'VWVW vWUUWUv^ 1 WVgg VWWWV: v v^^v;S^^i S*^^' ^.^v^^iy^y' wrl Ui 3 Medical and Chemical OBSERVATIONS UPON ANTIMONY. *> .* f 4 Medical and Chemical OBSERVATIONS UPON ANTIMONY. B Y DOCTOR HUXHAM. LONDON: Printed for JOHN HINTON, at the Kings-Arms, in Newgate-Street. MDCCLVI, - To the Right Honourable GEORGE Earl of Maccksfield, PRESIDENT, And the COUNCIL, O F T H E ROYAL SOCIETY, Thefe Medical and Chemical Obfervations upon ANTIMONY Are Humbly Dedicated, By their very highly obliged, And moft obedient ', Humble Servant , The Author. **V*" J 4 ADVERTISEMENT. AS I originally defigncd the following Dif- fertation on Antimony for the Ufe of young Practitioners in Phyfic, I have given Leave to my Bookfeller to publim it in a fe- parate Pamphlet, notwithstanding the Royal Society did it the Honour of inferting it in the Second Part of the 48th Volume of the Pbilo- fophical Tranjaftions. In that however a parti- cular Defcription of the Method of preparing the Efientia, or Vinum Antimonii (I fo ftrong- ly recommend and fo frequently ufe) is not gi- ven, and therefore I mall here fet it down ; efpeciajly as many Enquiries have been made after the Manner I commonly order of doing it ; which is indeed very eafy, and thus : Let one Ounce of well prepared Glafs of Antimony, powdered, be infufed, cold, in 24 Ounces of found Madeira Wine for i o or 12 Days, making it fometimes. Let it fettle for a Day or two, then decant the Wine, and fil- tre it through whitiih-brown Paper, and keep it in a Glafs-bottle well flopped. Thus made it will keep good for feveral Years. I prefer .the Madeira, as it keeps better than moft other Wines : A generous old Spanijh White- Wine will do very well. The Stomachic Aromatic, I formerly directed to be infufed with the Sti- bium, may be omitted, as of no great Impor- tance. A 2 The ADVERTISEMENT. The Antimonial Glafs fhould not be pow- dered and rubbed much in a Brafs or Bell* metal Mortar, left the Particles of the Copper mould be rubbed off with it, which will alfo difiblve in the Wine. -This indeed ought to be a general Caution in powdering any hard mineral Subflances either for Medicine, or an Aflay. This Antimonial Wine- may be given out of WTiey, Tea, Wine, Beer, Cyder, in a Word, put of any aqueous or vinous Liquor from 30, or 40, to 60, or 80 Drops to Adults, as an Al- terative, A ttenuant' and Diaphoretic; not but that the firft Dofes commonly caufe a flight Naufea, or Sickifhnefs at Stomach, and fome- times even a fmall Degree of Puking with a Stool, or two. But, after ufmg it 2 or 3 Days, the Stomach is fcarce at all affected by it. It is needlefs to mention that much larger Dofes will .purge and vomit brifkly, but I muft fay with as much Safety as moft other Emetics, and draftic Cathartics. But it would be tedious and ufelefs to give more particular Directions here, fmce I have not only done it in the following Papers, but alfo in my ift Volume, De Aere & Morbis epi- demicis, and in my EJJay en Fevers. Befides, this, and every other Medicine, mould be pe- culiarly adapted to the immediate Exigence and Cafe of the Patient. Medical Medical and Chemical OBSERVATIONS UPON ANTIMONY. O T above two Centuries ago, a Phyfician, who pre- fcribed Antimonials, was expelled the Faculty \ nay, at Rome, any one, who ufed Pulvis Cornachini, incurred the Penalty of being fent to the Gallies, on Account of the Antimonium Diaphoreticum, that was in it. Now, on the con- trary, Antimony, in fome Form or other, is the grand Catholicon, and A 3 ufed 6 Medical and Chemical ufed by Dabblers, as well as Do&ors ? in Phyfic. It is without all Doubt a moft excellent Mineral, when duly prepared, and judicioufly admini- ftered. But whoever would give Antimo- nial Medicines with Safety and Suc- cefs, fhould be well acquainted with the Analysis of that Mineral, and its component Principles ; (hould know what different Combinations, Preparations, and Dofes of them, will effect ; otherwife it may prove a Poifon, inftead of a Remedy. For who would imagine, without fuffi- cient Experience, that fix or eight Grains of the Liver or Regulus of Antimony, and even a much lefe Quantity of its' Glafs, will caufe the moft violent Vomitings ; whereas a Drachm or more of the crude, or common depurated Antimony of the Shops, may be taken with Eafe and Safety? But further, if equal Quantities of Antimony and Salt- petre 3 Qbferuations upon Antimony. 7 petre are deflagrated and melted to- gether, a very ftrongly emetic Liver of Antimony is produced ; and yet, if three Parts of that Salt, and one of Antimony, are detonated and cal- cined in a proper Fire, a mere inert Calx, or Antimonium Diaphoreti- cum, as it is called, comes out, not in the leaft emetic or cathartic. On the other Hand, if only one Eighth of Nitre had been fufed with the An- timony, a very mild Kind of Regu- lus Medicinalis had been the Confe- quence. So likewife, if one Part of Salt of Tartar is fluxed with five Parts of crude Antimony, a very gentle me- dicinal Antimony, or, as more com- monly called, Regulus Medicinalis, is prepared ; and yet if two or three Parts of fixed Alcali Salt, and one of the fame Mineral, are melted toge- ther, a very draftic Kind of Hepar Antimonii> and commonly a fmall Quantity of Regulus, enfue. Nay, Antimony well roafted, calcined, and A 4 then 8 Medical and Chemical then fluxed into a Glafs, without the Addition of any other Body, be- comes the moft virulent Emetic in Nature ; But if this very Glafs is only calcined again by the concentrated Rays of the Sun, through a large Burning-glafs, it is turned forthwith into an inactive Calx, or a Sort of Antimonium Diaphoreticum. The fame is effected by burning the Vi- trum Antimonii with about an equal Quantity of Nitre. Thefe are Facts, which nothing but repeated Experience could in- form us of; and yet, however ftrange they may appear, perhaps, when we come more nearly to examine the Matter, we may pretty clearly dif- cover the Reafon of them. The Cafe feems to be thus : Clean, crude Antimony confifts of much Sulphur, and a confiderably greater Quantity of reguline metallic Parts. The Sulphur, or at leaft what may be called the external Sulphur, is little or Observations upon Antimony. 9 or nothing different from common Sulphur, as Helmont furmifed, and Boerhaave, Hoffman, and Geoffroy, have evidently proved ; and I think every one now allows it, however vi- rulent the arfenical Sulphur of Anti- mony, as they called it, was deemed by the antient Chemifts. And this Sulphur, like the common Sulphur, is compounded of a vitriolic Acid, and a bituminous or inflammable Sub- ilance : And whatever Bajil, Valen- tine, Charras, and others, talked of the Vinegar of Antimony, there is no other Acid in it than what I have mentioned ; nor is there any Kind of Salt in Antimony but the vitriolic Acid, notwithftanding the Conceit of MaetSy Duncan BorneM, &c. But however abundant the ful- phureous Principle is in Antimony, the reguline greatly exceeds it, and in Truth conftitutes the very Body or EfTence of Antimony, and in which alone refides its draftic Power, and emetic io Medical and Chemical emetic Quality, as is fufficiently hewn by Monfieur Geoff roy^ and of which, at prefent, I believe few Chemifts doubt ; for there is no one Prepara- tion of Antimony emetic, in which the reguline Principle doth not great- ly abound : Therefore no Tincture of Antimony, made with rectified Spirit of Wine, is in the leaft Degree emetic. This reguline Subftance, or An- timony properly fo called, is a metal- lic Subftance, fm generis y almoft to- tally volatile when urged by a very ftrong Fire, and can by no Means, hitherto known, be brought to a mal- leable State. One will have it of a mercurial, another of an arfenical Nature ; but it feems in feveral Re- fpects to differ from either. No pure running Mercury can by any known Method be drawn from Regulus of Antimony, or its Flowers, with Sal Ammoniac, whatever may have been boafted by the alchyrniftical Viliona- ries. Obfervations upon Antimony, i j ties. The exceeding fmall Quantity, that Monfieur Geoff roy fancied he ex- traded from it, could never be done again by the very fame Procefs, Ma- terials, and the utmoftCare. Belides, if the reguline Part of Antimony was really mercurial, how comes the Mer- cury not to fly off intirely in a ftrong Calcination, efpecially in fuch an in- tenfe Heat as that of the Burning- glafs ? And if it doth fo, as fome have aflerted, how comes the remaining Calx, after fuffering fuch a violent Action of the Fire, to be fo readily reduced to its priftine reguline me- tallic State, merely by the Addition of any common Phlogifton, as Sul- phur, Charcoal-duft, animal Fat, or the like? But indeed Mercury in no Form will ftand fuch an intenfe Heat, but is foon totally evaporated ; and fo would the Regulus, if mercu- rial j the Calx of which however* after having flood .this fiery Trial, is, as I faid, eafily revived into a proper Regu- 1 2 Medical and Chemical Regulus. Pure Antimony differs from Arfenic in not having the lead Garlick-fmell, peculiar to Arfenie when burnt. Nor is J:he antimonial Regulus at all foluble in Water, as Arfenic , nor in Oil of Tartar per deli- qumm^ in which however white Arfe- nic almoft intirely diffolves. More- over the conftituent Particles of Arfe^ nic and Antimony are of quite dif- ferent Figures ; the former refem- bling two quadrilateral Pyramids, join'd Bafe to Bafe; the latter like Needles, as it were, and this particu- larly in the minuteft Divisions of An^ timony by Solution, Sublimation, &c. as is remarkably feen in the Flowers of Antimony per fe, and in the So- lution of its Regulus in Wine, when viewed by a Microfcope on a Slip of Glafs, or the like : Nay, when Sti- bium is revived from the Glafs, or Calx Antimonii, it refumes the fpi- culine or needle-like Appearance ; and when Mercurius Vitae is fluxed with- Olfervations upon Antimony. 