The prescription : therapeutically, pharmaceutically, and grammatically considered / by Otto A. Wall.

  • Otto Augustus Wall
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The prescription : therapeutically, pharmaceutically, and grammatically considered / by Otto A. Wall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    The physician would probably find a mixture of fluid extracts with water to be preferable to a decoction of the same drug in most cases, but the pharmacist would not be justified in substituting such a mixt- ure when the physician prescribes a decoction. Only two decoc- tions are pharmacopoeial: Cetrariae Decoctum, SarsaparillEe Decoctum Compositum. Elixir {Elixir, iris, n.) . Any cordial or substance which invigorates.—[Webster.] Elixir, iris, n,, or elixirium, ii, n., are two forms of this title, either of which may be used, although the Pharmacopoeia gives the prefer- ence to the first. These words are said to be derived from the verb elicio, GUI, citum, which means to coax forth, or to elicit. Mr. Charles Rice, chairman of the C ommittee of Revision and Publication of the Pharmacopoeia of the United States, who is an excellent scholar of Oriental languages, gives the following explanation of the word ' 'elixir,'' which is published in Professor Lloyd 's work on Elixirs: The word is proximately derived from the Arabic (al-iksir), being composed of the article al or el and iksir. * * * In alchemy it was used to denote the magical transformation powder so much sought after, a pinch of which would convert a whole mass of base metal into gold. * * * in later technical language 'elixir' was used to denote various preparations more or less alchemistic, * * * and it designated any compound preparation of supposed ' sublime' properties, reputed to prolong life and to ward off disease.'' Elixirs are palatable fluid preparations containing sugar, wine, or alcohol, and aromatics, by which the taste of nauseous medicines is rendered agreeable, or at least less disagreeable, or in which such medicines are dissolved. As it was found impracticable to determine which of the many elixirs in common use should be, and w^hich should not be, admitted into the Pharmacopceia, the committee determined to admit only one, which may serve as a palatable vehicle or diluent for other medicines. Elixirs, if well made, are an elegant and valuable class of prepara- tions , which deserve extensive application in the treatment of disease. The only pharmacopoeial elixir is Aurantii Elixir. Extracts {Extractum, i, n.). From extraho, xi, ctum, to extract; to draw out. Extractus, us, m., is another, although but rarely used, form of title for this class of preparations.