314 
ON VESICATING APPLICATIONS. 
or unprofitably spent. The advantage which our continental 
neighbors are, by some, considered to have gained over us, 
in the preparation of blistering applications, should also be a 
stimulus to increased energy in this investigation. The 
vesicating taffetas of the French certainly appear to have 
advantages over our greasy and offensive blistering plaster; 
and the question may fairly be raised, whether this latter might 
not give place to an equally certain, efficacious, and inexpen- 
sive, but more cleanly and elegant application. The blistering 
tissues introduced in this country by Messrs. Smith of Edin- 
burg, and Mr. Butler, of St. Paul's Churchyard, possess all 
the requisites of elegance and cleanliness that could be desired, 
but a proprietory nostrum must necessarily be limited in its 
usefulness, from the want of confidence attaching to any 
remedy, the composition and preparation of which is not 
known. In the Journal de Pharmacies for 1837, is a 
report by Cap and Soubeiran, to the Society of Pharmacy of 
Paris, on vesicating taffetas, w T hich gives some insight into 
the mode of preparing those applications. The process recom- 
mended for their preparation, is that adopted by Messrs. Henry 
and Guibourt, which consists in liquifying, with double its 
weight of wax, the green oil that is obtained from Cantharides 
by means of ether. The mixture is spread upon a sheet of 
waxed linen or paper, in the same manner as common adhesive 
plaster. Other processes are described in which euphoribum 
is employed, but the operation of these is stated to be 
accompanied with more pain, and the effect to be less readily 
healed. An objection has been found to apply to the above 
process of Messrs. Henry and Guibourt, which is, that the 
concrete Oil of Cantharides loses its efficacy by long exposure 
to the atmosphere. Vesicating tissue paper, which I prepared 
in this manner, although it acted perfectly well when recently 
made, lost its blistering effect, after being exposed to the air 
for a few weeks. I observe in the formula of M. Dechamps, 
and also in that of M. Thierry, that a tincture of benzoin, or 
of balsam of tolu, is ordered to be laid over the surface of 
their taffetas, the object of which no doubt is, by forming a 
