Of the reconcileableness of specifick medicines to the corpuscular philosophy to which is annexed a discourse about the advantages of the use of simple medicines / by Robert Boyle ...

§. V.

THE last thing in order, but not in importance, that induces me to wish, that Physicians would imploy Simpler Medicines as much as conveniently may be, is, that 'tis one of the likeliest ways, (and per∣haps little less than absolutely ne∣cessary) to promote the Practical

knowledge of the Materia Medica. For, whilst in one Receipt▪ a multi∣tude of Ingredients are mingl'd, if not confounded, 'tis almost impossi∣ble to know with any certainty, to which of the Simples the good or bad Effect of the Remedy is to be attributed, or whether it be not pro∣duc'd by a Power, resulting from the particular Quality's of all of them, united into one Temperament, and by its means acting conjointly, and, as the School men speak per modum unius. So that by this way of heaping up or blending Simples into one com∣pounded Remedy, I see not how in many Ages Men will be able to dis∣cover the true qualities good and bad, of the particular Bodies, that are compris'd under the name of the Materia Medica; whereas, when a Physician often imploys a Simple, and observes the Effect of it, the relief or prejudice of the Patient, may very probably, if not with medical certainty, be ascrib'd to the good or bad Qualities of that particular Remedy.

And this difficulty of discerning, what Ingredient it is of a very compounded Medicine, that helps or hurts the Patient, is much in∣creas'd to those that affect to write Bills, wherein something is prescrib'd, which tho, because it goes under one name, passes but for one Ingre∣dient, is yet a very compounded Body; as is evident, in those many pompous Receipts wherein Treacle, (that alone consists of above sixty several Simples) Methridate, and divers other famous ancient compo∣sitions; that each of them consists of good store of Ingredients. I had once thoughts of drawing up a dis∣course of the Difficulties of the Me∣dicinal Art; and had divers mate∣rials by me for such a work, which afterwards I laid aside, for fear it should be misimploy'd to the preju∣dice of worthy Physicians. But a∣mong the difficulties that occurr'd to me, I shall on this occasion mention one, which was; That 'tis a harder work than most men think, to dis∣cover

fully the nature, or the good and bad quality's in reference to Physick, of this or that single Plant, or other Simple, that has a place in the Materia Medica. For besides the great difference that there may be in Plants of the same denomia∣tion, according to the Climate, Soil, the goodness of the seeds that produce it, the culture, or the want of it, the time of the year, the sea∣sonableness or intemperateness of the weather, the time and manner of gathering it, how it has been kept, the parts of it that are, and those that are not made use of, to∣gether with other circumstances too many to be here enumerated: be∣sides all these, I say, the unheeded Textures of parts that are thought of an uniform nature, and the length of time during which they have been kept, without being suspected to be superannuated, and indeed without being so, may so much vary the nature of a Plant, that I have sometimes almost in a trice

shewn the curious a notable dispari∣ty in the parts of the same fresh Leaf of a common Plant: And (NB.) I have found by Tryal purposely made, that some seeds of common use in Physick (and not putrefy'd) will, being distill'd at one time of the year, afford an Acid Spirit or Liquor; but at another time of the year, tho destill'd the same way without any addition, afford not an Acid, but a kind of urinous Spirit, that contains a volatile Salt, which in Smell, Tast, and divers Opera∣tions, I found to be of great affinity to the volatile Salt of Urine, or that of Hartshorn. And indeed so many things may be pertinently and use∣fully propos'd to be inquir'd into, about this or that particular Plant made use of by Physicians, that per∣haps they would be less inclin'd to compound numbers of them in one Receipt, if they were aware how much useful employment the inda∣gation of the Quality's of so much as a few single Plants would give

them: and yet without the know∣ledg of the properties of the separated Ingredients, a Physician prescribes, it will be scarce possible for him to know, with sufficient certainty, how the compound made up of them, will be qualify'd and operate, which re∣flection, I the less scruple to propose, because I am conifirm'd in it by Galen himself,* 1.1 who very Book, where he largely treats De Medicamentorum Compositione, hath this Assertion; In universum, nemo probe uti possit medi∣camento composito, qui simplicium vires prius non accurate didicerit.

I presume you will easily allow, that much of what has been said in favour of those simple Medicines we owe to Natures (or rather to its Authors) Bounty, may be extended to many of the Remedy's that are afforded us by the Chymists Art. For without now entering into the Question, whether the Spirits, Oyls, and Salts, that are obtain'd by what Spagyrists call Analyses by the

fire, are Principles in the strict sense of the word; it will scarce be doub∣ted, but that the Spirit, or the Oyl, or the Salt of a mix'd Body chymical∣ly resolv'd, is so slightly or unequal∣ly compos'd, that the Ingredient whence it takes its name, is far more predominant, than it was when combin'd with others, in the entire or not yet Analys'd Con∣crete. And that such supposed Principles, OF Medicines of a simpler Order, may be very efficacious Re∣medys, may be justly argu'd from the great and beneficial effects of such as Oyl of Vitriol, Spirit of Urine (NB.) a Medicine of great use both Inward and Outward, Spirit of Harts∣horn, Spirit of Niter, Spirit of Wine, and Oyl of Turpentine; of which last nam'd Liquor I shall add, that, besides the vertues already ascrib'd to it in this Paper, whilst it retains its simplicity, it may in many Cases be imploy'd as a Menstruum, and by being combin'd with an Ingredient or two, be made to afford divers

Medicines, which tho but little com∣pounded, are not of little vertue. For I have found it readily enough to dissolve Camphire, Mastick, and some other Gums, of which Balsoms may be made, and others may be obtain'd by the help of the same Li∣quor, even from divers Mineral and Metalline Bodies. I will not insist on so known a Medicine as the common Terebinthinate Balsom of Sulphur; tho this be a Remedy, with as much as 'tis peculiarly extoll'd for Diseases of the Lungs, (wherein yet its heat requires that it be very warily given to Patients of some complexions) has vertues that are not confin'd to the Distempers of those parts; since both I and some I commended it to, have found it very effectual (outwardly apply'd) in troublesome Haemorroidal Pains and Tumors: and (NB.) some ex∣perience inclines me to think its ver∣tues may not be much greater in Pulmonick than in Paralytick Dis∣tempers: in which (last) it may be

us'd, not only Outwardly, but chiefly Inwardly; and that in a pret∣ty large Dose with a Cephalick, and, in some Cases, an Antiscorbutick Vehicle. But I shall rather take notice to you, that perhaps it will be found worth while to try, at least in ex∣ternal Affects, the use of divers Tin∣ctures, and consequently Balsoms that may be obtaind by the help of Oyl of Turpentine from divers solid Mi∣neral Body's, upon which I have found by tryal, that this Liquor may be ting'd (tho not of the same co∣lour on all of them,) among which I shall name, besides Crude Zink, Crude Antimony, and even Crude Copper (in filings;) a noble Sub∣ject, Antimonial Cinnabar; from which, tho I found I could (but not hastily) draw a fine Tincture, I had not opportunity to make tryal of that promising Medicine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Galen. de Con. p. Sec. Gen. lib. 1.