Langenkan—The Arsenical Solutions. 
191 
even the Bark itself has failed, or otherwise its Administration not 
been admissible; and therefore a powerful vacarious Remedy for 
so frequent a Distemper, becomes an important Object. 
(p. VI) It may also be objected, that to introduce a Poison to 
the Public as a general Medicine, is to put a two-edged Sword into 
the Hands of the Ignorant. But the same Argument will equally 
apply against several of the most efficacious Medicines in daily Use, 
in particular Opium, and some of the more active preparations of 
Mercury and Antimony. 
Or if for a Moment, the Force of this Argument be admitted, yet 
when it is considered that a Patent Medicine has, for some years 
past, been largely circulated through the Kingdom, as a specific for 
Agues, under the Title of Tasteless Ague and Fever Drops; that 
from its Effects in Practice there is the strongest Reason to believe it 
to be an arsenical preparation; and that on this very Ground, it is 
at present imitated in different Parts of the Kingdom, the Objec¬ 
tion becomes nugatory. 
Therefore,, if any new and important Medicine, either from its 
active Nature, or an imprudent Administration thereof, is found to 
be sometimes connected with distressing and deleterious Effects, it 
becomes highly requisite (p. VII) that the Public should speedily 
be made acquainted with such Effects, as far as they are known; to¬ 
gether with such Precepts, Cautions, and Restrictions, as may tend 
to unite the greatest Degree of Safety with its Efficacy. Nothing 
however, of this Sort, has been done; which Consideration, it is 
presumed, will be an Apology for an early Publication of so inter¬ 
esting a Subject, and for such Imperfections as may have taken 
Place from that Circumstance. 
When the Patent Ague Drops began to acquire some Reputation 
in the Country, they were occasionally adopted in the Hospital 
Practice of this Place, in 1781, 1782, and 1783, and were found 
efficacious. 
In the beginning of October 1783, Mr. Hughes, the Apothecary to 
the Infirmary, (whose Industry, Attention and Abilities in his pro¬ 
fessional Line, justly merit Applause) informed the Author that 
he had tried to imitate the Ague Drops, and, from a number of 
Experiments, had so far succeeded (his Medicine having produced 
similar Effects) that he was convinced they were a Preparation of 
Arsenic. 
(p. VIII) In Consequence of this general Intimation the Author 
