Medicines, their uses and mode of administration : including a complete conspectus of the three British pharmacopoeias, an account of all the new remedies, and an appendix of formulae / by J. Moore Neligan.
- John Neligan
- Date:
- 1849
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Medicines, their uses and mode of administration : including a complete conspectus of the three British pharmacopoeias, an account of all the new remedies, and an appendix of formulae / by J. Moore Neligan. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![or more crystallizations, till nitrate of silver does not precipitate its solution in distilled water ; put into a glass retort equal weights of this purified salt and of sulphuric acid, distil into a cooled receiver with a moderate heat from a sand bath or naked gas-flame, so long as the fused material gives off vapour ; the pale yellow acid thus obtained, may be rendered colourless, should this be desired, by heating it gently in a retort. Physical Properties.—A dense colourless liquid, (when not quite pure having an orange hue), with a powerful, disagreeable odour, and an intensely acid, caustic taste. The specific gravity of the acid of the Dublin pharmacopoeia is 1*490; that of the [U. S.] London and Edinburgh, T500. Chemical Properties.—It is composed of anhydrous nitric acid (NO5), and water; the Dublin preparation contains about 77 per cent of real acid, the London and Edinburgh about 80 per cent. Nitric acid emits white fumes in the air, which become much denser when mixed with the vapour of ammonia. It stains the cuticle yellow, and destroys whatever animal tissues it comes in contact with ; it possesses the usual characteristics of a strong acid. The best test for distin- guishing nitric acid from the other mineral acids, is its action on morphia or its salts, which it immediately turns to deep orange. Any slight adulterations which are met with in nitric acid are un- important with reference to its medicinal use. The density is the best characteristic of its strength. Therapeutical Effects.—As a caustic, strong nitric acid is em- ployed, to destroy corns and warts, as an application to parts bitten by rabid animals, to poisoned wounds, and to phagedenic ulcers ; more recently its application to certain forms of hemorrhoids has been very favourably mentioned by the late Dr. Houston of this city, (See Dub- lin Journal of Medical Science, vol. xxiii. p. 102.) In its application for any of the above purposes, the neighbouring parts should be smeared with olive oil or some resinous ointment so as to confine the action of the acid. In cases of poisoning with this acid the antidotes are the same as for muriatic acid. Acidum Sulphuricum. Sulphuric acid (described in the division As- tringents), possesses powerfully caustic properties, destroying the animal tissues wherever it is brought in contact with them. It is used as a caustic to the integument of the eyelid in entropium or in- version of the lid, and to the conjunctiva reflected on the eyelid in ectropium or eversion of the lid. It is also employed to destroy warts, and as an application to poisoned wounds. M. Velpeau speaks most highly of a caustic paste prepared by mixing 2 parts of concentrated sulphuric acid with 1 part of saffron. He uses it chiefly as an appli- cation to cancerous and other malignant ulcerations. Ammonia: aqua fortior, E. Ammonia: liquor fortior, L.—Con- centrated aqueous solution of ammonia ; Strong ammonia.—This pre- paration resembles in its physical properties that already described in the division Antacids; in its chemical properties it only differs in con- taining more ammonia, its density being 880°. In the London [and United States] pharmacopoeia, it is an article of the Materia Medica ; in the Edinburgh, the same process is followed for both solutions; it 10*](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21143602_0135.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
