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round the crucible nearly to the top ; keep the mafs in a 

 ftate of moderate fufion, occafionally ftirring it witt an iron 

 rod. When the matter that adheres to the rod appears 

 bright and tranfparent, which, with a proper degree of fire, 

 will be in about half an hour after it is in fufion, pour the 

 vitrified matter on a fmooth marble, well dried, and heated 

 as hot as the hand can bear ; repeat the procefs, in order to 

 obtain more of the matter, if neceflary ; and thus will be 

 had a fair and pure glafs of antimony, of a. light red 

 colour. 



In order to prepare the pill, take a quantity of this glafs 

 of antimony ; pound it in a clean iron mortar, and fift it 

 through a fine lawn fieve ; then grind, or levigate it, on a 

 fmooth marble, to an impalpable powder : take alfo dragon's 

 blood dried and powdered ; and put one ounce of this to 

 four ounces of the levigated glafs ; grind them well to- 

 gether ; and with good fack, or rich mountain wine, make 

 them into a mafs tor pills, of about one grain and a half 

 each4 which is a full dofe for a man or woman. 



The drop is made by putting about half an ounce of the 

 levigated glafs of antimony into a quart of the richeft Malaga 

 mountain or fack ; (hake them well together, and let them 

 ftand two Qr three days to fettle, and grow clear ; then pour 

 it off gently, to be quite fine. The full dofe for a man or 

 woman is half an ounce ; but it is advifable to begin with 

 the half or two-thirds, according to the age, or ftrength of 

 conftitution. Thefe medicines, it is faid, cannot be fafely 

 adminiilered, if the vifcera are unfound. They have been 

 ufually given in dilorders occafioned by foul ftomachs and 

 indigeftion ; and the pill has been very fuccefsful in inve- 

 terate rheumatiims : both the pill and the drop frequently 

 operate upward and downward, but with lefs draining than 

 the emetics ufually given. The pill muft be bruifed, and 

 taken in a fpoonful of any fmall liquid, on an empty fto- 

 mach : if it works upwards or downwards, it will be proper 

 to drink a fmall quantity of balm or fage-tea, between each 

 motion ; and if it fweats, as it fometimes does, let the pa- 

 tient keep himfelf warm, and encourage it by drinking the 

 above fmall liquors ; when it is taken, milk, greens, and 

 fruit, muft be avoided. The potion, called the drop, re- 

 quires no vehicle : when the ficknefs comes on, let the pa- 

 tient drink about half a pint of warm water, or thin water 

 gruel, and continue to do fo every time it works. 



The tvhite drop is prepared by bruifing fourteen pounds 

 of the cleaneft copperas into a rough powder ; then drying 

 it with a gentle heat, and fpreading it thin, till it becomes 

 a dry and fubtile powder, refembling quick-lime, but much 

 whiter. When this operation is finifhed, which requires 

 about fix or feven days, take an equal quantity of good and 

 clean rough nitre, or falt-petre, tolerably dry ; pound the 

 nitre and copperas together ; fift the powder through a fine 

 hair-fieve, put it into a large glafs retort, coated at bottom, 

 and fet it in a fand-furnace about an inch from the bottom 

 and fides of the fand-pan ; fix on with lute a large receiver, 

 leaving a fmall vent-hole in the joint to prevent the burfting 

 of the retort or receiver ; make a gentle fire for the firlt 

 three hours ; and gradually increafe it for three or four 

 hours longer, till the iron pan be red-hot at bottom ; con- 

 tinue the fire about thirty hours ; and then let it out, and 

 when it is cool, you obtain a very powerful aqua-fortis ; put 

 this into a bottle, ftop it clofe, and let it ftand fix or eight 

 days to digeft itfelf. Put this aqua-fortis into a glafs retort 

 about half or two-thirds full ; fet it in the fand-heat, and 

 fix on a receiver ; make a moderate fire, till the aqua-fortis 

 is come over into the receiver, leaving behind only a brown, 

 reddifh earth : by this procefs is obtained a very ftrong and 

 pure aqua-fortis. Put a quantity of this reftified aqua-fortis 



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into a large bolt-head, with a long neck, fo as to make it 

