Take, of the aforefaid glass of antimony, as much as you please; pound it in a clean iron mortar, and fift it through a fine lawnfieve; then grind, or levigate it, on a mooth marble stone, to an impalpable powder. Take alfo dragon's blood, dried and powdered. To four ounces of your levigated glafs, put one ounce of this dragon's blood; grind them very well together; and with good fack, or rich mountain wine, make into a mass for pills, of about one grain and a half each, which is a full dofe for a man or woman.

The drop, fo called, is made by putting about half an ounce of your levigated glass of antimony, into a quart of the richeft malaga mountain, or fack. Shake them well together, and let them ftand two or three days to fettle, and grow clear. Then pour it off

gently, to be quite fine.

The full dofe (half an ounce) is for a man or woman: but beft to begin with the half or two thirds, according to age or ftrength of conftitution.

OBSERVATIONS. Common glafs of antimony, as fold at the fhops, though reckoned a very rough medicine, is, F find, prefcribed in difpenfatories from two to eight grains: there fore I fhall make the following obfervations upon it.

First, as I have made large quantities of glafs of antimony for Mr. Ward; fo I find a very effential difference between what I made by the foregoing process, and what I have bought in the fhops: mine Being of a brighter red, much fofter, and not fo harth and gritty in the pulverifation, and leviga

tion: whence I imagine, that the glafs of antimony imported, is not prepared from pure antimony, or not genuinely prepared.

Secondly, I apprehend that, where it has been prescribed, and given inwardly, it has only been powdered and fifted; whereby it is not reduced to the hundredth part of the fineness to which it is brought by the aforesaid levigation, if duly performed. It is well known to the learned in chemistry, that, by trituration*, feveral roughs bodies may be rendered soft and fmooth: corrofive mercury, by repeated operations, is changed from a violent poison to a fafe medicine, frequently prescribed, ever for children. I have found, by experience, that the pill and drop is a fafe and very efficacious medicine, when prepared, as before directed.

I muft farther obferve, that, by grinding and incorporating the vi trified antimony with the dragon's blood, which is a balfamic gum, the medicine is rendered still more foft and smooth.

Attefted December 1, 1762,
; by me,

JOHN WHITE.

The editor then proceeds to give us a few obfervations on the good effects of thefe medicines, and the oppofition they at first met: with; after which he favours us with the following useful remarks on their virtues, and the cautions neceflary to be observed under them.

C

The drop, fo called, (though not with ftrict propriety, as appears from the manner of preparing it) has been ufually given in

dif

diforders occafioned by foul ftomachs, and indigeftion. It generally operates as an emetic, as it did with me; yet, fometimes it moves both ways; as does the pill. They both make the patient fick, very much like fea-fickness, for a fhort time before the difcharge, if upwards, and the ftomach be loaded with a great quantity of very foul matter; but not otherwife. If the ftomach be thus foul, the putting the matter into motion must occafion 'ficknefs, in proportion to its quantity, and quality; but it came from me, and I have feen it do the fame in others, with more eafe, and lefs ftraining, than is occafioned by the emetics ufually given.

With this medicine it is not neceffary to drink large quantities, to gorge the ftomach. Half a pint of warm water, or thin gruel, when the fickness comes on, may generally fuffice. When that is When that is come away, and the retching over, for that time, half a pint more may be taken; going on thus, till the ficknefs returns no more.

I have taken about three of thefe emetic drops, treating them in the manner above defcribed; and do not remember that any of them worked more than fix times; not always fo often; yet they may work oftener, where the peccant matter, to be brought away, is more abundant.

The full dofe, in which it will be made up and fold, is for a

man or woman.

For young perfons, it must be proportioned to the refpective age and strength of each individual.

Even full-grown people, if of weakly conftitutions, may abate of the full quantity, for the fir time, at least.

The editor then adds, that he thinks himself obliged to inform the public, that the book, left him by the late Mr. Ward (fup. pofed to contain full and clear res ceipts for preparing all the medicines he made ufe of) does not upon examination, fully answer that end.

