L I T 
LITHOM'ANCY, / [ 7 n 0 o», a (lone, and pctfliiss, divi¬ 
nation.] In antiquity, a ipecies of divination performed 
with (tones. Sometimes the (tone called Jiderites was ufed ; 
this they wa(hed in fpring-water in the night by candle¬ 
light; the perfon that confulted it was to be purified from 
all manner of pollution, and to have his face covered; 
this done, he repeated divine prayers, and placed certain 
cbarafters in an appointed order; and then the (tone 
moved of itfelf, and in a foft gentle murmur, or (as fome 
lay) in a voice like that of a child, returned an anfwer. 
By a ltone of this nature, Helenus is reported to have 
foretold the deftruftion of Troy. 
LITHOMARG',/ Potters’clay. See Argilla lilhbmarga 
under the article Mi nerai-ogy. 
LITKONTHLAS'PI, / in botany. See Ibkris and 
Thlaspi. 
LITHONTRI'BON, / [from the Greek *« 0 o f> a done, 
and to tear.] A medicine to break or expel the 
(tone. 
LITHONTRIP'TIC, or Lithonthryptic, adj. [from 
the Gr. AiSoc, a (tone, and TfiSw, to tear, or Optwta, to break.] 
Proper to diilolve dones in the kidneys or bladder. 
LITHONTRIP'TIC,/ A medicine to diilolve the 
ftone. Though the different dones that are generated in 
the human bladder require different folvents when out of 
the body; and though art has not yet afforded a medi¬ 
cine, which, when injected into the bladder, will, without 
injury thereto, diilolve the done therein lodged; it can¬ 
not thence be concluded, that there are no lithontriptic 
medicines. 
The calculous diathefis is fo imperfectly known, and 
calculus of the bladder fo rare a difeafe, that little has 
been attempted to prevent it. As ftone, however, when 
once extracted, will fometimes recur, preventives, at 
that time, (hould be employed. In this clafs, general 
tonics will be found ufeful; and, if there is any whofe 
aftion is more particularly directed to the kidneys, thefe 
(hould be preferred. The uva urfi has been (uppofed to 
have this effect, and it may be employed with the decoc¬ 
tion of the bark; at the fame time, a mild diet, with 
every plan that will dilute the urine', without ftimulating 
Che urinary vefiels. The free ufe of watery fluids; fome 
of the diuretic vegetables; fruit, of which Linnaeus feems 
to prefer ftra wherries; are proper, though with a mixture 
of mild animal food. The acidulous l'oda-water will be 
an ufeful drink. If the danger is apparently more urgent, 
the ufe of the bitters may be occafionally intermitted; 
and foap, with lime-water, given for fix weeks or two 
months, when the bitters may be again refumed. The 
patient (hould never fuffer the urine to ftagnate, but ufe 
iiimfelf to difcharge it at (fated times in the day and 
night, which will loon bring on the habit of doing fo, 
whatever the quantity in the bladder may be. This 
however mull not be too often praftifed. Once in the 
night, and three times in the courle of the day, at lead, 
the difcharge (hould be encouraged. If his life is a fe- 
dentary one, it (hould be more frequent. 
A calculus, however, at laft fliows itfelf by fymptoms 
fomewhat equivocal, and differing alfo according to its 
feat. Acrid matter in the urine, a coagulum of blood or 
gluten, well fometimes occafion violent pain, which will 
be tniltaktn for a fit of (lone, and nothing can afeertain 
the complaint but the catheter, unlefs the offending caufe 
(hould be difeharged. An abfeefs of the prortate, or in 
the reCtum, prefiing on the bladder, has been laid a I (b to 
imitate the pain of a calculus; yet, as thefe are eafily af- 
certained by an examination per reflum, the error can 
neither be long-continued nor dangerous- 
When a calculus exilts in the bladder, it produces pain 
chiefly by paroxvims. There are intervals, often long 
ones, of the molt perfeCt eafe, but the parox] frns are ex¬ 
tremely fevere. The difeafe, however, remains; and it 
mult then be confidered whether it be fuch a calculus as 
that the operation of the knife (hould be hazarded, or the 
Solution of the (tone attempted by internal medicines, 
Vol. XII* No. 874. 