1 3 without any Addition, it becomes a fpiculine Regulus, or a mere Mafs of fuch Aculei, or Needles. Indeed it feems to be from this fpiculine or needle-like Form (which is conftantly retained by the minuted Particles of the reguline Subftance), that Antimonial Preparations have their emetic Quality. Thus faline Bodies ftimulate by their Points, or Edges ; Sublimate corrofive by its Salts actuated by the Weight of the cohering Mercury ; Arienic by its ri- gid, (harp-pointed, heavy Particles. For when thefe reguline Spicula are fheathed up in a large Quantity of Sulphur, as in the crude Antimony, they exert no fuch Power ; and if Regulus of Antimony is melted up with pretty much Sulphur, it be- comes quite as inert as the crude Mi- neral. So Regulus, or Glafs of An- timony, melted with Wax, is ren- dered exceedingly much milder than before. Nay, even the virulent Qua- lity 1 4 ' Medical and Chemical lity of the ftrongeft white Arfenic may be furprizingly taken off, by intimately uniting it with common Sulphur by Fufion. It ihould feem then, that this ful- phureous Covering blunts or fheaths up the Points of thefe acrid Bodies, and takes off the Irritation, which they would otherwife caufe on the nervous Coats of the Stomach and Guts. This is plainly feen in the Glafs of Antimony with melted Wax ; which, though in itfelf the moft vio- lent of all Emetics, thus becomes in- finitely more gentle, and may be gi- ven to Adults from four, fix, or eight Grains, to fixteen, with Safety, and great Advantage in fome Cafes ; whereas two or three Grains of the powdered Glafs will excite moft dreadful Vomitings. But let me add, by the Way, that if the Vitrum Ce- ratum Antimonii, after it hath been long made, is afrefli rubbed to a fine Powder, it proves much more draftic, the Obfervations upon Antimony. 1 5 the Wax being rubbed off from it, and leaving its Points more naked : So that even this feems to prove what I juft now hinted. Hartmaris Chy- lifta, or the old Preparation of Glafs of Antimony with Gum-maftic, dif- folved in Spirit of Wine, and then evaporating the Spirit, feems to be on the fame Foundation, but, I fhould imagine, nothing near fo fafe : How- ever, I never tried it, nor that other Preparation of the Vitrum Antimo- nii, by the repeated Deflagration of Spirit of Wine on it, which, Geoffroy fays, may be given fafely to ten or even twenty Grains ; the oleofe Part of the Spirit of Wine inveloping or blunting the ftibiate Spicula, and re- ducing the Glafs in fome Meafure back again to its original antimonial State. It is certain the faline-mercu- rial Preparations are rendered much milder by burning Spirit of Wine Upon them repeatedly. The lefs therefore of the external Sul- 1 6 Medical a?td Chemical Sulphur adheres to the reguline Part of Antimony, the more vehement is its Operation, and vice verfa. Thus in preparing the common Liver of Antimony, the Nitre deflagrates with, and carries off", a great Part of the Sulphur, whence the antimonial Hepar becomes very ftrongly emetic (I do not confider at prefent what the Alkalization of the Nitre in the Procefs doth further). And it is much the fame in making the common Re- gulus; and, when Filings of Steel are ufed in preparing the martial Regu- lus, it is, that the Iron may abforb the antimonial Sulphur. So likewife, in calcining Antimony for the Glafs, the Sulphur is firft driven ofT by roafting, and then more perfectly by melting the Refiduum in a ftrong Fire into a Glafs, whence it acquires a moft violently emetic Power, which notwithftanding is foon totally de- ftroyed by re -melting it with much common -Sulphur, But Obfervatlons upon Antimvny* 1 7 But although this grofs external Sulphur is not at all neceffary to the Conftitution of the reguline, metal- lic Part, an internal or metallic Sul- phur appears abfolutely requifite to the Exiftence of the Regulus, as Re- gulus ; for when Antimony is quite deprived of all its Sulphur, by what is called the humid or dry Calcina- tion, it ceafes to be Metallic or An- timony. Thus Antimony expofed to the ftrong concentrated Rays of the Sun, becomes an abfolute inert Calx, or Caput Mortuum, and can never be reduced to its original Na- ture and Form, but by the Addition of fome fulphureous Body. The fame happens, when large Quantities of Nitre are deflagrated with Antimo- ny, till the Sulphur is all burnt off, as in the common Antimonium Dia- phoreticum. It is thus alfo in the humid Calcination, when ftrong Spi- rit of Vitriol is poured on the regu- line Mafs, which it tears abroad, and B lets , 1 8 Medical and Chemical lets loofe the Phlogifton ; for this Calx likewife is not reducible to Re- gulus but by fome fulphureous Pabu- lum, in clofe Contact and Fufion with it. The ftrong fulphureous Smell of the Oil of Vitriol, when forced off by Diftillation, or the like, difcovers the Phlogifton, and whence it came. Moreover this Calx is intirely white, and will not in the leaft deflagrate with Salt-petre ; an Argument of the Abfence of any fulphureous Matter. This Calx however is foon alfo turn- ed into a Regulus by the Addition of a proper Sulphur, and then defla- grates with Nitre as ufual. It appears then, that fome internal metallizing Sulphur (perhaps how- ever little or nothing different from the common external Sulphur) is abfolutely neceffary to combine the metallic Earth together, and even to give it the reguline Confiftence and Form, without which it lies an in- active incoherent Heap> utterly de- 3 void Obfervations upon Antimony, i g void of any Antimonial Virtue. Thus the Duft, or Minera, or Afhes of Iron, are harmlefs, and may be fwallowed fafely ; but if formed into Knives, or Needles, the Cafe is infinitely altered. We not only fee the Ne.ceffity of this internal fulphureous Principle in the Compofition of Antimony, but alfo in that of the more perfect Metals, which, when calcined by the Burn- ing-glafs (or otherwife) are not redu- cible into their proper metallic mal- leable State, but by the Addition of fome Kind of Sulphur, as a Bond of Union between the disjoined Parti- cles oi the refpeclive metallic Earths. But it is pretty remarkable, that let the Sulphur be animal, vegetable, or mineral, Fat, Coal-am, or Brim- ftone, it equally effe&s the Coalition of the refpedive Earths, and the Re- generation of each of the different Metals ; fo that it feems to be Sul- phur, as Sulphur, that is only wanted in the Recompofition. In like Man- B 2 ner Medical and Chemical ner as in Vegetables, the congluti- nating Oil is neceffary to the Cohe- fion of the Stamina, which being burnt off, they become a mere Duft. It feems alfo to argue, that the Dif- ference of Metals lies in their diffe- rent fpecific metallic Earths, as I may fo call them, and not in the different Proportion, Combination, and Puri- ty of the fulphureous and mercurial Principles, as Monrieur Homberg^ and others, have imagined. Elfe I know not how the Sulphur, of the very fame Charcoal, equally ferves to re-vivify the Afhes not only of Iron, Copper, or Tin, into their refpective metallic Forms and Confiftence, but likewife even the Calx of Silver or Gold. But further, if thefe metal- lic Earths were indeed originally of a mercurial Nature, and remain fo after Calcination, how comes their Mercury to ftand fuch an immenfe Heat as that of the Burning-glafs ? Whereas no known Preparation of i Mer- Qbfervations upon Antimony . 