity in sub-
stance, or by its passing off too rapidly by the bowels. Previously
to the use of bark in intermittent and low fevers, the stomach
and intestines ought to be cleared by the exhibition of some mild
emetic and purgative; after the operation of which, and in the
absence or remission of fever, it may be given in doses of half
* Compound tincture of benjamin.
30
BARK, CANKLLA.
a drachm, one, two, or even three drachms, (if the stomach will
bear so large a quantity,) every three or four hours, leaving it off
as soon as the fever recurs, and substituting for it the saline
draught. When the stomach is too delicate to bear the bark in
substance, it may be taken in the form of a decoction, which is
to be prepared as follows :—
Take of Yellow bark in gross powder, ten drachms.
Pure water, one pint.
Boil them together for ten minutes in a close vessel, then strain
the decoction for use. The dose is three or four tablespoonfuls
three or four times a day.
The following draught has frequently cured a fit of ague when
the sulphate of quinine has failed :—
Take of
Decoction of bark, ten drachms.
Diluted sulphuric acid, fifteen minims.
Syrup of orange-peel,
Tincture of cardamoms,
Of each one drachm.
Mix. —This draught may be taken every six hours.
BARK GARGLE.
Take of
Decoction of bark,
Infusion of roses, of each three ounces and a half.
Honey of roses, one ounce.
Tincture of myrrh, two drachms.
Muriatic acid, ten minims.
Mix, and make a gargle.
BARK, CANELLA.
French. Canelle Blanche.
German. Weisser Zimmt, Canell.
Italian. Canella Bianca.
This bark is stimulant and slightly tonic. It is a useful
BARK, CASCARILLA. 31
adjunct to bitters in some cases of dyspepsia ; but it is employed
chiefly on account of its flavour, and to correct the griping quality
of resinous cathartics. The dose of the powdered bark is from
ten grains to half a drachm. It is also one of the ingredients in
the liquor called usquebaugh, a compound used with advantage
by persons of gouty habit, or those who are liable to spasm or
cramp in the stomach. The following is a good form for making
usquebaugh : —
Take of Best Brandy, one gallon.
Raisins stoned, one pound.
Cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, canella bark, and carda-
moms, of each one ounce, bruised well together in a
mortar.
Saffron, half an ounce.
Kind of two Seville oranges.
And brown sugar-candy, one pound.
Shake these well every day for at least fourteen days, when
the liquor will, at the expiration of that time, be ready to be
Altered for use.
BARK, CASCARILLA.
French. Ecorce de Cascarille.
German. Cascarillrinde.
Italian. Cascariglia.
Is carminative and tonic ; and is an excellent adjunct to Peru-
vian bark, rendering it, by its aromatic qualities, more agreeable
to the stomach, and increasing its powers. It is valuable in
dyspepsia and flatulent colic, in dysentery and diarrhoea, and in
the gangrenous thrush peculiar to children. The infusion is the
best form in which cascarilla can be administered. It is also a
good vehicle for several preparations of iron, bismuth, and other
metallic tonics, to which the tincture of cascarilla may be added,
as in the following recipe :—
32 BARK, OAK.
Take of
Infusion of cascarilla, five ounces.
Ammonio-citrate of iron, one scruple.
Tincture of cascarilla, half an ounce.
Mix.
Two or three tablespoonfuls may be taken three times a day.
The peculiar odour, which depends on the volatile oil it con-
tains, is exhaled when the bark is burnt, on which account it is
thus used in India to diffuse an agreeable smell in the houses of
the natives.
BARK, OAK.
French. Ecorce de Chčne.
German. Eichinrinde.
Italian. Corteccia della Quercia.
Oak bark is a valuable astringent, whether administered inter-
nally or applied externally, and may be used in all cases requiring
astringents. The external application and topical use of the
decoction is more frequent and beneficial than its internal admi-
nistration. In the falling of the fundament, leucorrhcea, and
uterine hsemorrhage, it .may be advantageously used as a lotion
and injection ; and as a gargle in relaxed sore-throats.
Take of
Decoction of oak bark, one pint,
Powdered alum, half an ounce.
Mix.
Take of
Oak bark, bruised, six drachms.
Distilled water, ten ounces.
