PHARMACOLOGIA. (continued 8)

Vinum Aloes. L.E.D. This solution contains all the virtues of the Aloes, and is more agreeable than the tincture. It is a warm stomachic in doses of fʒj to fʒij, and a stimulating purgative when given from f℥j to f℥ij.

By referring to the Pharmacopœia, it will be perceived that alcoholic menstrua of different strengths, have been employed for the different preparations. The proportions were deduced from careful experiments, and are adapted to the composition of the substances which the spirit is intended to dissolve: e. g.

Proof Spirit. Water.

Vinum Aloes 1 part 1.

—— Antimonii Tartariz: 1 ditto^[709] 1.

—— Colchici 1 ditto 2.

—— Ferri 1 ditto 1½.

—— Ipecacuanhæ 1 ditto 1⅔.

—— Opii 1 ditto 1⅔.

—— Veratri 1 ditto 1½.

VINUM ANTIMONII TARTARIZATI. L.

Liquor Antimonii Tartarizati. P.L. 1809.

Antimonial Wine.

During the period that I was Censor of the College, I took considerable trouble, in conjunction with my colleagues, to ascertain the state in which this preparation was to be generally met with in the wholesale and retail shops of the metropolis. We were satisfied, during our official visitations, that where sound Sherry wine had been employed as a solvent, an efficient and permanent solution was obtained, and that no precipitation of Antimony took place, the sediment which occurred being merely Tartrate of Lime, an incidental impurity derived from the Cream of tartar: but in a majority of instances an inferior wine of British manufacture was substituted, in which case the Antimonial Oxyd was universally found in a copious precipitate, in combination with vegetable extractive matter; and I have even seen this decomposition so complete, that the supernatant liquor would not yield any trace of the antimonial salt. This report has been confirmed by successive Censors, and the College have accordingly endeavoured to remedy the evil, by superseding the use of wine altogether, and of introducing a spirit of equivalent strength. The virtues of this solution are those detailed under the history of Antimonium Tartarizatum; of which two grains are contained in every fluid-ounce of the preparation. The Medicinal Dynameter will shew the proportion of salt in any other given quantity. Dose, ♏︎x to fʒj, in any suitable vehicle, repeated every three or four hours, in which case it acts as a diaphoretic. As an emetic, it may be given to infants in the dose of a tea-spoonful, every ten minutes, until the desired effect is produced. See Form: 69, and 117.^[710]

Vinum Colchici. This medicated wine is made as follows: Take of 515the recent bulb of the Colchicum, sliced and bruised, [pound]j; of Proof Spirit, f℥iv; of water, f℥viij; let them infuse for fourteen days, and filter for use. There is perhaps no form better calculated to ensure the medical effects of the plant than the one we are now considering. Its dose may be stated to be from ♏︎xx to fʒiss. The virtues of Colchicum have been already noticed, see Colchici Radix.

Vinum Ferri. L.D. When prepared according to the London College (P.L. 1809.) each pint is stated to contain 22 grains of the red Oxide of Iron; the strength however must in such a case depend upon the quantity of tartar contained in the wine. Very dry Sherry is frequently incapable of acting upon the iron until a small proportion of Cream of Tartar be added to it; would it not therefore be adviseable to direct at once a given portion of ferrum tartarizatum to be dissolved in wine? The Dublin formula is more eligible than that of the former London Pharmacopœia, since it directs the use of Rhenish wine instead of Sherry as a solvent, and iron wire in preference to iron filings; this last circumstance is important, for the purest iron can only be drawn, and this is most easily acted upon by the super-tartrate of potass. These observations are offered to those who still prefer to make the preparation with wine. They can have no relation to the present Vinum Ferri of the London College, which is prepared with a weak spirit, and which contains tartrate of potass and iron, with an excess of super-tartrate which supplies the place of the acid contained in the wine, and ensures the solution of the tartarized iron in the Spirit. According to the experiments of Mr. Phillips, which I have every reason to believe accurate, the present preparation contains less peroxide of iron than the former did; it will be seen by the Dynameter that f℥j contains exactly one grain, which is exactly equivalent to five grains of Tartarized Iron, whereas an equal quantity of the former wine held in solution 1–4/10 gr, which was equivalent to seven grains of the salt. Med. Uses. It is the least unpleasant of all the preparations of iron, and its medicinal activity is supported by the testimony of ages, for it is one of the oldest preparations with which we are acquainted. Dose, fʒij to f℥ss.

Vinum Ipecacuanhæ. L.E.D. The virtues of this root are completely extracted by dilute spirit. Dose, as an emetic, from fʒij to f℥ss: as a diaphoretic, from ♏︎xx to xl. See Form. 63, 137.

