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Metallic Preparations. — Mercury, part iil

Officinal preparations. Liquor Hydrargyri Oxymuriatis. L. Hy-drargyri Submurias. L. E. D. Hydrargyri Precipitatus albus. L.

HYDRARGYRI SUBMURIAS. 1 Lond. Submuriate ofMercury.

Take ofoxymuriate of mercury, a pound; purified mercury,nine ounces. Rub them together until the globules disappear;then sublime; afterwards take out the sublimed matter, reduceit to powder, and again sublime it twice. Finally, reduce itto a very subtile powder, in the same manner which has beendirected for the preparation of chalk."

Submurias Hydrargyri mitis, sive Calomelas. Edin.Mild Submuriate of Mercury, or Calomel.

" Take of muriate of mercury, four parts.; purified mer-cury, three parts. Rub the muriate in a glass mortar with alittle water, in order to prevent the acrid powder from rising,then add the mercury, and again triturate until it be extin-guished ; put the dried mass into an oblong phial, one-thirdof which only it shall fill, and sublime it in a sand-bath.Again triturate the sublimate powder, and sublime it, then re-duce it to a fine powder, which is lastly, to be well washedwith boiling distilled water."

Submurias Hydrargyri sublimatum, sive Calomelas.Dub. Sublimed Submuriate of Mercury, or Calomel.

" Take of corrosive muriate of mercury, a pound; purifiedmercury, nine ounces. Rub them together until the globulesdisappear, and sublime with a sufficient degree of heat. Lethe sublimed matter be rubbed to powder, and again sublimed.Pulveiize it, and wash it with frequent affusions of distilledwater, until the poured off solution no longer lets any sedi-ment fall on the addition of a few drops of carbonate of kali.Finally, dry it."

This very important preparation is a muriate of mercury,with the metal at a minimum of oxidizement.* By trituratingthe metallic mercury with the corrosive muriate, it is oxidizedat the expence of the oxide of this salt, and the whole massassumes a grey colour. The sublimations render the combi-

1 Old narnfs, Aquila alba, Aquila mitigata, Manna Metallorum, Panchymagogumminerale, Panchymagogus quercetanus, Sublimatum duke, Mfrairius dulcis sublimatus,Calomelas. Syn. Muriate de Mercure doux (F.) Mildes Salzsaures Quecksilber (G.)Mercurio dolce sublimato (/.)

■ It is very remarkable that all the Colleges have erred in naming this preparation,which in no point of view can be regarded as a submuriate, but is as much a muriate** theeorrosive sublimate ; the sole difference depending on the degree of oxidizement of themetal, which in this preparation is at a minimum. In a medical point of view, we areof opinion that the name calomel, however absurd, ought to have been retained, as thesyllables oxy and sub are scarcely sufficient to distinguish the two salts to blunderingassistants and apprentices, by whom the most dangerous mistakes may be committed,.