=Pills, Lady Hesketh’s.= See PILLS, DINNER.

=Pills, Hoffmann’s.= See PILLS OF CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE.

=Pills, Holloway’s.= See PATENT MEDICINES.

=Pills, Hooper’s Female.= _Prep._ 1. (Gray.) Sulphate of iron and water,

of each 8 oz.; dissolve, add, Barbadoes aloes, 2-1/2 lbs.; white canella,

6 oz.; myrrh, 2 oz.; opopanax, 1 oz.

2. (Phil. Coll. of Pharm.) Barbadoes aloes, 8 oz.; dried sulphate of iron,

2-1/4 oz.; myrrh, extract of black hellebore, and Castile soap, of each 2

oz.; canella and ginger, of each 1 oz.; water, q. s.; divide the mass into

2-1/2- or 3-gr. pills, and put 40 in each box. Cathartic and

emmenagogue.——_Dose_, 2, or more. “If we omit the soap, lessen the

quantity of extract of hellebore, and increase that of the aloes, we think

the form will be nearer that of the original.” (Cooley.)

=Pills of Hound’s-tongue.= (P. Cod.) _Syn._ PILULÆ CUM CYNOGLOSSÔ. _Prep._

Root-bark of hound’s-tongue, 4 dr.; henbane seeds, 4 dr.; extract of

opium, 4 dr.; myrrh, 6 dr.; olibanum, 4 dr. and 48 gr.; saffron, 96 gr.;

castor, 96 gr.; syrup of honey, 14 dr. Mix. Contains 1 gr. of extract of

opium in 10 gr. The original form of NICOLANS contained styrax, and seems

to have been the origin of the compound styrax pill, as well as of this

compound.

=Pills, Humphrey’s.= See PILLS, PECTORAL.

=Pills, Hunter’s.= See PILLS, RENAL.

=Pills, Hydragogue.= See BONTIUS’S PILLS, &c.

=Pills, Hydropho′bia.= _Syn._ PILULÆ AD RABIEM, L. _Prep._ (Werlhoff.)

Cantharides (in very fine powder), 2 gr.; belladonna and calomel, of each

4 gr.; camphor, 8 gr.; mucilage, q. s. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 3,

twice daily.

=Pills of Iatropha.= (Dr Barham.) _Syn._ PILULÆ IATROPHÆ. _Prep._

Decorticated seeds of _Jatropha gossypifoli_, 3 dr.; gamboge, extract of

colocynth and scammony, of each 1 dr. Make into 90 pills.——_Dose_, 1, 2,

or more.

=Pills of In′dian Hemp.= _Syn._ PILULÆ CANNABIS INDICÆ, L. _Prep._ From

alcoholic extract of Indian hemp, 1/2 dr.; sugar of milk, 1 dr.; mucilage,

q. s. For 48 pills. An excellent pill for soothing pain and quieting the

system, acting without causing headache or constipation of the

bowels.——_Dose_, 1 pill, increased to 2 or more, as necessary.

=Pills of In′digo.= See PILLS, EPILEPSY.

=Pills of I′odide of Arsenic.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ARSENICI IODIDI, L. _Prep._

1. (Dr Neligan.) Iodide of arsenic, 2 gr.; manna, 40 gr.; mucilage, q. s.;

mix, and divide into 12 pills.

2. (Gardner.) Iodide of arsenic, 1 gr.; extract of hemlock, 20 gr. For 20

pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, twice or thrice daily; in lepra, psoriasis, and

some other scaly skin diseases.

=Pills of Iodide of Iron.= _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI IODIDI, L. _Prep._ 1.

Unoxidised iron filings (recently levigated), 20 gr.; iodine, 40 gr.;

distilled water, 1/2 dr.; mix in a cold wedgwood-ware mortar, and

triturate them together until the red colour of the mixture has entirely

disappeared; then add, of powdered gum, 20 gr.; powdered sugar, 1 dr.;

liquorice powder, q. s. to form a mass, and divide it into 48 pills. Each

pill contains 1 gr. of dry iodide of iron.——_Dose_, 1 to 6 pills, twice or

thrice a day.

2. (B. P.) Fine iron wire, 40 gr.; iodine, 80 gr.; refined sugar, in

powder, 70 gr.; liquorice root, in powder, 140 gr.; distilled water, 50

minims. Agitate the iron with the iodine and the water in a strong

stoppered ounce phial until the froth becomes white. Pour the fluid upon

the sugar in a mortar, triturate briskly, and gradually add the

liquorice.——_Dose_, 3 to 8 gr.

3. (Ph. U. S.) Protosulphate of iron, 60 gr.; iodide of potassium, 80 gr.

(both in fine powder); mix, add of powdered tragacanth, 10 gr.; powdered

sugar, 30 gr.; and form the whole into a mass with syrup, q. s. For 40

pills. Each pill contains nearly 2 gr. of the dry iodide, or about 2-1/2

gr. of the common hydrated iodide of the shops.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, as the

last.

_Obs._ The above pills are reputed alterative, tonic, and emmenagogue, and

are found peculiarly useful in indurations, scrofula, chlorosis,

leucorrhœa, &c., when the administration of chalybeates is not

contra-indicated.

=Pills of Iodide of Lead.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PLUMBI IODIDI, L. _Prep._ From

iodide of lead, 15 gr.; powdered sugar, 1-1/2 dr.; mucilage, q. s. For 60

pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, gradually increased to 3, or more, twice a day; in

scrofula, scirrhus, &c.

=Pills of Iodide of Mer′cury.= _Syn._ PILULÆ HYDRARGYRI IODIDI, L. _Prep._

1. (Ph. L. 1836.) Green iodide of mercury and powdered ginger, of each 1

dr.; conserve of hips, 3 dr.——_Dose_, 2 to 5 gr., twice or thrice daily,

as an alterative in scrofula and scrofulous syphilis, &c.

2. (COINDET’S PILLS.) From green iodide of mercury, 1 gr.; extract of

liquorice, 20 gr.; mix, and divide into 8 pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, as the

last. Pills of red iodide of mercury are made in the same way, but, owing

to its greater activity, only one fourth of the above quantity of iodide

must enter into their composition.

=Pills of Iodide of Potas′sium.= _Syn._ PILULÆ POTASSII IODIDI, L. _Prep._

1. Iodide of potassium and powdered starch, of each 1/2 dr.; conserve of

hips, q. s. For 36 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 6, thrice daily; in glandular

indurations and enlargements, goiture, scrofula, &c.

2. (Vogt.) Iodide of potassium, 15 gr.; burnt sponge and extract of

dulcamara, of each 5 dr.; water, q. s. For 180 pills.——_Dose_, 4 to 6,

twice a day, as the last.

=Pills of I′odine.= _Syn._ PILULÆ IODINII, L. _Prep._ (Radius.) Iodine, 6

gr.; extract of gentian, 1 dr.; powdered gum, q. s. For 24 pills.——_Dose_,

1 to 3; in scrofula, &c.; also, in mercurial and scorbutic salivation.

=Pills of Iodide of Silver.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ARGENTI IODIDI. (Dr Patterson.)

_Prep._ Iodide of silver, nitrate of potash, of each 10 gr., rub together

into a very fine powder, and add, liquorice powder, 1/2 dr.; white sugar,

20 gr.; mucilage, q. s.; to form a mass, to be divided into 40 pills; 1

three times a day.

=Pills of Iod′oform.= _Syn._ PILULÆ IODOFORMI, L. _Prep._ (Bouchardat.)

Iodoform, 1/2 dr.; extract of wormwood (or gentian), 1 dr.; mix, and

divide into 36 pills.——_Dose_, 1, twice or thrice daily; in scrofula, &c.

=Pills of Ipecac′uanha (Compound).= _Syn._ PILLS OF IPECACUANHA WITH

SQUILLS, P. OF I. AND OPIUM; PILULÆ IPECACUANHA CUM SCILLÂ (Ph. L.), P.

IPECACUANHÆ ET OPII (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Compound powder of

ipecacuanha (Dover’s powder), 3 dr.; powdered ammoniacum and squills

(freshly powdered), of each 1 dr.; treacle, q. s. to form a pill-mass.

Anodyne, sudorific, and expectorant.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 gr.; in chronic

coughs and asthma, &c.

2. (Ph. E.) Dover’s powder, 3 parts; conserve of red roses, 1 part; mix,

and divide into 4-gr. pills. Resembles Dover’s powder in its effects. It

is hence regarded by many as a useless preparation.

3. (B. P.) PILULA IPECACUANHÆ CUM SCILLÂ. _Prep._ Compound ipecacuanha

powder, 3 oz.; fresh-dried squill, 1 oz.; ammoniacum in powder, 1 oz.;

treacle, q. s. Beat all together.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 gr.

=Pills of I′ron (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI COMPOSITA (Ph. L.), P. F.

CUM MYRRHÆ, L. _Prep._ (Ph. L.) Myrrh (in powder), 2 dr.; carbonate of

soda, 1 dr.; rub them together in a warm mortar, then add of sulphate of

iron, 1 dr., and again triturate; lastly, add of treacle, 1 dr., and beat

all together, to form a pill mass. An excellent mild chalybeate tonic and

emmenagogue, similar in its properties to ‘Griffith’s Mixture,’——_Dose_, 5

to 15 gr., two or three times a day.

=Pills, Italian Black.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ITALICÆ NIGRÆ, P. ALOETICÆ FERRATÆ,

L. _Prep._ (Ph. Bor.) Powdered aloes and dried sulphate of iron, equal

parts; beaten up with rectified spirit, q. s., and divided into 2- or

2-1/2-gr. pills. See PILLS OF ALOES AND IRON.

=Pills of Jal′ap.= _Syn._ PILULÆ JALAPÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. E. 1783.)

Extract of jalap, 2 dr.; aromatic powder, 1 dr.; syrup, q. s.

2. (Ph. Bor.) Soap of jalap, 3 parts; powdered jalap, 1 part; beat them to

a pill-mass.——_Dose_ (of either), 10 to 15 gr.

=Pills, James’s Analep′tic.= _Prep._ 1. Antimonial powder, guaiacum, and

pill of aloes with myrrh, equal parts; syrup, q. s.

2. (Cooley.) Antimonial powder (James’s), pill aloes with myrrh, and

compound aloes powder, of each 2 parts; powdered ammoniacum, 1 part;

beaten up with tincture of castor, q. s., and divided into 3-1/2-gr.

pills. A diaphoretic purge.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 pills.

=Pills, Dr J. Johnson’s.= _Prep._ From compound extract of colocynth, 2

dr.; calomel, 1/2 dr.; potassio-tartrate of antimony, 2 gr.; oil of

cassia, 12 drops. For 4 dozen pills. An excellent alterative and

diaphoretic aperient.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills.

=Pills, Kaye’s.= See PILLS, WORSDELL’S.

=Pills, Keyser’s.= _Prep._ (Guibourt.) Red oxide of mercury, 1-1/2 oz.;

distilled vinegar (dilute acetic acid), 1 pint; dissolve, add to the

resulting solution manna, 2 lbs., and triturate for a long time before the

fire, until a proper consistence is attained; lastly, divide the mass into

pills of 1-1/2 gr. each.

_Obs._ Keyser’s pills were once celebrated throughout Europe as a remedy

possessing extraordinary virtue, and so highly were they prized that the

method of preparing them was purchased by the French Government for the

benefit of the nation. Richard, who first published a full account of

them, concludes by observing that he considers this compound to be,

without exception, the most effectual remedy for syphilis hitherto

discovered. In this country, however, it has long sunk into comparative

disuse with the faculty; probably from pills of acetate of suboxide of

mercury being erroneously employed under the name, whereas, according to

Robiquet, acetate of protoxide of mercury (called by him the ‘peroxide’)

forms the basis of the original preparation. The dose is 1 to 2, night and

morning, as an alterative; and 2 to 6, twice a day, as a sialogogue.

=Pills, King’s.= See PATENT MEDICINES.

=Pills, Kitchener’s.= _Syn._ Dr KITCHENER’S PERISTALTIC PERSUADERS; PILULÆ

RHÆI ET CARUI, L. _Prep._ From powdered Turkey rhubarb, 2 dr.; simple

syrup, 1 dr.; oil of caraway, 10 or 12 drops. For 40 pills. An admirable

stomachic, dinner, or laxative pill, according to the quantity

taken.——_Dose_, 2 to 6. “From 2 to 4 will generally produce one additional

motion within 12 hours. The best time to take them is early in the

morning.”

=Pills, Klein’s.= _Prep._ From ammoniacum and extract of centaury, of each

1-2 dr.; Castile soap, 1 dr.; oil of amber, 3 drops. For 2-gr. pills.

Stomachic, emmenagogue, and pectoral.——_Dose_, 2 to 6 pills.

=Pills of Lac′tate of Iron.= _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI LACTATIS, L. _Prep._

(Cap.) Lactate of protoxide of iron and powdered marshmallow root, equal

parts; clarified honey, q. s. For 3-gr. pills. One of the most valuable of

the chalybeates.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, three or four times a day.

=Pills of Lactuca′′rium.= _Syn._ PILULÆ LACTUCARII, L. _Prep._ 1. (Brera.)

Lactucarium, 18 gr.; conserve of elder-berries and extract of liquorice,

of each q. s. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2 pills, every three or four

hours; in dry asthma, obstinate coughs without expectoration, &c.

2. (Dr Duncan.) Lactucarium, 12 gr.; liquorice powder, 20 gr.; simple

syrup, q. s. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2 pills, every hour, as an

anodyne, or to induce sleep.

=Pills, Lartigue’s.= See PILLS, GOUT.

=Pills of Lead.= _Prep._ 1. See PILLS OF ACETATE OF LEAD.

2. (Opiated; PILULÆ PLUMBI OPIATÆ——Ph. E.; PILULA PLUMBI CUM OPIO——B. P.)

Acetate of lead, 6 parts; opium, 1 part; conserve of red roses, about 1

part; beat them to a proper mass, and divide this into 4-gr. pills. “This

pill may also be made with twice the quantity of opium.” In hæmorrhages,

obstinate diarrhœa, dysentery, spitting of blood, and other cases

demanding the use of a powerful astringent. It has also been highly

extolled in cholera.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills, twice or thrice daily, washed

down with water soured with pure vinegar.

=Pills, Lee’s Antibil′ious.= _Prep._ (‘Amer. Journ. of Pharm.’) Aloes, 12

oz.; scammony, 6 oz.; calomel, 5 oz.; gamboge, 4 oz.; jalap, 3 oz.;

Castile soap and syrup of buckthorn, of each 1 oz.; mucilage, 7 oz.; beat

them together, and divide the mass into 5-gr. pills. A powerful cathartic,

and, from containing mercury, not adapted for frequent use. See WYNDHAM’S

PILLS.

=Pills, Lewis’s Al′terative and Liver.= These “for the most part resemble

SCOTT’S BILIOUS AND LIVER PILLS. They are, however, of a more drastic and

powerful character, and frequently operate with considerable violence.”

=Pills, Lockstadt’s.= _Prep._ (Phœbus.) Sulphate of quinine, 3 gr.;

aromatic powder, 10 gr.; essential oil of almonds, 1 drop; extract of

gentian, q. s. For 10 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, thrice daily, as a stomachic

tonic; or the whole at once, before an expected attack of an ague or

intermittent.

=Pills, Lockyer’s.= _Prep._ From panacea of antimony, 6 gr.; powdered

white sugar, 4 dr.; mucilage, q. s. For 48 pills. Cathartic and

emetic.——_Dose_, 1 to 4 pills.

=Pills of Lupulin.= (Magendie.) _Syn._ PILULÆ LUPULINI. _Prep._ The powder

triturated forms a sufficiently tenacious mass for pills, without any

addition.