Vinum Opii. L.E.^[711] This is a spirituous solution of the extract of Opium combined with various aromatics, which are supposed to modify the effects of the opium, while by the substitution of the extract for the crude opium, it is considered as being less likely to disturb the nervous system. I submit whether the views offered under the history of Wine, respecting the relative effects of combined and uncombined Alcohol, might not lead us, by analogy, to prepare a more efficient vinum opii, and a preparation less likely to affect the stomach: by adding the opium to the wine during its state of fermentation, it would enter into intimate union with its elements, in the same way that brandy is incorporated by the technical manipulation of fretting-in: this suggestion is also sanctioned by the generally acknowledged superiority of the Black Drop, which I have little doubt is indebted for its peculiar efficacy to the state of combination in which the acetate of morphia exists in the vinous menstruum. The preparation, when made with wine, as directed in the late Pharmacopœia, is 516nearly analogous to the celebrated Liquid Laudanum^[712] of Sydenham, and its degree of narcotic power is nearly the same as that of the ordinary tincture, as may be seen by referring to the Medicinal Dynameter.

Vinum Veratri. L. Since the discovery of the real nature of the Eau Medicinale, this preparation has fallen into comparative disuse, and might have been removed, as we have now introduced the Vinum Colchici. It is however a singular circumstance that both these preparations should owe their medicinal powers to the same elementary principle, viz. Veratria; and as some practitioners are still addicted to its use, the Committee agreed to let it remain.

ULMI CORTEX. L.E.D. (Ulmus Campestris.)

Elm Bark.

Qualities. Odour, none; Taste, slightly bitter and mucilaginous. Chemical Composition. Gum, extractive, gallic acid, and super-tartrate of potass. Solubility. Water is its appropriate solvent. Med. Uses. It has been commended in herpetic eruptions, but in the hands of Dr. Willan and others it has not proved successful; it is one of those articles that might be discarded from our Pharmacopœia with much propriety. Officinal Prep. Decoct: Ulmi. L.D.

UNGUENTA. L.E.D. Ointments.

These are unctuous substances analogous to Cerates except in consistence, which is much less firm, and scarcely exceeds that of butter: formerly, ointments were numerous and complicated in their composition, and surgeons adapted with much technical formality different ointments to answer different indications: this practice however has undergone a very judicious reform, and it is now well understood that in general all that is required in an ointment is a suitable tenacity and consistence, to keep the parts to which it may be applied soft and easy, and at the same time to exclude from them the atmospheric air; in some cases, however, these simple compositions are made the vehicles of more active remedies, as in the following preparations, viz.

Unguentum Cantharidis. L. As the active ingredient in this ointment is derived from an infusion of the Cantharides, it is extremely mild, and frequently inefficacious. The ceratum cantharidis furnishes a more certain application.

Unguentum Elemi Compositum. L. The elemi and turpentine in this ointment, render it stimulant and digestive.

Unguentum Hydrargyri Fortius. L. The precise nature^[713] of this compound does not appear to have been known until the late researches^[714] 517of Mr. Donovan, (Annals of Philosophy, November, 1819,) which promise to lead to a more uniform, efficacious, and economical mode of preparing it; for they^[715] shew that in the officinal ointment, the mercury exists in two different conditions,—in the state of metal, mechanically mixed, as asserted by Vogel, and in that of an oxide, chemically combined with the lard, and that the medicinal activity of the ointment exclusively resides in this latter portion, the presence of metallic mercury not only being useless but injurious, by obstructing the absorption of the active compound of the oxide. Mr. Donovan accordingly formed a direct chemical combination, by continually agitating together lard and black oxide of mercury at the temperature of 350° Fah: for two hours. At the end of the process it appeared that every ounce of lard had dissolved, and combined with 21 grains of oxide; and from the trials which have been made respecting its activity, it would seem to be as efficient as the officinal ointment, and moreover that it may be introduced by inunction in one third of the time. The investigation is highly important, for it not only offers the means of preparing a mercurial ointment more œconomically, but one more active and manageable, and less liable to that want of uniformity in strength, which must always attend a preparation in which so much labour is required for its completion; for independent of that variation in strength which will arise from imperfect triture, it is by no means an uncommon practice to use chemical means, which are not admissible, to facilitate the process, such as the addition of Sulphur, which is found to abridge very considerably the labour requisite for the extinction of the mercury, but it converts a portion of the metal into a Sulphuret, and diminishes the power of the unguent. There is however a method of facilitating the process, which is not liable to any apparent objection, but the theory of its operation is obscure; it consists in adding to the half-prepared ointment a portion of that which has been long kept; which appears to act as a leaven to the whole mass.

