ANTIMONY.^BISMUTH. 217 
The first rational account of the properties of anti- 
mony was given, about the end of the seventeenth cen- 
tury, by a French chemist, whose name was Lemeri. 
Its great importance in medicine will be seen by an 
enumeration of some of the most valuable preparations 
of it which are still in use. 
Antimonial Wine is prepared from antimony, in con- 
junction with white Lisbon wine. It is employed as an 
emetic; but, if mixed with milk, this quality is said to 
be completely destroyed, and it becomes narcotic. 
Emetic Tartar, which is much more employed in this 
country than all the other antimonial preparations put 
together, is formed from antimony mixed with its own 
weight of tartar, and a certain proportion of water, 
and afterwards boiled, filtered, and suffered to crys- 
tallize. 
Butter of Antimony is obtained from a combination 
of antimony with corrosive sublimate. It is denomi- 
nated by chemists muriat of antimony, and is usually a 
thick fatty mass of greyish white colour. 
Glass of Antimony is a vitreous substance of reddish 
brown colour, which is occasionally used in medicine, 
but more frequently in colouring the imitations of yel- 
low diamond, Oriental, Brazil, and Saxon topa^ ? 
hyacinth, emerald, and beryl. 
James's Powder, or Antimonial Powder, is a well- 
known medicine, composed of phosphat of lime and 
antimony. 
An alloy consisting of sixteen parts of lead and one 
part of antimony constitutes the metal of which prin- 
ters types are formed. This alloy does not differ from 
lead except in being considerably harder and more 
tenacious. The plates on which music is engraved 
are formed of a mixture of tin and antimony; and 
the oxides of antimony are used for the colouring of 
glass. 
246. BISMUTH is a reddish white semi-metal, Harder 
than silver, and composed of broad brilliant plates adhering 
together. 
VOL. I. t, 