=Pills, Dr Lynn’s.= _Prep._ From pill of aloes with myrrh and compound

extract of colocynth, of each 1 dr.; calomel, 1/2 dr. For 4 dozen pills.

Aperient and antibilious.——_Dose_, 1 to 3; in costiveness, biliousness,

&c.

=Pills of Manganese, Carbonate.= (Hannon.) _Syn._ PILULÆ MANGANESII

CARBONATIS. _Prep._ Dissolve separately, 17 oz. of crystallised sulphate

of manganese, and 19 oz. carbonate of soda, in water, q. s. Mix the

solutions and add to every 17 oz. of the liquid, 1 oz. of syrup, and allow

the precipitate to subside in a well-closed bottle. Pour off the

supernatant liquid, wash the precipitate with sugared water, express, mix

it with 10 oz. of honey, and evaporate rapidly to a pill

consistence.——_Dose_, from 4 to 10 4-grain pills daily, in anæmia,

chlorosis, &c.

=Pills of Manganese, Iodide.= (Hannon.) _Syn._ PILULÆ MANGANESII IODIDI.

_Prep._ Iodide of potassium, 1 oz.; dried sulphate of manganese, 1 oz.;

mix with honey, q. s. to form a pill mass; divide into 4-gr.

pills.——_Dose._ From 1 pill daily, gradually increased.

=Pills of Manganese, Malate.= (Hannon.) _Syn._ PILULÆ MANGANESII MALATIS.

Malate of manganese, 15 gr.; powdered cinchona bark, 15 gr.; honey, q. s.

for 20 pills. 3 to 5 or 6 daily.

=Pills of Manganese, Muriate.= (Niemann.) _Syn._ PILULÆ MANGANESII

MURIATIS. _Prep._ Chloride of manganese, 2 scruples; gum Arabic, 2

scruples; liquorice, 1 scruple. Mix.

=Pills of Manganese, Phosphate.= (Hannon.) _Syn._ PILULÆ MANGANESII

PHOSPHATIS. _Prep._ Phosphate of manganese, 1-1/2 dr.; cinchona bark, 1/2

dr.; syrup of catechu, q. s. Make into 4-gr. pills.

=Pills of Manganese, Tartrate.= _Syn._ PILULÆ MANGANESII TARTRATIS. As

Pills of Malate Manganese.

=Pills of Manganese and Sulphate of Iron.= (Hannon.) _Syn._ PILULÆ

MANGANESII ET FERRI SULPHATIS. _Prep._ Sulphate of iron, 13 oz.; sulphate

of manganese, 3-1/2 oz.; carbonate of soda, 17-1/2 oz.; honey, 10 oz.;

syrup, q. s. to make a mass to be divided into 4-gr. pills.

=Pills, Mar′tial.= _Syn._ PILLS OF IRON AND WORMWOOD; PILULÆ FERRI CUM

ABSINTHIO, P. MARTIALES, L. _Prep._ (Sydenham.) Levigated iron-filings, 1

dr.; extract of wormwood, q. s. Tonic and hæmatinic.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 gr.,

twice a day.

=Pills, Matthew’s.= _Syn._ PILULÆ MATTHÆI, P. PACIFICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (Dr

Paris.) Black hellebore, Castile soap, liquorice, opium, saffron, and

turmeric, equal parts; made into pills with oil of turpentine.

2. (Ph. E. 1744.) Opium and saffron, of each 1 dr.; castor, 2 dr.; soap of

turpentine, 3 dr.; balsam of copaiba (or oil of turpentine), q. s. to form

a mass. Alterative and anodyne.——_Dose_, 3 to 10 gr.

=Pills, McKinsey’s.= See MCKINSEY’S KATAPOTIA, among PATENT MEDICINES.

=Pills, Meglin’s.= _Syn._ PILULES DE MEGLIN, Fr. See PILLS OF HENBANE

(Compound).

=Pills, Mercu′′rial.= _Syn._ BLUE PILL; PILULA HYDRARGYRI (B. P.), PILULÆ

HYDRARGYRI (Ph. L.), PILULÆ H. (Ph. E. & D.), P. MERCURIALES, L.; PILULES

MERCURIELLES, Fr. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Mercury, 4 dr.; confection of roses,

6 dr.; rub them together until globules can no longer be seen; then add of

liquorice powder, 2 dr., and beat the whole together, so that a proper

mass may be formed.

2. (Ph. E.) As the last; afterwards dividing the mass into 5-gr. pills.

3. (Ph. D.) As the Ph. L. formula, but taking four times the quantity of

the respective ingredients.

4. (B. P.) Mercury, 2; confection of roses, 3; decorticated liquorice

root, in fine powder, 1; rub the mercury with the confection of roses

until metallic globules are no longer visible, then add the liquorice, and

mix the whole well together.——_Dose_, 3 to 6 gr. as an alterative, 10 gr.

as a purgative.

_Obs._ The remarks under ‘MERCURIAL OINTMENT’ (p. 1179), for the most

part, also apply here. This pill, when properly prepared, presents no

globules of mercury when moderately rubbed on a piece of white paper, and

immediately communicates a white stain to a piece of bright gold or

copper. It possesses considerable density, and has a dark blue or slate

colour. It contains 1-3rd of its weight of mercury, which may be

ascertained from its sp. gr.; or, more exactly, by an assay for the metal.

It is the mildest and the most extensively used of all the mercurial

preparations.——_Dose._ As an alterative, 1 to 3 gr.; as a purgative, 10 to

15 gr.; and as a sialogogue, 5 or 6 gr., or more, twice or thrice daily.

To prevent it affecting the bowels, it is commonly combined with either

rhubarb or opium. A blue pill taken over-night, and a black draught in the

morning, is a popular remedy in bilious complaints. See ABERNETHY

MEDICINES.

5. (Collier.) Mercury, 2 dr.; sesquioxide of iron, 1 dr.; confection of

red roses, 3 dr.; triturated, as before, until the globules disappear. An

excellent extemporaneous substitute for the common mercurial pill. The

addition of only a few grs. of the sesquioxide of iron to 1 oz. of

conserve, renders the latter capable of rapidly killing a large quantity

of quicksilver.

6. (Tyson.) Grey oxide of mercury (prepared by decomposing calomel with

liquor of potassa to which a little liquor of ammonia has been added), 2

dr.; confection of roses, 6 dr.; powdered chamomiles, 1 dr.; mix. As a

substitute for the College pill.

7. (‘Pharm. Journ.’) Stearin, 1 dr.; rub it in a warm mortar till it

assumes the consistence of thick cream, then add of mercury, 4 dr., and

again triturate until the globules disappear; next further add, of

confection of roses and wheaten flour, of each 3 dr., powdered gum, 1 dr.,

and form the whole into a pill-mass. As a substitute for the College pill.

8. (PILULÆ HYDRARGYROSÆ——P. Cod.) Mercury and honey, of each 6 dr.;

triturate till the globules are extinguished, then add of aloes, 6 dr.;

rhubarb, 3 dr.; scammony, 2 dr.; black pepper, 1 dr.; and make a pill-mass

as before. Contains 1-4th part of quicksilver. Alterative and

aperient.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 gr. BELLOSTE’S, BARBAROSSA’S, SÉDILLOT’S, and

MORELOT’S PILLS are nearly similar compounds. See PILLS OF CALOMEL and

CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE, &c.

9. (PILULÆ UNGUENTI HYDRARGYRI——Biett.) _Prep._ Mercurial ointment,

powdered sarsaparilla, 1 dr. Mix, and divide into 48 pills. From 1 to 4

daily.

10. (PILULÆ HYDRARGYRI CUM SAPONE——P. Cod.) _Prep._ Mercurial ointment, 2

dr.; soap, 4 scruples; liquorice powder, 2 scruples. Make into 3-gr.

pills.

=Pills, Mercurial (Arabic).= _Syn._ PILULÆ MERCURIALES ARABICÆ, L. _Prep._

Take of quicksilver and corrosive sublimate, of each 1/2 dr.; triturate

them patiently together until the globules disappear; then add, of agaric,

pellitory, and senna, of each 1 dr.; honey, q. s. to make a pill-mass. For

3-1/2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 a day. Employed in the ‘traitement arabique’

for the cure of obstinate cutaneous diseases.

=Pills, Mercurial, Hahnemann’s.= (F. H.) _Syn._ PILULÆ HYDRARGYRI

HAHNEMANNI. _Prep._ Hahnemann’s soluble mercury, 20 gr.; gum Arabic, 30

gr.; sugar, 30 gr. Mix, and divide into 30 pills.

=Pills, Mitchell’s.= _Prep._ Aloes, 1/2 dr.; rhubarb, 1 dr.; calomel, 6

gr.; emetic tartar, 2 gr. For 36 pills. An alterative aperient.——_Dose_, 2

to 4 pills.

=Pills, Moat’s.= Similar to MORISON’S PILLS.

=Pills, Morison’s.= _Prep._——_a._ (No. 1 Pills.) From aloes and cream of

tartar, equal parts, made into a mass with either syrup or mucilage. A

mild aperient.

_b._ (No. 2 pills.) From colocynth, 1 part; gamboge, 2 parts; aloes, 3

parts; and cream of tartar, 4 parts; made into a mass with syrup, as the

last. An active purgative, often acting with great violence. Both No. 1

and No. 2 are divided into 3-gr. pills, of which 4 dozen are put into each

1s. 1-1/2d. box. The proper dose of either is 1 to 3 or 4 pills; but they

are often given by the Morisons in doses of 12, 20, 30, or even more,

daily. For the history of these pills and their proprietors, see ‘Anat. of

Quackery,’ or ‘Med. Circ.,’ ii, 9-27.

=Pills of Mor′phia.= _Syn._ PILULÆ MORPHIÆ, L. _Prep._ (Magendie.)

Morphine, 1 gr.; conserve of roses (stiff), q. s. For 6 (or, better, 8)

pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill; as an anodyne or soporific.

=Pills of Morphia (Compound).= (Rougier.) _Syn._ PILULÆ MORPHIÆ COMPOSITÆ.

_Prep._ Sulphate of morphia, 2 gr.; cyanide of potassium, 4 gr.; mucilage,

q. s. Make into 24 pills; 1 every six hours, in neuralgia.

=Pills, Moseley’s.= _Prep._ Finest Turkey rhubarb, 60 gr.; Jamaica ginger,

30 gr.; sugar, 20 gr. (all in powder); tincture of rhubarb, q. s. to form

a mass. For 4-gr. pills. A mild and excellent medicine, closely resembling

KITCHENER’S PERISTALTIC PERSUADERS.

=Pills of Musk.= _Syn._ PILULÆ MOSCHI, L. _Prep._ (Dupuytren.) Opium, 2

gr.; musk (genuine), 8 gr.; camphor (in powder), 24 gr.; syrup, q. s. For

8 pills. Antispasmodic and stimulant.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, thrice daily, in

low nervous affections; or the whole during the day in hospital gangrene,

&c.

=Pills of Myrrh.= See PILLS OF ALOES AND MYRRH.

=Pills, Napier’s Neuroton′ic.= Of these, like MORISON’S PILLS, there are

No. 1 and No. 2. The first is a simple stomachic aperient; the other, a

stimulant tonic. They both owe their sale and reputed virtues to extensive

advertising. (‘Anat. of Quackery.’)

=Pills, Napoleon’s.= See PECTORAL PILLS.

=Pills, Neuralg′ia.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTINEURALGICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (Marchal

De Calvi.) Aqueous extract of opium, 4 gr.; sulphate of quinine, 16 gr.;

powdered cinnamon, powdered orange leaves, and extract of valerian, of

each 20 gr.; syrup of belladonna, q. s. For 3 dozen pills.——_Dose_, 1,

hourly.

2. (Trousseau & Reveil.) Extracts of opium and stramonium, of each 8 gr.;

oxide of zinc, 2 dr.; syrup, q. s. For 40 pills.——_Dose_, 1, every two or

three hours, gradually increased in frequency until there is some

considerable disorder of vision, &c. Both of the above should be used with

care. See PILLS, MEGLIN’S, &c.

=Pills of Ni′trate of Bismuth.= _Syn._ PILULÆ BISMUTHI TRISNITRATIS, L.

_Prep._ From trisnitrate of bismuth and powdered rhubarb, equal parts;

syrup of orange peel, q. s. to form a mass. For 3-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to

2, every two hours; as a tonic, stomachic, and antispasmodic, in

dyspepsia, debility, spasms, &c.

=Pills of Nitrate of Mercury.= _Syn._ PILULÆ HYDRARGYRI PROTO-NITRATIS.

PILULES DE SAINTE MARIE. _Prep._ Powder of proto-nitrate of mercury, 7-1/2

gr.; extract of liquorice, 1/2 dr. Mix accurately, and divide into 60

pills.——_Dose_, 1, four times a day.

=Pills of Nitrate of Sil′ver.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ARGENTI NITRATIS, L. _Prep._

1. (St. B. Hosp.) Nitrate of silver (crystallised), 12 gr.; liquorice

powder, 24 gr.; treacle, q. s. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, twice or

thrice a day; in chronic epilepsy and some other spasmodic disorders.

2. (Dr A. T. Thomson.) Nitrate of silver, 6 gr.; crum of bread, q. s. (say

1/2 dr.); mix, and divide into 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1, every six hours.

_Obs._ To prevent the blue or slate coloured tinge of the skin, so often

produced by the continued use of the salts of silver, 8 drops of diluted

nitric acid in 1 fl. oz. of water should be taken after each pill.

=Pills, Norton’s Chamomile.= _Prep._ From aqueous extract of aloes, 1 dr.;

extract of gentian, 3 dr.; mix, and drive off the excess of moisture by

the heat of a water bath; then add of essential oil of chamomiles, 20

drops, and divide the mass into 60 pills. To preserve their aromatic

properties, they should be kept in a dry glass bottle or a well-covered

earthenware pot.——_Dose_, 1, as a dinner pill; or 2, night and morning, as

a stomachic tonic. (‘Anat. of Quackery.’)

=Pills of Nux Vom′ica.= _Syn._ PILULÆ NUCIS VOMICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Nux

vomica and aloes (both in powder), equal parts; syrup, q. s. For 3-gr.

pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, twice or thrice daily, carefully watching the

effects; in nervous derangement, general debility, impotence, paralysis,

&c.

2. Alcoholic extract of nux vomica, 1 part; powdered sugar, 2 parts;

beaten up with rectified spirit, q. s. For 2-1/2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to

2; as the last.

3. (Mondière.) Alcoholic extract, 6 gr.; levigated black oxide of iron, 1

dr.; syrup, q. s. In atonic incontinence of urine, amenorrhœa, &c.

=Pills, Odontal′gic.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ODONTALGICÆ, L. _Prep._ (Ph. Bor.)

Powdered opium and extracts of belladonna and henbane, of each 10 gr.;

oil of olives, 20 drops; powdered pellitory of Spain, 1/2 dr.; beat them

to a mass, and divide it into 1-gr. pills; keep them in a corked phial.

=Pills, Opiated Lead.= See PILLS OF LEAD.

=Pills of O′′pium.= _Syn_. ANODYNE PILLS, NIGHT P., THEBAIC P.; PILULÆ

OPII (Ph. U. S.), P. O. or THEBAICÆ (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.) Opium

and conserve of red roses, of each 1 part; sulphate of potash, 3 parts;

rub them together to a proper mass, and divide into 5-gr. pills.——_Dose_,

1 to 2 pills, as an anodyne or soporific. Each pill contains 1 gr. of

opium, or double the quantity in the same pill of the previous edition of

the Ph. E.

2. (Ph. U. S.) Powdered opium, 1 dr.; Castile soap, 12 gr.; water, q. s.

For 60 pills. As the last.

