The compendium pharmaceuticum of Jean François Coste

The Compendium Pharmaceuticum of Jean Francois Coste

HAROLD J. ABRAHAMS 1

In 1780 Louis XVI of France and the Comte de Vergennes, his Minister of Foreign Affairs, ordered an expeditionary force under the command of General Jean Baptiste Rochambeau to sail for America with the purpose of supporting General Washington and his embattled Continental Army. Rochambeau's force of more than 5000 men left Brest on April 12 (or according to another authority, on May 2) and landed at Newport, Rhode Island, on July 11. Aboard the ships was a staff of more than 50 physicians, surgeons, pharma- cists, and wardmasters, 44 students of surgery and pharmacy, and nearly 100 infirmary attendants--the medical comple- ment of the mission.

The director and chief physician of this French medical corps was Jean Francois Coste, physician son of a physician father. His medical training had been acquired at the Paris Faculty. While still a stripling practitioner, he had won the attention of Voltaire by efficient medical service rendered Voltaire's tenants during an epidemic. Through one of Voltaire's friends at the court of Louis XV, Dr. Coste had been appointed physician to the hospital at Ver- soix, near the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Later he was put in charge of military hospitals at Nancy and at Calais. In a short span of time he published his account of an epidemic at Gex that he had suc- ceeded in checking quickly, and several other articles written at Nancy. He could not abide the corruption of the hospital administrators at Nancy and therefore re- signed, but was reappointed and sent to Calais, where he rendered excellent service for five years. It was at this point in his career that he was made chief physician of the French Army under Rochambeau, having by now demonstrated marked abilities

1 Research Associate, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Received for publication March 6, 1966.

as a scientist and as an efficient, devoted, and amiable administrator.

As chief officer of the medical staff of the French expeditionary force, he was sensitive to the health hazards of a long ocean voyage and had asked General Wash- ington to give orders for the establishing of field hospitals at landing points of the fleet in order that medical services would be available immediately for the service- men who might need them. He also re- quested that refreshments be on hand at these places and that salads and cherries be included. About 1000 sailors and from 600 to 700 soldiers developed scurvy on the trip over, a voyage of 72 days. Dr. Coste coped successfully with this problem and with others, including dysentery and smallpox. Against the latter he was an expert vaccinator. He even took the precaution of ordering large quantities of cinchona, with which to treat fever.

The fleet disembarked some of its army units at each of a number of strategically located places, and complete hospitals soon existed at Newport, Boston, Savannah, and Williamsburg. The hospital at Williams- burg was held in readiness for the campaign at Yorktown, in which the men in Dr. Coste's medical charge were in excellent health after a forced march of 750 miles southward. 2 He also set up a hospital for the French army at the College of William and Mary, where his facilities drew very favorable comment because of the excellence of the organization and medical care of- fered. It has been pointed out that Rochambeau's army benefited from a "far more elaborate medical service than any- thing the British or American forces main- tained over here," and that French military medicine was perhaps more advanced than

2 According to John E. Lane (12), the officers gave close attention to the health of the men under them, obliging them to "drink no water without rum in it, to remove its noisome qualities."

374

ABRAHAMS; JEAN FRANCOIS COSTE 375

that of Britain because "the French main- tained larger armies and were regarded as a military people" (9). Upon this basis, the choice of the very able Dr. Coste to direct the corps and the skill and wisdom which he displayed in organizing and supplying it are easily comprehensible.

In contrast with the good medical care available to wounded French soldiers, we are deeply moved by the pitiful conditions under which a wounded American was destined to await recovery from injury. Medical supplies in some units of the American army were hopelessly inadequate. General Gates was obliged to send to Gen- eral Arnold a surgeon and some medicines out of his own very meager supply. Dr. Samuel Stringer had spent a month looking for sources from which medical materials could be had, and letters were dispatched making clear the needs of the army. Stringer went to New York, Philadelphia, and other places in search of sources of supply. Eventually Congress took a hand and designated a Philadelphia druggist to receive and deliver such materials to the military authorities. 3

A consequence of the deficiency of medical personnel and supplies were the appalling conditions existing in the hospitals, a glimpse of which may be had in a passage in the Journal of Lewis Beebe (1O). We read that "Language cannot describe nor imagination paint the scenes of misery and distress the soldiery en- dure." Their requests for help were "as little regarded as the singing of crickets in a summer's evening." One large barn held a very dense population of sufferers with smallpox, many of whom could neither see, nor speak, nor walk. "Two had large maggots an inch long crawl out of their ears, and maggots were on almost every part of their body." It had to be seen to be believed. The sick were "crowded into a dirty, lousy, stinking hospital, enough to kill well men." The author's heart ached to see the dysentery rage with unabated fury, while he had not one article with which to give relief. Another writer tells us that "fifteen regimental surgeons who had brought their own instruments had among them only four scalpels or knives for enlarging wounds, three pairs of forceps for extracting bullets, very few bandages or tourniquets, hardly any lint or tow, and only two ounces of sponge ( 6 )."

