Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 17, Poetry-RHI

EXTEMPORANEOUS PRESCRIPTIONS.
6l
Compounds,
not offici¬
nal, to be
fpecifically
defcribed.
Rules for the patient has perhaps, as not unfrequently happens,
Prefcrip- j0{| Jj;s enthufiafm, and begins to take it with reluc-
tlons' , tance or difguft, feelings which not a little influence the
fuccefs of a remedy, and thus difappoint the hopes both
of the patient and phyfician.
Under this head of avoiding uncommon medicines, it
may be proper to remark, that though a phyfician in
this empire is allowed to prefcribe articles from any of
the national difpenfatories, he fhould in general confine
himfelf to that which is mod: ufed in the part of the em¬
pire where he refides, and if he mentions an article from
either of the others, he fhould fabjoin to the name of
that article the initials Ph. Ed. Ph. Land, or Ph. Dub.
to prevent miftakes, thus,
R. Tin&urse Scillce (P//. Londi) dr. 2.
R. Tinfturae Anguftune (P/i. Dub.') unc. 1.
R. Solutionis muriatis Calcis (Ph. Ed.) dr. 1.
19. With the fame view of enfuring perfpicuity, we
fhould never prefcribe a compound medicine which is
not officinal, merely by its ufual title, without fpecifying
the component parts, or at lead the proportions of thefe.
Thus, if we propofe to order an infujion of quajjia, or a
decoBion sf oak bark, it would not be fufficient to ivrite
in the formula inf if quafice, or decoBi quercus, but
it would be proper, either to prefcribe the mode of pre¬
paring them at full length, thus,
R. Rafurae ligni quafliae excelde, dr. 1.
Aquae didillatse ferventis, Ibj
Inf unde per horam, et cola ; or,
R. Quercus contud, unc. 1.
Aquas didillatae ftuj.
Coque ad dimidium, et cola ;
And then to prefcribe the proper quantity, as,
R. Infufi hujufce, unc. 7, &c. or,
R. Decofri fupra praefcripti, unc. 8, &c.
Or, it would at lead be proper to mention within a
parenthelis, the proportions to be employed in the com-
pofition, in the following manner :
R. Infud quaffiae excelfae (cum dr. 1. ad aquae
tbj. &c.) -, or,
R. Decofti quercus (cum corticis uncia 1 ad
aquae Ibj.) &c.
Again, it would be abfurd in private praftice to pre¬
fcribe the citrate of potafh or of ammonia by the names
of mifura ftilina, or julepwn neutrale ; but it would be
neceffary to introduce into the formula the proper quan¬
tities of lemon juice and of carbonate of potaffi, or car¬
bonate of ammonia, to prepare thefe fecondary falts.
6% See Kirby’s ’P?lo\q's,, formula 13.
Simplicity 20. That we may the better avoid miflakes in compo-
^LcT ^U" fltiQni it is udv fable to fudy fmplicity as much as pojji-
ble: the phyfician is confidered as the aflidant of na¬
ture, and ought to follow her example in producing ef¬
fects by the mod fitnple means. Nothing looks fo un-
fcientific as a crowded formula •, it bears the marks of
empiricifm in its very face, and always reminds us of
thofe monuments of pharmaceutical folly, the theriaca
and the mithridate to be hereafter noticed. It feems as
if the prefcriber faid to himfelf, “ I will put plenty of
ingredients into this medicine, and the deuce is in it if
feme of them do’nt anfwer.” There are many favourite
63
Errors in
point of 1
fimplicity.
325
recipes of old praftitioners handed down from father to Rules for
fon, or from mader to apprentice, which feem to owe
their celebrity chiefly to the multitude of their ingredi- ■ ^.
ents. The Lifbon diet drinks have long been famous in
the cure of difeafes of the fkin. The following is one
of thefe, as taken from the Pharmacopoeia Chirurgica.
R. Deco&um Lulitanicum, No. 2.
Sarfaparillae concifae,
Ligni fantali rubri,
Ligni fantali citrini,y5/?j. unc. ifs. j
Radicis glycyrrhizse,
Radicis meietei,fng. drach. ij.
Ligni rhodii,
Ligni guaiaci officinalis,
Ligni faflafras,y£V/§-. unc. fs. j
Antimonii unc. j.
Aquae didillatae ib v.
Thefe ingredients are to be macerated for 24 hours,
and afterwards boiled till the fluid is reduced to half its
original quantity. From one to two pints are given
daily *. * Pharm.
Some praflitioners adhere to this form; but others,lefs Chirurg.
bigotted to old cudoms, have recourfe to a contracted P'
form of it, retaining only the guaiacum, fadafras, and li¬
quorice, and adding raidns, fimilar to the deco£tum guai¬
aci eompofitum of the Pharmacopoeias.
The following is given in Fox’s Formulce as a remedy
for dropfy.
R. Succ. limon. rect unciam,
Sal abfynth. fcrupulos duos,
corn. cerv. fcrupulum,
Tinct. cinnam. et
Aceti fcillit.y?/?^. drachmas duas,
Tinft. cort. Peruv. femunciam,
Aq. menth. vulg. dmp. et
—— purae fng. unciam,
Vini antim. Huxhami guttas quadraginta,
Tindt. Theb. guttas viginti.
Fiat midura, pro dofibus duabus.
On examining this prefcription, we diall find the re-
fulting medicine to be compofed of citrate of potafh,
acetate of ammonia, a folution of tartrate of antimony
and potafh, and tinBure of opium, all which are dia¬
phoretics ; of [quill, which is diuretic; and of cinna¬
mon, Peruvian bark, alcohol, and mint water, which are
tonic and Jlimulant. Now, a diaphoretic, a diuretic,
and a dimulant, may not form a bad compound in drop¬
fy, but as they may be given in a much more fitnple
form, the prefent medicine is abfurdly complex and un-
fcientific. It might be reduced as follows :
R. Aquae acetitis ammonise, unc. 1.
Tindlurae fcillae, dr. 1.
. lauri cinnamomi, unc.
Vini tartritis antimonii, dr. I.
Tindlurae opii, gt. 40.
Aquae didillatae, unc. vi. M.
We (hall quote one other example of a medical far¬
rago, taken from De Gorter’s Formulae. It is for a pow¬
der formed of vegetables ; and we may remark it is in
the vegetable kingdom that preferibers have mod exu¬
berantly difplayed their talent at compofition.
R. Rad,