Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 2 (of 2)Wootton, A. C.
History
Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Wootton, A. C.
Pharmacy -- History
The sixth P.L. (1788) proceeds on the same lines. The College claims
to have paid special attention to the application of the advances of
chemistry to pharmacy, and to have provided that very few traces of
former superstition should remain. Mithridatium, theriaca, bezoar
stones, vipers, and oil of bricks are dismissed, but woodlice remain.
Materia medica synonyms are now according to Linnæus. Among the new
drugs admitted we find aconite, arnica, cascarilla, calumba, kino,
quassia, simarouba, castor oil, senega, and magnesia; and among
the new preparations may be named Dover’s powder, James’s powder,
Mindererus’s spirit, Rochelle salts, tartrate of iron, oxide of zinc,
Huxham’s tincture of bark, ether, Hoffmann’s anodyne, the decoctions
of sarsaparilla, tincture of calumba, compound tinctures of benzoin,
cardamoms, and lavender, and extract of chamomile. Tincture of opium
made with proof spirit deposes the Tinctura Thebaica made with wine,
and elixir paregoricum assumes the name of tinct. opii camphorata. A
number of other names are changed. It is significant of the declining
familiarity of doctors with Latin that for the first time an English
translation of the Pharmacopœia is authorised.
The seventh P.L. is dated 1809. The new chemical nomenclature is
introduced, and the minim substituted for the drop. Acidum vitriolicum
becomes acidum sulphuricum, and ferrum vitriolatum is changed to ferri
sulphas. More than a hundred articles are omitted, and nearly that
number substituted. Among the new drugs and preparations are arsenic,
belladonna, cajeput, cusparia, digitalis, infusions of calumba,
rhubarb, and digitalis, compound decoction of aloes, acetum colchici,
confections of roses, rue, and almonds, pulv. kino co, pil. cambogiæ
co, emp. opii, ung. zinci, Griffiths’ mixture and pills, Plummer’s
pills, lin. hydrargyri, cataplasm of yeast. Prepared woodlice, crabs’
claws, tutty ointment, and the electuaries fall out.
The eighth P.L. (1824) recognised bismuth, cubebs, croton oil, and
stramonium, and admitted confection of black pepper as a substitute for
Ward’s paste, and colchicum wine in imitation of the Eau Medicinale
d’Husson. But the conservative College lacked the courage to endorse
the claims of morphine, iodine, and quinine, though these were pretty
generally established in medical practice at the time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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