VOL. XXXIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 31 



But last year a balsamic styptic was published by one Dr. Eaton, good to stop 

 all manner of bleeding without or within, and that without any manner of ex- 

 ceptions. This made Dr. S. desirous to see it, and he had soon after an oppor- 

 tunity to examine it. He presently found that this was tlie same old medicine, 

 which was also got into England, after other countries had discarded it. 



Finding this remedy recommended in an extraordinary manner, by so emi- 

 nent a physician as Sir Rd. Blackmore, Dr. S. began to think that possibly he 

 might have been mistaken, and therefore desired an apothecary immediately to 

 prepare the recipe, as described by Helvetius. When this was ready. Dr. S. 

 sent for a bottle of Dr. Eaton's styptic, and tried them both with galls, before 

 several gentlemen ; the tincture was the same, a deep purple. He then preci- 

 pitated the contents with old hock, and found the precipitated matter to be the 

 same in both. Not contented with his own inquiry, he sent several small 

 quantities to others, and went to Mr. Godfrey, a famous chemist in Covent- 

 Garden. They all told him, that there was no difference between them. 



Next to try these two on the crural-artery. Dr. S. got a good middle-sized 

 dog, laid the artery bare, and opened it with a lancet the length way of the 

 artery, for near half an inch. The old trick used to be, to cut the artery cross- 

 wise, and then there was no necessity of a styptic at all, nor indeed here neither. 

 But at first Helvetius's tincture was applied, and stopped the bleeding ; then we 

 opened the artery again, and tried Dr. Eaton's, with the same success. Dr. S. 

 then had the artery opened in the other thigh, and tried it only with French 

 brandy, which did as well as the other two. He opened the artery again, and 

 had dissolved in French brandy a little sal martis and saccharum saturni, and 

 applied that, and it answered in the same manner. This made him con- 

 jecture that there was but little virtue in either of them, but only that 

 the brandy, by its great heat, merely contracted the fibres of the artery, 

 which might be a little assisted by the chalybs ; but this could not be much. 

 Dr. S. then reflected on the smallness of the crural artery in a dog, and that a 

 little pledget of lint alone might stop the blood, as well as the temporal artery 

 when opened with a lancet, which we did, and the pledget of lint stopped it. 

 Thus far as to its outward use, and Dr. S. could wish it were as harmless with- 

 in. If only, according to Helvetius, it had been ordered to be taken inwardly, 

 in fresh wounds and contusions, it might have been let pass ; but when, with- 

 out exception. Dr. Eaton recommended it, as also even Sir Richard, in all in- 

 ward bleedings, it was high time to make some animadversions upon it. 



Thus it is shown, that the styptic quality of these tinctures is very incon- 

 siderable ; and that Helvetius's tincture is rather better than Dr. Eaton's, if 