2 1 Mercury, much lefs Mercury itfelf, will ftand a third Part of the Heat without being totally diffipated, and for this Reafon Mercurials, as Mer- curials, never can be vitrified : But thefe Earths, or Aflies of Metals, do ftand this exceeding Degree of Heat, and are vitrifiable, and therefore not mercurial ; and their Calx may be reduced to Metal again, by the Ad- dition of fome Sulphur : But I be- lieve no one will fay the Charcoal, in the Reduction, refunds the mercurial Principle to them. Poffibly it may here be afked me, what Indication there is of any re- maining Sulphur in well purified Re- gulus of Antimony, or its Glafs ? I anfwer, no one can doubt of its being in the Regulus, who knows, that the beft Antimonial Regulus will defla- grate with Nitre, in a red-hot Cru- cible, and give off more or lefs of fulphureous Scoriae ; that fluxed with a fixed Alkali-falt, it will form a B 3 Kind 2 2 Medical and Chemical Kind of Hepar Antimonii ; and that Sulphur may be eafily feparated from it, when diffolved in Aqua Regia. But this is obvious ; the Sulphur in- deed is not fo readily difcovered in Glafs of Antimony, but it is evident- ly there ; for when that Glafs is finely powdered, levigated, and digefted with very ftrong diftilled Vinegar, it tinges it very highly, and imparts to it an emetic Quality : And this Tinc- ture, evaporated to an Extract, gives off the fulphureous Tinclure to rec- tified Spirit of Wine : But, if this fame Glafs is thus feveral Times treated with frem diftilled Vinegar, or its concentrated Spirit, at length it neither gives it any Tin&ure, or emetic Power, but remains a dead, dark-coloured, inert Mafs, all the Sulphur being extracted, and the Glafs reduced to a mere Calx. Be- fides, even Glafs of Antimony will in fome Meafure deflagrate with Ni-^ tre \ which iLews, that it ftill retains fome Obfervations upon Antimony. 2 3 ibme of the fulphureous Principle ; and, in Order to render it mild and innoxious, it is neceffary to correct it by burning off the Sulphur of the Glafs with Nitre, or by the Burning- Glafs : Which is in Truth the De- ftru&ion of the metallic Confidence in the Glafs. But it is a much more difficult Thing to prove the Exiftence of the reguline Spicula in the Glafs of An- timony, in the very Form of which I feem, in a great Meafure, to have placed its emetic Quality ; and yet Glafs of Antimony is the moft vio- lent of all its Preparations. I confefs, the Spicula, or Needles, by no Means appear in the Glafs ; but they really do fo, when the Glafs is digefted, and diffolved in Wine, by laying a Drop of the Liquor on a Plate of Glafs, and then viewing it through a Microfcope. And further, Vitrum Antimonii, reduced to a Regulus with a little common Sulphur, ap- B 4 pears 24 Medical and Chemical pears of a needle-like ftriated Form. And incinerated Antimony, when melted with too flack a Fire, often appears a Mafs of half-ftriated Regu- lus, and half Glafs, fo little is the Difference. The Salts in common Glafs do not appear, though they are unqueftionably there, and fometimes fo loofely combined with the vitref- cible Earth, that Wine, keptinGlafs- bottles, made of fuch ill-prepared vitreous Matter, diffolves fome of the 8alts, and thence the Wine becomes ill-tafted and unwholefome. More- over, the Preparation of the Vitrum Ceratum Antimonii feems not a little to confirm the Reality of what I have hinted at ; for the Wax perhaps doth nothing but fheath up the pointed rcguline Particles, when melted with them : And this appears the more probable, as a large Quantity of Brimftone, melted with white Arfe- nic, fheaths up the arfenical Spicula, and renders them incomparably lefs noxious Obfervations upon Antimony. 2 5 noxious than before : So, with a due Quantity of Sulphur, Glafs of Anti- mony itfelf is rendered a very mild Kind of Regulus. It is exceeding difficult to explain the Modus Operandi of many Me- dicines. Who can fay, how a Grain or two of crude Opium caufes a pro- found Sleep ? Or why a very fmall Dofe of Cantharides fo particularly and ftrongly affe&s the urinary Paf- fages ? Why two or three Grains of Elaterium operate with more Vio- lence than fifty or fixty of Jalap ? Or why fuch a very fmall Quantity of Glafs of Antimony excites fuch dread- ful Vomitings ? But whether the emetic Quality of Antimony depends on the fpiculine Form, or not, it certainly lies only in the reguline Subftance ; for not one of the Preparations of that Mi- neral is emetic, but when confide- rably impregnated with reguline Par- ticles ; which, when not inveloped with 2 6 Medical and Chemical with too much Sulphur, always exert a vomiting Faculty ; and this, whe- ther given in Subftance, or diflblved in a proper Menftruum, as Wine, Cyder, Vinegar, or the like. Water j as Water, draws nothing from an An- timonial Regulus, as neither touch- ing the fulphureous or metallic Part. Spirit of Wine hath no Manner of Effect on the Reguline ; but a vege- table faponaceous Acid ads on both, and draws out the real Subftance of the Regulus, making as it were a very attenuated liquid Tartar Eme- tic, or Antimonial Solution. And thus indeed the vegetable Acids ad: on Iron or Copper ; which neither pure Water, nor pure Spirit, will af- fect, but are moft readily diffolved by Wine, Cyder, Juice of Lemons, or the like. This leads me, however, to make the following Obfervations : That though fimple Water is ineffectual in drawing off any Thing emetic from pure Obfervations upon Antimony. 2 7 pure Regulus of Antimony, yet cer- tainly Rain, or River Water, in fome Meafure, ads on the Body of crude Antimony, and extracts from it a milky Hue, and a fulphureous An- timonial Smell and Tafte, by being digefted with it in a very gentle Heat of the Sun, or Fire. And this Water, by the Way, fo impregnated, hath been very often found of great Ser- vice in cutaneous and other Difor- ders, when drunk freely. Now, as the watery Menftruum doth unquef- tionably take up fome of the Anti- monial Sulphur, it may receive there- with likewife fome of the very fine reguline Parts attached to the Sul- phur ; juft as almoft all the natural fulphureous Waters hold alfo fome- thing, more or lefs, of fome other mineral Principle, as particularly moft of them fomething ferrugine- ous. And further, whatever may be thought of giving crude Antimony in Subftance, Kunkel, Hoffman, Geof^ fry* 28 Medical and Chemical froy, and many others, affert its great Utility in feveral Diforders ; and, I think, I have fufficient Reafon to be of their Opinion. It is fcarce to be doubted, but that it is of very great Service in feveral of the Difeafes of Horfes, Cattle, &c. and therefore we may very well fuppofe, that fome of the reguline Parts pafs with the ful- phureous into the Mafs of their Blood ; and, by Parity of Reafon, Antimony may as well find its Way through the J^afa LaSiea* &c. of O / ' human Bodies, and produce very fa- lutary Effects. I have, for a great many Years, given Antimony and v Quicksilver, rubbed into what I call an Antimoniated ^Ethiops, with great Advantage, in feveral Cafes, parti- cularly in cutaneous Diforders, ob- ftrudted fcrophulous Glands, Rheu- matifms, &c. when the common /E- thiops had been found much lefs ef- fectual. This I have long ordered to be kept here as an officinal Medicine, . and Obfervations upon Antimony. 2 9 and to be prepared of crude Anti- mony, exceedingly fine powdered, p. iii ; of pure Quickfilver, p. iv ; of Flowers of Sulphur, p. ii. Thefe are to be rubbed into an impalpable black Powder : Dofe from 3 fs. to 3 ii. It lies in my Way here, alfo to mention, that though Cinnabar of Antimony, fublimed in the ufual Way after the Butter of Antimony, may be very little different in Vir- tue, or Compofition, from the com- mon factitious Cinnabar ; yet Cin- nabar of Antimony, as now generally made, with JEthiops Mineral and crude Antimony raifed together, hath undoubtedly fome of the reguline Parts, as well as the fulphureous, of Antimony, which carry them up ; for it is well known 'to Chemifts, how eafily the Flowers of Antimony rife in the common Roafting, where the Fire is much lefs than for fub- liming the Cinnabar. Now, every one knows, that thefe Flowers are of are- 30 Medical and Chemical a reguline Nature, are flrongly eme- tic, and may be eafily reduced to an actual Regulus. The abundant Sul- phur indeed wraps them well up in the cinnabarine Preparation : How- ever, I have often obferved large Dofes of Cinnabar of Antimony cre- ate a Naufea and Puking, efpecially on tender Stomachs. But then, for this very Reafon, this Cinnabar of Antimony may be, in many Cafes, much more effectual than the com- mon factitious, or even than the na- tive Cinnabar. But I come now particularly to make a few Obfervations on fome of the common Antimonial Prepara- tions. The common Stibium, or crude Antimony of the Shops, hath been melted from its grofs Ore, into a Sort of conical Moulds, or Veflels, like our Melting-pots ; whence the molt- en Mafs, when taken out cold, fome- what refembles a Sugar-loaf. Now, as Obfervations upon Antimony. 