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Preparations and Compositions. Part III.

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of mercury, and may, in general, supersede most other formsof this medicine. In this preparation the mercury is minute-ly divided, and, probably, converted into the black oxide. Toeffect its mechanical division, it must be triturated with someviscid substance. Soap, resin of guaiac, honey, extract of li-quoricv, manna, and conserve of roses, have ail been, at dif-fered tim< s, recommended. The soap and guaiac have beenrejectee! on account of their being decomposed by the juices' 1of the stomach: and the honey, because it whs apt to gripesome people. With regard to the others, the grounds of se-lection are not well understood ; perhaps the acid containedin the conserve of roses may contribute to the extinction ofthe mercury. The mercury is most easily known to be com-pletely extinguished, if no globules appear, on rubbing a verylittle of the mass with the point ot the finger on a piece ofpaper. As scon as this is the case, it is necessary to mixwith the mass a proportion of some dry powder, to give it aproper degree of consistency For this_purpose, powder ofliquorice root has been commonly used; but it is extremelyapt to become mouldy, and to cause die pills to spoil. TheEdinburgh college have, therefore, with great propriety, sub-stituted for it slarefl, whu-h is a ver£,unaj£rable substance,and easilj procured, at all times, in a state of parity. It isnecessary to form the mass into pills immediately, as it soonbecomes hard. One grain of mercury is contained in fourgrains of the Edinburgh mass, and in three of the Londonand Dublin. The dose of these pills must be regulated bycircumstances; Irom two to six five-grain pills may be givendailv.

PlLULiE HYDRABGYRI SUBMURIATIS COMPOSITE. Lond.

Compound Pills ofSutynuriate of Mercury.

Take of

Submuriate of quicksilver,

Preciprtated sulphuret of antimony, of each one drachm;Guaiac, in powder, two drachms.Triturate the submuriate with the precipitated sulphuret ofantimony, and then wilh the guaiac ; and add as muchmucilage of gum arabic, as will give the mass a proper con-sistence.

Tiif.se pills were recommended to the attention of the pub-lic, about forty years ago, by Dr Plummer, whose name theylong bore. He represented them, in a paper which he pub-lished in the Edinburgh Medical Essays, as a very useful al-