Boil for ten minutes ; then strain off four ounces, and add the
same quantity of infusion of linseed.
Used in uterine discharges.
BEBEERLNE, SULPHATE OF.
33
BASILIC POWDER.
PULVTS BASCILICUS.
This is a very good medicine, as a common purgative both for
adults and children. The usual dose is from twenty to thirty
grains mixed up with a little jelly. For children who are subject
to worms, this powder is sometimes very beneficial, in doses of
from two, five, or ten grains, according to the age of the child,
given every third morning, taking care that the child does not
drink any cold fluid during its operation.
JBAUME DE VIE,
OR COMPOUND DECOCTION OF ALOES.
This is a mild and commendable remedy where a warm and
stomachic aperient is required, which is often the case in hys-
terical and hypochondriacal affections, and in certain spasmodic
disorders, where the bowels have become torpid from the use of
opiates. Its purgative quality may be increased by the addition
of tincture or infusion of senna; and the mixture is far from
being so unpleasant to the palate as the nature of its components
would lead us to expect. The dose is from half an ounce to an
ounce and a half. It is often of singular service in green-sickness,
jaundice, and in dyspepsia, as it corrects acidity, and promotes
the action of the stomach and bowels.; in such cases, half an
ounce or six drachms may be taken every other morning, mixed
with an equal quantity of some aromatic water, or bitter and
stomachic infusion. The union of steel with this decoction proves
very advantageous in many cases of sluggish uterine function.
One ounce of this decoction contains four grains of the extract of
aloes.
BEBEERINE, SULPHATE OF.
Sulphate of Bebeerine is considered to be a powerful and
valuable anti-periodic and febrifuge in intermittent and remittent
fevers, in periodic headache, neuralgia, and tic-douloureux. It is
c 3
34 BISMUTH, WHITE.
not so powerful as quinine : hence it can be taken in some cases
when the stomach will not bear that remedy.
It may be given in the form of pills made up with confection
of roses, or in solution, a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid being-
added to render it perfectly soluble. As a general tonic it may
be given in doses of one grain to three grains. In the treatment
of ague in the East and West Indies, it has been given in doses of
eight to twenty grains, three or four times a day.
BISMUTH, WHITE.
Syn. Nitrate of Bismuth.
Sub-nitrate of Bismuth.
Tris-nitrate of Bismuth.
This preparation has been extensively used in many cases with
advantage as a tonic and anti-spasmodic in chronic diseases of
the stomach, as gastrodynia, cardialgia, and pyrosis, also iu inter-
mittent fever and in some forms of vomiting and protracted
diarrhoea. Dr. Trousseau successfully prescribed bismuth in the
diarrhoea of children, in the form of an enema, in the proportion
of two scruples mixed with thick linseed tea. Combined with
the compound rhubarb pill, or the extract of hops, it has been
given with advantage in chronic dyspepsia.
Externally, it is used in* the form of a lotion, to array irritation
in certain skin diseases. It is also employed as a cosmetic, but
is said to ĚDJure the skin, rendering it after a time yellow and
leather-like.
Dose, from five to ten grains, gradually increased to fifteen, in
the form of powder, bolus, linctus, or pills, twice or thrice a day,
after meals.
GASTRODYNIA, SPASMODIC PAIN IN THE STOMACH.
White bismuth, one drachm.
Mucilage of gum arabic, sufficient quantity to make a mass ;
then divide this mass into eighteen pills-
BORAX.
35
GASTRODYNIA WITH FLATULENCE.
White bismuth,
Carbonate of magnesia, of each half a scruple.
Mucilage of gum arabic, one drachm and a half.
Rub these well together, then add
Orange-flower water, two drachms and a half.
Sal-volatile, one drachm.
Camphor j ulep, ten drachms.
Syrup of tolu, half a drachm.
Mix.—This draught is recommended by Dr. Copland.
The solution of bismuth of the British Pharmacopoeia is an
elegant and useful formula for administering bismuth, as well as
the lozerges, which contain two grains of sub-nitrate of bismuth
to each lozenge.
BLACK DROP.
This medicine has long been known and esteemed in the north
of England by the name of the Quaker's Black Drop; and its
popularity with persons who use opium habitually is one of the
strongest evidences of its superiority over laudanum.