The following table exhibits the relative quantity of mercury contained in each of the different ointments directed by the British Pharmacopœia, and in that prepared according to the process of Donovan.

One Drachm { stronger ointment contains of Mercury 30 grs.

of the Lond: weaker ointment 10 ——

of the Edinb: common ointment 12 ——

of the Dub: { stronger ointment 30 ——

weaker ointment 20 ——

of that prepared according to Donovan 2½ ——

518Mercurial ointment furnishes the most prompt, and least exceptionable mode of impregnating the system. The external method of administering mercury, says Mr. John Hunter, is always preferable to the internal, because the skin is not nearly so essential to life as the stomach, and therefore is capable in itself of bearing much more than the stomach. The inunction is generally performed by rubbing ʒss to ʒj on some part of the body where the cuticle is thin, generally on the inside of the thigh, except perhaps in cases of chronic hepatitis, when it is more usually applied to the region of the liver, care being taken that the friction is continued until every particle of the ointment disappears; and for obvious reasons, the operation ought if practicable to be performed by the patient himself. Where it has been an object to saturate the system with mercury as quickly as possible, I have witnessed the advantage of confining, by means of slips of bladder, a drachm of mercurial ointment in each axilla, in addition to the mercurial friction. Camphor, turpentine, and other stimulants, have been sometimes added to the ointment, with a view of promoting its absorption; this however is an erroneous practice, since these acrid ingredients soon produce pustules on the skin, which prevent the continuance of the friction; the warm bath is a more certain, and less objectionable adjuvant, many practitioners therefore advise the body to be immersed in a warm bath, once and again, before the course is commenced, and to repeat it once or twice a week during its continuance: the length of time to be employed in a course of mercury, and the quantity to be given, are circumstances that must in every case be left to the discretion of the practitioner. Mercury, when introduced into the body, acts as a powerful stimulant, and pervades every part of the system; hence it is the most powerful evacuant belonging to the Materia Medica; from its stimulant operation, exerted directly or indirectly, we are able to explain its utility in the cure of disease, and it may be made to act according to management and circumstances, as a tonic, antispasmodic, diuretic, cathartic, sialogogue, emmenagogue, or alterative; but its most important operation is that displayed in removing the diseases induced by the syphilitic poison, although its modus operandi is still buried amongst the many other arcana of physic. The mode of directing and controlling the influence of mercury in the cure of the venereal disease, is now very generally understood, and it is to be hoped that a full confidence in its antisyphilitic powers is as universally maintained, in spite of the late opinions which tended to depreciate its value and to question its necessity; there is however no advantage to be gained, as was once imagined, by exciting profuse salivation. On its next important application, that of curing chronic affections of the liver and dropsy, a remark which has been suggested to me by the results of practice, may not be unacceptable. I think I have generally observed, that when the remedy has been pushed to such an extent as to excite the salivary glands to excessive secretion, the urinary organs cease to participate in its stimulating action, and vice versa, for the mouth is rarely affected when the mercury runs off by the kidneys; this may suggest a precaution of some practical moment in the treatment of dropsy, and it will be generally judicious to accompany the administration of this metal with certain diuretics, in order to direct its operation to the kidneys;^[716] and it 519would seem, that for such an object those diuretic medicines should be preferred that act primarily on the organs, as alkalies and their combinations, squill, &c. the success of such a plan of treatment will also depend greatly upon the exact period at which these remedies are administered; it will for instance be right to wait until the system is, to a certain degree, under mercurial influence. It is hardly necessary to observe, that if the mercury runs off by the bowels, we shall be deprived of all, or of a great share of, the benefit to be expected. In certain cases, the lymphatic vessels seem to resist the admittance of mercury, and to refuse the conveyance of it to the general circulation: I have already thrown out some vague hints upon the subject, at page 156, and I must refer the reader to some farther remarks, which I apprehend bear upon this question under the following article.

