TURPENTINE. 



w^ter into a milky liquor, by the mediation of the yolk or 

 ■white of an egg, and more effeftually by mucilages. Diftilled 

 with water, they yield a confiderable quantity of a fub- 

 tile, penetrating, eflential oil, vulgarly called fplrit. Neu- 

 mann fays, that fixteen ounces of Venice turpentine, being 

 diftilled with water, yielded four ounces and three drachms of 

 eflential oil ; and the fame quantity, diftilled without water, 

 yielded with the heat of a water-bath, two ounces only. 

 The eflential oil cannot without great difficulty be diflblvcd 

 in fpirit of wine : one part of the oil may be diffolved in feven 

 parts of reftified fpirit of wine ; but on Handing a while, 

 the greatcft part of the oil feparatea, and falls to the bot- 

 tom. After diftillation of turpentine with water, a yellow 

 or blackiih refin remains in the ftill, which is the common 

 rofin of tlie (hops. See Rosin and Burgundy Pitch. 



The eifential oil, re-diftilled by itfelf in a retort, with a 

 very gentle heat, becomes more fubtile, and in this ftate 

 is called ethereal ; a thick matter remaining behind, called 

 balfam of turpentine. A Hke balfam is alfo obtained by 

 diftilling with a ftronger fire, the common refin ; from which 

 there arifes, firft, a thin yellow oil, and afterwards the 

 thicker dark-reddi(h balfam, a blackiih refin, called colo- 

 phony, remaining in the retort. 



All the turpentines are hot ftimulating corroborants and 

 detergents. They are given, where inflammatory fymptoms 

 do not forbid the ufe of them, from half a fcruple to half 

 a drachm and upwards, for cleanfmg the urinary paflages, and 

 internal ulcerations in general, and in laxities of the feminal 

 and uterine vefTels. They feem to aft in a peculiar manner 

 on the urinary organs, impregnating the water with a violet 

 fmell, even when applied externally, particularly the Venice 

 fort. This lall is accounted the moft; powerful as a diuretic 

 and detergent, and the Chio and Straiburg as corroborants. 

 They all loofen the belly, but the Venice moft ; and on 

 this account they are fuppofed by Riverius and others to be 

 lefs hurtful than fuch irritating diuretics, as are not accom- 

 panied with that advantage. Dr. CuUen remarks, that te- 

 rcbinthinate glyfters, in obftinate coftivenefs, are much pre- 

 ferable to faline, as being more certain and durable. When 

 turpentine is carried into the blood-veflels, it ftimulates the 

 whole fyftem ; and hence its ufe in chronic rheumatifras and 

 paralyfis. • • u 



Turpentine readily pafl'es off by urine, which it imbues 

 with a pecuhar odour ; alfo by perfpiration, and probably 

 by exhalation from the lungs : and to thefe refpeftive effefts 

 are to be afcribcd the virtues it may poflefs in gravelly com- 

 plaints, fcurvy, and pulmonic diforders. In all thefe difeafes, 

 however, and efpecially the laft, this medicine, as well as 

 fome of the gums and balfams of the terebinthinate kind, by 

 ading as ftimulants, are often produftive of mifchief, as was 

 . firft obferved by Boerhaave, and fince by Fothergill. 



Turpentine has been much ufed in gleats and fluor albus ; 