It is well known that in many constitutions the effects of
common opium or laudanum are extremely distressing, and that
in all habits it produces some inconvenience, often creating rest-
lessness and delirium, instead of producing sleep, and its use
being generally succeeded by headache, sickness, and debility.
Of these deleterious properties the black drop is, by a chemical
process, wholly deprived, while it retains, in the fullest degree,
all the desirable powers of opium. This preparation is applicable
to all the cases in which opium or laudanum is employed; it is
highly concentrated, one drop being nearly equal to four of
common laudanum.
BORAX.
French, Borate de Sonde.
German. Borax,
Italian, Borato di Soda.
Borax is extensively employed on the Continent in the treat-
36 BROMIDE OF POTASSIUM.
ment of infantile diseases. It has a mild resolvent action, and is
given in cases of acidity of the primse viae and aphthous excoria-
tions of the mouth and fauces of children, in the following
forms :—
Take of
Carbonate of magnesia,
Powdered white sugar, of each five grains.
Powdered borax, four grains.
Mix, and make a powder; to be taken twice a day for acidity.
Take of
Honey of borax, one drachm.
Distilled water, one ounce.
Mix.—This linctus may be applied three times a day, in affec-
tions of the mouth, by means of a camel's-hair pencil.
The following is a pleasant application to the throat and gums
when under the influence of mercury :—
Take of
Powdered borax, two drachms.
Eose water, seven ounces.
Clarified honey,
Tincture of myrrh, of each half an ounce.
Mix well together, and use the mixture frequently as a gargle
during the day.
Borax, combined with tincture of myrrh, is much recommended
by Mr. Saunders as a common wash for the mouth, particularly
where the gums are spongy. The late Sir Astley Cooper strongly
recommended a lotion of borax for chapped nipples.
BROMIDE OF POTASSIUM.
POTASSII BROMIDUM.
French. Bromure de Potassium.
German. Brom Kalium.
Bromide of potassium is analogous in some of its effects to
BtTCHU LEAVES. 37
iodide of potassium, and was introduced into medical practice by
Dr. Eobert Williams, as an alterative and deobstruant in chronic
enlargement of the liver, spleen, bronchocele, goitre, scrofulous
swellings, &c. It seems to have a special power in subduing
irritation in hysteria, and in procuring sleep in nervous persons
where there is no disease. Dr. Radcliffe gives very decided tes-
timony in favour of its use in hysterical and epileptic cases of a
most dissimilar character ; and Dr. Sieveking concurs in ascribing
to it the greatest efficacy in keeping off attacks of epilepsy for
years. Dr. Beaman has also published the results of his practical
experience of this medicine in the treatment of epilepsy, claiming
for it the most marked success.
The dose varies from live to thirty grains, three times a day.
In larger doses it acts as a narcotic.
Take of
Bromide of potassium, one scruple.
Orange-flower water, three ounces and a half.
Syrup of orange-peel, half an ounce.
Mix. —A fourth part every six hours in chronic enlargement of
the liver and spleen.
BUCHU LEAVES.
DIOSMA CRENATA.
French. Bucco.
German. Buchu blatter.
Diuretic, combined with a tonic power which greatly enhances
their value. They are administered in the forms of infusion and
tincture. The former is made with half an ounce of the leaves
and half a pint of boiling water, allowing them to stand three or
four hours in a closely-covered vessel; about a wine-glassful of
this infusion is taken twice or thrice a day. At the Cape of Good
Hope, and even in this country, this medicine has lately been
esteemed as a valuable remedy for rheumatism, fluor albus, gleet,
affections of the bladder and kidneys. —See Tincture of Buchu.
38
BUJRGUNDY PITCH.
Take of
Infusion of buchu, eleven drachms.
Powdered tragacanth, five grains.
Tincture of buchu, one drachm.
Mix.—This draught maybe taken in rheumatism and affections
of the mucous surfaces, particularly those of the urinary organs.
Take of
Infusion of buchu, seven ounces.
Tincture of musk seeds, one ounce.
Sal volatile, two drachms.
Mix.—Two tablespoonfuls of this mixture once or twice a day
will be found extremely efficacious in gravel and general nervous-
ness of the system.
