S I L 



S I L 



crude filver, however comminuted or attenuated, has not 

 been obferved to fproduce any medical efFeft. It is not 

 foluble in any of the fluids of the animal or vegetable 

 kingdom. 



Several preparations have been made from filver ; parti- 

 cularly a 



Silver Pill, or Pilula Lunaris, which is a chemical pre- 

 paration of filver, formerly highly commended as an an- 

 thelmintic, and as a purgative remedy for dropfies, and in 

 many other inveterate ulcerous difcafes. 



The method of making it is this : difl'olve an ounce of 

 pure nitre in diftilled water ; then difiolve an ounce of cryf- 

 tals of filver, made in the common way, with pure filver and 

 aqua fortis, in three times the weight of water, fo that the 

 folution may be perfectly limpid : mix the two lolutions to- 

 gether, they will become a clear homogene liquor ; evapo- 

 rate this to a pellicle, and cryftals refemlDling nitre will 

 flioot ; pour off the remaining nitre as before, and the re- 

 maining nitre will (lioot with the filver, in form of cryilals, 

 again, upon a fecond evaporation : let thefe cryftals be dried 

 upon a paper, and then placed in a glafs veflel in a very 

 gentle heat, enough to make them fmoke, but not run ; ftir 

 it with a piece of glafs all the time, and keep it over the 

 fire, till no more fumes arife ; thus the acid fpirlts will be 

 driven off, and the filver remain of a very bitter talle and 

 purging quality. It muil be kept in a dry clofe vefTel. 



This difcovery has been made to ferve to many other pur- 

 pofes, befides its ufes in medicine, and has furnifiied the dif- 

 honell preteaders to alchemy with one of their moll cunning 

 methods of deceit. They have been able, by this means, to 

 conceal filver in nitre, and that in a ver\' large proportion, 

 as in one-tenth part of the whole quantity ; and this nitre 

 being projefted in an equal quantity on melted lead, gives 

 an increafe of one-tenth part in filver, which remaining upon 

 the telt, will deceive the ignorant, as if a tenth part of the 

 lead were converted into pure filver. People who are upon 

 their guard, may, however, difcover the cheat, by difiblving 

 the pretended nitre in ten times its weight of water, and 

 putting a polifhed plate of copper into the folution ; for 

 every particle of the filver will then be precipitated out 

 of the liquor upon the copper, and to the bottom of the 

 ▼effel. 



The medicinal ufe is this : the dried mafs, confifting of 

 the falts of filver and nitre, is to be reduced to a fine pow- 

 der : this powder, applied to ulcers, afts in the manner of 

 the lapis infernalis, or filver-cauftic, only much milder : but 

 for intenial ufe, the quantity of two grains of it is to be 

 ground to a fine powder, with fix grains of loaf-fugar, in 

 a glafs mortar ; this is to be then mixed with ten grain? of 

 the crumb of bread, and formed into nine pills : thefe are 

 to be taken by a grown perfon upon an empty ftomach, 

 drinking after them four or fix ounces of hot water, 

 fweetened with honey. It purges gently, and brings away 

 a liquid matter like water, often unperceived by the patient. 

 It is faid to kill worms, and perform great things in many 

 obftinate ulcerous diforders. It purges without griping, 

 but it muft not be ufed too freely, nor in too large a dofe, 

 for it always proves weakening, and in fome degree corrofive 

 on the ftomach ; but this inconvenience is greatly alleviated 

 by rob of juniper. Boerh. Chem. part ii. p. 297. 



However, with this affiftance, it is at beft a dangerous 

 medicine, and as fuch is defervedly excluded from practice. 

 Lewis. 



Silver, T'mdure of, is made by difiblving thin filver 

 plates, or filver (hot, in fpirit of nitre ; and pouring the 

 folution into another veftel full of falt-water. By this 

 means, the filver is immediately precipitated in a very white 



powder, which they wafh feveral times in fpring water. 

 This powder they put into a raatrafs ; and pour reftified 

 fpirit of wine, and volatile fait of urine, upon it. The 

 whole is left to digelt in a moderate heat for fifteen days ; 

 during which, the fpirit of wine affumes a beautiful (ky-blue 

 colour, and becomes an ingredient in feveral medicines. Thi» 

 is alfo cMed potailejihfr, argentum potabiU. 



Silver is likewife converted into cryftals, by means of the 

 fame fpirit of nitre ; and this is called vitriol of filver. 



The lapis infernalis argenteus is nothing but the cryftals 

 of filver melted with a gentle heat in a crucible ; and then 

 poured into iron moulds. See Caustic, Lunar. 



Silver Ate. See Ale. 



Silver Bufi, in Botany, a fpecies of Anthyllis; which fee. 

 See alfo Barba Jo-vis. 



Silver Coin. See Coix, and Money. 



Silver Fir, the name of a tree of the pine kind. See 

 Pine. 



Silver, Grren and Herring. See the adjeftives. 



Silver, Injlammahle, a chemical preparation of the lapis 

 infernalis made by a fmall heat. The procefs is this : take 

 an ignited piece of Dutch turf, after it ceafes to fmoke ; 

 place it with its upper flat furface parallel to the horizon ; 

 make a little cavity in the middle, and therein put a drachm 

 of dry lapis infernalis ; it will immediately melt and glow, 

 and finally it will take flame, and hifs and (hine like nitre : 

 after the flame ceafes, pure filver will be found in the hol- 

 low, as much in quantity as was ufed in making fo much 

 lapis infernalis. 



This curious experiment ftiews the phyfical manner in 

 which acids do but fuperficially adhere to filver ; and the 

 manner in which acids operate, when united to metals, while 

 furrounding their metallic mafs, they arm the ponderous 

 principles of them with fpiculx : it Ihews alfo the immuta- 

 bility of filver diflolved in an acid, and the various ways in 

 which it may be concealed, yet ftill have its action : it alfo 

 ftiews the difference of potable filver, while exifting in a 

 faline form, by means of an adhering acid, from that potable 

 filver of the adepts, where the principles of filver are fup- 

 pofed converted into a fluid, that will mix with the juices of 

 the body, and cannot be reduced to filver again ; but the 

 great thing to be here obferved is, that the acid fpirit of 

 nitre, adhering in a folid mafs of filver, is, in this ftate, as 

 inflammable, on coming in contact with an ignited combuf- 

 tible body, as crude nitre itfelf : this feems to happen with 

 filver alone, which is unchangeable with fpirit of nitre. 

 Hence alfo we fee one way, by which filver may be obtained 

 pure from other adhering matters, by bare burning : the 

 acid here acls neither upon the mercurial part of the filver, 

 nor on its fixing fulphur. Boerh. Chem. part ii. p. 297. 



Silver, King's. See Kixg'j Silver. 



SiLXER-Le/j/k that which the gold-beaters have reduced 

 into fine thin leaves, to be ufed by gilders. Sec. See Gold- 

 Leqf. 



Silver, Quid. See Mercury. 



Silver, Rep. See Rep Silver. 



Silver, Salt. See Salt Silver. 



Silver, Shell, is made of the ftireds of filver leaves, or 

 of the leaves themfelves : and ufed in painting and filvering 

 certain works. It is prepared after the fame manner as fhell- 

 gold. See Gold. 



Silver, Slough. See Slough Silver. 



Silver, Smoie. See Smoke Silver. 



SiLVER-Tree, in Botany. See Protea. 



SiLVEn- IVeed, a (pedes of Potentilla ; which fee. 



SlLVER-/^W, in Agriculture, a term applied to wild 



tanfey ; a plant which grows naturally upon cold ftiff land 



II ' in 