3 1 as in this Melting, the more ponder- ous or metallic Part fuWides to the Bottom, or narrow Part of the Pot, the lighter, or more fulphureous, remains above ; it is a Matter of fome Im- portance in making the Regulus Ah- timonii, &c. from what Part of the Cone, or Loaf, the Antimony is ta- ken ; for the nearer the Point of the Cone the more reguline ; and the Yield, from a given Quantity, thus taken, will be, Cceteris paribus, much more confiderable, than if taken near the Bafe. This Thing fhould be like- wife attended to, when Antimony is given in Subftance, or boiled, or in- fufed in Diet-drinks, in which it is far from being a ufelefs Ingredient. I have before taken Notice, that when the reguline Part of Antimony is involved in a great Quantity of Sul- phur, as in crude Antimony, that Mineral exerts no emetic or draftic Power : But when the Antimony, by long Roafting, or Calcination, is de- prived of great Part of this external SuL- 3 2 Medical and Chemical Sulphur, it acquires more and more of a vomiting Quality, as the Sulphur is more and more confumed. And when this incinerated Antimony, as it is called, undergoes a further De- gree of Fire, and is fluxed into a Re- gurus, and even yet farther into a Kind of Glafs, it is fo far ftripped of its fulphureous Covering, that the reguline Spicula lie as it were naked, and exert the utmoft Violence on the Stomach, &C. And even before it is turned into a proper Regulus., or Glafs, it acquires, after a long and proper Roafting,, no fmall Degree of an emetic Power, as any one will find, who gives it in Subftance, or properly digefted in Wine, or Cyder, And though I cannot fay with Boer- haave, that it is violently emetic, yet I know Hoffman is miftaken, when he pronounces it quite inactive. This incinerated Antimony then, being thus far deprived of its external Sul- phur by Calcination, is farther di- verted Obfervations upon Antimony. 3 3 Vefted of it by being kept fufed a considerable Time in a very ftrong Fire, and converted into Glafs ; which almoft intirely confifts of reguline Parts, as is manifeft from its being of a much greater fpecific Gravity than crude Antimony, or even than its Hepar ; and though the Regulus lies concealed under a glafly Form, yet it is ftill very eafily reduced into a proper Regulus, and therefore, as fuch, communicates a moft flrongly % emetic Quality to any Menftruum, Vvhich the Regulus itfelf would im- part it to, as well as being in Sub- ftance moft violently vomitive. Nay, in running calcined Antimony into Glafs, if the Fire is not brifk, and well managed, Part of the very fame mol- ten Mafs runs into Regulus, and Part into Glafs, fo little is the Difference between them. Indeed Regulus of Antimony it- felf cannot be prepared but by de- ftroying the external Sulphur : For C In- 34 Medical and Chemical Inftance, eight Parts of crude Anti- mony, fix Parts of crude Tartar, and three Parts of pure Nitre, made into a dry fine Powder, muft be thrown, by fmall Spoonfuls at a Time, into a red-hot Crucible, whence a very- great Deflagration immediately fuc- ceeds each Projection. At the Bot- tom of the Mafs, firft duly melted by a quick ftrong Fire, the Regulus is found fometimes more, fometimes lefs, as the Fire, &*c. are managed. It is a necefiary Caution to force down the Crufts, that are apt to form, at the Beginning of the Fufion, with an Iron Rod, or the like. Here a great Part of the external Antimo- nial Sulphur is confumed by the De- flagration, and the Tartar and Nitre being alfo forthwith alcalized by the - Fire, unite with the remaining Sul- phur, and fo form a Kind of Hepar Sulphuris, which diflblves, and takes up likewife, much of the reguline Subftancej (for Liver of Sulphur, melted Obfervations upon Antimony. 3 g melted with any Kind of Metal, dif- folves it, and even makes a Mafs fo- luble in Water) ; fo that by this Pro- cefs much the greater Part of the An- timony and Salts is turned into a Scoria, or a Kind of Crocus Anti- monii, on the Top of the Regulus ; and this efpecially if the Fufion is long continued. The Regulus, thus detached in a great Meafure from the fulphureous Part, becomes very ftrongly emetic, for the Reafon above affigned. Though this is a common Method of making Regulus of An- timony, at leaft in fmall Quantities ; yet it is far from giving fo large a Portion of Regulus, as may be had by feveral other Proceffes for it con-* fumes not only much of the fulphu- reous, but alfo of the reguline Part, by the violent and repeated Defla- grations, which rife in the Form of Flame, Fume, and Flowers, if catched in proper Veffels ; and thefe laft may be eafily reduced to Regulus again. C 2 Be- 36 Medical and Chemical Befides, the Proportion of the Salts is too great, for, being alcalized, and uniting with the Sulphur, they take up too much of the reguline Part, fo as to leave very little at Bottom, if a ftrong Fire is long continued. Much more Regulus, in Proportion, would have been yielded, if the Tar- tar and Nitre had been previously fired, and turned into what is called the black Flux. But, even in this Cafe, the melted Mafs fhould be poured off, or taken from the Fire, as foon almoft as it flows very thin ; elfe no fmall Part will evaporate by the Strength and Duration of the Fire, which alfo increafe the Pro- portion of the Scoria. But a much greater Quantity of Regulus is pro- duced by melting two Parts of clean Antimony with one Part of Iron- filings, or Bits of Nails, to which alfo one Part almoft of pure dry Salt- petre fhould be projected. This Pro- cefs gives almoft half Regulus. Here the Obfervations upon Antimony. 3 7 the Nitre in Part likewife burns off the Sulphur, but it is the Iron, that chiefly takes up the Sulphur, and unites with it into Scoria ; which, by-the-bye, finely powdered, and duly wafhed, may be ufed with as good or a better Effecl:, than the An- timonium Martiale Cache&icum of Ludovkus. I have repeatedly known it very ferviceable in a Leucophleg- matia, and an obftinate Fluor Albus. If crude Antimony is firft calcined by Fire, as for making the Glafs, or boiled repeatedly in frefh ftrong Lime-water, much of the Sulphur is carried off*, and the Stibium, thus managed, yields much more Regu- lus in Proportion than if crude An- timony had been fluxed ; but the Salts, ufed in fuch Cafe, fhould be very coniiderably lefs in Quantity than in the common Method, and alfo previoufly reduced to the black Flux. Monfieur Geoffroy fays, the incinerated Antimony, melted with C 3 about 3 8 Medical and Chemical about an equal Quantity of black Soap, gives down much more Regu-r lus than is to be had by the Methods of Kunkel) Stahl^ or any other, even nine or ten Ounces out of a Pound ; But I really never tried this Method, not having at Hand any true black Soap : Perhaps fome other falino- fulphureous Medium would do as well. Upon the Whole, however, this general Obfervation may be made, that where only fmall Quantities of Ingredients in this, or any other Af- fay, are fluxed at a Time, there will be always lefs Regulus in Propor- tion, than if the Procefs had been made with much larger Quantities, Befides, in Truth, there is a great Deal of Difference in Antimony it- felf, fome abounding with reguline Parts much more than others : Nay, Antimony, from the very fame Loaf, Differs in this considerably, according 2 as Obfervations upon Antimony. 3 9 as it is taken from the Bafis or Apex of the Cone. The Effects of Salts on Antimony will more fully appear, if we attend to the Operation of Nitre in Prepar- ing the common Liver of Antimony ; viz. if equal Parts of Antimony and Nitre, finely powdered, and inti- mately mixed, are deflagrated, and melted in a Crucible, or Iron Mor- tar, the Product is a Liver of Anti- mony, which fhould be feparated from the Scoria. In this Procefs the Sulphur is firft of all partly burnt off in the Conflagration : And, 2dly, the Remainder is eagerly imbibed by the Nitre, now alcalized by the in- tenfeHeat, which, by this Means, alfo diffolves, and intimately combines with, the reguline Part, juft as com- mon Hepar Sulphuris diffolves and takes up all Kinds of Metals. That this chiefly depends on the Alcaliza- tion of the Nitre, and its confequent Union with the Antimonial Sulphur, C . and 40 Mecfical and Chemical and thus forming a difiblving Liver of Sulphur, that combines with the pietallic Part of the Antimony, is evident ; for three Parts of Salt of Tartar, or Pot-a(h, fluxed with two Parts of Antimony, produce exadly the fame Effect, that is a Liver of Antimony, without the leaft Admix- ture or Help of any Nitre. And it is from the intimate Union of fo large a Portion of this Hepar Sulphuris with the metallic Part, that little or no Regulus is depofited, but only an uniform half-vitrified Subftance at the Bottom : Nay, if it be not fuffici- ently fluxed, it gives off no Scoria. However, if the Pot-afh and Anti- mony are quickly melted with a very brifk ftrong Fire, a Bit of Regulus, fometimes more, fometimes lefs, is fcund at the Bottom. But if a much lefs Quantity of the alcalious Salt is ufed, much lefs of the Antimonial Sulphur is taken up, and it fo forms what is called byMargraaf, Hoffman^ 3 an4 Obfervatwns upon Antimony. 