What the omiffions and inaccu racies are to be imputed to, fays, he is not able to determine All he knows is, that fome few re ceipts are not yet found in thi book; and fome alterations, i not mistakes, appear in the entr of others. However, by the hel of the chemifts employed by Mr Ward, and other information, b he has been enabled to get defects fupplied and rectified, t his fatisfaction.

tho

It must be confeffed (he fays that the receipts for preparing t two original medicines, viz. the p and drop, are as yet no when discovered in the book: but th Mr. Ward has owned to him, tha the principal ingredient in them antimony, prepared in a particu lar manner: every circumftane attending their operation, he alfo told, confirms it; and M White +, (perfuaded that glafs antimony, prepared by him, fo Mr. Ward, was the effential in gredient made ufe of in thefe me dicines) affures him, that he ha fong made and adminiftered the in his family, &c. and upon comparison as well of their opera tion

ion, as analifation, he found them, at that time, to anfwer exactly to thofe made by Mr. Ward.

For thefe reafons, and others which he forbears to mention, he as no doubt that the above receipts point out the genuine and eft manner of preparing the pill and drop.

The true and genuine method of preparing the WHITE DROP. Pound and bruife fourteen bruife fourteen pounds of the cleaneft copperas nto a rough powder; then dry it with a very gentle heat, fpreading t thin till it becomes a dry and ubtile powder, to appearance like quick-lime, only much whiter. Care must be taken at the begining of the drying, that the heat e very moderate, otherwise it vill melt, and fhut up the pores of the copperas, and greatly inure your future operation.]

When your copperas is thus beome dry and fubtile, which may e done in about fix or seven days, veigh it, and take an equal quanity of good and clean rough nitre, rfaltpetre, which let alfo be toerably dry. Pound your nitre nd dried copperas together, and ft them through an indifferently ine hair fieve, and then put them nto a large glass retort, coated at he bottom, and fet it in a fand urnace let not your retort be bove an inch from the bottom nd fides of your fand pan: ix on a very large receiver, and ate it; but leave a fmall ventole in the joint, by ticking in he point of a small fkewer, to let at the wind (which will iffue rom the matter at the firft making if your fire) by drawing it out, nd putting it in, as you fhall fee ccafion, to prevent your retort VOL. VI.

or receiver's burting. Make a gentle fire for the first three hours; then increase it gradually for three or four hours longer, till your iron pan be red at bottom; continue your fire for about thirty hours; then let it out, and when all is cool, you will have a moft powerful aqua fortis. Put it into a bottle, and ftop it clofe; let it ftand fix or eight days (the longer the better) to digeft itfelf.

Put this aqua fortis into a glafs retort, let it be about half, or two thirds full, fet it in your fandheat, and fix on a receiver, which need not be very large: make an indifferent fire, till all your aqua fortis is come over into your receiver, leaving behind only a brown reddifh earth, which was forced over by the violence of the fire in the firft diftillation. Thus you have a most strong and pure aqua fortis.

[As I have never been able to procure any aqua fortis, proper for making the faid drops, but what I made myfelf, I have here fet down a true and full process for making it.]

Take of your rectified aqua fortis as much as you pleafe; put it into a large bolt-head, with a long neck, but not above a quarter full. Then take of the pureit and fineft volatile fal ammoniac, in which there is not the leat acid falt, or lime.

[As I have ufually bought this volatile falt ready made, and doubt not but it may be had pure and genuine at Apothecaries-hall, I have omitted here fetting down the procefs for making it, having bought it of Mr. Godfrey, chemift.]

To fixteen ounces of the aforefaid aqua fortis in your bolt-head,

take seven ounces of the faid volatile fal ammoniac, and, by half an ounce at a time, put it into your bolt-head, to your aqua fottis, immediately ftopping the mouth of your bolt-head, till the fermentation is over; yet not fo close but to leave fome fmall vent, for fear the wind, caufed by the violent fermentation, fhould burft your glafs. When all your fal ammoniac is in, let it ftand two or three hours, till the fumes are fettled.

[N. B. This is the right and exact proportion; if your operations in making your aqua fortis are rightly performed, and your volatile fal ammoniac be good and pure.]