Take of
Infusion of buchu, ten drachms.
Mucilage of gum arabic, one drachm.
Tincture of muriate of steel, ten minims.
In gleet and fluor albas.
BUEGUNDY PITCH.
French. Poix de Bourgogne.
German. Burgundisches Pech.
Italian. Pece di Burgunda.
Forms an excellent adhesive and gently stimulant plaister,
exciting some degree of irritation, and often a slight serous
exudation from the parts to which it is applied. It will remain
adherent to the skin for a long time, and it is usefully applied to
the chest in catarrhal affections, and to the loins in rheumatism
and lumbago. Upon some skins a Burgundy pitch plaister, or
any similar application, creates incessant itching, and excites a
pimply eruption, attended by almost unbearable irritation, so that
it is frequently necessary to remove it. In these instances, how-
ever, it often does great service, especially in chronic rheumatism,
where it may thus prove as effectual as a blister.
CALOMEL.
39
CALOMEL.
French. Calomel.
German. Calomel.
Italian. Mercurio dolce sublimato, or Calomelano.
This mercurial preparation is more extensively and more use-
fully employed than almost any other article of the Materia.
Medica. But its principal use is as a purge, conjoined with other
aperients ; and for this purpose it is administered in doses of from
three to six grains, combined with, or followed by, cathartic
extract, rhubarb, senna, or other laxatives. The most customary
form is five grains of calomel in a pill at night, and a Seidlitz
powder early in the morning, or the following draught:—
Take of
Epsom salts, three drachms.
Infusion of senna, fourteen drachm5!.
Tincture of senna, and
Compound spirit of lavender, of each one drachm.
Mix.
In affections of the liver, in various glandular diseases, and in
some cutaneous eruptions, calomel is celebrated as an alterative;
and, combined with diuretics, it singularly contributes to their
activity. In these cases, the usual dose is from a quarter of a
grain to two grains, night and morning, modifying the dose, and
that of the medicines combined with it, according to circum-
stances. In febrile affections of children, which are symptomatic
of a disordered state of the stomach and intestines, purges of
calomel and rhubarb almost always afford relief, and usually
bring away a large quantity of offensive matter from the bowels.
Where they produce this effect, they should be repeated at in-
tervals of two or three days, till the motions assume a more
healthy aspect. Calomel is scarcely ever given alone, with the
view of obtaining its diaphoretic effect. When combined with
tartar emetic, James's powder, opium, or ipecacuanha, it certainly
contributes to the sudorific powers of these substances ; and in
croup no remedy proves so decidedly useful as calomel, in these
40 CALOMEL.
combinations, administered after bleeding and purging. It is
necessary to observe, that all acids and acescent substances are
to be avoided whenever this or any other preparation of mercury
is employed.
The following are formulae illustrative of some of the applica-
tions of calomel:—
PURGATIVE.
Take of
Calomel, and compound extract of colocynth, of each fifteen
grains.
Eufus's pill, thirty grains.
Mix, and divide into twelve pills.
One or two for a dose.
STRONG PURGATIVE POWDER FOR CHILDREN.
Take of
Calomel, one grain.
Scammony,
Powdered jalap, of each two grains.
Mix.
A PURGATIVE IN FEVER, WHEN THE SKIN IS DRY.
Take of
Calomel and James's powder, of each four grains.
Compound extract of colocynth, three grains.
Mix, and divide into two pills.
OBSTINATE COSTIVENESS.
Take of
• Calomel, twelve grains.
Compound gamboge pill,
Compound extract of colocynth, of each fifteen grains.
Syrup of ginger, sufficient quantity to form twelve pills.
Dose, two at bedtime.
CAMPHOR.
41
CAMPHOR.
French. Camphrč.
German. Camp her.
Italian. Canfora.
Is used by many practitioners in low fevers, and in nervous
and spasmodic diseases, but with doubtful effect. In small doses,
for instance, of from one to three grains, it acts as a sedative and
diaphoretic. Persons who cannot procure rest, except from large
doses of opium, will sometimes succeed by combining smaller
doses with camphor. It is also a useful adjunct to bark, in typhus
fever ; to valerian, assafcetida, volatile alkali, and sethereals, in
hysteric and nervous complaints; and to antimonials and other
diaphoretics, in rheumatism and certain inflammatory disorders.
