An Account of the Extraordinary Medicinal Fluid, called Aether.Turner, Matthew
History
An Account of the Extraordinary Medicinal Fluid, called Aether.
Turner, Matthew
Ether; Materia medica -- Early works to 1800
Repeated Experience has confirmed the Efficacy of this Medicine in
all the Diseases before mentioned; and from the Consideration of
it's uncommon Qualities, it may be presumed to be an excellent
Remedy in many others, if judiciously given: Hence it seems
surprising that so valuable an Addition, to the _Materia Medica_
as the AETHER doubtless is, should have been so much neglected, or
so little known; but the Reasons are, that the Process whereby it
was made was kept secret by some who rated the Preparation at a
very extravagant Price, and not sufficiently attended to by
others, who consider'd it only as a Chemical Curiosity, not as a
Medicine. The chief Merit the Publisher of this Account pretends
to, is, _the ascertaining the Medicinal Virtues of this curious
Preparation_, by several Years Experience, and making them more
publickly known; _the reducing it's Price_, which has hitherto
been so extravagant that had it's Virtues and Properties been
known, only a small number of the afflicted could have enjoy'd the
Benefit of it; and, _the bringing it to a greater Degree of
Perfection than any hitherto sold_; what he offers being a
perfectly rectified Vitriolic AETHER.
It may not be improper to give the Marks by which good AETHER may
be known. It is perfectly colourless, except it has receiv'd some
accidental Tinge from the Cork of the Phial in which it has been
kept; and so volatile as to strike the Nose very powerfully. It's
Smell is more or less sulphureous, according to the management of
some Part of the Process. Wetting the Finger with it, or dropping
a little upon the Hand, it vanishes instantly, and leaves no
Moisture behind; so that the Part scarcely seems to have been wet.
Half a Dozen Drops, dropped together upon a Table will disappear
in a few Seconds of a Minute, and leave only the Appearance of a
large oily Ring behind; but if it leaves the least Watery or
Spirituous Moisture, or does not evaporate in much less than a
Minute, it is not good. The best AETHER will dissolve in, or mix
with, a certain Quantity of Water; and that is the best which
requires the largest Quantity of Water to dissolve it: If,
therefore, to fix Tea Spoonsful of Water in a small Phial, you add
one of the AETHER to be examined, cork up the Phial, and shake
them very well together, and upon standing a little while some
part of the AETHER appears at Top, in form of Oil, sufficient to
cover the surface of the Mixture, it may be pronounced good
(provided it also answers, in the other Methods of Trial) and the
more appears the better is the AETHER; but if none appears, or not
enough to cover the surface of the Mixture, it was either
adulterated, or not well rectified. If to this Mixture of AETHER
and Water you add a little _Salt of Tartar_, and any Fermentation
ensues, the AETHER was not well rectified. Upon shaking briskly a
Phial containing AETHER, if the Bubbles, or Proof as they are
usually called, do not disappear in less Time, and in larger
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