278 C H E M I 
penfive than thofe eommonly ufed ; but it always pro : 
duces the beft kermes, which may be relied on, efpeci- 
ally if the materials be of a good quality.” 
One remarkable thing, firft noticed by Rouelle, is, that 
the kermes precipitated at each filtration is feidom of 
the fame colour, whatever may be the procefs : fometimes 
the colour is dark, fometimes lighter; and although the 
fame matters have been employed, the fame veifels, and 
the boiling continued the fame time, a precipitation ex¬ 
actly fimilar can never be obtained. And this variation 
is the more remarkable when the air is moi'.t, or when 
it is very dry. But this chemift oblerved, that there was 
fome difference between operating in a free air, and in that 
under the chimney of a laboratory. Upon the whole thefe 
differences are of little importance with refpeCt to the 
virtue of the medicine, if all the precipitates are mixed 
together; for thus, the high and low coloured being unit¬ 
ed, there is equal colour through the whole, and you are 
lure of having a kermes poffefiing uniform properties. 
There is yet Another proceis, ufed by M. Dize, com¬ 
pounder of medicines for the military holpitals of France : 
Mix twenty-five parts of cauftic foda, with 150 parts of 
the pure loda of commerce, called cryltals of foda, and 
add twenty-five parts of pulyejdfed fulpluire of antimony. 
Boil the mixture in a lufl’icient quantity of wetter ; by 
filtration and cooling a great quantity of kermes is ob¬ 
tained ; which is to be well wallted, and then dried. 
If any acid be poured into the liquor from which 
kermes has been produced, after it has been entirely fe- 
parnted by cooling, and will furnilh no more, this liquor 
becomes again troubled, and a yellow orange precipitate 
of fulphurated oxyd of antimony, called the golden ful- 
phur of antimony , is produced. The liquor being filtered, 
the orange-coloured fulphurated oxyd of antimony may 
be precipitated anew by means of acids 5 but this lecond 
precipitate will by no means have fo bright a colour as 
the fil'd. 
It will now be eafy to underftand the theory of this 
operation, efpecially after the judicious remarks of Ber- 
thollet on fulphurated hydrogen, who afferts that the 
whole procefs depends on the union, more or lefs imme¬ 
diate, of the oxyd of antimony with fulphurated hydro¬ 
gen. The principal difference between golden fulpliur, 
and Rennes, is that the latter contains only the hydro- 
fulphure of the antimony, while the former contains be- 
fides, fome of the fulphurated oxyd of antimony ; and it 
is not to be doubted that the kermes-mineral owes its 
medicinal virtues to the prefence of the fulphurated hy¬ 
drogen. 
The cauftic alkalis aCt with much more ftrength upon 
the fulphure of antimony than do the effervefeing alka¬ 
lis ; but, to produce a greater quantity of kermes, the 
liquor muff be kept boiling longer. 
The fulphure of antimony decompofes nitrat of pot- 
afh, as we have already fhewn in the preparation of dia¬ 
phoretic antimony. This fubftance, calcined feven times 
fucceflively, with freffi nitre each time, and lixiviated 
after each operation to feparate the falts, produces an 
oxyd of antimony, known by -the name of poudre de Che¬ 
valier ay. 
For the combination called liver of antimony , mix equal 
parts of nitrat of potafli and antimony ; throw the mix¬ 
ture by fpoonfuls into a red-hot crucible ; a detonation 
takes place at each projection for fome time. When the 
detonation ceafes, the fire is increafed l'o as to melt the 
whole ; and, inftead of a diaphoretic antimony, a brown 
opaque brilliant brittle mafs is found in the crucible, 
which is glafs of antimony covered with fcoriae. In this 
operation the nitre is not fufftcient in quantity to burn 
all the fulphnr; the remainder therefore holds an oxyd 
of antimony in folution. When the mixture is not heat¬ 
ed lufiiciently to melt it, nothing is obtained but a vitre¬ 
ous fcoria, to which the name o 1 falfe liver of anihnony of 
P.ullmd is given This matter reduced into powder, and 
waflied with water, forms crocus metallorum j which is 
S T R Y. 
merely oxyd of vitreous antimony pulverized and ftps- 
rated from the faline matters produced by the detonation, 
of the nitre. 
