542  Chemical  Materia  Medica.  {A^V^mber,hi™" 
THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  CHEMICAL  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
( Continued  from  p.  174.. ) 
SUBSTANCES  INTRODUCED  BY  THE  ARABIANS. 
Potassium  nitrate;  called  by  Geber  "Sal  petrae." 
Acid,  hydrochloric,  in  Aqua  Regia.  The  purer  article  was  known 
to  Basilius  Valentinus.  Its  production  by  distilling  a  mixture  of 
sodium  chloride  and  sulphuric  acid  was  described  by  Glauber,  hence 
its  name  "  Spiritus  fumans  Glauberi." 
Acid,  nitric;  known  to  Geber. 
Arsenious  acid,  "  white  arsenic  ;"  known  to  Geber.  More  reliable 
data  was  not  obtainable  until  the  middle  of  the  XL  century. 
Mercuric  chloride ;  known  to  Geber,  Rhases  and  also  to  Avicenna. 
Mercuric  oxide  ;  known  to  Geber. 
Silver  nitrate ;  known  to  Geber,  but  was  introduced  into  medicine 
by  Angelus  Sala  during  the  XVII.  century,  when  it  was  known  as 
"  Magisterium  Argenti,"  "  Crystalli  Dianae." 
Alcohol,  dilute ;  stronger  alcohol  was  first  produced  by  Raymun- 
dus  Lullus,  in  the  XIII.  century,  who  introduced  it  into  the  materia 
medica  as  "  ultima  consilatio  corporis  humani." 
Lead  acetate ;  although  this  was  known  to  Geber,  it  was  not  in- 
troduced or  used  as  a  medicine  until  1760,  when  Goulard  produced 
what  was  later  known  as  "  Aqua  vegetomineralis  Goulardi." 
Camphor;  this  was  first  brought  to  Europe  about  the  middle  of 
the  VI.  century. 
Aqua  ammonia ;  was  known  to  Geber,  as  was  also  a  more  or  less 
pure  caustic  potash. 
SUBSTANCES    KNOWN    TO,  OR    INTRODUCED  BY,  RAYMUNDUS  LULLUS  IN 
THE  XIII.  CENTURY. 
Alcohol ;  stronger. 
Ammonium  carbonate  ;  produced  from  urine. 
White  precipitate. 
THE  XV.  CENTURY  CONTRIBUTED  I 
Potassium  sulphate  ;  this  may  have  been  known  to  Isaac  Hollan- 
dus  in  the  XIV.  century.  Described  by  Oswald  Croll,  about  1608, 
as  "  Specificum  purgans  Paracelsi." 
Sulphuric  acid ;  the  first  known,  accurate,  description  of  this  sub- 
stance is  attributed  to  Basilius  Valentinus. 
