334 EARLY MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS. \_AugUSt, 



of heaven and currents of the great deep. Can a Harvey or a 

 Griffiths enlighten the understanding of an ignorant but humble 

 inquirer as to the mode of existence and manner of propagation 

 of this remarkable pelagic vagrant? for^ although occasionally 

 found upon our western shores, I believe such stray plants 

 have been drifted thither by the winds and waves of the great 

 Atlantic. 



Bridge End, Perth, 1862. 



EAELY MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS FROM PLANTS 

 AND ANIMALS. 



Many of your readers who peruse the interesting description of 

 British plants, their localities, etc., afforded by the ' Phytologist,' 

 do not often refer to the opinions of our ancestors as to the proper- 

 ties of the plants, and see how many of the medicines then in use 

 were prepared " with virtues excellent " from plants, etc. I was 

 much amused some' weeks since, by looking into the " Complete 

 Chymical Dispensatory, written in Latin by Dr. John Schroder, 

 that most famous and faithful chymist, and Englished by William 

 ]lowland,Dr. of Physick,'^ printed 16G9, for a plant called "Stink- 

 ing Elder" and its virtues, to find many very curious receipts for 

 almost all " the ills that flesh is heir to." According to this work, 

 medicines were in early times prepared from animals as well as 

 from vegetables ; and I found one preparation termed " a Com- 

 pound Water of Magpies," being a dozen of young magpies boiled 

 in water of Lilly Convals ; and its virtues, we are told, are cephalic 

 and antepileptic. There is also a preparation termed " Water of 

 Magnanimity," composed of "great ants that smell sour," digested 

 with spirits of wine and cinnamon; its virtues were in healing 

 cuts, and to be applied outwardly and inwardly for consumptions. 

 A note to this compound says, " If you add the species of ana- 

 cardi, it will make a brave extract to strengthen the memory." 

 There is also " Water of the Philosophers," composed of flowers 

 of elder, water-lilies, lettuce, purslane, henbane, nightshade, corn 

 poppj^, roses, violets, juice of houseleek, of plantain, endive, and 

 sorrel, "good against all hot diseases." I think the physicians of 

 the preseui day would hesitate to prescribe this medicine to their 

 patients, even were some of them " laughing philosophers." What 



