B A L 



Balfamwn Rn:L]fi'-a is a balfam defcriljel by Murray 

 (App. Mi.d.), which Spiclmaii rcl.-itv's to be broujjht from 

 liiJia. In confidence, and other fe:;fible properties, it 

 much refembk"; the Tolu balfam, but appears to be v.-eakcr. 

 Its origin is unknown, and it is fuppofed to be faftitiou;. 

 It is fcldom feen, and never ufed. 



Ba^fiw.um Carpathicum, Carpathian or Hungary balfam, 

 Krummlyjhbaum, Germ. ; called alfo lalfamuin Libanl. 

 This line balfam is procured from the pinus Mujo and the 

 pinus Ambra, which grow abundantly on the Cirpathian 

 mountains, the Tyrol, and many parts of Hungary, Ger- 

 many, and Switzerland. The balfam is e'.leemed by the 

 common people as a fovereigii remedy for almoll every dif- 

 order external and internal. The Oleum Tanplhium, or 

 Knimmhoh'-^ohl is an oi! of turpentine prepared bv diftiUin^ 

 this balfam, and is in equal repute. For a further defcrip- 

 tion of this and of all the turpentines, which are truly and 

 properly halfams in the ufual meaning of the term, fee the 

 articles Pin'us, and Turpentine, particularly the latter, 

 under which we mean to include moft of the rcfiiious pro- 

 duces of the different fpecies of fir. 



Btilfamum Cdnadaife, a very fine fragrnnt and powerful 

 ToRPEN'TiNli, procured from the Pinu's baljamea, the Vir- 

 ginian or Canada fir. 



B.Ujhmum Styrax, ftorax, or liquid amber. See Sry- 



RAX. 



5 2. Jrtijichil Balfams. 

 Thefe are preparations of the Materia Medica formerly 

 in much repute, and compounded of a vaft variety of refi- 

 nous and aromatic drugs, the whole brought to a thickiTi 

 confidence, fo as to rcfemble the natural balfams. They 

 are but little employed at prefent. Any preparation in 

 which oil was fo far thickened as to be brought to a treacly 

 confifttnce, was termed, in the older Pharmacopoeias, a bal- 

 fam, and many of this fpecies were equally ufed as external 

 and internal applications. We (hall only mention a few of 

 thefe preparations. 



• Balfamum LocateUi Of the former London and Edin- 



burgh Pharmacopoeias. In the former, it was prepared by 

 melting half a pound of yellow wax with about half a pint 

 of olive oil, then adding another half pint of oil, with half a 

 pound of Strafburg turpentine, and when nearly cold, flir- 

 ring in {^i. drams of red faunders wood to colour the whole. 

 In the latter, inftead of the red faunders, balfam of Peru, 

 and powdered dragon's blood were added to the melted wax, 

 oil, and turpentine. Another variety of this preparation 

 ufed in the Paris Pharmacopoeia, is to employ wax, olive oil, 

 white wine (which was evaporated off the wax and oil), 

 turpentine, faunders wood, and Peruvian balfam. 



Balfamum Commendatons, Batime chi Commandcur. — Balfam 



€f Berne. — Wade's Bafam Jefu'Us Drops, or Friar' s Balfam. 



Under all thefe appellations, and with fome variation in the 

 ingredients, was this celebrated balfam known and prepared. 

 In the Paris receipt, a tinfture is firft made of angelica root 

 and the flowers of hypericum in fpirit of wine, in this are 

 diffolved myrrh, olibanum, aloes, ftorax, benzoin, Peruvian 

 balfam, and ambergris. The whole makes a thick, fragrant, 

 and highly ftimulating l-quid ; which is ufed either inter- 

 nally as a cordial and fuppofed vulnerary, or externally to 

 promote the cicatrization of wounds. A judicious reforma- 

 tion of this balfam is retained by the London and Edinburgh 

 colleges, under the name of — 



Balfamum TraumaUcum, or Timlura Benzo'e's Cumpojtta. 