=Pills of Ox-Gall.= _Syn._ BILE PILL; PILULÆ FELLIS BOVINI, P. BILIS, L.

_Prep._ 1. From inspissated ox-gall formed into pills by the addition of

any simple powder; or the harder extract beaten up with a little proof

spirit. Powdered rhubarb is frequently used for the purpose. For 3-gr.

pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 6; for constipation, flatulence, &c., arising from a

deficiency of bile.

2. (Compound.) From inspissated ox-gall, 1 dr.; powdered rhubarb, 1/2 dr.;

powdered ipecacuanha and capsicum, of each 15 gr.; oil of caraway, 12

drops. For 48 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 4; in loss of appetite and dyspepsia,

with torpor of the bowels, &c. See CONSTIPATION, GALL, &c.

=Pills of Ox′ide of Gold.= _Syn._ PILULÆ AURI OXYDI, L. _Prep._

(Magendie.) Teroxide of gold, 5 gr.; extract of mezereon, 2 dr.; mix, and

divide into 60 pills. Each pill contains 1/12 gr. of teroxide.——_Dose_, 1

to 3; in scrofula, syphilis, malignant fevers, &c.

=Pills of Oxide of Mercury.= See PILLS, MERCURIAL.

=Pills of Oxide of Sil′ver.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ARGENTI OXYDI, L. _Prep._ From

oxide of silver, 6 gr.; powdered rhubarb and extract of gentian, of each

12 gr. For 1 dozen pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, twice or thrice daily; in

gastralgia, hæmorrhages, nervous affections, &c. Milder than the pills of

nitrate of silver.

=Pills of Oxide of Zinc.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ZINCI OXYDI, L. _Prep._ From oxide

of zinc, powdered cascarilla, and conserve of hips, equal parts. For

3-1/2-gr. pills. Tonic and antispasmodic.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, thrice daily;

in dyspepsia, gastric or spasmodic coughs, epilepsy, chorea, &c.

=Pills, Parr’s Life.= _Prep._ Aloes, 7 lbs.; rhubarb and jalap, of each 5

lbs. (all in powder); extract of gentian, 3-1/2 lbs.; soft soap, 1/2 lb.;

liquorice powder, treacle, and moist sugar, of each 4-1/2 lbs.; oil of

cloves, 10 oz.; oil of caraway, 3-1/2 oz.; mix, and beat the whole to a

proper mass with syrup bottoms, q. s., and divide it into 3-1/2-gr. pills.

“There are about 4 dozen in each 1s. 1-1/2d. box, weighing (dry) barely 3

gr. each.” A good stomachic and aperient pill, but possessing none of the

extraordinary virtues ascribed to it by its proprietors. (‘Med. Circ.,’

ii, 146, 167, &c.)

=Pills of Paullin′ia.= _Syn._ GUARANA PILLS; PILULÆ GUARANÆ, P. PAULLINIÆ,

L. _Prep._ 1. Paullinia mixed up with syrup of orange peel, and the mass

divided into 2-1/2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 8.

2. (Dr Gavrelle.) Extract of guarana, 1 dr.; liquorice powder, q. s. For

40 pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 6, daily.

_Obs._ These pills are highly esteemed on the Continent as a tonic and

astringent, in diseases of the bowels and bladder, in chlorosis, debility,

&c.

=Pec′toral Pills.= _Syn._ BREATH PILLS; PILULÆ PECTORALES, L. _Prep._ 1.

Compound squill pill, 1 dr.; gum benzoin, 1/2 dr.; powdered ipecacuanha

and extract of henbane, of each 15 gr.; syrup, q. s. For 3-gr.

pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, three or four times a day; in asthmas, chronic

bronchial affections, coughs, &c.

2. (Dr Copland.) Camphor (in powder), 10 gr.; ipecacuanha, 15 gr.; extract

of hemlock, 1 dr.——_Dose_, 3 to 6 gr.; in irritating and spasmodic coughs,

&c.

3. (Haggart.) Powdered ipecacuanha and squills, of each 1/2 dr.; acetate

of morphia, 6 gr.; Castile soap, 3 dr.; mix, and divide into 72 pills. A

most excellent medicine, at once soothing and expectorant.——_Dose_, 1 to

2, thrice a day, or oftener.

4. (HUMPHRIES’ COUGH PILLS.) From powdered ipecacuanha, 15 gr.; compound

squill-pill, 1 dr.; compound extract of colocynth, 1/2 dr. For 3-1/2-gr.

pills.——_Dose_, 2 pills, night and morning.

5. (Dr Latham.) Compound powder of ipecacuanha, 1 dr.; fresh squill and

gum ammoniacum, of each 20 gr.; calomel, 4 gr. For 20 pills. A most

valuable pectoral and expectorant.——_Dose_, 1 pill, thrice daily; in

bronchitis, coughs, &c., after the more active inflammatory symptoms have

subsided.

6. (Napoleon’s.) From ipecacuanha, 30 gr.; squills and ammoniacum, of each

40 gr. (all in powder); mucilage, q. s. to mix. For 24 pills. It is said

that this was a favourite remedy with the Emperor Napoleon I for

difficulty of breathing, bronchitis, and various affections of the organs

of respiration.——_Dose_, 2 pills, night and morning.

7. (Dr Paris.) Powdered squills, 1/2 dr.; powdered myrrh, 1-1/2 dr.;

extract of henbane, 40 gr.; water (or simple syrup), q. s. to mix. For

4-gr. pills,——_Dose_, 2 pills, night and morning. As No. 2.

8. (Ph. L. 1746.) Gum ammoniacum, 4 dr.; gum benzoin, 3 dr.; gum myrrh, 2

dr.; saffron, 1 dr.; anisated balsam of sulphur, 1/2 dr.; syrup of tolu,

q. s. to mix.——_Dose_, 5 to 15 gr.

9. (Richter.) Assafœtida and valerian, of each 1/2 dr.; castor, 15 gr.;

powdered squills and sesquicarbonate of ammonia, of each 8 gr.; extract of

aconite (alcoholic), 3 gr. For 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills, night

and morning; in spasmodic affections of the respiratory organs.

=Pills, Perpe′tual.= See PILLS, EVERLASTING.

=Pills, Peter’s.= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Aloes, 3 dr.; gamboge, jalap, and

scammony, of each 2 dr. (all in powder); calomel, 1 dr.; beaten up with

rectified spirit, q. s. A powerful cathartic.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills.

=Pills of Phosphorus.= (B. P.) _Syn._ PILULÆ PHOSPHORI. _Prep._

Phosphorus, 2 gr.; balsam of tolu, 120 gr.; yellow wax, 60 gr. Put the

phosphorus and balsam into a wedgwood mortar half full of hot water, and

when the phosphorus has melted and the balsam become sufficiently soft,

rub them together beneath the surface of the water until no particles of

phosphorus are visible, the temperature of the water being maintained at

or near 140° F. Add now the wax, and as it softens mix it thoroughly with

the other ingredients. Allow the mass to cool without being exposed to the

air, and keep it in a bottle immersed in cold water. It may be softened

with a few drops of rectified spirit when made into pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 6

gr.

=Pills of Pi′perine.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PIPERINÆ, L. _Prep._ From piperine,

1/2 dr.; extract of cinchona, q. s. For 30 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, every

two hours, during the intermission of an ague; also as an aphrodisiac and

a remedy in piles.

=Pills of Pitch.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PICIS NIGRÆ, L. _Prep._ From black pitch

and powdered black pepper, equal parts; beaten together in a warm mortar,

and divided into 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 pills, night and morning; in

piles, &c.

=Pills, Pitschaft’s Eccopro′tic.= _Prep._ From strained aloes and

disulphate of quinine, equal parts; made into 2-gr. pills. A tonic and

stomachic aperient.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, at bedtime; in torpor of the large

intestines, the dyspepsia of the debilitated, &c.

=Pills of Podophyllin.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PODOPHYLLINI. _Prep._ Resin of

podophyllin, 1/4 gr. Extract of henbane. To make one pill. One or two for

a dose.

=Pills of Prussian Blue.= (Jolly.) _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI PERCYANIDI

COMPOSITA. _Prep._ Prussian blue, 18 gr,; sulphate of quinine, 12 gr,;

extract of opium, 1 gr.; conserve of roses, q. s. Mix, and make into 12

pills; 1 every three hours, in neuralgia.

=Pills, Plummer’s.= See PILLS OF CALOMEL (Compound).

=Pills, Pu′rgative.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PURGANTES, L. _Prep._ 1. (Dr Robinson.)

Aqueous extract of aloes, 1 dr.; powdered scammony, 1/2 dr.; balsam of

Peru, 10 or 12 gr.; oil of caraway, 9 or 10 drops; mix, and divide into 30

pills. A warm, stimulating aperient, highly recommended to excite the

peristaltic action of the bowels of the aged, sedentary, and

debilitated.——_Dose_, 1 to 4 pills, as required.

2. (Trousseau & Reveil.) Resin of jalap, 1 dr.; scammony, 1/2 dr.; extract

of colocynth, 6 gr.; excipient, as required. For 20 (or, better, 24)

pills.——_Dose_, 1, “every two hours, in the morning, fasting, until they

operate.” For other formulae see PILLS, APERIENT and CATHARTIC, and PILLS

OF ALOES, JALAP, COLOCYNTH, &c.

=Pills of Quinine′.= See PILLS OF SULPHATE OF QUININE.

=Pills, Reece’s.= See PILLS, CHIRAYTA.

=Pills, Re′nal.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RENALES, L. _Prep._ 1. Squills, myrrh, and

digitalis, of each (in powder) 10 gr.; extract of rhubarb and mercurial

pill, of each 15 gr.; powdered nitre, 20 gr.; oil of juniper, 10 or 12

drops. For 24 pills. Alterative, diuretic, and tonic.——_Dose_, 3 to 6,

thrice a day. Hunter’s Renal Purifying Pills are similar, but omitting the

mercurial pill. De Roos’ Renal Pills contain a preparation of copaiba.

=Pills, Rhe′umatism.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTIRHEUMATICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Gum

guaiacum, 1 dr.; nitrate of potassia, 1-1/2 dr. (both in powder); soft

soap (Ph. L.), 1/2 dr.; oil of cajeput, 16 drops. For 4 dozen

pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 6, night and morning; in chronic rheumatism, and

rheumatic gout. Their action is accelerated by the copious use of lemon

juice during the day.

2. (Beasley.) Extract of artichoke, 1/2 dr.; powdered sarsaparilla, 20

gr.; oil of sassafras, 1 drop. For 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, thrice

daily.

=Pills of Rh′ubarb.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RHEI (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.)

Powdered rhubarb, 9 parts; acetate of potassa, 1 part; conserve of red

roses, 5 parts; mix, and divide into 5-gr. pills. A stomachic and gentle

aperient, particularly useful in atonic dyspepsia.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 pills.

2. (Ph. U. S.) Powdered rhubarb, 6 dr; Castile soap, 2 dr.; beaten up with

water, q. s., and divide into 120 pills. As the last.

=Pills of Rhubarb (Compound).= _Syn._ AROMATIC PILLS, BALSAMIC LAXATIVE

P., EDINBURGH P., STOMACHIC P.; PILULA RHEI COMPOSITA (B. P., Ph. L.),

PILULÆ R. COMPOSITÆ (Ph. E. & D.), P. STOMACHICÆ, P. AROMATICÆ, L. _Prep._

1. (Ph. L.) Powdered rhubarb, 4 dr.; powdered Socotrine aloes, 3 dr.;

powdered myrrh, 2 dr.; soft soap (Ph. L.), 1/2 dr.; oil of caraway, 15

drops; treacle, q. s. to form a mass.

2. (Ph. L. 1836.) Powdered rhubarb, 1 oz.; aloes, 6 dr.; myrrh, 4 dr.;

Castile soap, 1 dr.; oil of caraway, 1/2 fl. dr.; syrup, q. s.

3. (Ph. E.) Powdered rhubarb, 12 parts; aloes, 9 parts; myrrh and Castile

soap, of each 6 parts; conserve of red roses, 5 parts; oil of peppermint,

1 part; mix, and divide into 5-gr, pills. The oil of peppermint may be

omitted, when so preferred.

4. (Ph. D.) Rhubarb, 1-1/2 oz.; hepatic aloes, 9 dr.; myrrh and Castile

soap, of each in fine powder, 6 dr.; oil of peppermint, 1 fl. dr.;

treacle, 2 oz.; mix, and beat the whole to a uniform mass.

5. (Ph. U. S. & Ph. E. 1817.) Rhubarb, 8 dr.; aloes, 6 dr.; myrrh, 4 dr.;

oil of peppermint, 1/2 fl. dr.; syrup of orange peel, q. s.; mix, and

divide into 240 pills.

6. (B. P.) Rhubarb, in fine powder, 3 oz.; Socotrine aloes, in fine powder

(some physicians prefer the aqueous extract——_Squire_), 2-1/2 oz.; myrrh,

in fine powder, 1-1/2 oz.; hard soap, 1-1/2 oz.; English oil of

peppermint, 1-1/2 dr.; treacle, by weight, 4 oz.; reduce the soap to fine

powder and triturate it with the rhubarb, aloes, and myrrh; add the

treacle and oil, and beat into a mass.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 gr.

_Obs._ The above are tonic, stomachic, and gently laxative; extremely

useful for obviating costiveness and giving tone to the stomach and

bowels.——_Dose_, 6 or 8 to 20 gr. The London pill is not only the most

agreeable, but it keeps the best.

=Pills of Rhubarb and Ca′raway.= See KITCHENER’S PERISTALTIC PERSUADERS

(Patent medicines).

=Pills of Rhubarb and Cham′omile.= _Syn._ SPEEDIMAN’S PILLS; PILULÆ RHEI

ET ANTHEMIDIS, L. _Prep._ From aloes, myrrh, rhubarb (each in powder), and

extract of chamomile, of each 1 dr.; essential oil of chamomile, 10 or 12

drops. For 4-gr. pills. An excellent tonic and stomachic aperient,

particularly useful in the dyspepsia and loss of appetite of hard

drinkers.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills, either before dinner or at bedtime.

=Pills of Rhubarb and Copa′iba.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RHEI ET COPAIBÆ, P. R.

BALSAMICÆ, L. _Prep._ (Swediaur.) Powdered rhubarb and gum, equal parts;

balsam of copaiba, q. s.

=Pills of Rhubarb and Gi′nger.= _Syn._ STOMACH PILLS; PILULÆ RHEI ET

ZINGIBERIS, L. _Prep._ From powdered rhubarb, 1 dr.; powdered ginger, 1/2

dr.; Castile soap, 20 gr.; tincture or essence of ginger, q. s. to form a

mass. For 30 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 6.

=Pills of Rhubarb and Ipeca′cuanha.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RHEI ET IPECACUANHÆ, L.

_Prep._ From rhubarb, 1/2 dr.; ipecacuanha, 15 gr.; opium, 5 gr. (each in

powder); oil of cinnamon, 6 drops; syrup, q. s. For 18 pills.——_Dose._ In

loss of appetite and spasmodic dyspepsia, 1 to 3 pills, twice a day; in

dysentery, diarrhœa, &c., to relieve tormina and tenesmus, 1 every two

hours.

=Pills of Rhubarb and I′ron.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RHEI ET FERRI (Ph. E.), L.

_Prep._ (Ph. E.) Dried sulphate of iron, 4 parts; extract of rhubarb, 10

parts; conserve of red roses, 5 parts; beat them to a proper mass, and

divide this into 5-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 pills; in the atonic

dyspepsia of debilitated subjects, in chlorosis, &c.

=Pills of Rhubarb and Ox-gall.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RHEI ET FELLIS BOVINI, L.

