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fervice in medicine, much more fo furely than the 
common antimonium diaphoreticum, or cerufs of 
antimony. 
But, in all thefe calcinations, not only the quantity, 
but the quality alfo, of the falt-petre fhould be well 
confidered ; for fome nitre greatly abounds with com- 
mon fait, and hence lefs corrects, as it is called, or 
rather deftroys, the regulus. 
But I great' y prefer the infufion of the glafs, regu- 
lus, or crocus of antimony, in found generous wine, 
to any other preparation of that mineral, as by far 
the moft certain, fafe, and effectual ; and the vinum 
antimoniale made with the glafs, or regulus, I think 
the beft : for unlefs the liver of antimony is carefully 
prepared with a due quantity of nitre, and a proper 
degree of fire, it cannot be depended on, as being 
fometimes fixonger, fometimes weaker, and fome- 
times it throws up no feparable fcorias ; which makes 
it, cceteris paribus , confiderably weaker. Befides, 
the hepar fhould be finely powdered, and well edul- 
corated with repeated ablutions (or rather decodlions) 
in hot water ; otherwife much of the alcalized nitre 
will adhere to the hepatic crocus, and enervate the 
power of the vinous menftruum. This was not 
formerly attended to fo much as it ought to have 
been; and I well remember, when the vinum bene- 
di&um, as then called, was ftrangely different the 
one from the other. Certainly, when prepared with 
true glafs of antimony, or pure regulus, there is not 
this uncertainty. If the martial regulus is ufed, it 
may in fome fmall degree alfo participate of a fer- 
rugineous principle. The wine fhould be always 
carefully filtered, after fufficient infufion. In this 
infufion 