 This is prepared by diffolving three ounces of benzoin, two 

 ounces of ftorax, one ounce of balfam of Tolu, and half an 

 If 



B A L 



ounce of aloes, in two pints of reftified fpirit of wine. The 

 Edinburgh college omit the ilorax. 



Balfamum Vitt!, B'-nume de Fie. Tliis powerful medicine 

 was prepared by Hoffinan, under whofi" name it v.cnt. It 

 conll'ls of a fohuion of feveral effential oils, and a 

 fmall portion of Peruvian balfam, in highly reftiiVd fpirit of 

 wine. It is extremely fragrant and ftimulating, and is em- 

 ployed almoft entirely as an internal medicine in languors, 

 fainlings, violent colic, and other cafes that require a fuddeii 

 and powerful ftimulant. The ingredients in the Branden- 

 burgh pharmacopoeia, adopted as an improvement Bf Hoff- 

 man's balfam of life, are the effential oils of lavender, nut- 

 megs, cloves, rhodium, wild thyme, cinnamon, lemon, bcr- 

 gamotte, and balfam of Peru, diffdved in fpirit of lavender. 

 Tile prefent laudable cuftom of fimplifying the pharmaceu- 

 tical preparations, would probably diminilli the number of 

 thefe effential oils which appears to be quite arbitrary. 



A mixture of eiglit ounces of vitriolic acid, and two 

 ounces of olive oil forms the — 



Balfamum Arlhr'itkum, a very powerful external application, 

 in wliieh tlie corrofive power of the vitriolic is moderated, 

 but it requires to be ufed with great caution. In preparing 

 it, the acid muft be added very gradually to the oil with con- 

 ftant agitation, otherwife part of the oil will be charred and 

 reduced to a hard black mafs. When well prepared, it is 

 of a very dark brown colour, and an uniform ballauiic con- 

 fiftence. 



The laft of the artificial balfams which we fliall mention, 

 are the combinations of fulpliur with oil. 



Balfamum Suljdiuris, or Oleum Sulphuratiim ; Ph. Lond. 

 and Edin. prepared by melting in an iron pot flowers of 

 fulphur, with four, or with eiglrt times the weight of olive 

 oil. 



The refult is a thick, foetid, tenacious balfam. 



Petroleum Sulphuratum is prepared the fame way, only with 

 the ufe of petroleum, inftead of olive oil. 



Balfamum Sulphuns Tercbhiihlnatum. H.S.Anlfulum, which 

 are now nearly difufed, were prepared by digelling the ful- 

 phur in oil of turpentine, in glafs veffcls on a fand heat, 

 and in the latter cafe, alfo adding oil of anife feed. Oil of 

 turpentine readily diflolves the fulphur, and with vehemence 

 when in quantities, fo that this preparation fliould be made 

 in a very large mattrafs. All the fulphur balfams difi"er 

 from the other balfams in having a very offenfive fmell and 

 tafte. They are hot and irritating, and their internal ufe 

 is very limited. Externally, the thick fulphur balfam is ufed 

 in farriery. 



Balsam Apple, Male, in Botany. See Momordica. 



Balsam Bay, in Geography, lies on the weit fide of Old 

 Cape Francois, and on the north fide of the ifland of Hifpa- 

 niola, or St. Domingo, in the Weft Indies. N. lat. 19.42°. 

 W. long. 69° 35'. See B A ti M E. 



BALSAMATION. See Embalming. 

 _ BALSAMELiEON, in the Materia Medica, a name 

 given by fome authors to the balm of Gilead, or true balfa- 

 mutn yudaicum. 



Balsamics, in Medicine. Before we conclude the article 

 of balfams, it may be proper to make a few obfervations on 

 their ufe in medicine. Of the properties which have been 

 attributed to the internal ufe of all balfams, none is more 

 ancient, and commonly prevalent than that of healing or 

 •vulnerary. This idea appears to have arifcn from the obferva- 

 tions of their ufe, when externally applied to a recent wound. 

 If a gafti is made in the hand witli a clean cutting knife, and 

 the parts are brought together and bound up with a rag 

 dipped in any balfam, and left undifturbed for fome days, 



it 



