[ 843 ] 
as neither touching the fulphureous or metallic part. 
Spirit of wine hath no manner of effect on the regu- 
line; but a vegetable faponaceous acid aCts on both, 
and draws out the real fubftance of the regulus, 
making as it were a very attenuated liquid tartar 
emetic, or antimonial folution. And thus indeed 
the vegetable acids aCt on iron or copper; which nei- 
ther pure water, nor pure fpirit, will affeCt, but are 
moll readily diffolved by wine, cyder, juice of le- 
mons, or the like. 
This leads me, however, to make the following 
obfervations : That though fimple water is ineffectual 
in drawing off* any thing emetic from pure regulus 
of antimony, yet certainly rain, or river-water, in 
fome meafure, aCts on the body of crude antimony, 
and extradts from it a milky hue, and a fulphureous 
antimonial fmell and tafte, by being digefted with it 
in a very gentle heat of the fun, or fire. And this 
water, by the way, fo impregnated, hath been very 
often found of great fervice in cutaneous and other 
diforders, when drunk freely. Now, as the watery 
menftruum doth unqueftionably take up fome of the 
antimonial fulphur, it may receive therewith like- 
wife fome of the very fine reguline parts attached to 
the fulphur ; juft as almoft all the natural fulphu- 
reous waters hold alfo fomething, more or lefs, of 
fome other mineral principle, as particularly moft of 
them fomething ferrugineous. And further, what- 
ever may be thought of giving crude antimony in 
fubftance, Kunkel, Hoffman, Geoffroy, and many 
others, affert its great utility in feveral diforders j 
and, I think, I have fufficient reafon to be of their 
opinion. It is fcarce to be doubted, but that it is of 
5 O 2 very 