Now put it into a finaller bolthead, half full, and fet it in a moderate fand-heat; when it is warm, put in four ounces of the finest quickfilver to each pound (of fixteen ounces) of your folution, and let it ftand in the heat till all the quickfilver is diffolved. Increase your fire a little, and put in a fmall quantity more of quickfilver, thus letting it diffolve, by gentle additions, as much as will. When it will diffolve no more, take it out of the bolt-head, put it into an open glafs veffel, or a white large ftone bowl. [I generally cut off a large glafs bedy in the middle.] Set it in a moderate fand-heat, and let it evaporate till a pellicle or fkin comes over the top of it. Then take it from the fire, and let it ftand in a cool place to congeal. [Great care must be taken that your heat be not too great in your evaporation, nor continued too long, or it would coagulate, and mix the corrofive oil (which is to be poured off after its congeal

ment) with the fine pure falt, and quite fpoil the medicine.]

There will remain uncongealed, a heavy liquor, or oil, which pour off, and let it drain until no more will run or drop from it. Take the remaining falt, put it into a glafs body, and to each pound (fixteen ounces) put three pounds of the fineft rofe-water, ftopping the mouth of your body by tying over it a piece of doubled brown paper. Set it again in your fand-heat, make an indifferently hot fire, till all your falt is diffolved, which is ufually done in twenty-four hours. Thus the White Drop is prepared.

OBSERVATION.

This medicine, thus rendered extremely mild, cannot poffibly be accounted dangerous, feeing that, in the cafe of two drops, ufually taken in twenty-four hours, the quantity of mercury does not amount to half a grain.

Attefted Dec. 1, 1762, by me,

JOHN WHITE.

To this Mr. Page adds, that this White Drop was wholly and conftantly prepared by Mr. White for Mr. Ward. That, as to himself, being neither chemift nor phyfician, he does not pretend to fay any thing as to the nature of this excellent antifcorbutic medicine, and therefore fhall confine himself merely to its effects; which, under his eye, have been very extraordinary in the feveral ftages of that distemper, and even where the patients have been fuppofed to derive their diforders from their pa

perhaps the greatest known antifcorbutic, and beft purifier of the blood; fo he cannot help flattering himfelf with a hope, that they would be a great prefervative against that fatal diftemper, which deftroys in a year fo many of our brave feamen, and often occafions national loffes and difappointments in the most important undertakings:

Late Mr. WARD'S SWEATING POWDER, No. I. according to his Book.

Take ipecacuanha, liquorice, and opium, each one ounce. Nitre and vitriolated tartar, each four ounces. Fulminate.

Beat them in a mortar with the opium; fift through a fine fieve to the ipecacuanha and liquorice: mix well by fifting.

The dofe from twenty to forty grains.

It appears at firft view, that Mr. Ward muft have made a miftake in ordering nitre and vitriolated tartar to be fulminated together for vitriolated tartar will not fulminate with nitre: where fore I apprehend that the manner in which thofe ingredients are to be prepared, muft neceffarily be as follows, viz.

Take four ounces of refined ni tre, and the fame quantity of vitriolated tartar. Rub them toge ther in a mortar into a powder. Take a crucible, (not of the blue fort) fet it in the fire; and when it begins to be red, put in about half of your nitre and tartar, ftirring it about with an iron rod. There will arife red fumes; which take care to avoid, for they are noxious, When the red fumes ceafe, put in the remainder of your matter, ftir ring it as before, till no more fumes

arife. Then pour it into an iron mortar; and, when cool, put to it opium, ipecacuanha, and liquorice powder, of each one ounce; pound and fift them through a lawn fieve, then mix them all together.

N. B. The ipecacuanha muft be picked of fuch a fort as will break eafily, and not of the tough woody fort.

After thefe powders are thus prepared, they fhould be fpread thin upon white ftone difhes, and fet in a cool place for about two days; mixing them well together, and fpreading them again twice a day. Then dry them before the fire, or fome gentle heat.

JOHN WHITE.

SWEATING POWDERS,No.II. Take common tartar, and refined nitre, each one pound; fulminate them together in a crucible, or iron pot, which will reduce them to about fifteen ounces after the fulmination. To these add of white hellebore, and liquorice powder, each fix ounces; powder all thefe together, and fift them through a fine lawn fieve.

Dofe, from twenty-five to fifty grains.

For, it is to be obferved, that Mr. Ward advised fuch of his patients as had never taken any of his fweats, to begin with half a paper only, (containing the full dofe) and to increase the quantity, or not, according to its operation, or the age and ftrength of the pa

tient.

Mr. Ward's fweating powders, from what I have feen and felt, are, in my opinion, the the most excel lent of all fweats, for removing rheumatic and other pains, occafioned by obftructions. I 2

They

1