41 and others, RegulusMedicinalis, that exerts but little emetic Power, there being Sulphur enough left to inve- lope the reguline Spicula. But when a much larger Quantity of fixed Al- cali Salts (as about two Parts to one of Antimony) is blended with it by Fufion, fo much of the Sulphur is taken up by the Salt, that little is left to fheath the reguline Parts fuf- ficiently to prevent their exerting a very draftic Power. The Liver of Antimony, made in the ufual Way, with equal Quantities of Nitre, lofes almoft twice as much in the Ope- ration, by the Deflagration, as that with the fixed Alcali ; but the latter is not fo glafly, and much more apt to relent by the Moifture of the Air, The Crocus, however, from either, if perfectly edulcorated, is nearly of the fame Strength. That indeed, prepared with half the Quantity of Nitre, is confiderably weaker, as jnuch lefs of the inveloping Sulphur is 42 Medical and Chemical is confumed, efpecially where a ftrong Fire is not ufed, and the Matter is taken off before the Scoria have well Time to feparate. Even the Scoria of the common Regulus of Anti- mony are of the very fame Nature, and a Kind of an Hepar Antimonii, which by a proper Flux may be ea- fily reduced in Part to a Regulus : So that whether alcalized Salt-petre, Pot-a(h, or Salt of Tartar, are melted with this fulphureous Mineral, a Li- ver of Antimony is produced, from which, duly wafhed, a Crocus Me- tallorum, or, more properly, Anti- monii. And as thefe hepatic Maffes are foluble in boiling Water, the So- lutions let fall an Antimonial Sul- phur, efpecially when precipitated with a vegetable or mineral Acid ; But this Sulphur is always more or lefs impregnated with reguline Par- ticles, particularly that of the firft Precipitation, whence it is always eonfiderably emetic. Nay, it is cer- tain Obfervations upon Antimony. 43 tain the reguline and fulphureous Parts of Antimony may be fo incor- porated with fixed Alcali Salts, that the Whole, almoft, of any Quantity of Antimony, melted with about an equal Part of Salt of Tartar, or Pot- afhes, may be thus turned into a Kind of Sulphur Auratum, as it is called ; which is itfelf, in Truth, no other than a very fulphureous Crocus Antimonii. The Cohefion however of the Salt, Sulphur, and Regulus, in this hepatic Concrete, is eafily dif- folved by pouring an Acid to its So- lution in Water, which ftrongly at- tracting the alcaline Salt, the fulphu- reous and reguline Parts foon fall to the Bottom. Nor are thefe latter very firmly united, as the alcalious Salt did, during the Flux, in fome Mea- fure detach the Antimonial Sulphur from the reguline Parts. It is evi- dent the Cohefion is but loofe ; other- wife fo great a Proportion of Sulphur, &$ is found in the Sulphur Auratum, would, 44 Medical and Chemical would, if very intimately combined with the reguline Parts, have fo fheathed up thefe Spicula, as to ren- der them incapable of impreffing any great Irritation on the Coats of the Stomach, &c. as is feen in crude An- timony, and its Regeneration from Sulphur and Regulus. Befides, tho' the firft Precipitation of the Sulphur Auratum is greatly impregnated with reguliae Parts, yet the fecond or third Precipitation holds exceeding- ly few, and is almoft intirely fulphu- reous, and fcarce at all emetic. If you would have this milder, or more light Sulphur, you fhould not pour on too much of the precipitating Acid at firft ; or rather fuffer the Antimonial Lixivium or Solution to ftand, for fome Days, expofed in a cold open Air ; for thus the impure reguline Sulphur will fall of itfelf; after which you may inftill the Acid as ufual ; and, if you do thus, by gentle Degrees, in fmall Quantities, after Observations upon Antimony. 45 after the fecond or third Precipita- tion, the Sulphur will fall almoft pure ; which fhews, that the Sul- phur in the hepatic Solution is not very clofely united with the Regulus. By the Way, however, as the Anti- monial Lixivium, from the Hepar, is fo fully fraught with reguline Par- ticles, and thefe fo much unfheath- ed, it is conftantly more or lefs e- metic, notwithftanding what Mon- fieur Lemery afferts to the Contrary. But that is not the only exceptiona- ble Thing in that Gentleman's ela- o borate Treatife on Antimony. As the Sulphur Auratum is now very frequently ufed in Medicine, more Exactnefs feems required in its Preparation than is commonly prac- tifed : For certainly the firft Preci- pitation differs not a little from the fubfequent, as being of a darker Co- lour, and greater fpecific Gravity, and of courfe more reo;uline. It is alfo vJ of fome Confequence how long the ftibiate 46 Medical and Chemical ftibiate Lixivium ftands before the Acid is poured on ; for by Time it will of itfelf drop much of the ful- phureo-reguline Subftance ; efpecial- ly if it is kept in an Atmofphere much impregnated with the Fumes of Vi- negar, Sulphur, or the like ; and, in fuch Cafe, the fucceeding Precipi- tate, with an Acid, will be much milder, as being lefs metallic, but more fulphureous. The Quantity and Quality of the precipitating Acid are alfo of Confequence. Vinegar may rather augment the emetic Power ; and Spirit of Salt, or Vitriol, may make a Precipitate not altoge- ther fo proper to mix with Calomel^ as in Dr. Plummers alterative Pill, &c. Great Care fhould be taken therefore in the Ablution of the Sul- phur Auratum ; for the acid Salts are not fo eafily warned off as fome would imagine, and it cannot be doubted but that fome of them fall with the Precipitate. Who would think Obfervations upon Antimony. 47 think fuch a Quantity of Salts lay hid in the Calx of Silver, precipitated out of a Solution of it in Aqua Fortis, by Sea- fait, which, though perfectly wafli- ed, and altogether infipid (as is the Luna Cornea, into which it readily melts) yet two Parts of this, inti- mately mixed with one Part of Re- gulus of Antimony, and diftilled, give a moft cauftic Kind of Butter of Antimony. But however light and pure the Antimonial Sulphur may be defired, if it doth not in fome De- gree participate of the Regulus, it can have no more Effect than com- mon Sulphur. The Kermes Mineral, once alto- gether as much celebrated (and with as good Reafon) as any Antimonial Noftrum now-a-days, is alfo a Kind of Liver of Antimony, and of the fame Nature with Sulphur Auratum,. though the Procefs in Preparation feems very different. It is made by boiling crude Antimony, powdered, 48 Medical and Chemical in a ftrong Lixivium of fixed or al- calized Nitre (Salt of Tartar or Pot- am will do full as well.) Here the alcalious Salts fix on the Sulphur, and unite with it ; whence a liquid Kind of Hepar Sulphuris, which dif- folves, or perhaps more properly takes up, and incorporates with, many of the reguline Parts : And thus in Reality it becomes a mild Sort of Crocus Antimonii, as is evident from its having fome emetic Power, and yielding a Regulus by a proper Flux. There is another Way of making a Sort of Kermes Mineral, or Sulphur Auratum, feldom or ever practifed, though I think really the beft ; and that is, by boiling crude Antimony, finely powdered, in a very ftrong Lime-water, for about an Hour, and then precipitating the ftrained De- coction with a Solution of crude Tartar, or its Cryftals, in boiling Water. This Deco&ion of crude An- Obfervations upon Antimony. 