206 
his coat. When combined with lard into an oint- 
ment, in the proportion of one drachm or two 
drachms of itself to an ounce of the lard, it acts 
powerfully as an external application in affections 
of the chest; but it sometimes produces exten- 
sive sloughings, and, on that account, ought not 
to be used except when less active remedies are 
likely to fail. 
The compound powder of antimony is the same 
or very nearly the same as the well-known James’s 
Powder ; and, either alone or in combination with 
mercurials, is an excellent sudorific and a good 
antifebrile medicine. The dose to a hog is six 
grains; and to a horse from one drachm to two 
drachms. It has been used alone, in the treat- 
ment of epidemic catarrh in the horse, by some 
distinguished practitioners; yet it evidently is 
much inferior in power to tartar emetic. Adul- 
terations of it with chalk, burnt bones, and other 
white powders, are so very common that no de- 
pendence can be placed on the antimonial powder 
usually sold by druggists ; yet these adulterations 
may easily be detected by means of muriatic or 
sulphuric acid. 
Chloride of antimony, constituted by chemical 
combination of chlorine with antimony, and pop- 
ularly called butyr of antimony, is one of the 
most useful superficial caustics, or substances for 
acting caustically on the exterior of an animal, 
which can possibly be employed. It has strong 
affinity for water, and in consequence readily 
combines with the fluids belonging to the part 
to which it is applied, so that it becomes suffi- 
ciently diluted to be incapable of producing any 
deep or corroding sore. It also changes the col- 
our of the part to which it is applied, and there- 
fore so accurately marks the extent of its appli- 
cation as to afford a minute and unerring guide 
to the surgeon in its use. For warts, foul in the 
foot, cankered foot, and some stubborn and mor- 
bid wounds, chloride of antimony is a valuable 
stimulant and caustic. 
ANTIRRHINUM. See Snappracon. 
ANTISEPTICS. Some varieties of vegetable 
matter, and the greater number of the animal 
products, are liable to a series of spontaneous de- 
compositions, from the reaction of their elements, 
which constitute the process of putrefaction. The 
intermixture of certain substances counteracts 
these changes, renders them more slow, or alto- 
gether prevents them: these are named Antisep- 
tics. ‘The power of a number of bodies belonging 
to this class has been long known from popular 
use. The applications of sea-salt, of nitre, of 
vinegar, and of ardent spirits, to preserve animal 
substances untainted, are among the common 
practices which have been in use from very re- 
mote periods: and the antiseptic quality of a 
number of aromatic substances, resins and cam- 
phor, has led to their employment in embalming, 
and in some similar processes. The most exten- 
| give series of experiments on the powers of anti- 
septics, are those which were made a number of 
ANTISEPTICS. 
years ago, by Sir John Pringle, and published in 
the 46th volume of the ‘ Philosophical Transac- 
tions.’ Though sea-salt is the substance most 
generally used, perhaps, as an antiseptic, it does 
not, according to these experiments, derive this 
from any superiority of power; for it is inferior 
to many others; but is rather preferred, from 
its communicating no unpleasant taste or other 
quality to the substances which it preserves. 
Taking this salt as a standard, and stating its 
power of preserving animal matter, such as flesh, 
from putrefaction at 1, the comparative powers | 
of other salts are stated in the following table: 
Nitre, : ~ A+ |. 
Salt of hartshorn, 4— || 
Salt of wormwood, 4 -+ 
Sal gem, . ~ l+ 
Vitriolated tartar, 2 
Spirit of mindererus, 2 
Soluble tartar, . 2 Borax, ~ 124+ | 
Diuretic salt, 2-+ Saltofamber, . 20+4 || 
Sal-ammoniac, . 3 Alum, 30+ 
Saline mixture, . 3 
A number of vegetable substances even ex- 
ceeded these in antiseptic power. Myrrh Sir John 
supposed to be 30 times more powerful than sea- | 
salt; several bitters, such as serpentaria, chamo- | 
mile, or Peruvian bark, he inferred, exceed it 120 
times; flesh remaining long untainted, when im- 
mersed in their infusions: and camphor he cal- 
culated to be the most powerful perhaps of any | 
antiseptic, its power, compared with that of sea- 
salt, being stated as 300 to 1. These experi- | 
ments, however, cannot be regarded as altogether 
free from fallacy. It was in particular found that 
the different substances did not possess the same 
comparative antiseptic powers, with regard to 
different kinds of animal matter. Much, too, de- 
pended on the proportions employed; as is well | 
shown by a singular fact, that some substances, 
such as sea-salt, which in a large proportion re- 
sist putrefaction, actually favour it when mixed 
in asmaller proportion. Some of the gases, espe- _ 
cially nitric oxide, are powerful in resisting putre- 
faction ; and several of the metallic salts,as nitrate | 
of silver, or corrosive muriate of mercury, are used | 
in preserving objects of natural history from the | 
animal kingdom, from their high antiseptic power. 
Little satisfactory has as yet been advanced | 
with regard to the theory of the action of anti- 
septics. It is sufficiently obvious, that whatever 
is unfavourable to the exertion of the mutual 
affinities of the elements of the animal matter, 
must have a tendency to preserve its composi- 
tion, and of course must retard putrefaction. 
Hence the reason why that process is checked 
by cold, and also by exsiccation. But it is not 
easy to explain, on this principle, how many of 
the substances, which act as antiseptics, operate. | 
There is no obvious operation, for example, of 
sea-salt on animal matter, nor any known chem- 
ical agency of it, from which it could be inferred, 
that it would exert any such quality. The power 
of camphor, and other vegetable antiseptics, has 
been supposed to be owing to their effluvia being 
destructive to the ova of insects: they probably 
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