Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 2 (of 2)Wootton, A. C.
History
Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Wootton, A. C.
Pharmacy -- History
Daffy’s Elixir is still made by Sutton & Co., of 76 Chiswell Street,
the successors to Dicey & Co., of Bow Church Yard, who were themselves
successors to Benjamin Okell, who was carrying on the business in
1727, but when or from whom, or for what consideration the property
was transferred to them from the Daffy family, is not known. The
old-fashioned handbills wrapped round the bottles state that the
Elixir was “much recommended to the public by Dr. King, Physician to
King Charles II, and the late learned and ingenious Dr. Radcliffe.”
Unhappily, however, “a low set of mercenary vendors” have been making
imitations of this “noble and generous Elixir,” using “foul and
ordinary spirits instead of clean and pure brandy, and base and damaged
drugs,” of which none could be guilty “but such as never feel for any
but themselves.”
BAUME DE FIORAVENTI.
This medicine still figures in the French Codex and in other
continental Pharmacopœias. It is an alcoholic tincture of canella,
cloves, nutmegs, ginger, and other spices, with bay berries, to which
are added amber, galbanum, myrrh, aloes, elemi, and other resins, and
one-sixth by volume of turpentine. After digestion this mixture is
distilled to a yield of about two-thirds of the original bulk. The balm
was formerly given in doses of 5 or 6 drops in kidney disorders, but it
is now only used externally in rheumatism and for chilblains, and for
strengthening the sight. For the last-named purpose the hand is wetted
with the balm and held before the eyes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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