_Prep._ From powdered rhubarb, gum ammoniacum, and inspissated ox-gall,

equal parts; beaten up with a little tincture of ginger or proof spirit,

and the mass divided into 2-1/2-gr. pills. In dyspepsia and constipation

dependent on a torpid action of the liver.——_Dose_, 2 to 6 pills.

=Pills of Rhubarb and So′da.= _Syn._ PILULÆ RHEI ET SODÆ, P. R. COMP. CUM

SODÂ, L. _Prep._ (Guy’s Hosp.) Dried carbonate of soda, powdered rhubarb,

and extract of gentian, equal parts. For 4-1/2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4

pills; in acidity, heartburn, diarrhœa, loss of appetite, &c.

=Pills, Richter’s.= See PECTORAL PILLS.

=Pills, Dr Robinson’s.= See PILLS, PURGATIVE.

=Pills, Rudius’s.= _Syn._ RUDIUS’S EXTRACT; PILULÆ RUDII, EXTRACTUM RUDII,

L. _Prep._ 1. Colocynth pulp, 6 dr.; agaric, black hellebore, and

turpethum root, of each 4 dr.; cinnamon, mace, and cloves, of each 40 gr.;

rectified spirit, 1/2 pint; digest for 4 days, express the tincture, and

evaporate it to a proper consistence for making pills. Formerly esteemed

one of the most safe and certain cathartics in troublesome

constipation.——_Dose_, 5 to 20 gr.

2. (Ph. E. 1783.) Black hellebore and colocynth, of each 2 oz.; water, 4

pints (o. w. m.); boil to a quart, strain, evaporate to the consistence of

honey, and add, of aloes, 2 oz.; scammony (powdered), 1 oz.; next remove

the vessel from the fire, and further add of sulphate of potassa, 2 dr.;

oil of cloves, 1 dr.; and form the whole into a pill-mass. Resembles the

last (nearly).

=Pills, Rufus’s.= See PILLS OF ALOES WITH MYRRH.

=Pills of Sabadilla.= _Syn._ PILULÆ CEVADILLÆ. _Prep._ Equal parts of

sabadilla and honey; make into 5-gr. pills.——_Dose._ For an adult, 4 to 6

pills; for a child, 1 to 2. Vermifuge.

=Pills of Sa′ffron.= _Syn._ PILULÆ CROCI, L. _Prep._ 1. From hay saffron,

1 dr.; myrrh, 1/2 dr.; oil of cajeput, 6 drops; syrup of saffron, q. s.

For 36 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 or 4, occasionally; as a stimulant in low

spirits, hypochondriasis, &c.

2. (Phœbus.) Saffron, myrrh, and sulphur, equal parts; inspissated bile,

q. s. For 2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 12 daily; as an emmenagogue.

=Pills of Sagape′num (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ SAGAPENI COMPOSITÆ, L.

_Prep._ (Ph. L. 1836.) Sagapenum, 1 oz.; aloes, 1/2 dr.; syrup of ginger,

q. s.——_Dose_, 5 to 20 gr.; as a stimulant antispasmodic laxative, in

dyspepsia with flatulence, flatulent colic, &c.

=Pills of Sal′icin.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SALICINÆ, L. _Prep._ From salicin, 1/2

dr.; powdered rhubarb, 20 gr.; extract of gentian, q. s. to mix. For 4-gr.

pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, every three hours, during the apyrexia of

intermittents.

=Pills of Sandal Wood Oil.= (Ebert.) _Syn._ PILULÆ OLEI SANTALI. _Prep._

Oil of yellow sandal wood, 1/2 oz.; yellow wax, 1/2 oz. Melt the wax into

a capsule, and weigh into it the oil of sandal wood. Mix, and stir until

cold, then roll out the mass and divide it into 80 pills, by means of the

pill machine or pill-tite, in the same manner as in the ordinary mass, and

sprinkle with marshmallow root powder. Each pill contains about 3 gr. or

about 5 drops of the oil. The excipient is unobjectionable, as it is

readily soluble in the juices of the stomach.

=Pills of Scam′mony (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ SCAMMONII COMPOSITÆ, L.

_Prep._ 1. (St. B. Hosp.) Scammony, 24 gr.; ginger, 20 gr.; aloes and

gamboge, of each 12 gr.; treacle, q. s.; mix, and divide into 12 pills. A

powerful cathartic and vermifuge.——_Dose_, 1 to 3 pills.

2. (B. P.) Resin of scammony, resin of jalap, of each 1 oz.; curd soap, in

powder, 1 oz.; strong tincture of ginger, 1 fl. oz.; rectified spirit, 2

fl. oz. Add the tincture and spirit to the soap and resins, and dissolve

by the aid of a gentle heat, then evaporate the spirit over a water-bath

until the mass has a pilular consistence.——_Dose_, 5 gr. to 15 gr.

=Pills, Scot’s.= _Prep._ From aloes, 9 lbs.; jalap, 3 lbs.; gamboge and

ginger, of each 1/2 lb.; beaten with treacle, q. s. See PILLS, ANDERSON’S

SCOT’S.

=Pills, Dr Scott’s Bil′ious and Liver.= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Compound extract

of colocynth (Ph. L. 1836), 8 oz.; powdered rhubarb, 4 oz.; powdered

myrrh, 2 oz.; soft soap, 1/2 oz.; oil of caraway, 2-1/2 dr.; strong syrup

of saffron, q. s. to form a pill-mass. “There are twenty-five 3-1/2-gr.

pills in each 1s. 1-1/2d. box.” “It has been stated that these pills

contain a minute portion of antimony.” (‘Anat. of Quackery.’)

=Pills, Se′dative.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SEDATIVÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Hydrochlorate of

morphia, 6 gr.; powdered sumbul, 20 gr.; alcoholic extract of Indian hemp,

1/2 dr. For 2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, twice or thrice daily; in

excessive nervous irritability, painful menstruation, &c.

2. (U. C. Hosp.) Camphor, 1 dr.; reduce it to powder by means of rectified

spirit, 3 or 4 drops; add of extract of henbane, 20 gr., and divide the

mass into 20 pills. To allay pain and excitement, &c.——_Dose_, 1 to 2

pills.

3. To either of the above, add of powdered rhubarb and extract of gentian,

of each 20 gr., and divide the mass into 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 4

pills; when, besides the other symptoms, the stomach and bowels are

disordered.

=Pills, Sedillot’s Febrifuge.= _Prep._ From powdered opium, 3 gr.;

sulphate of quinine, 12 gr.; confection of opium, 10 gr., or q. s. For 12

pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, every second hour, during the intermission of an

ague.

=Pills of Sen′na.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SENNÆ, P. S. COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ 1.

Powdered senna, 1 dr.; extract of rhubarb, 1/2 dr.; powdered capsicum, 4

gr.; oil of juniper, 6 or 8 drops. For 3-gr. pills. An aperient well

suited for females.——_Dose_, 5 to 8 pills.

2. (Hufeland.) Powdered senna, 1 dr.; extract of dandelion, q. s. to mix.

For 30 pills. As the last.

=Pills, Smith’s.= _Prep._ From powdered aloes, 4 dr.; jalap, 2 dr.; ginger

and soft soap, of each 1 dr.; oil of juniper, 1/2 dr.; emetic tartar, 6

gr. For 120 pills. Laxative and diuretic.——_Dose_, 1 to 4, at bedtime, or

early in the morning.

=Pills, Dr Hugh Smith’s.= See STOMACH PILLS.

=Pills of Soap.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SAPONIS, P. CUM SAPONE, L. _Prep._ (P.

Cod.) White Castile soap, 32 parts; powdered marshmallow root, 4 parts;

powdered nitrate of potassa, 1 part; beat them to a mass, and divide this

into 4-gr. pills. In habitual costiveness, calculary affections,

&c.——_Dose_, 1 to 6 pills, twice or thrice a day.

=Pills of Soap (Compound).= _Syn._ PILLS OF SOAP AND OPIUM, LAUDANUM

PILLS; PILULA SAPONIS COMPOSITA (Ph. L.), PILULÆ SAPONIS CUM OPIO, L.

_Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Opium and liquorice, of each (in powder) 2 dr.; soft

soap (Ph. L.), 6 dr.; beat them to a uniform mass.

2. (B. P. & Ph. U. S.) Opium (in fine powder), 1/2 oz.; Castile soap, 2

oz.; distilled water, 1/2 fl. dr., or q. s.; reduce the soap to powder,

mix it with the other ingredients, and beat the whole together, as

before.——_Dose_, 3 gr. to 5 gr. See PILLS OF OPIUM.

_Obs._ The above pills contain 1-5th part of their weight in dry opium.

The dose is 3 to 10 gr., in the usual cases in which the administration of

opium is indicated. Mr Skey, the eminent surgeon of St. Bartholomew’s

Hospital, has shown the great value of this pill in promoting the healing

of obstinate ulcers, more especially those of the legs.

=Pills of Soda.= _Syn._ PILULÆ SODÆ CARBONATIS, L. _Prep._ (Ph. E. 1817.)

Exsiccated carbonate of soda, 4 parts; Castile soap, 3 parts; syrup, q. s.

to form a mass. Antacid and slightly laxative.——_Dose_, 10 to 20 gr. This

pill was a great favourite of the once celebrated Dr Beddoes.

=Pills, Soot.= (Dr Neligan.) _Syn._ PILULÆ FULIGINIS. _Prep._ Extract of

soot, 1/2 dr.; compound galbanum pill, 1 scruple; oil of valerian, 15

minims. Make into 12 pills. Take 2 three times a day. For hysteria.

=Pills, Speediman’s.= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Aloes, 3 dr.; rhubarb, myrrh (all

in powder), and extract of chamomile, of each 1 dr.; oil of chamomile, 20

drops. For 4-gr. pills. An excellent aperient, tonic, and

stomachic.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 pills, as a purgative; 1, as a stomachic or

dinner pill.

=Pills, Splenet′ic.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTISPLENETICÆ, L. _Prep._ (Saunders.)

Strained aloes and gum ammoniacum, of each 3 dr.; myrrh and bryony, of

each 1/2 dr. For 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 5, “Extolled in amenorrhœa

and hypochondriasis.” (Dr R. E. Griffith.)

=Pills of Squill (Compound).= _Syn._ COUGH PILLS, PILLS OF SQUILLS AND

GINGER; PILULA SCILLÆ COMPOSITÆ (B. P., Ph. L.), PILULÆ SCILLÆ COMPOSITÆ

(Ph. D.), P. SCILLÆ (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Freshly powdered

squills, 1 dr.; powdered ginger and powdered ammoniacum, of each 2 dr.;

mix, add of soft soap (Ph. L.), 3 dr.; treacle, 1 dr.; and beat the whole

together, so that a mass may be formed.

2. (Ph. E.) Squills, 5 parts; ammoniacum, ginger (all in fine powder), and

Spanish soap, of each 4 parts; conserve of red roses, 2 parts; mix, as

before, and divide the mass into 5-gr. pills.

3. (Ph. D.) Squills (in fine powder), 2-1/2 dr.; ammoniacum, ginger, and

Castile soap, of each (in fine powder) 2 dr.; treacle, 1/2 oz.

4. (B. P.) Squill (in fine powder), 1-1/4; ginger (in fine powder), 1;

ammoniacum (in powder), 1; hard soap (in powder), 1; treacle (by weight),

2, or a sufficiency; mix the powders, add the treacle, and beat into a

mass.——_Dose_, 5 to 10 grains.

_Obs._ Compound squill pill is a most useful expectorant in chronic

coughs, asthmas, bronchial affections, difficulty of breathing, &c.; and,

combined with calomel and foxglove, and, occasionally, with croton oil, as

a diuretic, &c., in dropsies. Unfortunately, however, it soon spoils; and,

therefore, to be effective as a remedy, it must be recently prepared. As

an expectorant, it should not be administered until the inflammatory

symptoms have been subdued by purgatives or bleeding. A little powdered

opium, or extract of henbane, is occasionally added, to allay

irritation.——_Dose_, 5 to 20 gr., twice or thrice a day, accompanied by an

occasional aperient.

=Pills, Stahl’s.= See PILLS, APERIENT.

=Pills, Starkey’s.= _Prep._ (Original formula.) Extract of opium, 4 oz.;

mineral benzoar and nutmeg, of each 2 oz.; saffron and Virginian

snake-root, of each 1 oz.; Starkey’s soap, 1/2 lb.; oil of sassafras, 1/2

oz.; tincture of antimony (Old Ph.), 2 fl. oz. Anodyne, diaphoretic,

&c.——_Dose_, 3 to 10 gr. The formula already given under MATTHEW’S PILLS

is erroneously assigned to this pill by some writers.

=Pills, Mrs. Stephen’s.= This once celebrated remedy for stone was

prepared from the calcined shells of eggs and snails, made into 3-gr.

pills with soft soap. Its active ingredients were, consequently, lime and

potash.

=Pills, Stim′ulant.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STIMULANTES, L. _Prep._ 1. Capsicum,

1/2 dr.; nitrate of silver, 2 gr.; conserve of hips, q. s. For 12

pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, washed down with a spoonful of warm spirit and

water, and repeated hourly until reaction ensues; in cholera, &c.

2. (A. T. Thomson.) Strychnine, 1 gr.; acetic acid, 1 drop; crum of bread,

20 gr.; mix very carefully, and divide the mass into 10 pills.——_Dose_, 1

every six hours; in paralysis arising from lead.

=Pills, Stoerck’s.= _Syn._ PILULÆ CONII, P. CICUTÆ, L. _Prep._ From

extract of hemlock, 1 dr.; powdered hemlock, q. s. to make a mass. For

2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 4, twice a day; in various glandular and

visceral enlargements, pulmonary affections, cancer, scrofula, neuralgia,

&c.

=Pills, Stomach.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STOMACHICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Ipecacuanha, 10

gr.; sumbul and extract of rhubarb, of each 30 gr.; powdered quassia, 20

gr.; oil of sassafras, 6 drops; beaten up with essence of ginger

(strongest), q. s. For 3-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 3, thrice daily; in loss

of appetite, flatulence, dyspepsia, &c.

2. (Dr Hugh Smith’s.) From aloes, rhubarb, ginger (all powdered), and

sagapenum, of each 1 dr.; oils of peppermint and cloves, of each 10 drops;

balsam of Peru, q. s. to mix. For 5-gr. pills——_Dose_, 2 or 3 nightly; or

1 to 2 before dinner. For other formulæ, see DINNER, APERIENT, COMPOUND

RHUBARB, ALOES AND MASTIC PILLS, &c.

=Pills of Sto′rax (Compound).= _Syn._ STORAX PILLS; PILULA STYRACIS

COMPOSITA (Ph. L.), PILULÆ STYRACIS (Ph. E.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.)

Prepared storax, 6 dr.; saffron and powdered opium, of each 2 dr. beat

them together to a uniform mass. Contains 1-5th of its weight of opium.

2. (Ph. E.) Opium and saffron, of each 1 part; extract of styrax, 2 parts;

beat them to a uniform mass, and divide this into 4-gr. pills. Contains

1/4th part of opium.

_Obs._ The storax is here chiefly employed to disguise the odour and taste

of opium. The name of the preparation has been chosen so that the word

‘opium’ may not appear in the prescription, a point highly necessary with

certain patients.——_Dose_, 3 to 10 gr.; as compound soap pill, and as an

anodyne and expectorant in chronic coughs, &c.

=Pills of Stramo′′nium.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STRAMONII, L. _Prep._ 1. Stramonium

seeds (in powder), 12 gr. (or leaves, 25 gr.); powdered camphor and

extract of seneka root, of each 1 dr.; powdered savine, 1-1/2 dr.; oil of

cajeput, 15 drops. For 2-1/2-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4, thrice daily; in

rheumatism, &c.