L I T gg 1 
The operation, though fevere, is not peculiarly danger¬ 
ous; yet, to attempt it on exhaufted constitutions would 
be highly improper; if firm, no period of life is an obfta- 
cle. Many, however, will not fubrnit; and, in all, we 
think lithontriptic medicines fnouid be tried ; for, though 
we have no deeilive evidence of their difiolving (tone, 
they greatly mitigate the pain, render the paroxyfm's more 
dirt&nt, as well as more mild. It has been found, from 
the experiments of Fourcroy, that almoft every ingredient 
in calculi is difiblved by the cauftic alkali; and various 
experiments have (hown that the whole calculus yields to 
its powers. Lime-water has been found alfo a folyent of 
calculus out of the bod}'. It is obvious, however, that 
what is taken j^y the mouth, has not only a circuitous 
route to reach the bladder, but is fubjeCt to many chemi¬ 
cal changes ; nor, indeed, are there many well-authenti¬ 
cated faffs of the urine being fo changed as to become a 
menftruum for the (tone. Almoft the only inftance, ex¬ 
cept the cafe of Dr. Newcombe, recorded by Dr. Whytt, 
is that of Mr. Home. Yet, though it may not be (b ac¬ 
cumulated in the urine as to render it an aCtive lolvent, 
it may deftroy the animal oxyd in it, or prevent its ten¬ 
dency to concretion; and it may have fuflicient powers 
to. (often the furface of the ftone fo as to leften the irrita¬ 
tion, and, of courfe, the fpafinodic fymptoms, which are 
its confequence. It is, we believe, an incontrovertible 
fact, that, where the ftone has been unchanged, the pa- 
roxyfms of pain have been greatly mitigated ; and, to 
leflen pains lo violently excruciating, is (urely an objeCfc 
of no little importance. 
Lime was long known as a folvent of ftone, and differ¬ 
ent methods were employed to admwiifter it with fafety. 
One of thefe plans fell into the hands of Mrs. Joanna 
Steevens, daughter of a gentleman of a refpeftable family 
in Berkshire; and her fuccefs occalioned a conliderable 
anxiety to dilcover the fecret. At laft, parliament bought 
it for 5000I. after different trials had been made of it with 
advantage. In many inllances, (tones which had been 
fenfibly felt, were no longer to be difeovered; and, as 
the fame perfons were examined by furgeons, men of the 
greateft (kill and eminence, both before and after the ex¬ 
hibition of her medicine, it is fair to conclude that in 
fome inftances they were diffolved. Mrs. Steevens, it is 
faid, firft gave the calcined egg-lbells only, but, finding 
thefe produce coftivenefs, (he added foap. In time (lie 
rendered her procefs more complicated, adding fnails burnt 
to blacknefs, a deco&ion of camomile-flowers, honey, 
parfley, fweet-fennel, and the greater burdock. When 
we confider the effeCts of bitters, we (hall not perhaps 
think thefe additions to have been wholly ufelefs. It is 
lingular, however, that the egg-fliells, though calcined, 
were expofed to the air till reduced to a fine powder. No 
one feems to have carefully examined them in this ftate; 
and it is only prefumed that they retained fome portion 
of the caultic acrimony. Various other ingredients were 
confefledly ufed as di/guifes only. As foap was with rea- 
fon fuppofed to add conliderably to the virtues of the 
lime, it led to the ufe of the cauftic alkali, foftened by a 
more pleafing mucilage, veal broth. Since that time it 
has been ufed alone. The following is the beft mode of 
preparing and adminiftering it: Take of kali prepared, 
eight ounces; of frefli quick-lime, four ounces; of dis¬ 
tilled water, a quart; mix them well together in a large 
bottle, and let them (land for twenty-four hours; then 
pour off the lye, filter it through paper, and keep it in 
well-ftopped phials for ufe. Of this the dofe is from thirty 
drops to two drams, which is to be repeated two or three 
times in a day. Mix the quantity to be ufed in the day 
with three pints of plain broth, which has been made with 
the lean part of veal, all the fat or oily parts being fepa- 
rated from it, by putting it, when made, into a large 
bowl, and lkimming them off with a fpoon when cold; 
and let the patient drink within an hour a pint of this 
broth three times a-day, early in the morning, at noon, 
and in the evening; continue the ufe for three, four, or 
9 ? more, 
