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 ...

16. Salt or Sugar, of Saturn or Lead.

℞ Of the best Ceruss in fine pouder lbj. put it into a glass Cucurbit, and affuse thereon Spi∣rit of Vinegar lbiij. or a suffi∣cient quantity; digest in warm Sand for twenty-four hours, (others say, for a week) till the Vinegar becomes very sweet, by sometimes stirring it very well, that it may not stick to the bottom: this sweet Solution pour off, and affuse more Spirit of Vinegar, proceeding in the same manner as before; which operation so often repeat, till the Vinegar will grow no more sweet. Mix all these Liquors together, filter thro' brown Paper, and over a gentle Fire evaporate, till a quarter part only remains, or a little Skin appears on the top; being evaporated, put the matter: into a tin Vessel, or put the same Galss into a cold place for twenty∣four hours; so will you have in the bottom of the tin Vessel, or of the Glass, white Crystals, or

a very sweet Sugar-like substance, with some adstriction, which dry, and keep for use. From lbj. of Ce∣russ, you will have ℥ viij, or ix. of the Salt or Saccharum.

It cools, drys, binds, and re∣pels, and is good against Inflam∣mations in their beginning, pre∣vails against Diseases of the Brest and Lungs; more especi∣ally if a Tincture be extracted there-from with Spirit of Wine: it kills Worms, quenches Lust, and stops a Gonorrhoea, Diarrhoea, Bloody-flux, and overflowing of the Terms. Dose, à gr. ij, ad vj. In Affects of the Lungs, commix it thus: ℞ Saccharum Saturni, pure Nitre, a. dissolve them apart in Spirit of Vinegar, mix the so∣lutions, filter, evaporate, and cry∣stallize. These Crystals are good against an Asthma, Dirficulty of Breathing, and other like Affects, Dose, in wardly, à gr. ij, ad x. out∣wardly, they may be mixt with Waters, Ointments, or Empla∣sters. The Pure Saccharum (with∣out this mixture of Nitre) allays all Inflammations, and is good in Affects of the Eyes, in an Ery∣sipelas, in Tumors and Ulcers; and that for two causes, it cures them; for the volatil Salt of the Vinegar dissolves the obstructing matter, and the particles of the Saturn, by reason of their soft∣ness, obtund the acrid and ero∣ding Humor, which hinders the healing of the Ulcer, and so pro∣duces the cicatrice. It is Cosme∣tick, and does wonders in a hot Gout, and in Suffusions or Cata∣racts; it eases, and gives relief in Contusions, and other painful Defluxions. It is also a present

remedy in a Gonorrhoea, where the Urinary Passage by reason of an acrid Venereal Ferment is eroded, being mixed with warm Water or Milk, and then in∣jected with a Syringe.