In cases of febrile action, where the object is to allay irritation,
promote perspiration, and induce sleep, the following mixture
may be resorted to :—
Take of
Camphor, twenty-five grains.
Rectified spirits, five minims.
Rub the camphor and the spirit well together in a mortar ;
then add,
Powdered gum arabic, four drachms.
Syrup of lemons, half an ounce.
Peppermint, or dillseed water, seven ounces.
Mix, and make an emulsion, of which three tablespoonfuls may
be taken for a dose.
Camphor is also employed externally in rheumatic and other
painful affections of the muscles, joints, &c. Its solutions in oil
and in spirit, and the compound camphor liniment of the Pharma-
copoeia, are good forms for these purposes. (See these Prepara-
tions.) The camphorated soap has lately been much used for
scald-head, chapped hands, and chilblains. Monsieur Dupasquier
states that camphor is employed with advantage as a fumigation.
The patient is to be covered with a blanket, tied or pinned close
round the neck ; half an ounce or more of camphor is then thrown
on an iron plate, placed over a small chafing-dish within the
42 CAMPHOR LINIMENT, COMPOUND.
blanket: the effect is a more copious perspiration than would be
produced by the heated air, owing to an absorption of camphor
which takes place. If this be correct, it might prove an excellent
addition to heated air in cases of malignant cholera. A very
concentrated solution of camphor in spirit, such as Quin's and
Kubini's, has been recommended as a cure for cholera, but the
remedy is only of use in the early stage of the disease, and during
the absence of the physician. The following is the mode of
administration :—Four drops should be given in a little sugar and
water every live minutes; in very severe cases the dose can be
increased to twenty drops.
CAMPHOR LINIMENT, COMPOUND.
LINIMENTUM CAMPHORiE COMPOSITUM.
French. Liniment de Camphre composee.
This is also a very useful stimulant application to sprains,
bruises, and rheumatic pains. It is likewise an excellent vehicle
for introducing opium into the system, by means of friction. An
embrocation, composed of one ounce and a half of this liniment
and half an ounce of tincture of opium, warmed and rubbed over
the surface of the abdomen, very quickly allays the pains of datu-
lent colic. The following compound liuiment, recommended by
Dr. Copland, has also been frequently used with decided benefit
in the above complaint:—
Take of
Compound soap liniment,
Compound camphor liniment, of each one ounce and a half.
Rectified oil of turpentine, two ounces.
Castile soap, two drachms.
Cajeput oil, one drachm.
Essence of lemon, one drachm.
Mix.
A piece of flannel well moistened with the above liniment, and
placed over the surface of the abdomen, very speedily allays the
pains of colic.
CALUMBO. 43
CAMPHOR JULEP.
AQUA CAMPHOE^.
French. Julep Camphrč.
This solution of camphor forms a convenient vehicle for more
active stimulants, such as spirits of lavender, sal-volatile, and
ether, for lowness of spirits, hysterics, spasms of the stomach, &c.
The dose is from one to two ounces.
CAMPHOR JULEP, CONCENTRATED.
Thirty drops, mixed with two ounces or a wine-glassful of soft
water, form camphor julep, equal in every respect to the above
preparation.
CALUMBO.
French. Racine de Colombo.
German. Kolumbowurzel.
Italian. Columba.
Ts a very good simple bitter, and perhaps more agreeable to
delicate stomachs than most other medicines of this class; espe-
cially in the form of weak infusion, conjoined, if necessary, with
aromatics, in dyspepsia, in diarrhoea, and in the after-treatment
of cholera morbus. It has also a considerable power in allaying
irritability of the stomach accompanying pregnancy, and in
stopping the severe diarrhoea and vomiting which sometimes
attend dentition. The dose of the powdered root for adults is
from fifteen grains to half a drachm, repeated three or four times
a day.
STOMACHIC BITTER, DRAUGHT.
Take of
Infusion of calumbo, eleven drachms.
Muriated tincture of steel, fifteen minims.
Tincture of calumbo, one drachm.
Mix.
44
CARRAGEEN, OR IRISH MOSS.
