Ars chirurgica a compendium of the theory and practice of chirurgery in seven books ... shewing the names, causes, signs, differences, prognosticks, and various intentions of curing all kinds of chirurgick diseases ... : to which is added Pharmacopoeia chirurgica, or, The medical store, Latin and English ... / by William Salmon ...

4. The Mineral Bezoar.

℞ Icy Butter of Antimony lbj. put it into a glass with a long neck, and affuse thereon by drops rectified Spirit of Nitre, q.s. or so much, 'till it ceases efferve∣scing: digest for a night, then distil (which is the Bezoardick Spirit of Nitre) by a glass Re∣tort to driness: cohobate twice, and the remaining white pouder levigate finely in a glass Mortar, and a little reverberate it in a clean Crucible, upon a charcoal-Fire, to make the ill smell and corrosive Spirits vanish, and that it may become insipid or tastless: but take heed it be not burnt into coals, but that it may change its colour from yellow to white, which is the Mineral Bezoar. Or thus: ℞ Regulus of Antimony, sepa∣rated from its scoria ℥ ij. Aqua Regis ℥ vj. macerate them to∣gether till the effervescence ceases, digest for two days; so the Regulus will be corroded into a very white pouder in the bottom, the Aqua Regis swimming over it, of a yellow colour: then affuse thereon a great quantity of Water; so a white pouder will

praecipitate, which edulcorate, by many affusions of fair Water. In this Operation there is no need to repeat the affusion of the Spirit of Nitre, as several advise, be∣cause the whole Body is satiated; nor will it admit of any more change or alteration; and this last Preparation is the Ceruse of Antimony, or the Mineral Be∣zoar, made without Sublimate.

It is of singular use in all Pestilential Distempers, and ma∣lign Fevers, which are gene∣rally mortal; for it protrudes and brings forth from the Cen∣ter, by provoking Sweat pow∣erfully. Dose, à gr. vj, ad ℈ j. with some grains of Cochinele and Salt of Wormwood, twice, thrice, or four times a day. It is a famous Diaphoretick, and a Remedy against great Diseases, given with the greatest success in all Diseases curable by Sweat; but chiefly in those, wherein an Inflammation of the Blood is feared to arise from spirituous, oily, and saline Volatils. It is good against the Measles, Small-Pox, Plague, Spotted-Fever, Jaun∣dies, Poison, and other con∣tagious Diseases. ℞ Bezoar∣mineral gr. xiv. Salt of Worm∣wood gr.viij. Cochinel gr.vj. Saf∣fron gr. iv. Laudanum gr. j ss. Michridate ℈ ij. mix, for a Dose.