SOAP. 



unftuous and thick animal matters diffoluble in like manner 

 in aqueous fluids, and hence may be prcfumed to aft as a 

 inenltruum for thefe kinds of fubllances in the body, that 

 is, to attenuate vifcid juices and refolvc obilruftions : fuch, 

 in effect, are the virtues which it appears to exert in ca- 

 cheftic, hydropic, and ifteric cafes, in which lail, parti- 

 cularly, its aperient and refolvent powers have been often 

 experienced. Solutions of it have been likewife found to 

 diflfolve certain animal concretions of the harder kind, as 

 the filaments which are fometimcs feen floating in the 

 urine of rheumatic and arthritic perfons, the matter fecreted 

 in gouty joints, and the more compaft urinary calculus ; on 

 thefe fubilances (at lead in the latter), though foap of 

 jtfelf afts more languidly than lime-water, yet, when joined 

 to that menitruum, it remarkably increafes its aftivity ; 

 the diflblving power of a compofition of the two being, 

 according to Dr. Whytt's experiments, confiderably greater 

 than that of the foap and lime-water unmixed : of the 

 good effeft'o of thefe medicines in calculous cafes there are 

 feveral inftances ; but what their effefts may be in gouty 

 and rheumatic ones is not yet well known. See Lithon- 

 TRiPTics, Stephens'^ Medicine, &c. and Stone. 



Soap is regarded, in the materia medica, as purgative 

 and lithontriptic ; externally applied it is ftimulant and 

 deterfive. For internal ufe the hard foap only is employed. 

 It is occafionally ordered in habitual coilivenefs, and in 

 jaundice, combined with rhubarb, or fome bitter extraft ; 

 but its power as a purgative is very limited, and it cannot 

 aft in any other way in relieving jaundice. It is more 

 ufeful in calculous habits, in which, however, its aftion is 

 altogether confined to the ftomach ; for as foap is decom- 

 pofed by the weakeft acids, its alkaline bafe correfts the 

 acidity fo prevalent in the ftomachs of calculous patints, 

 and thus at leaft affifts in checking the increafe of the difeafe. 

 Soap is alfo beneficial in decompofing metallic poifons 

 when taken into the ilomach ; and, as it is the antidote 

 which can moll readily be procured, fhould always be early 

 reforted to. It is neceflary in this latter cafe to give it in 

 folution ; of which a teacupful (hould be drunk at Ihort 

 intervals, till the effefts expefted from it be produced. 

 In other cafes it is preferable to give it in fubftance. The 

 dofe may be from grs. v to 3 fs, made into pills. 



As an external remedy, foap is eflicacioudy ufed in fric- 

 tions to fpraiiis and bruifcs ; and much benefit has been 

 derived from rubbing the tumid bellies of children labouring 

 under mefentcric fever, with a flrong lather of foap every 

 morning and evening. 



From the properties of foap we may know, that it mull 

 be a very ctTeftual and convenient anti-acid. It abforbs 

 icids as powerfully as pure alkalies and abforbcnt earths, 

 without liaving the cauilicity of the former, and without 

 opprcding the llomachby its weight, like the latter. Soap 

 i:, alfo one of the bell antidotes to Hop quickly, and with 

 the leall inconvenience, the bad effefts of acid corrofive 

 poifons, as aqua fortis, corrofive fublimate, &c. 



Soap is employed externally for dilcuffing rheumatic 

 p:iins, arthritic tumours, the humours llagnating after 

 Iprains, &c. Some pretend that the indurated tophaceous 

 concretions in arthritic joints, have been refolved by the 

 external ufe of foapy cataplafms. Several compofitions for 

 external purpofes are prepared in the (hops. 



The officinal preparations of foap are as follow : viz. 

 " Pills of foap with opium," of Lond. Ph. ; " Pills of 

 compound fquill ;" " Aloetic pills" of Ed. Ph. ; " Pills 

 of aloes and allafivtida." (Sec Pills.) " Pills of aloes 

 and ginger," of the Dub. Ph. are compounded of i oz. 

 of hepatic aloes, i dr. of cintrer-root in powder, i oz. 



