Lead is one of the ancient metals and was associated in classical
writings with Saturn. The lead compounds used by the ancients in
medicine were white lead or ceruse (carbonate and hydrate), and
litharge (oxide). Ceruse is supposed to owe its name to cera, and to
mean waxy; litharge is from Greek, and means silver stone; it was
regarded as the scum of silver. Red lead or minium was also used to
some extent in the form of an ointment.
Although not much used now as a medicine for internal administration,
lead in various forms has been tried and advocated by doctors,
usually as a sedative. The Pil. Plumbi c. Opio is what remains in
our Pharmacopœia of these recommendations. Galen mentions lead as
a remedy in leprosy and plague, and little bullets of lead were at
one time given in cases of twisted bowels. The sedative property of
lead salts has caused them to be prescribed for neuralgia, hysteria,
and convulsive coughs; Goulard, recognising the anticatarrhal and
astringent effects of the acetate, recommended it in urethritis; and
on the theory that lead poisoning and phthisis were incompatible
French practitioners at one time hoped to find in lead a remedy for
tuberculosis.
Litharge was the basis of most of the popular plasters, and a century
or two ago there were about a hundred of these either official or in
demand. Litharge was called lithargyrum auri or lithargyrum argenti,
according to its colour; but the deeper tint was only the result of a
stronger fire in preparing the oxide. White lead was an ingredient in
several well-known old ointments, the unguentum tripharmacum of Mesuë,
which was the ceratum lithargyri of Galen, the unguentum nutritum, the
unguentum diapomphologos, in which it was associated with pompholyx
or oxide of zinc, and others. To a large extent these ointments were
superseded after Goulard’s time by the unguentum Saturninum which he
introduced. The ointment of Rhazes was composed of white lead, wax, and
camphor dissolved in oil of roses. He also ordered the addition of the
white of an egg to every half-pound, but this came to be omitted as it
caused the ointment to become odorous. The Mother’s Ointment (onguent
de la Mère) has long been a favourite ointment in France for promoting
suppuration, and it is included in the Codex. It was made empirically
by a nun at the Hotel Dieu, named La Mère Thecle, and as it became much
sought after she furnished the formula. It is made by heating together
mutton suet, lard, and butter, and when vapours are being exhaled,
finely powdered litharge is sifted into the fats, causing a violent
effervescence. Some wax and pure black pitch are afterwards added. The
process has been studied by several pharmacists, and the conclusion
come to is that the fats are decomposed and a number of fatty acids
with some acroleine are produced. The operation is a rather dangerous
one, especially if there is any naked light in the vicinity.
Magistery of Saturn was a white lead precipitated from a solution of
the acetate by carbonate of potash. This was the principal ingredient
in the Powder of Saturn devised by Mynsicht. The other components of
this powder, which was recommended in phthisis and asthma especially,
were magistery of sulphur (lac sulphuris), squine root, flowers of
sulphur, pearls, coral, oatmeal, Armenian bole, flowers of benzoin,
olibanum, sugar candy, saffron, and cassia.
The chief apostle of lead in medical practice was Goulard, whose name
has become inseparably associated with the solution of the acetate.
Some account of the bearer of this familiar name, and of his medicinal
preparations of lead will be found in the section on Masters in
Pharmacy.