Unguentum Oxidi Hydrargyri Cinerei. E. This consists of a mixture of one part of grey oxide of mercury, and three parts of axunge: it was reasonable to suppose, a priori, that, as the whole of the mercury in this ointment is oxidized, its adoption would supersede the necessity of the labour required for the preparation of the common mercurial ointment, and at the same time afford a combination of equal if not superior efficacy; but experience has not justified the conclusion, for it has been found to possess little or no activity; the consideration of it is therefore introduced into this work, not on account of its utility, but as an object upon which I may pause with advantage, to offer those observations which its history is so well calculated to call forth and illustrate. The circumstance which renders this preparation inert, will now receive a satisfactory explanation from the experiments of Mr. Donovan, as related in the preceding article; in short, it is a mechanical mixture instead of a chemical combination; and I beg again to urge the importance of this distinction, and to offer the present example as a farther illustration of the views I have already submitted upon the subject. By subjecting this ointment for some hours to a heat of 300°, it would without doubt become an active preparation. It is probable that the lymphatics offers less resistance to the ingress of a mineral body into the system when it is presented to them in combination with some animal substance, which must alone be regarded as their peculiar stimulus, and the only matter which they are destined perpetually to receive and convey; for the same physiological reason, the lacteals may probably take up iron with greater readiness when in combination with vegetable matter, than when introduced into the stomach in a more purely mineral form.

Unguentum Hydrargyri Mitius. L. This weaker preparation is sometimes preferred, as it irritates the skin less; it is however principally used as a topical dressing to venereal sores, and as an application to kill vermin on the body.

Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis. L.E.D. vulgo Citrine Ointment. It is stimulant, detergent, and alterative; when diluted with an equal quantity of simple ointment or almond oil, it may be almost regarded as a specific in ophthalmia tarsi, smeared upon the cilia every night at bedtime.

520Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitrico-oxydi. L. An excellent stimulant application, well adapted for giving energy to indolent ulcers. If mixed with any ointment containing resin, it loses its red colour, passing through olive green to black, which depends upon the conversion of the red into the black oxide of mercury.

Unguentum Hydrargyri Præcipitati Albi. L. Stimulant and detergent. It is said to be very efficacious in certain inveterate forms of the Itch. With the addition of Carbonate of Potass, it has been much extolled in various cutaneous affections.^[717]

Unguentum Picis Liquidæ. L.E.D. Tar Ointment. This ointment has been much extolled for the removal of tetter, and for the cure of tinea capitis.

Unguentum Resinæ Nigræ. L. olim, Ung. Basilicum^[718] nigrum. Digestive stimulant.

Unguentum Sambuci. L.D. It possesses no advantage over the simple ointment.

Unguentum Sulphuris. L.E.D. This ointment is a mechanical mixture of Lard and Sulphur, although it would appear that a small proportion of the latter exists also in a state of chemical combination. Med. Uses. A specific in the itch. Dr. Bateman proposes a combination, equally efficacious, but which has not the same disagreeable smell; viz. “Take of sub-carbonate of potass, half an ounce; rose water, one ounce; red sulphuret of mercury, one drachm; essential oil of Bergamot, half a fluid-drachm; sublimed sulphur, hog’s lard, of each eleven ounces. Mix them.” Jasser’s Ointment also, as altered in the Prussian Pharmacopœia, is an excellent application in Psora, viz. ℞.Sulphur: Sublim: ℥ij, Zinci Sulphat: ℥ij, Ol: Lauri, et Axung. q, s, ut fiat Unguentum.

Unguentum Sulphuris Compositum. L. More stimulating than the simple ointment, from the addition of white hellebore; it is however frequently found to excite too much irritation.

Unguentum Veratri. L.D. It is used for the cure of scabies, but is less certain than the ointment of sulphur.

Unguentum Zinci. L.E.D. Astringent and stimulant; very beneficial in some species of ophthalmia, smeared upon the tarsi, every night.

Very efficient preparations may be also constructed by adding together equal weights of lard and narcotic vegetable powders, as those of Conium, Digitalis, Belladonna, &c.

The addition of a small quantity of powdered white sugar will frequently prevent ointments becoming rancid.

521UVÆ URSI FOLIA. L.E.D (Arbŭtus Uva Ursi.)

Uva Ursi, Bear-berry, or Trailing Arbutus.

Bear’s Whortle-berry, Wild Cranberry, &c.

Qualities. Odour, slight, resembling that of hyson tea; Taste, bitterish and sub-astringent. Chemical Composition. Tannin, mucilage, gallic acid, extractive, resin, and traces of lime. Solubility. Both water and alcohol extract its virtues. Med. Uses. The ancients employed it on account of its astringency, the moderns however have exhibited it for various diseases, more especially for those affecting the bladder and urinary organs, and, it would seem, without any theory respecting its modus operandi; but it has at length fallen into disrepute, and probably with justice: it occasionally renders the urine of a blackish colour, a fact which is not easy to be explained. When it is administered, the form of powder is preferred, and in doses from ℈j to ʒj. The leaves of the Vaccinium Vitis Idæa (Red Whortle-berry,) are sometimes substituted for those of Uvæ Ursi; but they may be easily distinguished; botanically, by the net work appearance of their veins above, and by their dots underneath; chemically, by their infusion neither precipitating the solution of isinglass, nor that of sulphate of iron.