2. (Sir H. Halford.) Extract of stramonium and liquorice powder, of each 1

dr.; powdered Castile soap, 2 dr.; mucilage, q. s. to mix. For 60

pills.——_Dose_, 1 night and morning; in asthmas, &c.

=Pills of Strych′nine.= _Syn._ PILULÆ STRYCHNIÆ, L. _Prep._ (Magendie.)

Strychnine, 2 gr.; conserve of hips, 36 gr. (liquorice powder, q. s.); mix

very carefully, divide the mass into 24 pills, and silver them.——_Dose_, 1

pill night and morning; in amaurosis, impotence, paralysis, &c.

=Pills of Sulphate of Copper.= (Brande.) _Syn._ PILULÆ CUPRI SULPHATIS.

_Prep._ Sulphate of copper, 3 gr.; bread crum, 1 dr. Mix, for 24 pills;

1, three or four times a day.

=Pills of Sul′phate of I′ron.= _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI SULPHATIS (Ph. E.), L.

_Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.) Dried sulphate of iron and conserve of red roses, of

each 2 parts; extract of dandelion, 5 parts. For 5-gr. pills. A useful

chalybeate tonic. _Dose_, 1 to 2, twice or thrice daily; in dyspepsia,

chlorosis, amenorrhœa, &c.

2. (Ph. E. 1817.) Sulphate of iron (dried), 1 oz.; extract of chamomile,

1-1/2 oz.; oil of peppermint, 1 dr.; syrup, q. s. As the last.

3. (Ph. U. S.) As No. 1, but substituting extract of gentian for extract

of dandelion. For other formulæ, see PILLS, HOOPER’S FEMALE, &c.

=Pills of Sulphate of Quinine′.= _Syn._ PILULÆ QUINIÆ SULPHATIS, P. Q.

DISULPHATIS, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of quinine, 20 gr.; extract of

gentian, 40 gr. For 20 pills.

2. (Ph. U. S.) Sulphate of quinine, 2 dr.; powdered gum, 1/2 dr.; strained

honey, q. s. For 120 pills. Each pill contains 1 gr. of the sulphate or

disulphate of quinine.——_Dose_, 1 or 2 twice a day, as a tonic and

stomachic; 6 to 12, every two or three hours during the remissions of

agues.

3. (B. P.) Mix 60 gr. of sulphate of quinine, and 20 gr. of confection of

hips to a uniform mass.——_Dose_, 2 gr. to 10 gr.

_Obs._ Various additions are often made to the above formulæ, according to

the indications, by which numerous other useful pills are produced. Thus,

potassio-tartrate of antimony is frequently added in obstinate

intermittents; iodide of potassium, in scrofulous affections; foxglove, in

the hectic fever of phthisis; bitter tonics and aromatics, in dyspepsia,

flatulence, &c.; carbonate of soda or magnesia, in acidity and heartburn;

calomel, mercurial pill, in bilious affections; rhubarb and aloes, in

bowelly affections; sulphate of iron and other chalybeates, in debility,

amenorrhœa, and chlorosis; calomel, as an alterative, &c., &c.

=Pills of Sulphate of Zinc.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ZINCI SUPHATIS, P. Z. S.

COMPOSITÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of zinc, 12 gr.; extract of gentian, 1/2

dr.; liquorice powder, q. s. For 20 pills. In dyspepsia, epilepsy, and

various convulsive diseases.

2. (Dr Paris.) Sulphate of zinc, 10 gr.; powdered myrrh, 1-1/2 dr.;

conserve of roses, q. s. For 30 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, twice or thrice

daily; in hooping-cough, &c.

=Pills of Sulphuret of Iron.= (Biett.) _Syn._ PILULÆ FERRI SULPHURETI.

_Prep._ Sulphuret of iron, 1/2 dr.; marshmallow powder, 10 gr.; syrup,

q. s. Make into 20 pills; 1 to 4 pills daily, in scrofulous eruptions.

=Pills, Syph′ilis.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTISYPHILITICÆ, L. See the various

pills of mercury, gold, &c. The pills of corrosive sublimate commonly pass

under this name.

=Pills, Tangore.= See PILLS, ARSENICAL.

=Pills of Tan′nic Acid.= _Syn._ PILULÆ TANNINI, P. ACIDI TANNICI, L.

_Prep._ From tannic acid or tannin and powdered sugar, of each 1/2 dr.;

conserve of roses, q. s. For 24 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or 2 pills, thrice

daily, in diarrhœa; or 2 every three hours, in internal hæmorrhages,

spitting of blood, &c.

=Pills of Tar.= _Syn._ PILULÆ PICIS LIQUIDÆ, L. _Prep._ From tar, 1 dr.;

powdered gentian, 1/2 dr., or q. s. For 24 pills. Stimulant, diuretic, and

sudorific.——_Dose_, 1 to 4, thrice a day; in dropsies, worms, ichthyosis,

and several other skin diseases, &c.

=Pills of Tarax′acum.= _Syn._ PILULÆ TARAXACI, L. _Prep._ 1. Extract of

dandelion, 1 dr.; powdered rhubarb, q. s.; divide into 3-1/2-gr. pills. In

dyspepsia, &c., complicated with congestion of the liver.

2. (St Marie.) Extract of dandelion and Castile soap, equal parts; liquid

acetate of potassa, q. s. to mix. For 4-gr. pills. As a diuretic in

dropsy.

3. Extract of dandelion, 1 dr.; mercurial pill, 20 gr.; powdered

digitalis, 15 gr.; liquorice powder, q. s. For 24 pills.——_Dose_, 1,

afterwards increased to 2 or 3; in dropsy connected with liver disease.

=Pills, Thomson’s Stomach and Liver.= _Prep._ From extract of dandelion, 1

dr.; scammony and rhubarb, of each 15 gr. For 14 pills.——_Dose_, 2 pills,

night and morning; in hysteria, hypochondriasis, and chronic inflammation

of the liver or kidneys.

=Pills of Tobacco.= (Augustin.) _Syn._ PILULÆ TABACI. _Prep._ Powder of

tobacco, 24 gr.; confection of roses, q. s. Mix, and form 72

pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 4 daily, till nausea is produced. In dropsy.

=Pills, Tonic.= _Syn._ PILULÆ TONICÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of iron,

ginger, and myrrh (all in powder), equal parts; conserve of roses, q. s.;

mix, and divide into 4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1, twice a day; in debility,

chlorosis, &c.

2. Powdered myrrh and sulphate of iron, of each 1 dr.; disulphate of

quinine, 1/2 dr., powdered capsicum, 15 gr.; conserve of roses, q. s. to

mix. For 60 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or 2, twice or thrice a day; in debility,

dyspepsia, ague, &c.

3. (Dr Collier.) Tartrate of iron and extract of gentian, of each 1 dr.;

oil of cinnamon, 2 drops. For 30 pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 6, three or four

times a day. A good stomachic tonic.

4. (Dr Collier.) Oxide of zinc, 1/2 dr. (or sulphate of zinc, 20 gr.);

myrrh, 2 dr.; camphor, 20 gr.; confection of hips, to mix. For 40

pills.——_Dose_, 1 or two pills, three times a day; in epilepsy, chorea,

and other nervous disorders, debility, &c.

5. (Dr A. T. Thomson.) Rhubarb and ginger, of each 1/2 dr.; extract of

chamomile, 1 dr.; divide into 30 pills.——_Dose_, 2 or 3, twice a day; in

dyspepsia and chlorosis.

6. (Dr A. T. Thomson.) Sesquioxide of iron and extract of hemlock, of each

1 dr.; mix, and divide into 20 pills.——_Dose_, 1 or 2, twice a day; in

fluor albus, scrofula, &c. Several other formulæ for tonic pills will be

found under the names of the leading ingredients, &c. (See _above_.)

=Pills of Turpentine.= (P. Cod.) _Syn._ PILULÆ TEREBINTHINÆ. _Prep._

Venice turpentine, 1-1/2 oz.; carbonate of magnesia, 1 oz. Make into 200

pills.

=Pills of Vale′′rian (Compound).= _Syn._ PILULÆ VALERIANÆ COMPOSITÆ, L.

_Prep._ (Dupuytren.) Powdered valerian, 1/2 dr.; castor and white oxide of

zinc, of each 20 gr.; syrup, q. s.; to mix. For 18 pills.——_Dose_, 2 or 3,

thrice daily; in hysteria, hypochondriasis, chlorosis, hemicrania, &c.

=Pills of Vale′′rianate of Zinc.= _Syn._ PILULÆ VALERIANAS, L. _Prep._

From valerianate of zinc and powdered gum, of each 15 gr.; conserve of

hips, q. s. to form a mass. For 18 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, twice daily; in

nervous headache, neuralgia, hysteria, &c.

=Pills, Vallet’s.= See PILLS OF CARBONATE OF IRON.

=Pills, Vance’s.= See PILLS, APERIENT.

=Pills of Vera′trine.= _Syn._ PILULÆ VERATRINÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (Magendie.)

Veratrine, 1/2 gr.; powdered gum Arabic and syrup of gum, of each q. s. to

form 6 pills. (See _below_.)

2. (Turnbull.) Veratrine, 1 gr.; extract of henbane and liquorice powder,

of each 12 gr.; mix, and divide into 12 pills.——_Dose_, 1 pill, every 3

hours; in dropsy, epilepsy, hysteria, paralysis, nervous palpitations, &c.

This should be prepared and used with great caution.

=Pills, Ward’s Red.= _Syn._ WARD’S ANTIMONIAL PILLS. _Prep._ From glass of

antimony (finely levigated), 4 oz.; dragon’s blood, 1 oz.; mountain wine,

q. s.; to form a mass. For 1-1/2-gr. pills. Emetic. “They are recommended

in obstinate rheumatism affections, in foulness of the stomach and bowels,

&c. Their action is often of a very unpleasant character.” (‘Anat. of

Quackery.’)

=Pills, Lady Webster’s.= See PILLS, DINNER.

=Pills, Whitehead’s Essence of Mustard.= Balsam of tolu, with resin. (Dr

Paris.)

=Pills, Whytt’s.= _Prep._ (Radius.) Aloes, chloride of iron, and extract

of horehound, of each 1/2 dr.; assafœtida, 1-1/2 dr. For 2-gr.

pills.——_Dose_, 2 to 5, thrice daily; in leucorrhœa, chlorosis, hysteria,

&c., with constipation.

=Pills, Worm.= _Syn._ PILULÆ ANTHELMINTICÆ, P. VERMIFUGÆ, L. _Prep._ 1.

Calomel, 1 oz.; sugar, 1-1/2 oz.; mucilage, q. s.; mix, and divide into

240 pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, overnight, followed by a strong dose of castor

oil early the next morning.

2. Gamboge, 6 gr.; calomel, 5 gr.; mucilage, q. s.; divide into 3 pills.

For a morning’s dose, fasting.

3. Extract of wormwood, calomel, and powdered scammony, equal parts. For

4-gr. pills.——_Dose_, 1 to 2, as the last. For ascarides, and other small

worms.

4. (Bresmer.) Powdered aloes and tansy seed, of each 1/2 dr.; oil of rue,

9 or 10 drops. for 12 pills.——_Dose_, 3 to 6, in the morning, fasting, and

repeated in two or three hours.

5. (Phœbus.) Iron filings, 1/2 dr.; assafœtida, 1-1/2 dr.; essential oil

of tansy, 10 or 12 drops; extract of wormwood, q. s.; mix, and divide into

80 pills.——_Dose_, 6 pills, thrice daily.

6. (Peschier.) Ethereal extract of male fern, 30 drops; extract of

dandelion, 1 dr.; powdered rhizomes of male fern, q. s. to mix. For 30

pills. In tapeworm.——_Dose_, 6 to 15, at bedtime; the dose being repeated

in the morning, and then followed in an hour by a strong dose of castor

oil.

=Pills, Wordsell’s (Kaye’s).= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Powdered aloes, gamboge,

and ginger, equal parts; together with a very small quantity of

diaphoretic antimony, beaten into a mass with either syrup or treacle, and

divided into 2-1/2-gr. pills. “There are about 4-1/2 dozen pills in each

1s. 1-1/2d. box.” “The dose, as given in the directions, is from 2 to 8

pills (or even 10 to 12) daily.” (‘Anat. of Quackery.’) They frequently

operate with great violence.

=Pills, Wyndham’s (Lee’s).= _Prep._ (Cooley.) Aloes and gamboge, of each

(in powder) 3 oz.; Castile soap and extract of cow-parsnip, of each 1 oz.;

nitre, 1/2 oz. For 5-gr. pills. A powerful drastic cathartic.——_Dose_, 1

to 3 pills.

=Pills of Zinc.= See PILLS OF OXIDE, SULPHATE and VALERIANATE of ZINC, &c.

=PILOCARPINE.= _Prep._ Exhaust the leaves or bark of Jaborandi with 80%

alcohol, to which hydrochloric acid has been added in the proportion of 8

grains per litre; distil and evaporate to the consistence of an extract.

Redissolve the extract with a small quantity of distilled water and

filter; treat with ammonia in slight excess, and a large quantity of

chloroform. Distil off the chloroform, dissolve the residue in distilled

water acidulated with hydrochloric acid, and filter. Treat afresh with

chloroform and ammonia. The chloroformic solution is then shaken with

water, to which hydrochloric acid is added, drop by drop, up to the

quantity sufficient to saturate the pilocarpine. The foreign matters

remain in the chloroform, and upon evaporation of the aqueous liquid the

hydrochlorate is obtained, well crystallised, in long needles radiating

from a common centre. The hydrochlorate dissolved in distilled water, and

treated with ammonia and chloroform, yields the pilocarpine upon

evaporation of the chloroform solution.

Pilocarpine appears under the form of a soft viscous substance; it is

slightly soluble in water and very soluble in alcohol, ether and

chloroform. It presents all the chemical characters of an alkaloid, and

rotates the plane of polarized light strongly to the right. (Paris

Pharmaceutical Society.)

=PIMA′RIC ACID.= A resin acid first obtained by Laurent from the

turpentine of _Pinus maritima_ (Bordeaux turpentine), by the action of

hot alcohol.

=PIMEN′TO.= _Syn._ ALLSPICE, CLOVE PEPPER, JAMAICA P., PIMENTO BERRIES;

PIMENTA (B. P., Ph. L., E., & E.), PIPER CARYOPHYLLATUM, P. JAMAICENSE, P.

ODORATUM, PIMENTÆ BACCÆ, L. “The dried unripe berries of the allspice

tree, _Eugenia pimenta_, from the West Indies”——B. P. “The immature fruit

of _Eugenia pimenta_ (Myrtus pimenta, _Linn._)”——Ph. L. It possesses a

mixed odour of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmegs, which, with its other

properties, it for the most yields to alcohol, ether, and water. It is a

stimulant and tonic, and is much esteemed as an adjuvant in medicines

prescribed in dyspepsia, flatulence, gout, hysteria &c.; and also to cover

the taste of disagreeable medicines.——_Dose_, 5 to 30 gr., bruised or in

powder. See ESSENCE, OILS (Volatile), SPIRITS, and WATERS.

=PIM′PLES.= See ERUPTIONS (Papular).

=PINCH′BECK.= A gold-like alloy of copper and zinc. See DUTCH GOLD.

=PINE APPLE.= _Syn._ ANANAS. The fruit of _Ananassa sativa_, a plant of

the natural order _Bromeliaceæ_. It is astringent, esculent, and possesses

a rich flavour and odour. In Europe it is chiefly used as a delicacy for

the table; but in tropical climates it is said to be valuable in renal

diseases. See ESSENCE, &c.

=PI′NEY TAL′LOW.= _Syn._ PINEY RESIN, P. DAMMAR. An oleo-resinous

substance obtained from the fruit of _Vateria indica_, a tree common in

Malabar, by boiling it with water. It is intermediate between fat and wax,

makes good soap and excellent candles. It melts at 98° Fahr. Sp. gr. ·9250

to ·9265.

