3j;o ^ Treatise on 
lad a large Proportion of thick, empyreumatick 
Oil, with a little Earth and fixt Salt. From thefe 
Principles arifes a Compound confiding both of 
Gum and Refin ; yet fo, that from fix Ounces of 
Scammony may be drawn, by Means of Spirit of 
Wine, five Ounces of Refin. It difTolves in the 
greatefl Part in Spirit of Wine, fome faline-earthy 
mucilaginous Parts remaining. In watery Mendru- 
ums it difTolves entirely; but, from the Mixture of 
the refinous Parts with the faline and aqueous, the 
Solution appears milky. 
Scammony was ufed both by the Greeks and Ara- 
bians. Mefue reckons it fo much fnperior to other 
Evacuants, that he fometimes calls it fimply the 
Purgative ; and Oribafius regards it as the mod vio- 
lent of all purging Medicines. Galen, in his Book 
concerning the Virtues of Jimple Medicines , has not 
mentioned it, though he often fpeaks of it elfe- 
where. 
The Moderns in their Opinion of the Virtues of 
Scammony agree with the Ancients : Nor do they 
ufe it lefs frequently to draw forth bilious, and ferous 
Humours from remote Parts. It is commended in 
cold and pituitous Temperaments, in intermitting 
Fevers, and Crudity of the Juices ; more efpeci- 
ally in robud Bodies, of a fettled Age : But to Chil- 
dren and weakly People, to Women when pregnant 
or brought to Bed, in ardent Fevers, and in all hot 
Difeafes and Conditutions, it is not accounted fo 
fafe. 
Nov/, this Medicine feems to me to exert its Ope- 
ration after a twofold Manner, (viz.) by irritating 
the Membranes of the Stomach and Intedines to 
Contraction, by its Parts which are more acrid and 
fixt, and alfo by vellicating the Nerves, by its 
oily Parts which are acrid and volatile, and fo 
expreffing the Juices from the Glands. As to 