ZINCI OXYDUM. L.E.D.

Oxide of Zinc.

This is occasionally used internally as a tonic, and may be exhibited in the form of pill. It is however principally employed externally, as a mild but efficient astringent; viz. Ung: Zinci. Adulterations. Dr. Roloff of Magdeburg has lately discovered the casual presence of Arsenic^[719] in this oxide; by boiling the substance in distilled water, and assaying the solution with the ammoniaco-nitrate of silver, its presence may be instantly recognised; Chalk may be detected by sulphuric acid exciting an effervescence; and White Lead, by its forming an insoluble sulphate of lead. It ought to be volatile.

ZINCI SULPHAS. L.E.D.

Sulphate of Zinc, olim, White Vitriol.

Qualities. Form, crystals, which are four-sided prisms, terminated by four-sided pyramids; they are slightly efflorescent; Taste, styptic, metallic, and slightly acidulous. Chemical Composition. One proportional of oxide, and one proportional of acid; its crystals contain seven proportionals of water. Solubility. It is soluble in 2.5 times its weight of water at 60°, and in less than its own weight of boiling water, but is quite insoluble in alcohol. Incompatible Substances. Alkalies; earths; 522hydro-sulphurets; astringent vegetable infusions; Milk. Med. Uses. Tonic, astringent, and, in large doses emetic, (Form. 66.) As an emetic it operates directly, and offers therefore a prompt resource in cases of poison, or where an immediate discharge from the stomach is required; it appears to differ from most remedies of this nature, in not proving diaphoretic in smaller doses: in spasmodic^[720] coughs it is administered with the best effects, especially when combined with camphor or myrrh, (Form. 59:) in affections of the chest attended with inordinate secretion, I have witnessed much benefit from its exhibition, particularly when presented in the form of lozenge; and, when dissolved in water, in the proportion of grs. ij to f℥j, it forms a useful injection in fluor albus, &c.; in small doses its internal exhibition is also useful in Leucorrhæa. When combined with opium it is well calculated to obviate that atony, and those frequent discharges of fæces, without pain, that take place in the protracted stages of dysentery. As an external application it is very generally employed in the proportion of grs. x to eight fluid-ounces of water. The supposed ill effects consequent on the application of preparations of lead to a great surface, have determined some practitioners to substitute in their place, solutions of sulphate of zinc, but not with the same effect; for to that very property, which may occasionally render saturnine lotions dangerous, is their virtue to be attributed; see Liquor Plumbi Sub-acetatis. Dose, as an emetic from grs. x. to ʒss—as a tonic, and astringent, from grs. j. to ij. Officinal Prep. Liquor: Alum: comp: L. (B) Solutio Sulphatis Zinci. Solutio Acetatis Zinci. E. (I). Tinct: Acetatis Zinci. D. (I). Adulterations. The white vitriol of commerce ought never to be used in medicine without previous purification, since it generally contains the sulphates of copper and iron.

ZINGIBERIS RADIX. L.E.D. (Zingiber Officinale.) Ginger.

Chemical Composition. Volatile oil, fecula, and resino-extractive matter; on the first of these principles its well known flavour and odour depend; but its pungency resides in the last. Solubility. Water, alcohol, and æther, extract its virtues. Med. Uses. It is highly stimulant and is therefore frequently beneficial in flatulant cholic, dyspepsia, and gout; it is however more generally employed as an adjunct to other remedies, to promote their efficacy or to correct their operation, (see Form. 92, 94, 112, 153,) and it is found, that it does not produce the ill effects of those spices, whose virtues reside in an acrid oil. Dose, of the powders grs. x. to ℈j. Officinal Prep. Syrup: Zingib: L.E.D. Syrup: Rhamni: L. (E) Tinct: Zingib: L.D.^[721] Tinct: Cinnamom: comp: L. (B.) 523Acid. Sulphuric: aromat: E. Confectio Opii. L. Confectio Scammon: L.D. (E) Infus. Sennæ. co. L. (E) Pulvis Cinnamom: comp: L.E.D. (B) Pulv: Scammon: comp: L.D. (E) Pulv. Sennæ. comp: L. (E) Pil: Aloes: D. Pill: Scillæ comp: L.D. Vinum Aloes. L.E.D. Adulterations. The powder is rarely met with in any tolerable degree of purity: there are two varieties of ginger in the market, viz. Black, produced by scalding the root, and afterwards hastily drying it in the sun; and the White, being that which has been carefully washed, scraped, and gradually dried.

FINIS.

525