[ 8 5 8 3 
to try any thing of this kind, I would recommend 
a preparation of the celebrated Dr. Stahl $ viz. pour 
by little at a time, and flow degrees, near treble the 
quantity of good alcohol vini on rectified butter of 
antimony: as a confiderable heat at firft arifes on the 
mixture, it immediately grows milky, and a very 
white gelatinous kind of mafs foon precipitates. This 
digefted for a day or two, in a very gentle heat, then 
fufficiently edulcorated with boiling water, dried and 
deflagrated with fpirit of wine, gives a powder much 
fofter in operation than the common mercurius vita?, 
though ftill emetic, and, as the ProfefTor fays, greatly 
fudorific and anodyne. The dofe three or four grains. 
I find it fweats very largely, efpccially when it ope- 
rates little by vomit, or ftool, as indeed molt of the 
draflic antimonials will do. Maets recommends an- 
other preparation of mercurius vita?, under the title 
of purgans ex antimonio fecuriflimum ; which is 
made by melting one part of mercurius vitae with 
two parts of nitre, and then well grinding this mafs 
with an equal quantity of common fait. This done, 
let the fait be well wafhed off, and the mafs well 
edulcorated. This indeed I find fo fecure a medicine, 
that it differs very little iii virtue from common 
bezoar mineral : the reafon will eafily appear to any 
one, who confiders the following obfervations : 
Antimonium diaphoreticum, and cerufs of anti- 
mony, are little more than the dead allies of that mi- 
neral, deprived of its internal or metallizing fulphur 
by repeated deflagrations with falt-petre ; fo that I 
think little can be expe&ed from them in a medici- 
nal way, both the one and the other being an in- 
active calx, in which the reguline form and con- 
texture 
