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Preparations and Compositions. Part III.

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general, whenever we wish to evacuate the stomach quickly.When great debility is present, and in the advanced stagesof typhoid fever, its use is improper, and even sometimes fa-tal. As a diaphoretic, it is given in small doses, of from aneighth to a quarter of a grain ; and as an expectorant, indoses still smaller.

The only proper form for exhibiting it is in solution ; andas the intensity of its action on the body is liable to variation,from differences in its own strength, and in the constitutionof the patient it should almost always be given in divideddoses, at short intervals, if we wish to excite vomiting; andat longer intervals, if we wish it to act only on the skin orlungs.

VlNUM TARTRITIS ANTIMONII, olim VlNUM ANTIMONIALE. Ed.

Wine ofTart rite of Antimony, formerly Antimonial Wine.Take of

Tartrite of antimony, twenty-four grains;

Spanish white wine, one pound.Mix them, so that the tartrite of antimony jn3y be dissolved.

Liquor antimonii tartarizati. Lond.Solutioji of Tartarized Antimony.Take of ;

Tartarized antimony, one scruple; \

Boiling distilled water, four fluidounces ,• ;Wine, six fluidounces. .

Dissolve the tartarized antimony in the boilim? distilled wa-ter, then add the wine.

Formerly antimonial wine was a fortuitous preparation,by steeping glass of antimony in white wine; a portion ofthe glass of antimony was dissolved by the supertartrate ofpotass contained in the wine ; and as the quantity of this isvariable, so also the quantity of oxide of antimony dissolvedvaried : and, therefore, the preparation is with propriety en-tirely rejected, since its strength could never be known. Itwas also formerly to be regretted, that the strength of the so-lutions of tartar-emetic in wine, as prescribed by the differ-ent colleges, was not uniform. According to the Edinburghcollege, one ounce contained two grains of tartar-emetic,while, according to the London, it contained four grains.Both now contain two grains.

In its employment and effects, the vinous solution of tar-tar-emetic does not differ from one made with water.