CARRAGEEN, OB IRISH MOSS.
French. Oarragaheen.
German. Carragheen Moos.
This moss has long been highly esteemed by the peasants on
the western coast of Ireland as a dietetic remedy for various
diseases, more especially for consumption, dysentery, scrofula,
and affections of the kidneys and bladder. Dissolved, by being
boiled in water, it forms a thick mucilage, more pure and agree-
able than that produced from any other vegetable ; and the jelly
made from it is found to agree better with the stomach than any
of those prepared from animal substances. A decoction of the
moss, made by boiling half an ounce in a pint and a half of water
or milk until reduced to a pint, is- recommended as food for
children affected with scrofulous and rickety diseases, for such as
are delicate and weakly, and for infants brought up by hand, cr
after weaning. As an article of diet for invalids generally, it is
superior to isinglass, sago, and tapioca, being highly nutritious,
bland, and easy of digestion.
DIRECTIONS FOR USING THE MOSS MEDICINALLY.
8teep a quarter of an ounce of the moss in cold water for a few
minutes ; then withdraw it, (shaking the water out of each sprig,)
and boil it in a quart of new or unskimmed milk until it attains
the consistence of warm jelly ; strain and sweeten it to suit the
taste with white sugar or honey, or, if convenient, with candied
eryngo root: should milk disagree with the stomach, the same
proportion of water may be used instead. The decoction made
with milk is recommended for breakfast for consumptive patients,
and that with water will be found a most agreeable kind of
nourishment, taken at intervals during the day, the flavour being
varied with lemon-juice or peel, Seville orange-juice, cinnamon,
bitter almonds, wine, or any other material most congenial to the
palate.
The decoction in water is also taken for the relief of coughs, at
any time in the course of the day when they are most trouble-
some ; and it is for this purpose simply sweetened with honey or
sugar, or the syrup of poppies, syrup_ of squills, or the honey of
CASTOR OIL.
45
roses, as the case may indicate. It must, however, be admitted
that experience of the virtues of this moss in cough does not
justify the expectation that it will supersede the Iceland moss,
the bitter principles of which render it so valuable as a tonic as
well as a demulcent.
In dysentery, either the decoction in milk or water may be
administered with equal advantage; and in addition to the sweet-
ening matter, if a teaspoonful of the tincture of rhatany be mixed
with each cupf ul of it, tone will thereby be given to the intestines,
at the same time nourishment will be conveyed to the system,
and irritation prevented. A large teacupful of the decoction may
be taken three or four times a day.
Dr. Frank, of Wolfenbuttel, recommends the following com-
pound powder of Irish moss as a diet for consumptive patients,
and for children affected with Mesenteric disease:—
Take of Irish moss, cleaned, half an ounce; spring w^ater, six-
teen ounces. Boil down to one half, strain with expression, and
add to the strained liquor white sugar, four ounces ; gum arabic,
in powder, one ounce; powdered orrice root, half an ounce.
Heat to dryness with a gentle heat, stirring constantly, so as to
obtain a pulverulent mass ; to which add three ounces of genuine
arrow-root. A jelly is prepared with this powder, by rubbing
a teaspoonful of it with a little cold water, and then pouring a
cupful of boiling water on it. It has a most agreeable odour and
taste, and is highly nutritious.
CASTOR OIL.
COLD DRAWN.
French. Huile de Ricin.
German. Bicinusol.
Italian. Olio di Bicino.