 its efficacy in the former of thefe diforders is afcribed by 

 Dr. Cullen to its inducing fome degree of inflammation of 

 the urethra : in proof of which he fays ; " I have had fome 

 inftances, both of turpentine and balfam of copaiva producmg 

 a manifeft inflammation in the urethra, to the degree of oc- 

 cafioning a fuppreffion of urine; but when thefe, effeds 

 went off, the gleat which had fubfifted for fome time before, 

 was entirely cured." Of thofe turpentines which we have 

 defcribed, the Venice and Canada turpentines are more ge 



tifms and fixed pains of the joints ; and fome have ventured 

 on much larger quantities. Chcyne recommends ( Efl". on 

 the Gout, p. 199, ed. 10.), as a perfeft cure for fciaticas, 

 though of many years ftanding, from one to four drachms of 

 the ethereal oil, to be taken with thrice its quantity of 

 honey, in a morning fafting, with large draughts of fack« 

 whey after it, and an opiate at bed-time : this medicine i« 

 to be repeated, with the occafional intermifiion of a day, if 

 daily repetitions cannot be borne, for four or five days, or 

 eight at fartlieft. It appears, however, fays Dr. Lewis, 

 highly imprudent to venture on fuch large dofes at once, 

 of a medicine fo very hot and ftimulating. Boerhaave, 

 after recounting, not without fome exaggeration, its ftyptic, 

 anodyne, healing, antifeptic, and difcutient virtues, when 

 applied hot externally, and its aperient, warming, fudorific, 

 and diuretic qualities, when taken internally, adds, that it 

 muft be ufed with great caution ; that when taken too 

 freely, it affefts the head, excites heat and pain therein, 

 and, violently urging a diabetes, brings on a flux of the 

 femen and of the liquor of the proftates ; and that in 

 venereal runnings, in which it has by fome been com- 

 mended, it tends to inflame the parts, and increafe the 

 diforder. 



The oil of turpentine, taken in too large a dofe, hath 

 often very bad confequences ; fuch as a ftrangury, bloody 

 urine, and its total fuppreffion, with a fever, violent thirft, 

 and vomiting. 



In the Medic. Efl". Edinb. vol. ii. art. 5. we have an ac- 

 count of fuch fymptoms produced by the taking of two 

 drachms of this oil in warm ale. The patient was cured by 

 a warm bath, and drinking plentifully of Fuller's emuljlo 

 Arabica. 



The oil has lately been given with beneficial effeft in un- 

 ufually large dofes for the expulfion of the tape-worm. It 

 differs in its aftion from the other remedies which have been 

 employed againft tape-worms, by killing the worm before 

 it throws it out, and hence it promifes to be more perma- 

 nently ufeful. The oil is ufeful when dropped into the ear 

 in deafnefs occafioned by defeft of wax. As a difcutient, 

 it is appUed to indolent tumours, and is an ufeful primary 

 application to burns. 



Turpentines are ufually given in dofes of grs. x to 3J ; 

 either made into pills with powdered liquorice-root, or dif- 

 fufed in water by means of almonds, mucilage, or yolk of 

 egg. The dofe of the oil may be V.\ x to 5j, to produce 

 its diuretic effeft ; but for the expulfion of taenia, it is ne- 

 ceflary to give from fBfs to f^ij, repeated every eight hours 

 till the worm is thrown out. In thefe large dofes, it is 

 more eafily taken when exhibited uncombined. The offi- 

 cinal preparations of turpentine are, the " oleum tere- 

 binthinte ;" the " emplaftruni Galbani comp. ;" the " un- 

 guentum elemi comp. ;" and of the oil, " Knimentum tcre- 

 binthinse." 



This oil is generally ufed as a drier, to mix with the 

 other oils ; for which purpofe it has greatly the advantage 

 of drying-oil, with regard to colour, as it is perfeftly tranf- 

 parent and white. It is ufed without any other prepara- 

 tion than mixing it, either alone or together, with drymg- 

 oil, with the other oils and colours. Turpentine is fome- 

 times ufed with other bodies, to render fpirit of wine a fit 

 vehicle for colours. r , 1 ■ a 



The balfam and the infpifl"ated refins are ufed chiefly ex- 



nerally employed for internal purpofes, the Chiaa not being _;"-"•", ^^^ ■ j/f^ ent than the oil, and the 



eafily procured ; and the common turpentine is off-enfive to ™y " ^/'f^fff^^'^han the turpentines in fubftance. The 



moft ftomachs, fo that its principal ufe is in fome external ■^'^^■"^~ ^*^ '°J^^^^^ confiderably bitter, is fome- 



applications, among the farriers, and for the diftillaUon of ^^^ jf °-3„t",;;„^^^^^^^^^^^ .n 'preference to the 



the oil. , ,. 



The oil is a moft potent, ftimulating, detergent diuretic. 

 It is fometimes given, in dofes of a few drops, m rheuma- 



times given as an „ - , v l n.- 1 .; 



turpentines themfelves, as being divefted of the ftimulating 

 oil. Turpentine, formerly much ufed as a digeftive apph- 



*■ '» O ^ ration* 



cation, 



