530 THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 



prepared with nitre abounding with sea- salt, of which 

 all the common nitre contains some portion, the medi- 

 cine has proved violent. This effect is not owing to 

 any particular quality of the sea -salt, but to its quan- 

 tity, by which the proportion of the nitre to the anti- 

 mony is rendered less. 



The nitrum stibiaturrij as it was called, is produced 

 by the deflagration of the sulphur of the antimony with 

 the nitre, in the same manner as the sal polyche st, 

 from which it differs no otherwise than in retaining 

 some portion of the antimonial calx. Notwithstand- 

 ing the doubts entertained by some of the activity of the 

 antimonium calcinatum, yet the London College appears 

 to have done right in retaining it ; for whilst it is al- 

 lowed to be the mildest of our antimonials, it is ad- 

 mitted, by several able practitioners, to be efficacious. 



Crocus of Antimony. 



Take of antimony, powdered, and nitre, powdered, 

 of each one pound ; sea-salt, one ounce : mix, and 

 put them by degrees into a red-hot crucible, and melt 

 them with an increased heat ; pour out the melted 

 matter, and when cold, separate it from the scoriae. 



Equal parts of antimony and nitre are to be injected, 

 by degrees, into a red-hot crucible ; when the detona- 

 tion is over, separate the reddish metallic matter from 

 the whitish crust, beat it into powder, and edulcorate 

 it by repeated washings with hot water till the water 

 comes off tasteless. Here the antimonial sulphur is 

 almost totally consumed, and the metallic part left di- 

 vested of its corrector. These preparations, given 

 from two to six grains, generally act as violent emetics, 

 greatly disordering the constitution. But the opera- 



