On the internal life and EffeSIs of Phofpboj'us. 8^ 



2. He himfelf had, as he expreffes it, the imprudence to take two or three grains of folid 

 ■phofphorus, fimply united with theriaca. The confequences were dreadfully alarming. His 

 tirft fenfation was that of a burning heat in the region of the ftomach, which organ appeared 

 to him to be filled with gas, and even emitted elaftic fluid by the mouth. In this ftiocking 

 Hate of torment, he endeavoured but in vain, to caufc himfelf to vomit, and found no relief 

 but by drinking cold water from time to time. His pains, were, at length affuaged ; but 

 the following day an aftonifhing mufcular force was developed through the whole habit, 

 with an almoft irrcfiftible difpofition to exert that force. The efFeft of the medicine at length 

 terminated after a violent priapifm. 



3. In many circumftances the author has employed, or continues to prefcribe, phofphorus 

 internally, with the greateft fuccefs, to reftorc and eftablifli the forces of young perfons 

 exhaufted by too frequent fenfual indulgence. He dcfcribes the procefs by which he 

 divides the phofphorus into very fmall particles. He agitates the phofphorus in a bottle filled 

 with boiling water, by which means it becomes divided into globules ; and by afterwards 

 continuing to agitate the bottle beneath cold water, he obtains a kind of precipitate or very 

 fine powder of phofphorus, which he levigates gently with a fmall quantity of oil and fugar, 

 and dilutes the whole in the yolk of an egg, to be ufed as a lohoch. By the help of this 

 medicine he has performed cures, remarkable for the fpeedy refloratioa jof ftrength obtained 

 by his patients. » 



4. In malignant fevers, the internal ufe of phofphorus, to flop the progrefs of gangrene, 

 fucceeded beyond all hope. The author relates feveral inftances. 



5. Pelletier related to him, that having neglected a portion of phofphorus in a copper bafon, 

 the metal was oxyded, and remained fufpended in the water ; that having, by accident, 

 thrown this water into a fmall court where ducks were kept, thofe birds drank of it, and 

 every one died ; but the male covered the females to the laft inftant of his life : an obfervation 

 which agrees with the fa£t of tlie priapifm which the author experienced. 



6. The author relates a fa£t, which fhews the aftonifhing divifibility of phofphorus. Hav- 

 ing ufed, in the treatment of a patient, certain pills, into the compofition of which a quantity 

 of phofphorus, amounting at moft to one-fourth part of a grain, entered ; he found upon 

 theoccafion of opening the body, that all the internal parts were luminous, and even the hands 

 of the operator, though wafhed and well dried, preferved the phofphoric light for a confider- 

 able time. 



7. The phofphoric acid ufed as a lemonade, proved very advantageous in the cure of a 

 great number of diforders. 



8. Leroi affirms, that having oxyded iron with phofphorus, he obtained a white oxyd, 

 fcarccly reducible by the ordinary methods, which he thinks may be advantageoufly fubftituted 

 inftead of white lead, in the arts, particularly in oil and enamel paintings. This white oxyd 

 of iron produced a very ftrong naufea in the author, who ventured to place a particle upon 

 his tongue. He does not hefitate to confider it as a dreadful poifo^i. He could not reduce it 

 but by fixed alkali and phofphoric glafs, 



g. The 