This oil is a valuable aperient; for while, in doses of from half
an ounce to an ounce, it thoroughly evacuates the bowels, it does
so with little irritation; hence it is especially useful in inflam-
matory cases, or where there is spasm, or where all increased
action of the system is particularly to be avoided. From its
46 CASTOR OIL.
quick and mild operation, it is particularly adapted for children,
and females during pregnancy. Half a drachm to a drachm,
blended with a little sugar, is a common dose for an infant. It
is also the best purgative that can be employed in that affection
of the bowels known by the name of colica pictonum, or painter's
colic, the Devonshire colic, the dry belly-ache; and it is the more
useful in that disease, as it may be joined with opium and other
narcotics without having its purgative properties lessened. For
the same reason, castor oil is advantageously given in calculous
affections. It has also been regarded by some continental phy-
sicians as peculiarly well suited for expelling the tape-worm. It
is likewise considered the best purgative, when properly admi-
nistered, for combating habitual costiveness. For this purpose a
large dose must first be given in the morning, and the use of the
oil continued for some weeks, gradually diminishing the dose
daily, until half a teaspoonful only is taken ; on the discontinuance
of which the bowels continue to be relieved without further
resistance. One disadvantage attending the use of this oil is its
tendency to excite vomiting, but this is counteracted by combining
it with some aromatic. The best modes of exhibiting it in general
have been much canvassed; it is given floating on water, with a
small quantity of brandy poured over it, and when this can be
swallowed at once there is no better mode ; but as this cannot
always be done, it may be given with success in coffee or mutton
broth, or suspended in water by the intervention of mucilage or
yolk of egg, according to the taste of the patient. Upon the
whole, castor oil is a purgative of great value, and one whose
operation, as it is in daily use, should be well understood. A few
drops of laudanum will correct the griping or excessive purging
which sometimes occurs.
CASTOR OIL DRAUGHT.
Take of
Castor oil, six drachms.
The yolk of egg, sufficient quantity.
Peppermint-water, ten drachms.
Mix.
Triturate the oil with the yolk of egg, then add the peppermint-
water gradually, so as to form a draught.
CHALK, PREPARED.
47
CAYENNE PEPPER.
French, Poivre de l'Inde ou de GuinCe.
German. Spanischer PfefTer.
Italian. Pepperone.
It is a valuable article as the basis of a stimulating gargle, in
cases of incipient sore-throat, or of chronic relaxation in the soft
palate and fauces. It is, however, chiefly used as a condiment,
to prevent flatulence from vegetable food, and give warmth to the
stomach.
CHALK, PREPARED.
French. Craie preparče.
German. Heine Kreide. Prŕparirte Austerschaalen.
Italian. Creta preparata.
In doses of from ten to forty or fifty grains, combined with
aromatic chalk powTder and cinnamon-water, is serviceable in re-
lieving the relaxation of the bowels arising from acidity ; but it is
always best preceded by a purgative. It may be given to infants
in the dose of from three to five grains ; to older children, ten
grains. Mixed with water, it is oue of the best remedies for
counteracting the poisonous effects of oxalic acid on the stomach.
Take of
Gum arabic in powder, one drachm.
Cinnamon-water, one ounce.
Prepared chalk, half a drachm.
Syrup, one ounce.
Mix.
A teaspoonful may be given in infantile diarrhoea.
Take of
Prepared chalk, one drachm and a half.
Mucilage of gum arabic, three drachms.
Aromatic chalk powder, one drachm.
Jeremie's solution of opium, fifteen minims.
Camphor j ulep, three ounces.
Mix.—Two tablespoonfuls for an adult.
48
CHABCOAL.
CHALK MIXTURE.
This is prepared by triturating prepared chalk with powdered
gum arabic, syrup, and cinnamon-water, and is the basis of most
of the mixtures usually prescribed for diarrhoea and looseness of
the bowels. One ounce and a-half of this mixture with half a
drachm of aromatic chalk powder, five grains of rhubarb, twenty
drops of sal-volatile, and one drachm of compound spirit of
lavender, form an excellent draught for that purpose.
AROMATIC CHALK POWDER, WITH OPIUM.
PULVIS CRET^E AROMATICUS CUM OPIO.
The addition of opium greatly increases the efficacy of the
powder of chalk in diarrhoea. Two scruples of the powder
contain one grain of opium. Dose, from ten to twenty grains,
repeated occasionally in some demulcent mixture.
With children, the aromatic powder of chalk with opium acts
more energetically, and must be used with greater caution. Half
a grain to a grain may be given during the first six months, and
two grains after that period, three times a day, or four grains to
a child two years old.
CHARCOAL.
French. Charbon de Bois purine.
German. Reine Kohle.
Italian. Carbonne di Legna.
Levigated.—Is an antiseptic, and as such has been given inter-
nally to correct the putrid eructations of some kinds of dyspepsia.