=PI′NIC ACID.= The portion of common resin or colophony which is soluble

in cold alcohol of sp. gr. ·833.

=PINK.= A well known shade of light red. The name is also applied to

several pigments, consisting of whiting stained with liquid dyes. See RED

and YELLOW PIGMENTS, &c.

=PINK DYE.= _Prep._ From washed safflower, 2 oz.; salt of tartar, 1/2 oz.;

cold water, 1 quart; digest for 3 hours, express the liquor, and strain

it. Used as a cosmetic, and to dye silk stockings, &c., of a rose colour.

The colour is brought out by afterwards applying to, or passing the

articles through, water soured with lemon juice. See SAUCERS (Pink).

=PIP′ERIN.= C_{17}H_{19}NO_{3}. _Syn._ PIPERINA, PIPERINUM, L. _Prep._ (P.

Cod.) Alcoholic extract of black pepper is treated with a weak solution of

caustic potassa (1 to 100), and the residuum, after being washed with cold

water, is dissolved in alcohol; the solution is next agitated with a

little animal charcoal, and the filtrate is allowed to evaporate

spontaneously; the product may be purified by the re-solution in alcohol

and re-crystallisation.

_Prop., &c._ Colourless, or only slightly yellow; tasteless; inodorous;

fusible; and crystallisable; insoluble in water; freely soluble in strong

spirit, and in the acids; very feebly basic; a few definite compounds

have, however, been obtained with difficulty; reddened by oil of vitriol.

It has been much employed in Italy and on the Continent as a

febrifuge.——_Dose_, 2 to 10 gr., frequently repeated, during the apyrexia

of intermittents.

_Obs._ An assay for its piperin is the only certain method of testing the

quality of either black or white pepper. For this purpose a weighted

quantity of the sample is reduced to powder, and is exhausted with alcohol

of the sp. gr. ·883; the mixed tinctures are then evaporated to an

extract, which is treated as above. See PEPPER.

=PIPES.= (In confectionery.) These are formed from any of the common

lozenge-masses, by rolling them into cylinders of about the thickness of a

goose-quill. They are frequently medicated.

=PIPETTE.= A graduated glass instrument, in frequent use in the chemical

laboratory, for conveying a measured quantity of fluid from one vessel to

another. The pipette mostly consists of a bulb, from each end of which

proceeds a straight, slender hollow stem, communicating with the bulb, and

varying in length with the capacity of the instrument. Thus constructed,

the lower end of the pipette can be dipped into a vessel with a narrow and

long neck, such as a flask, containing a fluid, the required volume of

which can be removed from it. The pipette varies in capacity from 1 to 200

cubic centimètres.

Dr Fresenius gives the following directions for its use:——“To fill a

pipette with the fluid which it is intended to transfer from one vessel to

another, the lower part of the instrument is dipped into the fluid, and

suction applied to the upper aperture, either direct with the lips or

through a caoutchouc tube until the fluid in the pipette stands a little

above the required mark; the upper, somewhat narrowed, ground orifice is

then closed with the point of the index of the right hand, which to that

end had always better be moistened a little, and holding the pipette in a

perfectly vertical direction, the excess of over the quantity required is

made to drop out by lifting the finger a little. When the fluid in the

pipette has fallen to the required level, the drops which may happen to

adhere to the outside of the pipette are carefully wiped off, and the

contents of the tube are then fully transferred to the other vessel. In

this process it is found that the fluid does not run out completely, but

that a small portion of it remains adhering to the glass in the point of

the pipette; after a time, as this becomes increased by other minute

particles of fluid trickling down from the upper part of the tube, a drop

gathers at the lower orifice, which may be allowed to fall from its own

weight, or may be made to drop off by a slight shake; if, after this, the

point of the pipette be laid against a moist portion of the inner side of

the vessel, another minute portion of fluid will trickle out; and lastly,

another trifling droplet or so may be got out by blowing into the pipette

through the upper orifice. Now, supposing the operator follows no fixed

rule in this respect, letting the fluid, for instance, in one operation

simply run out, whilst in another operation he lets it drain afterwards,

and in a third blows off the last particles of it from the pipette, it is

evident that the respective quantities of fluid delivered in the several

operations cannot be quite equal. I prefer in all cases the second method,

viz. to lay the point of the pipette whilst draining finally against a

moist portion of the inner side of the vessel, which I have always found

to give the most accurate corresponding measurements.”

=PISTA′CHIO NUTS.= _Syn._ PISTACIA NUTS; NUCES PISTACIÆ, L. The kernels of

the fruit of _Piscatia vera_ (Linn.), one of the turpentine trees. They

closely resemble almonds, but are sweeter, and form a green emulsion with

water. Used in confectionery and perfumery, and also as a dessert fruit.

=PITCH.= _Syn._ BLACK PITCH, BOILED P., STONE P., WOOD P.; PIX (Ph. L.),

PIX NIGRA, L. “A dry bitumen prepared from liquid pitch.” (Ph. L.) The

residuum from boiling tar in an open iron pot, or in a still, until the

volatile and liquid portion is driven off. The volatile products

principally consist of crude pyroligneous acid and oil of tar. Pitch is

chiefly employed in ship-building. As a medicine, it is stimulant and

tonic, and has been used internally in some skin diseases, and in piles.

An ointment made of it is also extensively used in cutaneous affections of

the scaly.——_Dose_, 10 gr. to 1/2 dr.

=Pitch, Burgundy.= _Syn._ WHITE PITCH, BURGUNDY PINE RESIN; PIX BURGUNDICA

(B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.), L. “Impure resin prepared from the turpentine

of _Abies excelsa_,” or Norway spruce fir. (Ph. L.) “A concrete resinous

exudation, probably, in a great measure, from _Abies excelsa_.” (Ph. E.)

It is chiefly used in plasters.

_Obs._ The importation of this substance has for some years past been

gradually lessening in amount, in consequence of the substitution for it

of a fictitious pitch, made by melting common resin with linseed oil, and

colouring the mass with annotta or palm oil. The physiological action of

the two articles is, however, considerably different, since Burgundy pitch

acts upon the skin as a powerful local irritant, exciting a slight degree

of inflammation, and not unfrequently producing a pimply eruption and an

exudation of purulent matter. It is celebrated for its effects when

employed as a plaster in all cases where warmth, support, and long

adhesion to the skin, are desirable; and in the latter quality no

substance equals it. The fictitious Burgundy pitch has similar properties,

but in an immensely less degree.

PREPARED BURGUNDY PITCH (PIX BURGUNDICA PRÆPARATA——Ph. L.) is ordered to

be obtained in the same way as that adopted for strained ammoniacum. This

plan is, however, seldom, if ever, adopted in trade.

=Pitch, Burgundy (Facti′′tious).= _Syn._ PIX BURGUNDICA FACTITIA, L.

_Prep._ By melting good yellow resin, 1 cwt.,with linseed oil, 1 gall.,

and palm oil (bright), q. s. to colour. The mixture is allowed to cool

considerably, and is then pulled with the hands in the same way as lead

plaster is treated; after which it is placed in ‘bladders’ or ‘stands’ for

sale.

_Obs._ The product of the above formula is the ‘Burgundy pitch’ of the

shops. The ‘pulling’ or ‘working’ destroys the translucency of the resin,

and imparts to it the peculiar semi-opacity of foreign Burgundy pitch.

Cold water is commonly employed to cool it down. Annotta is often

substituted for palm oil as a colouring substance. The addition of some of

the ‘droppings’ or ‘bottoms’ of Canada balsam, Chio turpentine, oil of

juniper, &c., renders this article nearly equal to foreign pitch; but in

commerce this is never attempted, the aim being only the production of a

lively colour with moderate toughness. A common melting-pan and fire (if

clean, and carefully managed) will succeed sufficiently, but, both for

safety and convenience, steam is preferable, and on the large scale,

almost indispensable. A good workman can pull and put into stands or casks

about 5 cwt. daily; or from 1-1/2 cwt. to 3 cwt. in bladders, the latter

quantity depending on the size of the bladders. (See _above_.)

=Pitch, Can′ada.= _Syn._ HEMLOCK GUM, H. PITCH. Similar to Burgundy pitch;

but from the _Abies canadenses_, or hemlock spruce fir.

=Pitch, Jews’.= Asphaltum.

=Pitch, Min′eral.= Indurated mineral bitumen. See ASPHALTUM, BITUMEN, &c.

=PIT′COAL.= _Syn._ COAL; HOUILLE, Fr.; STEINKOHLE, Ger. This article has

been truly described as the most valuable of all those mineral substances

from which Great Britain derives its prosperity, and the one which may be

regarded as the main support of the whole system of British production. It

fuses the metals, it produces the steam which sets our machinery in

motion, and, in short, it may be said to render all the resources of this

country available for use.

The more important kinds of coal may be classified as follows:——1. Lignite

or brown coal (see page 969).——2. Bituminous or caking coals. The most

widely diffused and valuable of English coals. They are subdivided into:

_a._ Caking coal. Splinters on heating, but the fragments then fuse

together in a semi-pasty mass. The chief sources of this valuable variety

of coal are the Newcastle and Wigan districts, _b._ Cherry coal or soft

coal. Lustre very bright; does not fuse, ignites well and burns rapidly.

Glasgow, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Lancashire, &c. _c._

Splint, rough, or hard coal. Black and glistening; does not ignite

readily, but burns up to a clear hot fire. It constitutes the bulk of the

great coal fields of North and South Staffordshire, and occurs in the

Glasgow district, in Shropshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, &c. _d._

Cannel or parrot coal. Dense and compact, having a shelly fracture, and

taking a polish like jet. Splinters in the fire, and burns clearly and

brightly. Wigan and other parts of Lancashire, West Glasgow, &c. The

curious deposit at Bathgate, near Edinburgh, commonly known as ‘Boghead

cannel coal,’ or ‘Torbanehill mineral,’ differs considerably from the

ordinary ‘cannels,’——3. Anthracite or stone-coal. The densest, hardest,

and most lustrous of all kinds of pitcoal. Burns with little flame or

smoke, but gives great heat. South Wales, Devonshire, &c.——4. Steam coal.

Approaches nearly to anthracite. Admirably adapted for steam-vessels.

South Wales, Tyne district, &c.

The quality of coal may be ascertained by either directly testing its

heating power or by chemical analysis. In the investigations undertaken at

the Museum of Economic Geology, under the directions of Sir H. De la

Beche, and which furnished the materials for the celebrated ‘Admiralty

Reports,’ three different methods were adopted for this purpose.[109]

These consisted in——the determination of the quantity of water which a

given weight of the coal was capable of converting into steam, the

quantity of litharge which it was capable of reducing to the metallic

state, and, lastly, its ultimate analysis by combustion with oxide of

copper. See ORGANIC SUBSTANCES.

[Footnote 109: See Watt’s ‘Dict. of Chemistry,’ vol. i, page 1033.]

The quantity of sulphur in coal is another matter of importance that may

be determined by chemical analysis. (See SULPHUR.) The presence of more

than 1% of sulphur renders coal unfit for the economical production of

good light-gas, and more than 2% of sulphur renders it objectionable for

use as domestic fuel. In like manner, coals containing mineral ingredients

in excess are to be avoided, not merely on account of the quantity of

ashes left by them, but for their tendency to vitrify upon the bars of the

furnace, and to produce what is technically called ‘clinkers.’ The

presence of much silica or alumina, and more particularly of any of the

salts of lime, in ‘steam coal,’ is, on this account, highly objectionable.

For some further information connected with this subject, see ANTHRACITE,

CHIMNEYS, COKE, FUEL, GAS, LIGNITE, OILS, (Mineral), ORGANIC SUBSTANCES,

&c.

=PLAGUE.= (PESTIS). “A specific fever attended with bubo of the inguinal

and other glands, and occasionally with carbuncles.”

Such is the definition of plague given in the ‘Nomenclature of Diseases’

(published in 1869), drawn up by a joint committee appointed by the

College of Physicians.

More detailed accounts of the disease, described by other pathologists,

state that it attacks the patient with great suddeness, or only after a

few premonitory symptoms. These are:——Shivering, extreme prostration,

intense headache and giddiness, excessive restlessness, and an

overwhelming sense of anxiety. The patient’s gait becomes uncertain, and

he staggers like a drunken man. These symptoms are more or less

accompanied by nausea, bilious vomiting, and frequently by bilious

diarrhœa. As the disease advances, delirium very frequently sets in; the

nausea, vomiting, and diarrhœa increase in intensity, the tongue becomes

swollen and covered with a dark fur, whilst the lips, teeth, and nostrils

are coated with a dry fetid incrustation. Provided the attack does not

terminate fatally, in a very rapid manner, these symptoms are accompanied

by sharp pains (increasing in intensity during the progress of the malady)

in the groin, armpits, and neck. These pains in the above parts precede

the appearance of the buboes, and in many cases, of the carbuncles, which,

associated with the fever, are so characteristic of plague. These

glandular swellings vary, in different cases, as to the time when they

make their appearance. Sometimes they do so during the first day of the

attack, at others, after two or three days——and in others, again, not

until near the close of the disease. With the buboes and carbuncles, small

red purplish spots (_petechiæ_), frequently appear on the body. The

carbuncle is by no means an invariable accompaniment of the disease. Dr

Russell, out of 2700 cases, found only 490 in which it showed itself. He

states that when carbuncle develops itself, it is distributed over the

whole surface of the body with the exception of the scalp, the palms of

the hands, and the soles of the feet.

“The plague may be said to assume four degrees of severity:——1. Slight

fever, without delirium or buboes. 2. Fever, delirium, and buboes. 3.

Fever, delirium, or coma, buboes, carbuncles, and _petechiæ/e_. 4.

Congestive fever, fatal on the first, second, or third day, before the

appearance of buboes. The fever, though usually continued, may assume the

intermittent or remittent type.”[110]

[Footnote 110: Hooper’s ‘Vade Mecum,’ edited by Messrs Guy and Harley.]

There is considerable diversity of opinion as to the origin of plague. By

some pathologists it is maintained that it spreads solely by contagion; by

others the contagion theory is altogether repudiated, and certain local

and epidemic agencies are referred to as its source; whilst others, again,

adopt a medium view and, whilst not denying its contagious origin, hold

that it may also be developed by endemic and epidemic causes. It bears a

great resemblance to typhus.

With the exception of the outbreak of plague at Veltianka, in Astrakan, in

the beginning of the current year (1879), the pestilence has not visited

Western Europe during the present century an exemption which, being so

obviously due to the improved sanitary and hygienic conditions of the

modern European cities and towns, is a forcible illustration of how

largely the power of curtailing the propagation and progress of the

scourge is within the means of human control. There can be little, if any,

doubt that the same total absence of drainage, and the very possible

consequent contamination of drinking water, added to the narrowness of the

streets, the overcrowded and badly ventilated state of the houses

themselves, and the dirty habits of the inmates, which are also

characteristic of those quarters of eastern cities and towns in which

plague is always more or less occasionally prevalent, obtained in the

fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, amongst

European communities.

We learn, on the authority of Mr Marshall (who gets his figures from the

weekly bills of mortality of the period), that during the sixteenth and

seventeenth centuries London was seldom free from the pestilence, and that

in several years, not usually regarded by historians as plague epochs, it

annually slew from less than 1000 to 4000 of the inhabitants.

Between the years 1593 and 1665, five severe outbreaks of the disease

occurred in London, and the number of deaths for the respective years were

as follows:——1593, 11,503; 1603, 36,269; 1625, 35,417; 1636, 10,400; 1665,

68,596. According to Sir William Petty, the average mortality during these

several attacks amounted to about a fifth of the population.

