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APPENDIX.

I

its efficacy. It SPetns, however, from its ingredients, to ue ah active me-dicine, and ought to be taken with care. The dose here prescribed issufficient for the strongest patient; it must, therefore, be reduced ac-cording to the age and constitution.—N. B. The Editor has seldomknown any person who could bear to take more than half the quantity)f calomel, scammony, &c. above mentioned, for one dose.

SYRUP.

Syrups were some time ago looked upon as medicines of considerablevalue. They are at present, however, regarded chiefly as vehicles forTiedicines of greater efficacy, and are used for sweetening draughts,luleps, or mixtures; and for reducing the lighter powders into boluses,pills, and electuaries. As all these purposes may be answered by thesimple syrup alone, there is little occasion lor any other; especially asthey are seldom found but in a state of fermentation, and as the dose oiwry medicine given in this form is very uncertain. Persons who servethe public must keep whatever their customers call for; but to the pri-vate practitioner nine-tenths of the syrups usually kept in the shops areunnecessary.

Syrup of Manna.—Take of manna (the best), and double-refinedsugar, each one pound; senna, half an ounce ; boiling water, a pound;i. e. a pint.) Macerate the senna in the water, in a covered vessel, fortwelve hours; then with the strained liquor mix the manna and the sugar,so that they may be dissolved.—This syrup is a mild laxative, and may6e given to infants in doses of a tea-spoonful or two from time to timeaccording to its effect: children of larger growth, and persons of a deli-cate constitution, for whom this syrup is well adapted, may take it inlarger doses.

Simple Syrup: Is made by dissolving in water, either with or withoutheat, about double its weight of fine sugar.—If twenty-five dtops oitincture of opium be added to an ounce of the simple syrup, it will sup-ply the place of diacodium, or the syrup of white poppies, and will befound a more safe and certain medicine.—The lubricating virtues of thesyrup of marshmallows may likewise be supplied, by adding to the com-mon syrup a sufficient quantity of mucilage of gum arabic.—Those whochoose to preserve the juice of lemons in form of syrup, may dissolvein it, by the heat of a warm bath, nearly double its weight of tine sugar.The juice ought to be previously strained, and suffered to stand "till itsettles.—The syrup of ginger is sometimes of use as a warm vehicle forgiving medicine to persons afflicted with flatulency. It may be made byinfusing two ounces of bruised ginger in two pints of boiling water fortwenty-four hours. After the liquor has been strained, and has stood tosettle for some time, it may be poured off, and a little more than doubleits weight of fine powdered sugar dissolved in it.

TINCTURES, ELIXIRS, &c.

Rectified spirit is the direct menstruum of the resins and essentialoils of vegetables, and totally extracts these active principles from sundrysubstances, which yield them to water, either not at all, or only in part.It dissolves likewise those parts of animal substances in which theirpeculiar smells and tastes reside. Hence the tinctures prepared wit;;rectified spirits form an useful and elegant class of medicines, possessing>nanv of the most essential virtues of simples, without being clogged