AND PHARMACOPCEIA. 405 



employed finely powdered as an escharotlc to cleanse foul ulcers, 

 and has been used with success as a remedy for quittors. 



Acetate op Lead. — Plumhi Acetas. Is made by mixing one 

 pint of strong acetic acid (vinegar) with a pint and a half of 

 boiling distilled water, and then adding gradually one pound of 

 subcarbonate of lead. The solution is then to be filtered 

 through paper and evaporated until a thin pellicle appears on its 

 surface, when it may be put by in order that crystals may form. 

 These, after pouring off the water, are to be dried upon blotting 

 paper. The superacetate of lead is commonly named Sugar of 

 liead, and the liquid subacetate, Goulard's Extract of Lead. 

 Mr, Morton recommends sugar of lead for internal hemorrhage, 

 nnd for protracted diarrhoea and diabetes in doses from half a 

 drachm to a drachm. Sugar of lead has been given internally ; 

 but I consider all the prepai'ations of lead not only unnecessary, 

 but dangerous as internal remedies, though one very large dose 

 may be given without any perceptible effect. Animals have 

 often been poisoned by grazing in the neighbourhood of lead 

 mines: this is well known in the parish of Wookey, near Wells. 

 The disease thus produced is there named minderimj ; or rather 

 the animals so eff'ectcd are said to be mindered. 



ACETIC ACID and ACETOUS KQYD. — Acidiim Ace- 

 ticum. See Acids and Vinegar. 



ACIDIFICATION. A natural or artificial operation, by 

 which an acidifiable substance, becoming saturated with oxygen, 

 acquii-cs the property of an acid. The acidified substance is 

 called the base, and its name designates the particular acid of 

 which it forms a part. Thus, the base of sulphviric or cai'bonic 

 acid is sulphur and cai'bon. 



ACIDS. All substances, whether sold or liquid, which have 

 a sour taste are termed acids, although it by no means follows 

 that all acids are sour : prussic acid, for instance, is not so. 

 Most acids are composed of oxygen, in combination with a com- 

 bustible base, and when several acids have the same base, united 

 with different propoi'tlons of oxygen, the name of that wdilch 

 contains the larger portion terminates in ic ; while that of the 

 one combined with the smaller quantity ends in ous ; thus nitric, 

 nitrous; phosphoric, phosphorous; sulphuric, sulphurous; &c. 

 Acids possess the property of changing the blue juices of 

 vegetablco into red, and of readily combining with alkalies, 

 earths, and metallic oxides, fonnlng with them various kinds of 

 salts, which are used in medicine. Of this kind are the pre- 

 parations commonly named Glaubex''s salt, Epsom salt, blue and 

 white vitriol, sugar of lead, &c. : each of these will be noticed 

 under its respective name. Acids are divided into three classes, — 

 viz. mineral, vegetable, and animal acids. The mineral acids 

 used in veterinary practice are the sulphuric, the nitric, and the 



D n 3 