That insanitary surroundings and the spread of plague, whilst sanitary

ones and its decline, follow each other like cause and effect, may be

emphasised by the statement of two facts:——1. The medical commissioner

lately sent by the Russian government to the seat of the late outbreak of

the malady in Astrakan, discovered the people dirty in their habits,

living in noisome, overcrowded houses, and the atmosphere polluted with

the smell of decaying fish, added to which the village was most miserably

drained. 2. Ranken records that in Rajpootana plague propagated by the

filthy habits of the inhabitants was for some years almost entirely

obliterated by the adoption of sanitary precautions.

It may here be noticed that the Astrakan plague was associated with

inflammation of the lungs, a feature which led an eminent Russian

physician to adopt the opinion, that the Astrakan malady is the same as

the Indian plague, which is believed to be the same disease which, under

the name of ‘The Black Death,’ committed such appalling devastation in

Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the fourteenth century.

In his ‘Epidemics of the Middle Ages,’[111] Hecker has told of the ravages

of this ruthless pestilence, which made its appearance in Europe in 1348.

Its devastations at Florence have been very powerfully described by

Boccaccio in the introduction to his ‘Decameron.’ Boccaccio was in Naples

at the time it was devastating Italy, therefore, it is conjectured, his

graphic description must have been derived from hearsay and the reports of

eyewitnesses.

[Footnote 111: Published by the Sydenham Society, 1844.]

In August of the same year it broke out at Dorset, from which county it

soon reached Devon and Somerset, and thence rapidly spread throughout

England, slaying its thousands in its progress. In London alone it has

been estimated that the mortality caused by it amounted to a hundred

thousand.

Hecker assumes that in Europe its victims were twenty-five millions. These

however, as well as the following figures, must only be received as

approximations to the correct numbers, which, owing to the absence of any

contemporary bills of mortality, cannot but be very imperfect:——

In Florence there died of the

black plague 60,000

In Venice 100,000

In Marseilles, in one month 16,000

In Sienna 70,000

In Paris 50,000

In St Denis 14,000

In Avignon 60,000

In Strasbourg 16,000

In Lübeck 9,000

In Basle 14,000

In Erfurt at least 16,000

In Weimar 5,000

In Lemburg 2,500

In London at least 100,000

In Norwich 51,000

To which may be added:——

Franciscan Friars in Germany 124,434

Minorites in Italy 30,000

From the circumstance——illustrative of the religious and blind bigotry of

this period——that the Jews were brutally tortured, massacred, and burnt,

on suspicion of having poisoned the wells from which drinking water was

drawn, it may be inferred that the wells, owing to the entire absence of

drainage, which led to their contamination by sewage matters, contributed

largely to the spread of the pestilence.

Of the potency of the contagion disseminated by the ‘Black Death’ Hecker

records:——

“Every spot which the sick had touched, their breath, their clothes,

spread the contagion; and in all other places the attendants and friends,

who were either blind to their danger, or heroically despised it, fell a

sacrifice to their sympathy.

“Even the eyes of the patient were considered as sources of contagion,

which had the power of acting at a distance, either on account of their

unwonted lustre, or the distortion which they always suffer in plague, or

in conformity with an ancient notion, according to which the sight was

considered as the bearer of a demoniacal excitement.

“The pestilential death of the sick, who expectorated blood, caused a

terrible contagion far and near, for even the vicinity of those who had

fallen ill of plague was certain death, so that parents abandoned their

infected children, and all the ties of kindred were dissolved.”

There is a striking similarity between the above description, referring to

the plague of 1348, and the following, which is extracted from Dr

Döppner’s official medical report to the Russian government on the plague

which manifested itself at Veltianka in Astrakan as lately as January,

1879. Dr Döppner, writes:——

“The necessary remedies were employed to combat the disease. I prescribed

especially salicylic acid, muriatic acid, quinine, &c., but everything

proved useless. Not a single patient recovered, viz. Dr Koch and six of

his assistants died, the priest of the Stanitza, the Cossacks employed in

burying the dead; in a word, all those who approached the persons attacked

with the disease, although furnished with the means of preservation used

in like circumstances, very few escaped the plague.[112]”

[Footnote 112: ‘Lancet.’]

No case of plague has occurred in England for more than two centuries,

although in 1721 it half depopulated Marseilles, and committed fearful

ravages at Moscow, in 1771.

Within the present century it has appeared in Europe at the following

places:——At Malta, in 1813; at Calabria, in 1816; at Corfu, in 1818; in

Silesia, in 1819; and amongst the Russian troops in Bulgaria, in 1824. In

Malta between 4000 and 5000 people fell victims to it.

It made its last appearance in England in 1665, and was especially fatal

in London, where it carried off, as we have already seen, 65,596 people.

Because of the frightful mortality it occasioned, this particular outbreak

of the disease has been named by historians “The Great Plague of London.”

Rapidly spreading from Westminster, where it first manifested itself, to

the more closely built city, its progress increased with the warm weather,

until during the sultry months of August and September it reached its

height. “Thus,” writes Pepys in his diary, August 31st, 1665 “this month

ends with great sadness upon the public through the greatness of the

plague everywhere through the kingdom almost. Every day sadder and sadder

news of its increase. In the city died this week 7496, and of them 6102 of

the plague. But it is feared the true number of the dead this week is near

10,000; partly from the poor that cannot be taken notice of through the

greatness of the number, and partly through the Quakers and others that

will not have the bell ring for them.” The general aspect of the

pestilence stricken city is thus described by Pepys, “To the Exchange,

where I have not been a great while. But, Lord! how sad a sight it is to

see the streets empty of people and very few upon the ‘Change. Jealous of

every door that one sees shut up, lest it should be plague; and about us

two shops in three, if not generally more, shut up.”

The doors of a house infected with the plague were marked with a red

cross, and on them was written the words, “The Lord have mercy upon us.”

Pepys tells of the fright he experienced when he came upon two houses of

this description, in Drury-lane, for the first time; and as he adds that

he was compelled to buy some roll tobacco to smell and to chew, it may be

concluded that this substance was at that time regarded as somewhat of a

safeguard against the disease.

Large carts called nightly at the infected habitations and collecting the

bodies of any dead conveyed them to pits, into which they were flung,

covered with quicklime. This rude kind of burial became a necessity as the

disease gained ground, because the ordinary grave-yards were full to

overflowing. “This is the first time,” writes Pepys, “since I have been in

the church since I left London for the plague, and it frightened me indeed

to go through the church more than I thought it could have done, to see so

many graves lie so high upon the churchyards where people have been buried

of the plague.”

Such was the fury of the pestilence, and frequently so sudden were its

attacks, that wayfarers were often assailed with it in the streets, and

staggering like drunken men fell down into the road or pathways insensible

or dead. Merchants in their counting-houses, clergymen in the act of

reading the burial service, buyers and sellers in the market-place, were

similarly assailed by the malignant malady, and it was no uncommon

occurrence for the mourner at the grave of a relative or friend one day,

to be himself borne to his own tomb the next. It is not improbable the

infection may have been conveyed by the rapidly decaying and putrid corpse

to large numbers of people, owing to the custom that prevailed of crowds

of mourners attending the obsequies.

Pepys records how he saw in broad daylight two or three burials, one at

the very heels of another, each followed by forty or fifty people.

Furthermore, he states that one day on his way to Greenwich, during the

month of August in 1665, he passed a coffin, “with a dead body therein,

dead of the plague, lying in an open close belonging to Coombe Farm.”

If this exposure of plague-stricken corpses were at all general, it will

readily be perceived how greatly it must have aided the propagation of the

pestilence.

Another important agent in the diffusion of the plague must have been the

infected clothing, whether of the dead or of those who had been in near or

close contiguity to them. On this part of our subject Dr Guy,

remarks:——“Nor will this surprise us if we imagine the frantic and

successful efforts that must have been made by the non-infected to escape,

and the temptation to servants and nurses to appropriate and remove the

property of the dying and the dead. Indeed, Dr Hodges accuses the nurses

of strangling their patients, and secretly conveying the pestilential

taint from sores of the infected to those who were well; and he justifies

his accusations ‘of these abandoned miscreants’——the Gamps and Prigs of

the seventeenth century——by two instances; the one, of a nurse who, ‘as

she was leaving the house of a family, all dead, loaded with her

robberies, fell down dead under her burden in the streets,’ the other, of

a worthy citizen who, being considered dying by his nurse, was beforehand

stripped by her, but recovering again, he came a second time into the

world naked.”

Lastly, in endeavouring to account for the great prevalence and

excessively fatal character of this pestilence, we must not leave out of

consideration one important factor——viz. fear.

We can easily conceive how powerfully the appalling incidents by which the

plague was accompanied must have affected the imaginations of those who

were in its midst, and thus have stimulated the fear, which, acting by its

depressing mental effect, would predispose and prepare men and women for

the reception of the contagion.

In ‘Pepys’ Diary’ we find a circumstance recorded corroborative of this. A

certain alderman, stumbling at night over a dead body in the street, when

he reaches home tells his wife of his adventure, and she is forthwith

seized with the plague and dies of it. Furthermore, the belief derived

from knowledge of the deadly character of the disease, operating upon the

minds of those who were attacked by it, would greatly diminish the chances

of their recovery, since they would most likely regard seizure and death

as synonymous.

There is an old Eastern fable which tells of a traveller journeying from

an infected city, and overtaking the plague, who had not long left it. The

traveller accosts the plague and reproaches him for having slain thirty

thousand people in the city. “You are in error there,” replied the plague,

“I slew only ten thousand, fear slew the rest.”

Tropical climates are never visited by plague. In those countries which

suffer from its ravages it prevails most during the hot months of the

year, and its virulence and spread appear to be commensurate with increase

of temperature. In northern climates it diminishes with the approach of

cold weather. In Europe it has always been most fatal during the summer

and autumn, and in the great plague of London the greatest mortality

prevailed during the months of August and September.

=PLAICE.= The _Platessa vulgaris_, a well-known flat fish, common to both

the English and Dutch coasts. Its flesh is good, and easy of digestion,

but more watery than that of the flounder.

=PLANTAIN.= The plantain, which belongs to the nat. ord. Musaceæ, and is a

native of the East Indies, is cultivated in all tropical and subtropical

regions of the world, in many of which it constitutes the principal food

of the inhabitants. There are a great many varieties of the plantain, in

some of which the stem is 15 or 20 feet high, whilst in others it does not

exceed 6 feet. It is one of the largest of the herbaceous plants.

The fruit is sometimes eaten raw, but is more generally boiled or roasted.

It contains both starch and sugar. Boiled and beaten in a mortar, it forms

the common food of the negroes in the West Indies. It also constitutes the

chief food of the Indians of North and South America.

Humboldt has calculated that the food produce of the plantain is 44 times

greater than that of the potato and 133 times that of wheat.

The banana is a species of plantain. See BANANA.

=PLASMA.= The liquor sanguinis. A tenacious plastic liquid, forming the

coagulating portion of the blood, and that in which the corpuscles float.

=PLAS′TER.= (In boiling, &c.) See MORTAR.

=Plaster of Paris.= Calcined sulphate of lime. See ALABASTER, GYPSUM,

LIME, &c.

=PLASTER.= (In pharmacy.) _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM, L. Plasters (emplastra) are

external applications that possess sufficient consistence not to adhere to

the fingers when cold, but which become soft and adhesive at the

temperature of the human body.

Plasters are chiefly composed of unctuous substances united to metallic

oxides, or to powders, wax, or resin. They are usually formed, whilst

warm, into 1/2-lb. rolls, about 8 or 9 inches long, and wrapped in paper.

When required for use, a little is melted off the roll by means of a

heated iron spatula, and spread upon leather, linen, or silk. The less

adhesive plasters, when spread, are usually surrounded with a margin of

resin plaster, to cause them to adhere.

In the preparation of plasters the heat of a water bath, or of steam,

should alone be employed. On the large scale, well-cleaned and polished

copper or tinned copper pans, surrounded with iron jackets, supplied with

high-pressure steam, are used for this purpose. The resins and gum resins

that enter into their composition are previously purified by straining.

After the ingredients are mixed, and the mass has acquired sufficient

consistence by cooling, portions of it are taken into the hands, anointed

with a little olive oil, and well pulled or worked until it becomes solid

enough to admit of being formed into rolls. To promote the cooling of the

plaster it is usual to plunge it into cold water, and to expose it to the

action of the fluid by working it about under the surface, after which it

is well pulled in the hands to remove the superfluous water; but this

process must not, on any account, be practised on compound plasters,

containing odorous substances, or substances soluble in water. These

should be suffered to cool on an oiled marbled slab, until sufficiently

‘stiff’ to be formed into rolls. Many plasters, as those of lead and

resin, derive much of their whiteness and beauty from the treatment just

referred to. White plasters are not, however, always the best; but they

are those which are most admired, and the most sought after in trade.

Plasters are preserved by enveloping the rolls with paper, to exclude the

air as much as possible, and by keeping them in a cool situation. A few,

as those of belladonna and ammoniacum with mercury, are commonly placed in

pots. When kept for any length of time, they are all more or less apt to

become hard and brittle, and to lose their colour. When this is the case,

they should be remelted by a gentle heat, and sufficient oil added to the

mass to restore it to a proper consistence.

The operation of spreading plasters for use requires skill and experience

on the part of the operator. Various textures are employed for the

purpose, of which linen or cotton cloth, or leather, are those most

generally employed. Silk and satin are used for ‘court plaster.’ The shape

and size must be regulated by the part to which they are to be applied.

On the large scale plasters are spread by means of a ‘spreading machine.’

Compound plasters are now much less frequently employed in medicine than

formerly. Those principally in use are such as afford protection to sores

and abraded surfaces, and give support to the parts. A few, however, which

contain acrid, stimulating, and narcotic substances, and operate as

rubefacients, blisters, or anodynes, are still retained in the

Pharmacopœias.

=Plaster of Ac′onite.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM ACONITI, L. _Prep._ (Curtis.)

Gently evaporate tincture of aconite to the consistence of a soft extract,

then spread a very small portion over the surface of a common adhesive

plaster, on either calico or leather. Mr Curtis has strongly recommended

this plaster in neuralgia. A little of the alcoholic extract may be

employed instead of that obtained fresh from the tincture.

=Plaster, Adhe′′rent.= See PLASTER, SOAP (Compound).

=Plaster, Adhe′sive.= See PLASTER, RESIN, COURT P., &c.

=Plaster, Adhesive Lime.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM ADHÆSIVUM CALCAREUM. _Prep._

Soap of lime, 200 parts; boiled turpentine, 100 parts; suet, 25 parts.

=Plaster, Ammoni′acal.= _Syn._ DR KIRKLAND’S VOLATILE PLASTER; EMPLASTRUM

AMMONIÆ, E. A. HYDROCHLORATIS, L. _Prep._ Take of lead plaster, 1 oz.;

white soap (shaved fine), 1/2 oz.; melt them together, and, when nearly

cold, add of sal ammoniac (in fine powder), 1 dr. Stimulant and

rubefacient. Dr Paris, who highly recommends it in pulmonary affections,

employs double the above proportion of sal ammoniac. Its efficacy depends

on the gradual extrication of free ammonia by the decomposition of the sal

ammoniac, on which account it is proper to renew the application of it

every 24 hours.

=Plaster of Ammoni′acum.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI (Ph. L., E., & D.),

L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L. & E.) Ammoniacum (strained), 5 oz.; dilute acetic

acid (distilled vinegar), 8 fl. oz. (9 fl. oz.——Ph. E.); dissolve, and,

frequently stirring, evaporate by a gentle heat to a proper consistence.

2. (Ph. D.) Gum ammoniacum (in coarse powder), 4 oz.; proof spirit, 4 fl.

oz.; dissolve by the aid of a gentle heat, and evaporate, as before.