But in order that it may produce this effect, it should either be
newly prepared, or such as has been preserved in very well
stoppered bottles. The dose is from ten to sixty grains combined
with rhubarb. Charcoal very finely levigated forms an excellent
tooth-powder : it cleanses the mouth mechanically and chemi-
cally ; but as alone it is dusty, and not easily miscible with
water, it may for this purpose be mixed with an equal weight of
CHLOROFORM,
49
prepared chalk, and, if requisite, scented with a drop or two of
some essential oil. The charcoal biscuits have lately been intro-
duced by Dr. Bird as an agreeable and efficacious diet for
dyspeptic invalids. Externally, as a poultice, it absorbs the
foetor of ulcers.
CHARCOAL (PURIFIED ANIMAL).
A valuable antidote in cases of poisoning by morphia, strychnia,
&c.
CHLORAL.
The discovery of the medicinal value of chloral is due to Dr.
Liebreich, of Berlin, and it has been introduced to the notice of
the profession in this country by Dr. Bence Jones. At the present
moment, although a variety of experiments have been made by
Dr. Richardson and others, as to its effects upon animals, it has
been but sparingly prescribed by medical men. The results of
these experiments would seem to prove that it acts as a hypnotic
and narcotic, and but very slightly as an anaesthetic. There seems
to be little doubt but that it will be a very valuable addition to
the materia medica.
CHLORIDES OP LIME AND SODA.
See Chlorine Fumigations.
CHLOROFORM.
The chief use of this substance is to produce anaesthesia, by
inhalation during surgical operations; it is also extensively used
in midwifery, to relieve pain and facilitate labour. Taken inter-
nally it acts as a sedative, narcotic, and anti-spasmodic ; five drops
on a lump of sugar will frequently check sea-sickness. Externally
it has been used in cancer senile, gangrene, and sloughing ulcers ;
and as an injection in discharges from the uterus. The following
5C
CHAMOMILE FLOWERS.
liniment will frequently be found efficacious in allaying severe
rheumatic pains.
Take of
Belladonna liniment, one ounce.
Chloroform, half an ounce.
Compound camphor liniment, half an ounce.
Mix.
CHLOROFORM, SPIRIT OF.
Is given as the preceding, and with the same effect, in doses of
ten to sixty minims :--
Take of
Spirit of chloroform, half a drachm.
Powdered gum arabic, half a drachm.
Camphor julep, four ounces.
Syrup of marshmallows, one drachm.
Mix.
A third part to be taken for a dose, as an anti-spasmodic and
stimulant.
CHEEETTAH, OR CHIRAYITA.
CHIRAYIT-GENTIAN.
A herb which has been held from time immemorial by the
natives of Bengal as a remedy for the varieties of indigestion
arising from inactivity, or disorder of the liver, and morbid
sensibility, or excitement of the stomach. The medicinal virtues
of this herb are imparted to boiling water, and the infusion is a
very grateful bitter : but the natives prefer the decoction, made
by gently boiling half an ounce of the cut dried herb, in a pint of
water, for about fifteen or twenty minutes. Of this decoction
they take a small wine-glassful, two or three times a day. The
extract, which also contains the virtue of the herb in great
perfection, is taken in form of pills. Dr. Fleming, late of
Bengal, speaks highly of the chirayita as a powerful tonic. Dr.
James Johnson, in his work on Tropical Diseases, also gives it
a high character; and Mr. Addison, the author of a treatise on
the Malvern water, says, '' that from the very beneficial effects it
had on himself, it is a valuable addition to this class of stomachic
CINNAMON. 51
medicines." The tincture, which contains all the virtues of this
herb, is a powerful stomachic bitter, and may be taken in doses
of two to three teaspoonfuls twice a day, in a little water.
CHAMOMILE FLOWERS.
French. Fleurs de Camomille.
German. Roemische Kamillen.
Ŕ strong tepid infusion of these flowers, administered in doses
of from three to four ounces, operates as a powerful emetic ; a
weaker infusion is a useful diluent in promoting the operation of
other emetics, when the stomach is weak and likely to be too
much oppressed by the use of simple water. A small teacupful
of cold chamomile tea, taken in the morning fasting, is often
serviceable in dyspeptic affections and intestinal debility. They
are also used, either alone or in combination with poppy-heads,
for fomentation