49 Antimony is as limpid as Fountain- water, but gathers, by Standing, a thin Film, moft beautifully varie- gated with all the Colours of the Rainbow. However, this perfectly limpid Liquor, on the Affufion of a vegetable or mineral Acid, imme- diately becomes turbid, and of a deep faffron Colour, and a great Deal of an orange- coloured Antimonial Sul- phur precipitates, juft as in the com- mon Way of precipitating the De- co&ion of the Scoria of the Regulus, or Hepar Antimonii. Though this Sulphur Auratum, as well as the other, like the alchemiftical Gold, fb much talked of, and expected, by the Adepts, is much greater in Pro- fpecl: than Reality ; for when duly wafhed, feparated, and dried, it fcarce amounts to the fortieth Part of what it feemed to be at the Time of Pre- cipitation. I take this Sulphur to be rather milder, and more fixed, than that from the Scoria : However, here D alfo 50 Medical and Chemical alfo is an Abundance of reguline Parts, as is evident from the orange Colour, and the emetic Quality, which this alfo poflefles. This De- coction may as well be precipitated with Juice of Lemons or Seville O- ranges (which give the brighteft-co- loured Precipitate) ; or by a Solution of Sal Ammoniac, or frefh Urine : Even common Saliva will do it ; for, on taking a Spoonful of this perfectly limpid Decoction into my Mouth, it in an Inftant turned intenfely yellow : So that not only vegetable and mi- neral Acids will precipitate this An- timonial Decoction, but like wife neu- tral Salts. This Decoction of Antimony in Lime-water ferves alfo to a further End ; for the Mineral, thus boiled, may be in a great Meafure deprived of its fuperficial Sulphur, efpecially if boiled a fecond or third Time in frefli ftrong Lime-water. And then the Powder, well wafhed and dried, Obfervations upon Antimony. 5 1 dried, is as fit for making Regulus, or Glafs of Antimony, as when the Stibium is roafted and calcined in the common Way. And perhaps Antimony, thus prepared, may be more effectual in many Cafes, than the Crude, when given internally : It often pukes, and purges gently, if given to ten or fifteen Grains, efpe- cially on the firft Ufe of it. It appears, then, from what hath been faid above, that Sulphur Aura- turn, Kermes Mineral, Ruffel\ Pow- der, or Wilforis Panacea of Antimony without Fire, are all of the fame Na- ture, though indeed fomewhat diffe- rent in their Strength, and pretty un- certain in their Operation ; and there- fore require a careful Hand to pre- pare, and a good Head to adminifter them with Advantage. For the re- guline Principle will be much more predominant in the Scoriae of the very fame Kind of Regulus of Anti- mony, if it is kept for a long Time D 2 in 5 2 Medical and Chemical in a brifk Fire, than it would be, if for a much fhorter Time; not to mention what I have faid before, as to the Manner of precipitating, &c. the Sulphur Auratum. And Kermes Mineral differs not a little, as pre- pared with a ftronger or weaker Lixi- vium, as more or lefs carefully wafh- ed and edulcorated, and as Spirit of Wine is, or is not, at laft deflagrated with it. Whoever would give them, fhould begin with fmall Dofes, as a Grain or two ; but, as he finds they agree, may gradually increafe to eight or ten, efpecially if they are intimate- ly incorporated with any refinous Extract, natural Balfam, or the like. But the Dofes fhould by no Means too quickly fucceed one the other ; for folid Antimonials may lie a con- fiderable Time in the Body with- out any fenfible Effect, and yet, at length, operate all on a Sudden, with exceeding great Violence ; particu- larly when Wine, Cyder, or any ve- getabje Qbfervations upon Antimony. getable Acid, are fwallowed upon them. Thdugh common Salt, fluxed with Antimony, feetns to do little more than promote its Fufion, and there- fore is commonly added, in fmall Quantities, in preparing Liver of An- timony, and Regulus Medicinalis, yet its highly concentrated Acid hath a very peculiar Effeci on the reguline Subftance, rendering it not only much more volatile, but likewife ex- eeflively cauftkj as is feen in com- mon Butter or Oil of Antimony ; for, in this Preparation, the fublimate Corroiive contributes nothing but its moft highly dephlegmated and moft penetrating acid Salt, which the Re- gulus more ftrongly attracts than the Mercury ; and thefe, uniting, form a moft corroiive Liquid, which comes over by Diftillation ; from which is precipitated, by the Affufion of com- mon Water, what is very improperly called Mercurius Vitae, as it hath no- D 3 thing 54 Medical and Chemical thing of Mercury in it but the Name* and is, in Truth, when duly edul- corated with boiling Water, a mere Regulus Antimonii, as plainly ap- pears when it is melted. Though there are feveral other Ways (and thefe too lefs dangerous) of making Butter of Antimony ; yet this Pro- cefs with fublimaie Corrofive fhews the Regulus naked as it were, when precipitated, and the Antimonial Sulphur left behind with the Mercu- ry, which are eafily fublimed into Cinnabar : So that this alfo con- firms the above Doctrine ; for with well purified Regulus Antimonii and fublimate Corrofive no Cinnabar can be prepared ; there being no more Sulphur in the Regulus than is bare- ly neceflary to preferve the metallic Form and Conftitution. I have but feldom ufed Mercurius Vitas in my Practice, and that many Years ago in fome maniacal Cafes: It always proved a very churlifli Me- 2 dicine, Qbfefvations upon Antimony. dicine, and I foon grew weary of it* If any one is inclined to try any Thing of this Kind, I would re- commend a Preparation of the cele- brated Dr. Stahl\ viz. pour by little at a Time, and flow Degrees, near treble the Quantity of good Alcohol Vini on rectified Butter of Antimo- ny, as a confiderable Heat at firft arifes on the Mixture, it immediate- ly grows milky, and a very white ge- latinous Kind of Mafs foon precipi- tates. This digefted for a Day or two, in a very gentle Heat, then fuf- ficiently edulcorated with boiling Water, dried and deflagrated with Spirit of Wine, gives a Powder much fofter in Operation than the com- mon Mercurius Vitas, though ftill emetic, and, as the Profeffor fays, greatly fudorific and anodyne. The Dofe three or four Grains. I find it fweats very largely, efpecially when it operates little by Vomit or Stool, as indeed moftof the draftic Antimonials D 4 will 56 Medical and Chemical will do. Maets recommends another Preparation of Mercurius Vitas, un- der the Title of Purgans ex Antimo- nio fecuriffimum; which is made by melting one Part of Mercurius Vitas with two Parts of Nitre, and then well grinding this Mafs with an e- qual Quantity of common Salt. This done, let the Salt be well wafhed off, and the Mafs well edulcorated. This indeed I find fo ftcure a Medicine, that it differs very little in Virtue from common Bezoar Mineral : The Reafon will eafily appear to any one, who confiders the following Obfer- vations : Antimonium Diaphoreticum, and Cerufs of Antimony, are little more than the dead Allies of that Mineral, deprived of its internal or metalli- zing Sulphur by repeated Deflagra- tions with Salt-petre ; fo that I think little can be ex peeled from them in a medicinal Way, both the one and the other being an inactive Calx, in 3 which Obfervations upon Antimony. 5 7 which the reguline Form and Con- texture are quite deftroyed ; info- much that Aqua Regia, which ads fo readily on crude Antimony, or its Regulus, will not touch thofe, much lefs diffolve them : An Argument, that the metallic Nature of the An- timony is greatly deftroyed in thefe Preparations. And though they are both reducible, by a proper Flux, to Regulus again, yet never without the Addition of fome Phlogifton, or fulphureous Subftance. And thus indeed may any Calx of Antimony, prepared in the humid or dry Way, be converted into Regulus by Flux- ing in clofe Veflels with fome in- flammable Ingredient : Which {hews, that both the Form and Virtue of the Regulus depend, in a great Meafure, on the fulphureous Principle, as well as the metallic Earth. I know not whether it may be here worth no- ting by the Way, that Antimonial Calx, reduced with mineral Sulphur, takes 5 8 Medical and Chemical takes a ftriated Form ; but with ail animal or vegetable Phlogiflon the laminated Appearance of common Regulus of Antimony. Is this from the vitriolic Acid only ? Mercurius Vitae, fluxed perfe, hath alfo this acu- leated or needle-like Appearance: Whence ? This likewife is really the Cafe in the moft perfect metallic Bodies, which lofe their Metalleity, as Becker* calls it, as Malleability , and other me- tallic Properties, by an intire De- ftru&ion of their internal metallic or combining Sulphur, as is feen when Metals are calcined by the Burning- glafs, or an intenfe culinary Fire. This internal Sulphur is probably what Albertus Magnus means by the Humidum unduofum fubtile, which, he fays, is the prima Materia Metallorum, and is intirely analo- gous to the combining Sulphur, or Oil of Vegetables, which binds the very Particles of the Stamina and orga- Okfervations upon Antimony. 