April 6,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
805 
commencing with the orthodox, “ Take of so and so, so 
much.” 
In the Bible we have either direct or probable reference 
to forty-five drugs, viz.:— 
Aloes. 
Aniseed. 
Almonds. 
Antimon. sulph. 
Balm of Gilead. 
Brimstone. 
Bdellium. 
Calamus. 
Camphire. 
Cassia. 
Cummin. 
Coriander. 
Colocynth. 
Cinnamon. 
Frankincense. 
Fi g. 
Garlick. 
Gall. 
Galbanum. 
Honey. 
Hyssop. 
Hemlock. 
Lign Aloe. 
Lime. 
Mallows. 
Manna. 
Millett. 
Mint. 
Mustard seed. 
Myrrh. 
Natron. 
Olive oil. 
Onycha. 
Palm. 
Pomegranate. 
Ricinus. 
Saffron. 
Sponge. 
Stacte. 
Spikenard. 
Soap. 
Vermilion. 
Vinegar. 
Wax. 
Wormwood. 
Besides these, we read of anointing oil, ointment, per¬ 
fumery, plaister, mortars and pestles, scales and weights. 
Mortars and pestles we meet with as early as the time 
of Moses, for we learn that the Israelites in the wilder¬ 
ness used them for the purpose of grinding or beating 
the manna which they gathered. In Proverbs we find 
it suggested “ Though thou bray the fool in the mortar 
with a pestle, yet will not his folly depart from him.” 
Egyptian sculptures exist exhibiting the figures of men 
pounding in mortars with large pestles. On the wall is 
a sketch of one such Egyptian piece of sculpture. On 
the left you see two men standing opposite each other 
at one mortar, each with a large pestle, pounding alter¬ 
nately, as we often see blacksmiths striking their iron. 
On the right of the sketch is represented one man 
sifting the contents of the mortar, whilst the other is 
bringing a fresh supply. Next to this sketch you see 
one of another piece of sculpture, exhibiting the ancient 
form of scales used by that people. As scales of this 
form appear in the paintings and sculptures of the 
Egyptians as ancient as the time of Moses, we may 
conclude that the scales used by the Jews were of similar 
construction, and it is interesting to notice that they so 
greatly resemble the handscales in use among ourselves. 
Ointments are frequently mentioned in the Bible, 
showing their use in very early times. There is a re¬ 
ference in the Book of Job, which is perhaps the most 
ancient book in the world, to the process of making oint¬ 
ment ; where we read, “ He maketh the sea to boil like 
a pot; he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.” There 
is also a remarkable reference to ointment in Ecclesi¬ 
astes, indicating that the apothecary of that day was as 
troubled with flies in his business as the druggist of to¬ 
day, for they got into his ointments and spoiled them. 
“ Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send 
forth a stinking savour.” The ointments in use amongst 
the Jews were to a great extent vehicles for perfume; 
hence the words in the Song of Solomon, “ Because of the 
savour of thy good ointment, thy name is as good oint¬ 
ment poured forth.” Amongst the Jews the use of oint¬ 
ments was fourfold, viz. for cosmetic, funereal, medicinal 
and ritual or religious purposes. The practice of anoint¬ 
ing the head and clothes on festive occasions prevailed 
among the Jews. There are several references to it in 
Scripture. Ointments were also used to anoint dead 
bodies, and the clothes in which they were wrapt. This 
explains our Saviour’s saying, “ Against the day of my 
burying hath she done this.” In Exodus, Moses is com¬ 
manded to make a holy ointment, to be used only for 
sacred purposes, compounded of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, 
sweet calamus, cassia and olive oil. Of the dry ingre¬ 
dients, 60 lb. were to be used to 12| lb. of olive oil. 
It is difficult to understand how so little oil could form 
the other ingredients into an ointment. Maimonides 
says that the powdered ingredients were infused in water 
till all the virtue was extracted, and then the infusion 
poured into the oil and boiled till the water was evapo¬ 
rated. The ointment was to be “ compounded after the 
art of the apothecary.” In the margin we have the 
word “perfumer” for “apothecary,” which is a better 
rendering of the word. The business of a perfumer was 
not distinguished from that of an apothecary in the time 
of the translators. Hence Shakspeare, who lived long 
before, says, “ An ounce of civet, good apothecary, to 
sweeten my imagination.” "YVhether the Jews in Bible 
times understood the nature and use of drugs as medi¬ 
cinal agents or not, they certainly understood the art of 
perfumery. We have ample evidence of their profuse 
employment of perfumes. They used them to their per¬ 
sons, their clothes and their beds. Even as early as the 
time of the patriarch Isaac, before the Israelites went 
into Egypt, we have an instance of perfumery applied 
to the clothes. We are told that the old man said to 
Jacob, “ Come near now and kiss me, my son:” and he 
smelled the smell of his raiment, and said, “ See, the 
smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord 
hath blessed.” The principal fragrant substances em¬ 
ployed in perfumery by the Jews were cassia, cinnamon, 
calamus, camphire, frankincense, lign aloe, myrrh, saf¬ 
fron, spikenard. These articles were used either dry, or 
their perfume extracted and embodied in the form of an 
ointment. 
[To be continued.') 
A NEW SOLVENT OF IODIDE OF LEAD AND ITS 
APPLICATION TO PHARMACY. 
BY DONATO TOMMASI, DOCTEUR ES SCIENCES.* 
Some time since, while studying the action upon 
iodide of lead of nascent carbonic acid, resulting from 
the reaction of a solution of acetate of lead, acidulated 
by a few drops of acetic acid, upon a solution of iodide 
of potassium to which some carbonate of sodium had 
been added, the author was surprised to find that whilst 
the carbonic acid was freely given off, the yellow pre¬ 
cipitate of iodide of lead disappeared as quickly as it 
was produced. This was found to be due not to the 
formation of a new compound, but to the fact that the 
plumbic iodide was held in solution. The solution of 
acetate of sodium in which it was contained being set 
aside, after a time beautiful golden yellow crystalline 
plates of iodide of lead were deposited. 
As iodide of lead is insoluble in alcohol,.ether, chloio- 
form, acetic acid and glycerine, while it is only soluble 
in the proportion of 1 part to 1235 of .cold and 1 part to 
194 of boiling water, the author considered the subject 
worthy of further investigation. He found that iodide 
of lead was soluble in a. concentrated solution ot acetate 
of sodium in the following proportions 
50 c. c. of a cold concentrated solution of acetate ot 
sodium will dissolve 1. gram of the iodide; the same 
quantity, boiling, will dissolve 2 grams. 
50 c. c. of the cold concentrated solution, with one-fifth 
c. c. of acetic acid added, and then heated to the boiling 
point, will dissolve 6 grams of the iodide. -0 c. c. ot a 
boiling supersaturated solution, acidula e v 
drops of acetic acid, will dissolve 8 grams of the iodide 
which is equal to 40 per cent. . If too much acetic a 
be added, the solubility of the iodide of lead will not bo 
augmented. 
* Abstracted from a Memoir presen 
Royale de Pharmacie at Brussels. 
ted to the Socie 
