N I T R O- M U R IA T I C ACID. 
106 
liary fyftem frequently gives rife to a flux, which I have 
known to go on for many months, and even for years. 
I have generally feen a deficiency of bile without a ten¬ 
dency to flux, and often even accompanied by a confti- 
pated ftate of the primae vias. Such a condition of the 
liver and bile does frequently give rife to molt uneafy de¬ 
rangements of the ftomach ; a tendency to acidity or 
heartburn; little ulcerations over the furface of the 
mouth and cefophagus, and perhaps extending down¬ 
wards through the whole track of the inteftinal canal. 
This aphthous difeafe is very diftrefling and dangerous, 
though I have been very fuccefsful in curing it by the 
nitro-muriatic acid. I know of no other remedy for this 
aftedtion of the ftomach and inteftines, as the common 
means of cure feem to me to be very far from fufficient. 
“ From a difeafed ftate of the bile, the memory is often 
aft'edted, and a degree of ftupidity, and even of idiotcy, 
comes on. From this caufe, too, the hair at times grows 
harlh and hard to the feeling ; and I have feen it, like the 
fkin, become foft and flexible from the ufe of the nitro- 
muriatic acid. In all biliary derangements the rule is 
never to be forgotten, and I repeat it again, that there is 
no fecurity again/l a relapfe till the health and Jlrength are 
fully rejlored; and that, till then, J'ome repetitions of the 
remedy are neeejfary. But the good effects of the nitro- 
muriatic practice can never be appreciated until it has 
been difcontinued for feveral weeks, or rather months. 
During the ufe of the bathing or fponging, the pulfe is 
often very quick, and patients grow thinner, even when 
they feel better. At times, too, they often complain of 
more than ufual uneafinefs in the liver, or in the region 
of it; they often lofe their flefti, and look very yellow. 
The remedy feems to alter and agitate that organ. The 
flow of bile, when once excited, goes on for a number of 
days; and, with fome people, not without inconvenience. 
If it do not affedt the bowels as a laxative, it is highly ne- 
ceflary at this time to employ fome fubftance that has this 
power, fuch as the fulphate of magnefia, l'enna, or aloes. 
In time, however, it is commonly found that the health, 
the ftrength, and the colour of the Ikin, are much im¬ 
proved. 
“ It is no fmall advantage of this pradtice, that we can 
apply the power in as high a degree as the ftrongeft can 
bear, or in quantities fo minute, that the moft lenfitive 
and nervous being can hardly be injured by it. I have 
immerfed many to the chin in this bath ; and I have been 
afraid, in other cafes, to wet more than a Angle hand 
with the acid. The length of time, too, that the acid 
remains in contact with the Ikin, may be infinitely varied. 
We have thus a power extremely divifible, and applicable 
to alinoft every degree of refiftance or fenfibility. When 
the acid produces very confiderable effedts, it is right, 
after a few days, to flop its ufe for a week or two ; as, if 
ufed long, it gives rife to unneceflary uneafinefs from bi¬ 
lious difcharges or bilious feelings. 
“ I have laid that drinking the nitro-muriatic acid has 
the very fame effedts with its external ufe. When taken 
in this way, it fliould be very much diluted with water. 
Indeed it Ihould tafte but very flightly acid, and be drunk 
in fmall portions at a time. I need hardly fay, that it is 
very neceftary to take care that, even in this weak ftate, 
it be not allowed to touch the teeth. The mouth ihould 
be immediately walhed after fwallowing it, and every pre¬ 
caution employed that is ufed with the mineral acids, to 
prevent injury from its external action. This way of 
tiling the nitro-muriatic acid is often very convenient and 
falutary, and in many cafes may deferve a preference to 
any other. I think it is particularly applicable to fome 
ftates of indigeftion, and when we with to produce effedts 
gradually and infenfibly.” 
