VINEGAR. 



of the mineral kingdom, but teiidiug rather, as Boeriiaavc 

 juftly obfervcs, to attenuate and refolve coagulations. It is 

 likewife, when taken internally, kfb flimulating than the 

 mineral acids, and lefs difpofed to afieft the kidneys. Pro- 

 feffor Culkn obferves, that it is lefs liable to undergo 

 changes in the tirit paffages than the native vegetable acids, 

 which have yet to go through the procefs of fermentation. 

 The ufe of vinegar as a condiment, and as an antifcptic for 

 pickling and preferving dead animal and vegetalsle matter, 

 is well known. 



Vinegar, Medicinal Properties of. This mild, unftuous 

 acid is a medicine of great ufe in the different kinds of in- 

 flammatory and putrid diftempers, both internal and external. 

 Nothing is more extolled in many cafes of putrefaftion, and 

 as an antidote againft venomous bites, by Diofcorides and 

 Hippocrates, than oxycrate ; and vinegar, when applied to 

 fores in animal bodies, is known to ftimulate and refill 

 putrefadion. When weak, it pofl'elfes the virtues of water ; 

 when ilrong, its effefts approach to thofe of lalts and acid 

 fpirit. Med. E(f. Edinb. vol. v. art. 24. 



It is one of the moil certain antiphlogiilics and fudorifics 

 vCi high fevers, and one of the bed prefervatives againft 

 peftileutial and other putredinous contagions. Accordingly 

 Boerhaave informs us, that Francifcus de la Boe Sylvius 

 rifited his patients in the plague with fafety, by dnnking 

 firft an ounce or two of vinegar. And it is now a common 

 pratlice to wa(h and fprinkle the rooms of hofpitals, the 

 decks of (hips, &c. with vinegar, in order to purify the 

 air. Dr. Hales (Ventilators, parti, p. 46. ) recommends 

 dipping many cloths in vinegar, and hanging them up in all 

 proper vacancies between the decks of fliips, and in the 

 chambers of fick perfons, by which great quantities of 

 vinegar would intermix and float in the air ; and he found 

 by an experiment, mentioned in his Statical Effays, vol. i. 

 p. 266, that an air which palTes through fuch cloths, could 

 be breathed to and fro as long again, as the like quantity of 

 air which was not impregnated with vinegar. Fainting, 

 vomiting, lethargic and hyileric paroxyfms, are likewife 

 frequently relieved by vinegar, applied to the mouth and 

 nofe, or received into the ilomach. Lethargic perfons are 

 often found to be excited more effedually by vinegar blown 

 into the nofe, than by the far more pungent volatile fpirits. 

 Boerhaave obferves, that this acid ceunterafts, in a peculiar 

 manner, the effefte of fpirituous liquors. The daily ufe 

 of vinegar with food is falutary in hot, bilious difpofitions, 

 and where there is a tendency to inflammation or putrefac- 

 tion. It is prejudicial to children, to aged, hyllerical, and 

 hypochondriacal perfons ; in cold, pale, phlegmatic habits, 

 where the veffels are lax, the circulation languid, and the 

 power of digeiljon weak. It tends in all cafes, if ufed 

 freely, to prevent corpulence. Hoff^man fufpefts that it 

 produces this eflFedl by impeding the formation of chyle, or 

 deftroying the union of the unftuous and ferous fluids of 

 which chyle is compofcd ; an efleft common to all acids, as 

 appears from their coagulating milk and artificial emulfions. 

 Dr. Lewis obferves, that he has known great corpulence 

 reduced by the liberal ufe of vinegar, but not with im- 

 punity : difcafes fucceeding, which eluded the power of 

 medicines, and proved at leiigtii fatal. 



Combinations of vinegar with different earthy bodies, 

 differ in virtue according to the nature of the earth. A 

 Tolution of the aluminous earth in this acid is ftrongly 

 ftyptic ; of vegetable earth, or magncfia alba, bitterifli and 

 gently purgative : both thefe foiutions are milder, and lefs 

 ungrateful, than thofe of the fame earths made in the mineral 

 •41 ids ; and, though as yet unkr.own in praftice, certainly 

 dekrves, as Dr. Lewis fays, to be introduced. Soltitions 



Vol. XXXVII. 



of different animal and the calcareous mineral eai'ths are bit- 

 terifh and fubauflere, in various degrees, and fuppofed to 

 aft as mild refolvents, fubaftringents, or diaphoretics. 