There are two other preparations analogous to the 
foregoing, which are true glafles of fulphurated antimo¬ 
ny ; the one is the ruby of antimony, or tnagnefia opa- 
lina, made by melting together equal pa.rts of decre¬ 
pitated muriaf of foda, nitre, and fulphure of antimony. 
This fufion, which takes place without detonation, af¬ 
fords a vitreous mafs of a brown colour, very brilliant, 
and covered with white fcoriae. The other, improperly 
called the medical regulus, is prepared by filling a mixture 
of fifteen ounces ofTulphure of antimony,' twelve ounces 
of decrepitated muriat of foda, and three ounces of tar¬ 
tar. The refult is a .black fliining very opaque denfe 
glafs, not at all metallic in its appearance. 
Antimony has been long employed in the arts, and in 
medicine. It was formerly ufed as a purge. Wine or 
w r ater w r as poured into veffels made of this metal, and 
fuffered to ftand for the fpace of a night, and the follow¬ 
ing day the liquor was drunk: but as variations of the 
temperature of the place in which this operation was 
made, and of the acidity of the wine made ufe of, mult 
have neceffarilv produced differences in the quantity of 
metal taken up, it is with juftice that this medicine was 
abandoned, as not being to be depended on. For fimilar 
reafons, the perpetual pills, or fmall balls of this metal, 
which were fwallowed as purges, have been renounced. 
The ftateof the digeftive juices, the nature of the mucus 
in the firff paffages, and the lenfibility of different indi¬ 
viduals, muff have rendered their effects uncertain, and 
often dangerous. 
Crude fulphure of antimony, Rotrou’s folvent, oxyd 
of antimony called diaphoretic , kermes mineral, and the 
golden fulphur, are the antimonial medicines at prefent 
moftly ufed. Sulphure of antimony is employed as a fu- 
dorific in cutaneous diforders. It is fufpended in a linen 
bag in the veffels in which the ptifans appropriated to 
thele diforders are prepared ; but many phyficians deny 
it to have any virtue when adminiftered in this manner. 
It is likewife taken in fubftance, being firft finely levi¬ 
gated, and made up into pills for the fame purpofe. 
The folvent of Rotrou, or the alkaline oxyd of anti¬ 
mony, is greatly recommended in lymphatic diforders, 
produced by the congelation of that liquid, as in fero- 
phulous affeCtions, and in general in all glandular tu¬ 
mours. Many phyficians have no confidence in the ef¬ 
fects of waflred diaphoretic antimony. They confider 
this medicine as a pure oxyd of antimony without any 
virtue whatfoever. We cannot, however, forbear ob- 
ferving, that this oxyd, in which Rouelle the younger 
has oblerved a remarkable degree of folubility, ma.y pro¬ 
duce lingular effeCts in confequen.ee of this property. It 
is likewife certain, that, as the aCtion of the gaftric and 
inteltinal juices on metallic oxyds are not known, it can¬ 
not therefore be determined whether a fubftance infoluble 
and infipid to all appearance, has any virtue or no. Ob- 
fervation, however, teaches us, that'this medicine pro¬ 
duces but flight effeCts in eruptions, and in the moll ob- 
ftinate diforders of the fkin, though employed for a long 
time. The unwafhed diaphoretic antimony, or folvent 
of Rotrou, which is much more aCtive than the before- 
mentioned preparation, by reafon of the alkali it contain.^, 
deferves to be preferred. In thefe affeCtions the medi¬ 
cine, called Poudre de Chevalleray, is ufed. It does not 
fenfibly differ from the wafted diaphoretic antimony, be- 
caufe the metal, once well oxydated, as it is when deto¬ 
nated with three times its weight of nitre, cannot be fur¬ 
ther oxydated, and for that reafon in this preparation 
no fucceeding detonation takes place. The prelent me¬ 
dicine is^oblerved to be abfolutely ineffectual when de¬ 
prived of the alkali. 
Kermes mineral is one of the moll valuable antimonial 
remedies we are in poffeflion of; it is attenuating, and is 
employed with thegreateft fuccefs in pituitous affections 
of 