 about a quarter full ; then take of the pureft and fineft vola- 

 tile fal ammoniac, in which there is not the leaft acid fait, 

 or lime. To fixteen ounces of the aqua-fortis in the bolt- 

 head, add, by half an ounce at a time, feven ounces of the 

 volatile fal ammoniac, flopping the mouth of the bolt-head, 

 (a vent-hole excepted,) till the fermentation ends; let it 

 ftand two or three hours, till the fumes are fettled. Next 

 put it into a fmaller bolt-head, half full, and fet it in a mo- 

 derate fand-heat ; when it is warm, put four ounces of the 

 fineft quickfilver to each pound of fixteen ounces of the fo- 

 lution, and let it ftand in the heat till the quickfilver is dif- 

 folved ; increafe the fire, and add quickfilver ; and when it 

 will dilfolve no more, take it out of the bolt-head, and put 

 it into an open glafs velfel, or a white, large ftone bowl ; fet 

 it in a moderate fand-heat, and let it evaporate till a pellicle 

 or lliin comes over the top of it ; then put it in a cool place 

 to congeal. The heavy liquor, or oil, which remains con- 

 gealed, muft be poured off, and thoroughly drained, and 

 the remaining fait muft be put into a glafs body ; to each 

 pound adding three pounds of the fineft rofe-water, and 

 ftopping the mouth of the glafs with a piece of double 

 br«wn paper. Set it again in the fand-heat with a mode- 

 rate fire, till the fait is wholly difiolved, which is ufually 

 eifefted in twenty-four hours ; and thus is the white drop 

 prepared. 



This medicine, it is faid, cannot be accounted dangerous ; 

 as there is not in two drops, ufually taken in twenty-four 

 hours, half a grain of mercury. It has been adminiftered 

 with fuccefs as an antifcorbutic in all ftages of the fcurvy, 

 and even when the difeafe has been hereditary. The dofe 

 of two drops is to be taken in a fmall quantity of water in 

 the morning, fafting, or at night, going to reft, for two or 

 three daj's together ; then after an interval of as many days, 

 proceeding as before. It generally produces its effeft with- 

 out any fenfible operation ; except that in fome conftitutions 

 it produces one or two motions. 



Mr. Ward adminiftered two forts of fweating powders : 

 one fort is direfted to be made by rubbing together in a 

 mortar four ounces of refined nitre, and as much vitriolized 

 tartar, into a powder ; and putting into a red-hot crucible 

 half of this mafs, and ftirring it with an iron fpatula : when 

 the red fumes that arife from it ceafe, put in the remainder 

 of the matter, and ftir it till no more fumes arife ; then pour 

 it into an iron mortar ; and when cool, add opium, ipeca- 

 cuanha, and liquorice powder, of each an ounce : pound 

 and fift them through a lawn fieve, and mix all together. 

 When the powders are thus prepared, they ftiould be fpread 

 thin on white ftone difhes, and fet in a cool place for about 

 two days, mixing them well, and fpreading them tivice a 

 day ; then dry them before the fire, or with any other gentle 

 heat. 



The other fort of fweating powder is prepared by fulmi- 

 nating together common tartar, and refined nitre, of each 

 one pound, in a crucibfe or iron pot, which will reduce 

 them to about fifteen ounces : to thefe add white hellebore, 

 and liquorice powder, of each fix ounces ; powder them to- 

 gether, and fift them through a fine lawn fieve. The dofe 

 is from twent)^-five to fifty grains. 



Thefe fweating powders are faid to remove rheumatic and 

 other pains, occafioned by obftruftions ; though it is faid 

 that the red pill has been found to anfwer better in ftubborn 

 rheumatic cafes, and other fettled pains in the limbs. They 

 may be taken in any liquid, going to bed between the 

 blankets, and now and then drinking fome warm diluting 

 liquor, as white wine whey, baum tea, &c. They may be 

 repeated every other night at difcretion. 



The 