 Combinations of vinegar with fixed alkaline falts are ufeful 

 aperients, diuretics, and cathartics. Dr. Lewis has known 

 two drachms of the alkali, diffolved in as much vinegar as 

 was fufficient to faturate it, occafion ten or twelve copious 

 watery llools, and a plentiful difcharge of urine, without 

 griping or fatiguing the patient. Mixtures of alkali and 

 dillilled vinegar, evaporated to a dry fait, are kept in the 

 (hops ; either in a brownifli oily ftate, as obtained by timple 

 evaporation, or purified to perfeft whiteneff, by gentle 

 fufion or folution in water. Thefe preparations are given 

 in dofes of ten or twenty grains as mild aperients, and to a 

 drachm or two as purgatives and diuretics. See Tartah, 

 Regenerated, Sal Diunticus, Terra Foliata, and Ar- 

 canum Tartari. 



Combinations of vinegar with volatile alkaline falts, com- 

 monly made with diftilled vinegar, added gradually to the 

 fait, till the effervefcence ceafes, fcarcely yield any folid 

 fait ; the faline matter evaporating with the watery fluid, or 

 even before it : on diflilling the mixture in a retort, a fait 

 fometimes concretes about the tides of the receiver, but 

 liquefies again as the veffels grow cold. Thefe mixtures, 

 called J'pintus Mindereri, have little purgative virtue, but 

 operate powerfully as api-rients ; by urine, if the patient 

 walks about in the cool air ; by perfpiration or fweat, if 

 kept warm in bed. They are principally made ufe of in 

 this laft intention, in dofcs of half an ounce ; and, as they 

 aft without irntation, they have place in inflammatory cafes, 

 where the warm fudorifics, if they fail of exciting a fweat, 

 aggravate the dift;emper. Vinegar and honey, or oxymel, 

 of the confiftencc of a fyrup, fwallowed warm, is very good 

 in many cafes of fore throats arifmg from colds. A very 

 important medicinal virtue has been attributed to vinegar, 

 namely, that of curing the canine niadncfs. See HvDUO- 

 I'lroBlA, and Madness yVom the Bile of enray^cd Animals. 



M. Buchoz, in a work, entitled " An hiitorical Treatifc 

 of Plants growing in Lorraine, &c." affirms, that feveral 

 fuccefsful trials hare afcertained the efficacy of vinegar 

 againfl the ill effefts arifing from the bite of mad dogs, 

 when it is given in the quantity of a pound each day, 

 divided into three dofes ; one to be taken in the morning, 

 another at noon, and a third in the evening. Upon the 

 whole we (hall here obferve, that vinegar, taken into the 

 Itomach, afts as a refrigerant, promotes diaphorefis and the 

 difcharge of urine ; and is a powerful antinarcotic : exter- 

 nally its aftion on the living fibre is moderately flimulant 

 and aftringent. In inflammatory fevers it may be ufcd to 

 acidulate the ordinary beverage. It is given as a remedy in 

 putrid difeafes and fcurvy ; and is the mofl cafily procured, 

 and the belt means of counterafting the fatal effefts of over- 

 dofes of opium, and other narcotic poifons ; for which pur- 

 pofe it fhould be adminiftercd in table fpoonfuls, frequently 

 repeated, after the flomach has been emptied by a proper 

 emetic. It is employed as a glyfler in obflinate coflivencfs ; 

 and externally, in the form of fomentation, or of lotion, is 

 applied in burns, bruifes, fpraine, and chronic ophthalmia ; 

 and diluted with water, it is the beft lotion for clciring the 

 eye of fmall particles of lime, when they adhere to any part 

 of the ball, or the lids. Its vapour is inli.iled in putrid forc- 

 thro.it ; and diffufed through fick rooms, with the view of 

 neutralizing peffilential effluvia; but as a fumigation it has 

 little efficacy. The dofc of vinegar is f \i to f ^ij ; and the 

 quantity given in clyfters f^j to fjij. See on the fubjeft of 

 this article, Boerhaave's Elem. Chem. by Dallowc, part iii. 

 p. .'46, &t. Ncumann'f Chrm. by Lewis, p. 458, f<o. 

 D d Diet. 