_Obs._ This plaster is adhesive, stimulant, and resolvent, and is employed

in scrofulous and indolent tumours, white swellings, &c. In the Ph. D.

1826 vinegar of squills was ordered instead of distilled vinegar.

=Plaster of Ammoniacum with Hem′lock.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI CUM

CICUTÂ, L. _Prep._ (Ph. E. 1744.) Gum ammoniacum, 8 oz.; vinegar of

squills, q. s. to dissolve; hemlock juice, 4 oz.; gently evaporate, as

before. In cancerous and other painful tumours. A better plan is to add 1

dr. of extract of hemlock to 1-1/4 oz. of strained ammoniacum (previously

reduced to a proper consistence with a little distilled vinegar), melted

by a very gentle heat.

=Plaster of Ammoniacum with Mer′cury.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI CUM

HYDRARGYRO (B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L. & E.) Olive

oil, 1 dr.; heat it in a mortar, add of sulphur, 8 gr.; triturate; further

add of mercury, 3 oz.; again triturate, and when the globules are

extinguished, add it to ammoniacum (strained), 1 lb. (12 oz., B. P.),

previously melted by a gentle heat, and mix them well together.

2. (Ph. D.) From ammoniacum plaster, 4 oz.; mercurial plaster, 8 oz.;

melted together by a gentle heat, and then stirred constantly until nearly

cold.

3. (_Wholesale._) Take of mercury, 38 oz.; prepared sevum, 5 oz.;

triturate, as last, and add the mixture to strained ammoniacum, 10 lbs.,

previously sufficiently softened by a gentle heat. Possesses a fine blue

colour, and is quickly made.

_Obs._ This plaster cannot be rolled till considerably cooled, and neither

this nor the simple plaster must be put into water. It is powerfully

discutient, and is applied to indurated glands, indolent tumours, &c.

=Plaster, An′odyne.= SEE PLASTER, OPIUM, PLASTER, BELLADONNA, &c.

=Plaster, Antimo′′nial.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM ANTIMONIALE, E. ANTIMONII

POTASSIO-TARTRATIS, L. _Prep._ (U. C. Hosp.) By sprinkling tartar emetic,

in very fine powder, on the surface of a spread Burgundy pitch (or common

adhesive) plaster. It has been successfully applied to the nape of the

neck, in the scarlatina of children; also the chest, in phthisis; and,

with the addition of a little opium, in rheumatic affections of the

joints.

=Plaster, Arnica.= (Ph. U. S.) _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM ARNICÆ. _Prep._ Alcoholic

extract of arnica, 1-1/2 oz.; resin plaster, 3 oz. Add the extract to the

plaster previously melted over a water bath, and mix it thoroughly.

=Plaster, Aromatic.= _Syn._ STOMACH PLASTER; EMPLASTRUM AROMATICUM, L.

_Prep._ (Ph. D. 1826.) Strained frankincense (thus), 3 oz.; beeswax, 1/2

oz.; melt them together, and, when the mass has considerably heated, add,

of powdered cinnamon, 6 dr.; oils of allspice and lemons, of each 2 dr.

Stimulant; applied over the stomach in dyspepsia, spasms, nausea,

flatulence, &c. Camphor, 1 dr., is commonly added.

=Plaster of Assafœtida.= _Syn._ ANTIHYSTERIC PLASTER, ANTISPASMODIC P.;

EMPLASTRUM ASSAFŒTIDÆ (Ph. E.), E. ANTIHYSTERICUM, &c., L. _Prep._ (Ph.

E.) From lead plaster and strained assafœtida, of each 2 oz.; strained

galbanum and beeswax, of each 1 oz.; melted together. Antispasmodic;

applied to the stomach or abdomen in spasms, hysteria, &c.; and to the

chest in hooping-cough.

=Plaster, Baynton’s Adhesive.= _Prep._ From yellow resin, 1 oz.; lead

plaster, 1 lb.; melted together. Recommended for bad legs, and other like

sores.

=Plaster of Belladon′na.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM BELLADONNÆ (B. P., Ph. L., E.,

& D), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Soap plaster, 3 oz.; melt it by the heat of a

water bath; add of extract of belladonna (deadly nightshade), 3 oz.; and

keep constantly stirring the mixture until it acquires a proper

consistence.

2. (Ph. E.) Resin plaster, 3 oz.; extract of belladonna, 1-1/2 oz.; as the

last.

3. (Ph. D.) Resin plaster, 2 oz.; extract of belladonna, 1 oz.

4. (B. P.) Extract of belladonna, 3; resin plaster, 3; rectified spirit,

6; rub the extract and spirit together in a mortar, and when the insoluble

matter has subsided, decant the clear solution, remove the spirit by

distillation or evaporation, and mix the alcoholic extract thus obtained

with the resin plaster melted at the heat of a water bath, continuing the

heat until with constant stirring the plaster has acquired a suitable

consistence.

_Uses, &c._ As a powerful anodyne and antispasmodic; in neuralgia and

rheumatic pains, and as an application to painful tumours. The plaster of

the shops is usually deficient in extract. The following formula is in

common use in the wholesale trade:——Lead plaster and resin plaster, of

each 2-1/2 lbs.; extract of belladonna, 1-3/4 lb. This plaster must not be

‘pulled’ in water.

=Plaster, Berg’s Antirheumatic.= _Syn._ GOUT PAPER; EMPLASTRUM

ANTIRHEUMATICUM, CHARTA ANTIRHEUMATICA, L. _Prep._ By digesting

euphorbium, 2 parts, and cantharides, 1 part (both in powder), in

rectified spirit, 10 parts, for eight days; adding to the strained liquid,

black resin and Venetian turpentine, of each 4 parts; assisting the

mixture by a gentle heat. Two or three coats of the product are

successively spread over the surface of thin paper. Used in gout and

rheumatism. (‘Anat. of Quackery.’)

=Plaster, Black.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM NIGRUM. _Prep._ Mr Sharp’s black

plaster was formed by boiling together olive oil, 13 oz.; wax, 2-1/2 oz.;

carbonate of lead, 10 oz.

=Plaster, Black Diach′ylon.= See COURT PLASTER.

=Plaster of Black Pitch.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM PICIS NIGRÆ, L. _Prep._ (Ph.

Wirtem.) Black pitch, black resin, and beeswax, of each 8 parts; suet, 1

part; melted together. Rubefacient and stimulant.

=Plaster, Blistering.= See PLASTER OF CANTHARIDES.

=Plaster, Bree’s Antiasthmatic.= _Prep._ From lead plaster, 1 oz.; olive

oil, 1 dr.; melted together, and, when somewhat cooled, mixed with

powdered camphor, 2 dr.; powdered opium, 1 dr., and at once spread on

leather.

=Plaster, Brown.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM FUSCUM, L.; ONGUENT DE LA MÈRE, Fr.

The butter, lard, oil, suet, and wax should be first melted together, and

the heat gradually increased until they begin to smoke; the litharge is

then to be sifted in, and the stirring and heat continued until the

mixture assumes a brown colour; the pitch is next added, and the whole

stirred for some time longer.

=Plaster, Brown Diach′ylon.= See PLASTER OF GALBANUM.

=Plaster, Bryony.= (Boerhaave.) _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM BRYONIÆ. _Prep._

Strained galbanum, 4 oz.; wax plaster, 9 oz.; olive oil, 1 oz. Melt

together and add powdered bryony root, 2 oz.; flowers of sulphur, 1 oz.;

Ethiops mineral, 2 dr.; stir till cold.

=Plaster of Bur′gundy Pitch.= _Syn._ CEPHALIC PLASTER, BREATH P.;

EMPLASTRUM PICIS (B. P., Ph. L. & E.), E. P. COMPOSITUM, E. P. BURGUNDICÆ,

L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Prepared (strained) Burgundy pitch, 2 lbs.;

prepared frankincense (thus), 1 lb.; yellow resin and beeswax, of each 4

oz.; melt them together, then add, olive oil and water, of each 2 fl. oz.;

expressed oil of nutmeg (mace), 1 oz.; and, constantly stirring, evaporate

to a proper consistence.

2. (Ph. E.) Burgundy pitch, 1 lb.; resin and beeswax, of each 2 oz.; olive

oil and water, of each 1 fl. oz.; oil of mace, 1/2 oz.; as the last.

3. (B. P.) Burgundy pitch, 26; common frankincense, 13; resin, 4-1/2;

yellow wax, 4-1/2; expressed oil of nutmegs, 1; olive oil, 2; water, 2;

add the oil and the water to the other ingredients, previously melted

together; stir, and evaporate to a proper consistency.

_Uses, &c._ Burgundy-pitch plaster is stimulant, rubefacient, and

counter-irritant. It is a common application to the chest in pulmonary

affections, to the joints in rheumatism, and to the loins in lumbago.

Spread on leather, it forms a good warm plaster to wear on the chest

during the winter. “When it produces a serous exudation, it should be

frequently renewed.”

The BURGUNDY-PITCH PLASTER of the shops is commonly made as

follows:——Factitious Burgundy pitch (bright coloured), 42 lbs.; palm oil

(bright), 3/4 lb.; beeswax (bright), 5 lbs.; melt, and, when nearly cold,

add, of oil of mace, 6 oz.; oil of nutmeg, 1 oz.

=Plaster of Burgundy Pitch (Irritating).= (Ph. G.) _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM PICIS

IRRITANS. _Prep._ Burgundy pitch, 32 oz.; yellow wax, 12 oz.; turpentine,

12 oz.; euphorbium, 3 oz.

=Plaster, Califa′cient.= _Syn._ WARM PLASTER; EMPLASTRUM CALEFACIENS (Ph.

D.), L. _Prep._ (Ph. D.) 1. Plaster of cantharides, 1/2 lb. (1 part);

Burgundy pitch, 5-1/2 lbs. (11 parts); melt them together by a gentle

heat, and stir the mixture as it cools until it stiffens. Stimulant,

rubefacient, and counter-irritant; in a variety of affections. In some

persons, when long applied, it blisters or produces a running sore.

2. (Ph. B.) Cantharides in coarse powder, 4 oz.; boiling water, 1 pint;

expressed oil of nutmeg, 4 oz.; yellow wax, 4 oz.; resin, 4 oz.; soap

plaster, 3-1/4 lbs.; resin plaster, 2 lbs. Infuse the cantharides in the

boiling water for six hours; squeeze strongly through calico, and

evaporate the expressed liquid by a water bath till reduced to one third.

Then add the other ingredients and melt in a water bath, stirring well

till the whole is thoroughly mixed.

=Plaster, Camphor.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM CAMPHORÆ. Camphor is best applied by

sprinkling the powder on the warm surface of a spread adhesive or other

plaster. Blisters are treated in this way to prevent strangury.

=Plaster, Can′cer.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM ANTICANCROSUM, L. _Prep._ 1. Wax

plaster, 1 oz.; extract of hemlock, 1 dr.; levigated arsenious acid, 1/2

dr.

2. (Richter.) Extract of hemlock, 1 oz.; extract of henbane, 1/2 oz.;

powdered belladonna, 1 dr.; acetate of ammonia, q. s. to form a plaster.

Both the above must be used with great caution. See CANCER, &c.

=Plaster of Canthar′ides.= _Syn._ BLISTERING PLASTER, VESICANT P., PLASTER

OF SPANISH FLIES; EMPLASTRUM CANTHARIDIS (B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.), E. C.

VESICATORÆ, E. LYTTÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Yellow wax and suet, of each

7-1/2 oz.; lard, 6 oz.; resin, 3 oz.; melt them together, remove the

vessel from the fire, and, a little before they concrete, sprinkle in of

cantharides (in very fine powder), 1 lb. (12 oz. B. P.), and mix.

2. (Ph. E.) Cantharides, beeswax, resin, and suet, equal parts; as the

last.

3. (Ph. D.) Spanish flies, 6 oz.; prepared lard, resin, and yellow wax, of

each 4 oz.; proceed as before, and “stir the mixture constantly until the

plaster is cool.”

4. (Wholesale.) From beeswax and good lard, of each 4 lbs.; flies and

yellow resin, of each 6 lbs.; suet, 10 lbs. A commonly used formula, the

product of which is, however, greatly inferior to that of the

Pharmacopœia.

_Obs._ All the above are used to raise blisters. The plaster is spread on

white leather with a cold knife, and is surrounded with a margin of resin

plaster to make it adhere. A piece of thin muslin or tissue paper is

usually placed between the plaster and the skin to prevent absorption. A

little powdered camphor is sometimes sprinkled on the surface of the

spread plaster, to prevent strangury. A better mode of obviating the

action on the urinary organs is by the copious use of diluents. This

plaster should be rolled in starch powder, and not with oil.

=Plaster of Cantharides (Compound).= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM CANTHARIDIS

COMPOSITUM, L. _Prep._ (Ph. E.) Venice turpentine, 4-1/2 oz.; cantharides

and Burgundy pitch, of each 3 oz.; beeswax, 1 oz.; verdigris (in fine

powder), 1/2 oz.; powdered mustard and black pepper, of each 2 dr.; mix at

a heat under 212° Fahr. Stronger than the last, and quicker in its action;

but it causes more pain, and is much more apt to occasion troublesome

ulcerations. Used in gout, spasms of the stomach, &c.

=Plaster, Capuchin′.= See PLASTER OF EUPHORBIUM.

=Plaster of Car′bonate of Lead.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM PLUMBI CARBONATIS, E.

CERUSSÆ, L. _Prep._ (P. Cod.) Carbonate of lead, 1 lb.; olive oil and

water, of each 2 lbs.; boil them together until they combine and form a

plaster; lastly, remelt this with white wax, 3-1/2 oz. Its properties

resemble those of ordinary lead plaster. An excellent emollient and

defensive plaster. See PLASTER, MAHY’S.

=Plaster, Cephal′ic.= _Syn._ LABDANUM PLASTER; EMPLASTRUM CEPHALICUM, E.

LABDANI, L. _Prep._ (Ph. L. 1788.) Labdanum, 3 oz.; frankincense (thus), 1

oz.; melt, and add to the mixture, when nearly cold, powdered cinnamon and

expressed oil of mace, of each 1/2 oz.; oil of mint, 1 dr. Applied to the

forehead or temples, in headache; to the stomach, in colds, &c. See

PLASTER OF BURGUNDY PITCH, &c.

=Plaster, Cheselden’s Stick′ing.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM PLUMBI CUM PICE, L.

_Prep._ From lead plaster, 2 lbs.; Burgundy pitch (genuine), 1 oz.; melted

together.

=Plaster, Corn.= _Syn._ EMPLASTRUM AD CLAVOS, L. _Prep._ 1. Resin plaster,

5 parts; melt, stir in of sal ammoniac (in fine powder), 1 part, and at

once spread it on linen or soft leather.

2. (Kennedy’s.) From beeswax, 1 lb.; Venice turpentine, 5 oz.; verdigris

(in fine powder), 1-1/2 oz.; mixed by a gentle heat, and spread on cloth.

It is cut into pieces, and polished, and of these 1 dozen are put into

each box.

3. (Le Foret.) Galbanum plaster, 2 oz.; melt by a very gentle heat; add,

sal ammoniac and saffron, of each 1/2 oz.; powdered camphor, 2 oz.; and,

when nearly cold stir in of liquor of ammonia, 2 oz. Applied, spread on

leather, to the corn only, as it will blister the thinner skin surrounding

its base.

4. (Ph. Sax.) Galbanum plaster, 1 oz.; pitch, 1/2 oz.; lead plaster, 2

dr.; melt them together, and add verdigris and sal ammoniac (in fine

powder), of each 1 dr. For other formulæ, see PLASTER OF VERDIGRIS

(_below_), and CORNS.