ic6 THE HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY, 



iiaftily, they -added fomethins to occafion de r 

 lay; to others rather fluggiih, they joined a 

 ftimulant ; and, thofe that wore to ad on a 

 certain part, they accompanied with Tome medi- 

 cine that was to perform the ollicc of a conduc- 

 tor. Others were compounded according to' 

 the conftitution of th'j patient. With fuch a- 

 rithmetical precifion was the healing art prac- 

 tiled in thole days. 



Thofe perfons who were intruded with the 

 preparing of medicines, about the middle of 

 the fifteenth century, and were called pbarma- 

 <copoh? t belides their collection of formula!, had 

 fcarce any other books, ihun one of Avicenna, 

 another c; Serapio on plants, another written by 

 Simon of Januenta on lynonymous appellations, 

 a fourth called the book of Servitor on the pre- 

 paration of plants, and fome chemical medicines, 

 and two liils of antidotes, of John of Damufcus, 

 or Mefuis, and Nicolai of Salerno *. Towards 



the 



* If the Arabiansw; o t-iu^Iu their clu miilry !>y the Greek-, 

 it rr.u!\ be confc'T'.-d they nndc u much greater ufc of ii in the 

 practice o(jhy fie than Ucir prcccptori t!ii!: Hut it cannot be 

 denied that thvj'alfo invented many cither inert or even clan- 

 ^CTOUR mctliCincS. It i!oc not \\ry cliinly .ijipcur that the 

 Arabians were the inventors of fu;;;r ; ycl there ii, no doubt 

 they were the frft who employed it in th" in ttcri.i iiiflic-i, un- 

 der the name of *$> cffjne. The inet!iri:ie-( of Kf:a/ij wtre 

 chiefly galenicals. Pills, powtkrr, t!e^\u;snes, decoct io;.:., 

 iroclic:, OmtmefiUf and jilaiilere. Oils lie dij.',eiltd ctihor hy 

 i-.folation or fand heat, lie luixcd lead in fevtr.;! ofhrV-luiil- 