50 organifed Parts together, and which, when totally burnt off, leaves the Whole in Afhes. But here, by the Way, it feems evident, that the ful- phureous Pabulum, fo necefiary to the Reduction of an Antimonial Calx, is very different from the very Sub- ftance of Light, or Fire : For though a vaft Deal of the aftual Light, or Fire, adheres to the Calx, as is mani- feft from the great Augmentation of Weight in calcining Regulus of An- timony by the Sun-beams, or a cu- linary Fire, yet it by no Means con- tributes to its metallic State ; on the Contrary it quite deftroys it; and the Sun-beams, or Particles of Fire, do not combine, but fcatter, the regu- line or metallic Parts, by deftroying the Bond of Union, the internal Sul- phur. In like Manner Oil of Vitriol, or Spirit of Nitre, two concentrated and exceedingly fiery Acids, tear abroad Regulus of Antimony, and reduce it to a Calx, by letting loofe the 60 Medical and Chemical the Phlogifton, or fulphureous Prin- ciple, whence the metallic Subftance is quite decompofed. And that this is the Cafe, feems evident from the very ftrong fulphureous Smell, that arifes, when thefe Acids are poured on Antimony. Indeed Oil of Vitriol takes up the inflammable Part of Antimony, and unites with it into an actual mineral Sulphur. It feems then, that thefe fiery Acids act on Antimony very nearly in the fame Manner as the Sun-beams, or actual .Fire ; and this is one Argument, amongft many others, of the very great Affinity between Light and . Acids ; which Sir Ifaac Newton long ago hinted. That the Deftru&ion of the in- ternal Sulphur of the reguline Sub- flance, in thefe Calcinations, is the Deftrudtion of the reguline Form, and of courfe of the emetic Power of the Antimony, appears in Part from what I have faid above, and will be more Obfervations upon Antimony . 6 1 more manifeft by attending to the following Experiments. If merely equal Quantities of Antimony and Nitre are deflagrated, and melted to- gether, only fo much of the external inveloping Sulphur is confumed, as to leave the reguline Spicula naked, and capable of very ftrongly irritat- ing; the Coats of the Stomach, &c. O ' But if three Parts of Nitre are taken to one of Antimony, by the repeated ftrong Deflagration, not only the ex- ternal but the internal Sulphur alfo is totally diflipated, and the Mafs re- duced to an inert Calx. Thus like- wife Iron, Tin, and Copper, with a double or treble Quantity of Nitre, are reduced to Afhes, and demetal- lized. A little more than two Parts of pure Nitre to one of Regulus An- timonii reduces it to an innoxious Calx, as there is much lefs Sulphur to be burnt off in the Regulus than in the crude Antimony : And about an equal Quantity of Salt-petre quite de- 62 Medical and Chemical deftrpys the Virulence of Glafs of Antimony, as in it there remained only juft Sulphur enough to preferve the reguline Nature. So five Parts of Nitre to two of Merciirius Vitae convert it into an inactive Subftance, or Kind of Bezoar Mineral. But of this enough What Nitre doth by Deflagration, the Burning-glafs doth by the intenfe Force of the concen- trated Sun-beams ; by which Anti- mony, its Regulus, and Glafs, are turned to a mere Calx, the Whole of the Sulphur being quite burnt up. Nay, when any of thefe are a long Time expofed to the Aclion even of a common ftrong Fire, they are re- duced to mere Afhes, which can neither be run into Regulus or Glafs again, but by the Help of fome Phlogifton, as animal, vegetable, or mineral Sulphur. And the fame is neceflary to the Reduction of the Calx of Iron, Tin, Copper, &c. That there remains no Sulphur in any Obfervations upon Antimony. 63 any Antimonial Calx, fo prepared, is manifeft, in that no one of them will deflagrate with Nitre, nor be reduced to a reguline State, without adding fome Phlogifton. That the reguline Nature and Contexture are deftroyed in thefe Preparations, ap- pears in that they are not at all ad> ed upon by Aqua Regia, which fb perfectly and readily diflblves any Antimonial Regulus : And hence alfo they are utterly devoid of an emetic Quality. But in all thefe Calcinations with Nitre, three Parts at leaft of that Salt muft be ufed to one of the crude An- timony, or the internal Sulphur will not be fufficiently burnt off, and the reguline Spicula fo far deftroyed as to leave an inert Calx ; For if two Parts only of Salt-petre are employed, it proves ftill emetic, as is feen in what Boerhaave calls Antimonii Emeticum rnitius : So alfo if the Nitre be con- iiderably reduced, in the Prepa- ration 64 Medical and Chemical ration of the Cerufs of Antimony, that likewife will remain very draf- tic. If equal Quantities of Nitre and Glafs of Antimony are expofed for fome Time, in a clean Crucible, to a brifk Fire, a very beautiful Calx, or Diaphoretic Antimony, comes out, but altogether inactive : If twoThirds however, or Half only, of Nitre is ufed, the Calx is nothing fo white (the Sulphur not being quite burnt off) y and thence it remains ftill eme- tic, efpecially if only half Sal t-petre is projected with the Antimony. Upon this Foundation may be made feveral Sorts of Antimonial Powders, more or lefs active, as more or lefs Nitre is ufed ; which, prepared with Care, and given with Judgment, may prove of considerable Service in Medicine, much more fo furely than the common Antimonium Diapho- reticum, or Cerufs of Antimony. But, in all thefe Calcinations, not only the Quantity, but the Quality alfo, Qbfervations upon Antimony. 6 5 alfo, of the Salt-petre jfliould be well confidered ; for fome Nitre greatly abounds with common Salt, and lience lefs corrects, as it is called, or rather deftroys, the Regulus. But I greatly prefer the Infufion of the Glafs, Regulus, or Crocus of Antimony, in found generous Wine, to any other Preparation of that Mi- neral, as by far the moft certain, fafe, and effectual ; and the Vinurn An- timoniale made with the Glafs, or Regulus, I think the beft : For un- lefs the Liver of Antimony is care- fully prepared with a due Quantity of Nitre, and a proper Degree of Fire, it cannot be depended on, as being fometimes ftronger, fometimes weaker, and fometimes it throws up no feparable Scoriae ; which makes it, CczterisparibuS) considerably weaker* Belides, the Hepar fhould be finely powdered, and well edulcorated with repeated Ablutions (or rather De- co&ions) in hot Water; otherwife E much 66 Medical and Chemical much of the alcalized Nitre will ad- here to the hepatic Crocus, and e- nervate the Power of the vinous Men- ftruum. This was not formerly at- tended to fo much as it ought to have been; and I well remember, when the Vinum Benedidhim, as then called, was ftrangely different the one from the other. Certainly, when prepared with true Glafs of Antimony, or pure Regulus, there is not this Uncertainty. If the mar- tial Regulus is ufed, it may in fome fmall Degree alfo participate of a ferrugineous Principle. The Wine fhould be always carefully filtered, after fufficient Infufion. In this In- fufion of the Glafs or Regulus of Antimony on Wine, the reguline Subftance is diffolved by that fapo- naceous, fpirituous, tartareous Men- ftruum, and the reguline Part be- comes moft highly attenuated ; o- therwife it would not fo readily pafs 3 with Qbfervations upon Antimony. 6 7 With the Wine through the clofeft Filtre, and remain fo long fufpended, and intimately incorporated with the Wine, and fo remain for Years to- gether. So that Antimony, fo pre- pared, is in folutis Principiis, as it were ; or rather is thus rendered a Kind of highly fubtilized liquid Tar- tar Emetic, which pofleffes the whole Power and Virtue of Stibium, as it is potent enough to give a very ftrong Irritation to the Stomach and In- teftines, if taken to the Quantity of an Ounce or two ; and yet, in a fmaller Dofe of two or three Drachms, it only caufes a Naufea, gentle Puke, and a Stool or two, if neither a Sweat, or very high Perfpiration : But, from thirty to fixty or eighty Drops, it generally proves merely an Altera- tive and Diaphoretic, pailing through the inmoft Recefles, and ultimate Ramifications, of the whole vafcular Syftem, with little or no Difturbance E 2 to 68 Medical and Chemical to Nature, and yet evidently pro- motes all the animal Secretions and Excretions, particularly thofe of the Skin, Inteftines, urinary Paffages, and falival Duds, by gently irritating the whole nervous and vafcular Corn- pages. As this Antimonial Wine then fo readily mixes with the Blood and animal Humours, and paffes off fo freely and eafily through all the Out- lets of the Body, it may be given with Safety, and repeated with Suc- cefs, two, three, or even four Times in twenty- four Hours, in fmall Dofes, and fo continued for Days together: Whereas the folid Antimonial Pre- parations are very uncertain in their Operation, fome times lying a long Time in the Stomach and Bowels be- fore they exert any feniible Effect ; and then, at once, irritating with fo much Violence and Obftinacy, that the Patient is too often quite ex- haufted Obfervations upon Antimony. 