Vol. XXXIII ^ ^ 



of foap, and i dr. of efl'ential oil of peppermint : let the 

 aloes and ginger be rubbed together to a powder ; then 

 add the foap and the oil fo as to form a mafs. This is an 

 ufeful pill, and ufed with advantage for obviating the 

 habitual coftivenefs of the fedentary, and of Icucophlegmatic 

 habits. The dofe is from grs. x to grs. xv, or more :— 

 " Soap plafter." (See Emplastrum Saponis, and Soap 

 Plaster.) " Cerate of foap," of the Lond. Ph. is com. 

 pofed of 8 oz. of hard foap, lO oz. of yellow wax, i lb. 

 of femivitreous oxyd of lead powdered, a pint of olive-oil, 

 and a gallon of vinegar. Boil the vinegar on the oxyd of 

 lead over a (low fire, ilirring diligently till they incorporate ; 

 then add the foap, and boil again in a fimilar manner, until 

 the moillure be entirely evaporated ; and, lallly, mix with 

 the oil the wax previoufly melted. This cerate is occa- 

 fionally ufed as a cooling dreffing. For the " compound 

 foap liniment" of the Lond. Ph. fee Lini.ment. The 

 " Tinfture of foap," commonly called " Liniment of foap," 

 of the Ed. Ph., is prepared by digefting 4 oz. of foap 

 fliced in 2 lbs. of alcohol for three days, and then adding 

 2 oz. of camphor, and i oz. of the volatile oil of rofemary, 

 frequently (liaking the mixture. Thefe preparations are 

 ftimulant and anodyne, and may be beneficially applied 

 againll local pains, and in bruifes, rubbed upon the parts. 

 " The tinfture of foap and opium" of Ed. Ph., commonly 

 called " Anodyne liniment," is made in the fame manner, 

 and from the fame ingredients as the other tinfture of foap, 

 only adding, at the beginning of the procefs, one ounce of 

 opium. The addition of the opium to the foap liniment 

 renders it, in many cafes of rheumatifm and local pains, 

 more ufeful than the fimple liniment. 



The anodyne balfam, commonly called Bates's balfam, 

 is prepared by digefting two ounces of foap and half an 

 ounce of opium, in a gentle fand-heat, for three days, with 

 eighteen ounces of reftificd fpirit of wine, and then adding 

 fix drachms of camphor and one drachm of oil of rofemary 

 to the ftrained liquor. This compofition, with the addition 

 of opium, is fuppofed to be more effeftual for allaying 

 violent pains than the common opodeldoc : it is alfo given 

 internally in nervous colics, jaundices, &c. 



Soft foap is confiderably more acrid than the hard foap, 

 and it is, therefore, employed only for fome external pur- 

 pofes : a mixture of equal parts of our common foft foap 

 and quicklime is ufed as a mild cauftic. Lewis's Mat. 

 Med. Thomfon's Lond. Difp. 



Soap, Almond. See Sapo Amygdalinus, and Soap, 

 fupra. 



Soap, Ammomacal, a white faponaceous compound, 

 readily made by fluking any oil with liquid ammonia, 

 which is much ufed medicinally as a ftimuiating application ; 

 but the union between thefe two is much weaker than be- 

 tween the fixed alkalies and oil, fo that this will not harden ; 

 and by keeping for fome time, the ingredients will partly 

 feparate. In order to cffcft a more intimate union be- 

 tween them, muriated ammonia muft be added to common 

 foap. 



S()ap-/.i-«. Sec Lixivium Saponarium. 



The term foap-hes is fometimes ufed technically to denote 

 the " Ipciit ley,''' uhich is pumped out of the vat or ciftcrn, 

 after the foap has feparated ; and which, being more or lefs 

 alkaline, is rcfervcd either to be ufed again, or to be eva- 

 poratcd, fo that the refidue may be calcined for extrafting 

 the alkali. 



Soap, Slariefs, is a combination of fixed vcget.ible al- 

 kali with f lleutial oil of turpentine. It is fo called from it( 

 inventor, who combined fait of tartar (carbonate of pot.ifli) 

 with this oil, and obtained a laponaccout compound, to 

 E r whicfc 