Some inquiries follow concerning the modus opcrandi, 
of which, however, Dr. Scott candidly confeffes his ig¬ 
norance; but, that the power depends on the chlorine, as 
Sir H. Davy terms it, he has no doubt. This is further 
explained in the following fupplementary note ; 
“ Since I wrote the preceding paper, feveral of my 
friends have become convinced with me, that the very 
fame effedts arife from a diluted folution of chlorine in 
water, as are produced by the nitro-muriatic acid. Our 
late experience puts an end to all doubt, if any could 
have exifted, that chlorine alone is the fource of the ma¬ 
terial effedts. We have fponged the Ikin with a folution 
of chlorine in water, and in many cafes have obtained 
the fame refults as arife from a fimilar application of the 
nitro-muriatic acid. The folution of chlorine to which 
I allude, is water through which the oxymuriatic acid 
gas has been made to pafs, until It could retain no more 
of it. This inode of applying chlorine has the advan¬ 
tage of not irritating the moft fenfible fkins fo much as 
the diluted nitro-muriatic acid might do; but even this 
folution I have diluted with about four times its bulk of 
water, before I applied it. It is remarkable that the 
aqueous folution of chlorine, procured by mixing the 
acids together, is far lefs offenfive than its folution got 
by the common means of pafling the gas through water. 
Some degree of affinity feems in the firltcafe ftill to fubfilt 
between it and the other elements of the acids, by which 
its fenfible qualities are diminifhed to a certain extent. 
We are under great obligations to fir Humphry Davy, for 
the light he has lately thrown on this fubjedt, by which 
the effedts of the aqua regia of the chemifts are clearly 
accounted for. 
“ If it be confidered that the moft adtive of all the mer¬ 
curial preparations in ufe are calomel (fubmuriate of 
mercury,) and corrofive fublimate, (oxymuriate of mer¬ 
cury,) we may afcribe this great activity to the chlorine 
of the compofition. Why the fanative powers of the 
mercurial preparations were fuppofed to arife from the 
metal alone, I cannot conceive. In like manner the che¬ 
mifts for a long time negledted the water that might be 
mixed with the materials of their experiments, the ele¬ 
ments of which water gave rife to effedts that miffed them 
in all their reafonings. I am now nearly, I think, in a 
condition to fliow what effedts in the fyftem arife from 
mercury as a metal, and what effedts are derived from the 
other element of the mercurial preparations, whether this 
metal in them be combined with oxygen or with chlorine.” 
Mr. Charles Bell (Surgical Obfervations) goes ftill far¬ 
ther in his admiration of this laft-mentioned fubftance j 
and is of opinion, that “ not a particle of the acid enters 
the fyftem, and that the whole effedts arife from the chlo¬ 
rine?” Surely fuch a fuggeftion is premature. Is there 
any reafon why thefe fubftances fliould not be abforbed 
when the flcin is broken ? or what do we know of the 
medical effedts of chlorine, the exiftence of which has 
only lately been afcertained ? If the acids are not ab¬ 
forbed, may we not fufpebt that the whole benefit is de¬ 
rived from the fumes entering by the lungs. Let us re¬ 
coiled!, too, what the celebrated abbe Elyfee performed 
with Bareges water, and afterwards with his artificial 
Bareges water, which was brought in “ common wine- 
bottles from the apothecaries and chemifts.” Here the 
acid ufed was the fulphureous. But it is time to difmifs 
the fubjedt, w'hich, however, we cannot do without wiffi- 
ing the profeflion to coniider the queftion as hitherto em¬ 
pirical, and to diredt their experiments in fuch a manner 
as to reduce the refult to certain laws, after which the 
pradtice may be dignified with the title of phyfical. London 
Med. and Phyf. Journal. Dec. 1817. 
NITROGEN, f. in chemiftry, a Ample oxydable body, 
by fome chemifts called azol, from its property of deftroy- 
ing life. This name appears improper, fince feveral other 
gafes have the fame elfedt upon animals. Before the dif- 
covery of Cavendifli, our knowledge of this gas was little 
more than negative. It was then believed to be the bafe 
of the nitric acid ; but the certainty was not eftablilhed 
till the gas was combined with oxygen, by pafling a num¬ 
ber of eledtric fparks through the two gafes. This is the 
only pofitive knowledge we yet poffefs of this fubftance. 
Its fpecific gravity is 12$, hydrogen beinar 1. The weight 
x of 