69 haufted before the Force of the An- timonial. And this is not a little to be feared, and fometimes actually happens, when Kermes Mineral, Sul- phur Auratum, Crocus Antimonii mitior, and even Regulus Medici- nalis, and other ftibiate Powders, or Pills, are given, and too foon and frequently repeated, as every one muft know, who hath freely dealt in fuch Sort of Medicines ; a Hyperca- tharfis fometimes, all at once, and unexpectedly coming on, efpecially on drinking a Glafs of Wine, Cyder, or other vegetable Acids. Befides, when Antimonials are given in Subftance, they muft firft undergo a Diffolution in the Sto- mach, before they can pafs the Lac- teals, and be mixed with the Blood, fo as to act as Alteratives, Diapho- retics, &c. Now, in this liquid Pre- > * i. paration the reguline Part is already diffolved, and moft exquifitely atte- E 3 nuated, Medical and Chemical nuated, fo that it paffes into the Blood with the utmoft Facility. It fhould be moreover obferved, that, in this Form, Antimony may be given in the moft agreeable Manner, without even being perceived, or creating any more Diftafle than the Wine it was made on. A Thing of fome Confe- quence truly, when we have to do with fqueamim Patients, particularly with Children, to whom it may be necefiary to give repeated Dofes of the Medicine. It is certainly then much in Favour of this Preparation, that it is fo agreeable, and may be fo ea- lily concealed, and given in any proper Liquor ; and this, I fay, to Children, as well as grown Perfons. There is many Times the ftrongeft Indication for puking and purging them, and yet it is extremely diffi- cult to give them the common Me- dicines ufual on fuch Occasions ; whereas the Antimonial Wine may be Obfervations upon Antimony. 7 1 be given in their common Drink with the utmoft Eafe and Safety. I have very frequently given it with Succefs, from ten to thirty Drops, to Children cf a Year or two old, in the Chin-cough, and afthmatic Op- preffions, when an Attempt to force down more naufeous Medicines had endangered a Suffocation and Con- vulfions. Should it be imagined, that this Medicine, being fo fafe and eafy, can have no great Efficacy as an Altera- tive and Diaphoretic ; I anfwer, that as it is capable, in a proper Dofe, of irritating the Stomach and Inteftmes fo ftrongly, it cannot be fuppofed, even in very fmall Dofes, to lie in- active in the fanguineous and lym- phatic Arteries ; and both feems, and eventually is, exceedingly well a- dapted to ftimulate and fcour the whole vafcular Syftem. In Confir- mation of this, we find, that when 4 a pret- 7 2 Medical and Chemkat, a pretty large Dofe of the Eflence of Antimony is given, as three or four Drachms, for Inftance, a large Sweat almoft always rucceeds, if it is not immediately thrown up by Vomit. By thus keeping up then, and quick- ening, the Action of the Veffels on the contained Fluids, the general Circulation of the Humours is moft effectually promoted ; and indeed fome fuch a Stimulus is very often highly neceffary in the ultimate Ra- mifications of the fanguineous, fe- rous, and lymphatic Arteries, where the Motion is naturally exceeding flow, and where Stagnation, and confequent Corruption of the Serum and Lymph, are very apt to generate a putrid Col lu vies. I think one of the Ufes of Salts of all Kinds, efpecially of common Salt, is to act as a general Stimulus ; and hence the moderate Ufe of it is fo falutary. By thus univerfally Simulating therefore not only the greateft, butalfo the fmalleft 3 Veffels Obfervations upon Antimony. 73 Veffels of the Body, this Medicine greatly tends to remove all Obftruc- tions formed, or forming, even in the minuteft Canals ; and hence moft fuccefsfully promotes the natural Se- cretions and Excretions ; in which, duly performed, Health itfelf con- fids. In obftinate Rheumatifms then, in cold fcorbutic Affections, in moft cutaneous Difeafes, in afthmatic, leu- cophlegmatic, and i&eric Diforders, in old ftubborn Head-aches, Verti- go, Epilepfy, and Mania, Antimo- nials are very ufeful, and the Vi- num Antimoniale in particular. In my own Practice I have had nume- rous Inftances of its Succefs in the above Cafes, and have likewife had the Pleafure of finding it fuccefs- fully ufed by feveral eminent Practi- tioners. Let me further add, before I quit the Subject, that I very frequently give 74 Medical and Chemical give this Antimonial Wine, or Ef- fence of Antimony, as I call it, in fome acute as well as chronic Difor- ders, and particularly in flow Fevers, low irregular Intermittents and Re- mittents, in catarrhal Fevers, in a Peripneumonia Nctha, and even in a true Peripneumony, after proper E- vacuations, towards the Clofe, when the Spitting is prematurely fuppref- fed, and great Anxiety and Difficulty of Breathing come on. In like Cir- cumftances, it is very proper in the Small-pox alfo ; and I have had the Satisfaction, through divine Good- nefs, of feeing it many Times very happily fucceed in many defperate Cafes ; the Expectoration returning fometimes with a gentle Vomiting, fometimes a Stool or two, and fome- times a univerfal kindly Sweat. The Kermes Mineral was formerly given in fuch Cafes with aftonifhing Suc- cefs, and operated much in the fame Man- Obfervations upon Antimony. 7 5 Manner : However, I well know the Eflence of Antimony is much more fafe and certain ; though the Pow- der had a furprifing Reputation in France and Germany r , about thirty or forty Years ago, and with Juftice too, when properly timed and dofed ; but the too precipitate and injudi- cious Ufe of it foon brought it into Difrepute. And this is generally the Fate of all empirical Medicines, which are cried up as good in all Cafes, and at all Times ; for, though they may be really good in them- felves, under a proper Adminiftra- tion, yet the indifcriminate and im- prudent Ufe of them too often ren- ders them Poifons inftead of Anti- dotes ; as hath, in Truth, been the Cafe with fome more modern Ar- cana. To conclude, I do not pretend that the Obfervations I have here laid down are altogether new ; I allow 76 Medical and Chemical allow that far the greater Part of them are commonly known, and as fuch I produce them, without par- ticular Quotations from particular Authors, or fetting down Proceffes at large, which may be eafily con- fulted in the common Books of Che- miftry ; knowing alfo that there are feveral other Ways of Working, in the great Way, much more com- modious and cheap, by faving Salt- petre, &* c. But, if I miftake not, I have, in fome Meafure, given a new Light into the Nature of Stibium ; at leaft have made it more obvious to the younger Part of fuch, whofe Bufinefs it is to prepare and exhibit Antimonials, than they will readily find in any one fingle Treatife. And, as ftibiate Medicines are now fomuch in Vogue, this little Piece may not be an improper Thing to be put in- to the Hands of Students in Phyfic : Perhaps it may excite even fome of the Obfervations upon Antimony. 7 7 the more experienced to improve and afcertain the Virtues and Dofes of Antimonials, which at prefent are not a little undetermined. Befides, I had alfo a further View in drawing it up, which is to recom- mend the Ufe of what I have called Effence of Antimony, or the Vinum Antimoniale (for the Aromatic in it is of no great Importance), as much the moft fafe and ufeful Preparation thereof. I have ufed a great Variety of Antimonial Medicines for near thirty Years ; and muft fay, from fufficient Experience, I greatly pre- fer this to any other, though I am far from condemning all the folid Preparations of Antimony ; but I afTert no one of them hath greater or better Effects in Medicine than this ; and very few, if any, can be given with equal Safety. I think I may fay of many of them, in the Words of Celfus, " His varie medici utun- " tur, 78 Medical and Chemical) &c. " tur, ut magis, quid quifque per- " fuaferit fibi, appareat, quam quid " evidenter compererit." But, after all, it is not this or that Medicine, or Preparation, will cure a Difeafe, unlefs prudently made Ufe of. A Man may as perfectly well know how to make a Hatchet, a Hammer, or a Saw, as a Chemift how to make fuch or fuch particular Medicines ; and yet the firft may be as far from being a good Carpenter, as the fecond from being a good Phyfician : The Arcanum is how to ufe them- University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. DC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 000107946 6 K , s/V W, .. W. '*ms , z j* v ^. VV^T^FW?" ,.y^V A 1^ ^w:-; rw^- :Vw6ii