Sed. 12. Of Clarification ánd Depuration.

cacies arife from the finefl and moilminute Parts ; orherwife the Medi-cine will remain behind, and no-thing but what is ufelefs paß thro'.Thus only fuch Tinctures are to bebetter'd by this Management, whichwith a ipirituous Menftruum dif-folve and take up Reims and themoft volatile Sulphurs: becauieiucha Menftruum unites with thole Bo-dies in luch very iinall Parts, and

attraits them lb ftrongly when inContact, that they will not be par-ted in the Filtre, but continue fineenough topais thro' together. But inmoft Decoctions of Plants and Roots,and other Ingredients with Water,the Medicinal Vertues of which mayconltft in feme of the grofler Parts;they are not to be treated in this way,but come under the following Ma-nagement.

SECT. XII.Of Clarification and Depuration.

ANOTHER way of improvingibme Medicines, is by what iscall'd Clarification, This is doneby beating up with Whites of Eggs,Decoctions and turbid Liquors intoa Froth; which upon boiling willentangle the groiTer Parts, and carrythem up to the top in a tough Scum :which is either taken oft' with aSpoon, or feparated by the Hipfo-crates's Sleeve, which is a thick flan-nel Bag,

To account for this Phenome-non, is not in the leait difficult.The clammy and vifcous Particles ofthe Egg mix with and entangle thegrofler Parts of the Decoction, morethan the finer; becaufe with themthey are capable of the moft Contact,and confcquently of the ftrongeftCohefion : And thereby upon theImpulfe of the Fire bearing throughfrom underneath, they are carry'dup together to the top, making therea very tough Scum. The continu'dFire keeps ¡dill driving up the groflerParts, until they are all, or in agreat meafure, entangled in the Scumas in a Net, but if it remains lon-

ger than while it boils up, that is;until the Scum breaks, by the RoNling and Waves of the Liquor, thebefore fcparated Foulneflcs will bébroke from one another, and againmix with the Decoction : and there-fore it ihould either be fcummedjuft before the top breaks, or gent-ly poured into the Hippoaates'sSleeve.

Tho' this feems a very fini pie andeafy Procefs, yet there are many Er-rors committed by it in the Shops;the chief of which may be worthmentioning.

Whatfoever Decoctions, whetherto be ufed as fuch, or to be made in-to Syrups, have in them Ingredientsof a vifcous, mucilaginous, or flimyNature, ought not to be meddledwith this way, becauiè it is manifeft,that all fuch Parts in the Decoction• will be mix'd with the Egg, and fepa-rated with the fcum,whereby theMe-dicine will be defrauded of its Virtue.How this can juftify the promiicuousClarifications of all Decoctions, cfpe-cially for Syrups ufed in the Shops,any indifferent Peffon may jfüogö.Di 'tir