i.p •' Dr. scmvicm A\vr,R- s Account 
* * - • * 
without observing the lead fenlible ellect from it. A iaiiorj 
however, wlio had the curioiity to try the effect of recent am- 
bergrife upon himfelf, took half an ounce of it melted upon 
the fire, and found it a good purgative; which proves, that it 
is not quite an inert fu bilance. 
In Alia and part of Africa ambergrife is not only ufed as a 
medicine and as a perfume, but a great ufe is alfo made of it in 
cookery, by adding it to feveral difhes as a fpice ; a great 
quantity of it is alfo conftantly bought by the Pilgrims who 
travel to Mecca, probably to offer it there, and make ufe of it 
in fumigations, in the fame manner as frankincenfe is ufed in 
Catholic countries. The Turks make ufe of it as an aphrodi- 
siac. Our perfumers add it to feented pillars, candles, balls or 
bottles, gloves, and hair-powder ; and its e hence is mixed with 
pomatums for the face and hands, either alone or mixed with 
mulk, &c. though its finell is to fome perfons extremely 
offenfive. 
Having now finished my remarks about ambergrife, 1 (hall 
conclude this paper with fome new obfervations concerning the 
febaceous fubftance generally called Spermaceti, and the whale 
from which it is obtained. 
I mentioned above that it is only one kind of whale from 
which our fifhermen obtain the fpermaceti, which they call 
for this reafon the Spermaceti Whale : in this fame fi(h it is 
that they f nd ambergrife. They never fearch after the Phy- 
feter Catodon, the Phyfeter Microps, Phyfeter Turbo, and 
others of the fame genus ; but they aim at taking both the 
male and female of the Phyfeter Macrocephalus, though the 
male Contains not only a larger quantity, but alfo in their opi* 
nion a better quality of fpermaceti* 