Medicines could be had only by buying them from private physicians, who parted with

Returning to Dr. Coste, one cannot fail to be impressed by the sharp contrast between the hitherto sad lot of the poorly

them very reluctantly. Part of the trouble resulted from the quarrels, rivalries, and dis- sensions that disrupted the medical service. After Lexington and Concord, doctors brought their own medicines with them to the Army. Washington, aware of the chaos, asked for and obtained legislation that established a medical department for the Army and created the post of Director-General charged with the duty of seeing that medicines became available. The first Director, Dr. Benjamin Church, enjoyed but a very brief tour of duty, which ended ignominiously. His successor was Dr. John Morgan, who managed to collect a considerable quantity of medicines within a few weeks. Dr. Morgan proved himself a great hero and patriot, spending many hours a day on horseback, ap- pearing here, there, and everywhere, demon- strating high devotion to the patriot cause, doing everything possible for the troops, at- tending the sick, and even dressing their wounds himself. He tried desperately to obtain supplies: "I must beg you will endeavor to procure me a list of medicines for sale, belong- ing to Dr. Brownjohn . . . If Dr. Brownjohn is backward to sell, let me know, and I will take measures accordingly . . . " How was Dr. Morgan requited? Regimental surgeons made repeated critical attacks upon him, making matters worse by requisitioning medicines in the "most profuse and extravagant manner, for private purposes." In the end, General Wash- ington had to counsel all commanders to order the surgeons in their units to treat Dr. Morgan as their superior. Epidemics continued to rage, and suffering was the more acute because of the almost total lack of supplies. In Boston, in the summer of 1776, the sick had not an ounce of meat for some days, "and scarcely any medicine for above a year." Eventually Dr. Morgan, despite his heroic contribution to the war effort, far from being honored, was blamed for the disruption and pushed aside to make room for the younger Dr. Shippen. It is a sordid story, and Dr. Benjamin Rush felt called upon to take a hand in it as a defender of Dr. Morgan (6).

In 1780 the situation in Virginia was much better. Thomas Jefferson wrote to General Edward Stevens on September 12: " . . . we approve of your accommodating the hospital with medicines and the Maryland troops with spirits. They really deserve the whole, and I wish we had means of transportation for much greater quantities, which we have on hand and cannot convey . . . . "

376 ECONOMIC BOTANY

cared-for American soldier and his French comrade-in-arms. It is to be regretted that so few details of the administration of the French Army in America are to be learned from a study of American records (General Rochambeau took all military records with him when he returned to France). In recognition of Dr. Coste's services to the patients in the American hospitals at Wil- liamsburg (in addition to those on behalf of the French), Washington wrote him on October 7, 1782: "Sir: Your humane attention to the American Hospitals which were established at Williamsburg after the siege of York has been properly represented to me. I beg you to be assured, Sir, that I entertain a due sense of your kindness upon that occasion, and take this opportunity of testifying how much I think myself and the public obliged to you."

This was but one of many forms of recognition he was to receive during his long and useful life. He was, in turn, the wise and courageous first elected mayor of Versailles (1790), inspector-general of the Republican Armies (1792, after the over- throw of Louis XVI), medical director of the Hotel des Invalides (1796), chief medical officer of Napoleon's coastal armies (1802), and chief medical officer of the army at Austerlitz (1805) and Jena (1806). The Franklin Papers at the American Philosophical Society contain three letters relating to him. In one of these, the Chevalier de Chastellux points out that the American soldiers loved Dr. Coste. In the other two, from de Chastellux and Lafay- ette, Beniamin Franklin is urged to help win for Coste the decoration of the Order of Cincinnatus, an association of officers of the Continental Army and their descend- ants. 4

In June, 1782, Dr. Coste delivered a Latin oration at the College of William and

*The purpose of the society was twofold: to raise a relief fund for the widows and orphans of those who fell in the Revolutionary War, and to promote a closer union between the States. There were branches in the various states and one in France. Its first president was George Washington. The society met with opposition because of its alleged aristocratic tendencies, and the French branch was dis- persed by the Revolution of 1792.

Mary upon the occasion of his being made a Doctor Honoris Causa. The oration was published in Leyden in 1783. The title page lists some of his 100 honors, among which were memberships in various learned societies--the American Philosophical So- ciety; the medical Societies of London, Edinburgh, and Paris; the Academies of Science, Arts, and Letters of Nancy and Leyden; and the Humane Society of Phil- adelphia, which published his Memoire sur rAsphyxie. This article, until recently no- where to be found, is said to be the first ever published by the Society (1). Before he returned to France, the University of Pennsylvania also bestowed upon him the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa.

The oration, bearing the title De Antiqua Medico-Philosophia Orbi Novo Adaptanda, is dedicated to George Washington:

Georgio Washington Libertatis & Patriae

Armis Parenti Pietate Filio

Viro Totius Vitae Integritate

Tenacitate Propositi Constantia In Arduis

Temperantia In Triumphis

Famae Vel Ipsis Hostibus

Intactae Suus Et Alter Orbis

Dum Plaudebant

Hoc Tentamen Quod Civium Columitati Jam Consecratum

D.D.D.

The subject of this speech is freedom in medicine--there must be no absolute or final authority and no philosophy which tyrannizes over the practitioner. The authority of even the most celebrated physicians will always be oppressive and enslaving. The war had made America independent. May medicine also now become indepen- dent7 Although the doctrines of Hippocrates were sound, the systems of medicine established after his time were comparatively useless. May we learn to avoid making the same error. The sensitivity of public health

ABRAHAMS: JEAN FRANQOIS COSTE 377

to its political environment is an observable phenomenon wherever human beings have regard to their own worth as such. The state of health is enhanced witness the better health of the members of the aristoc- racy as compared to that of slaves. He deplores the state of our medicine and suggests ways of bettering it. The speech was received with great dignity and re- spect, and the audience showed high regard for the orator.

Dr. Coste's life was one of multiple accomplishment 5 and very high moral purpose. As mayor of Versailles, he displayed great courage as he stood between the Army and the citizenry and gave many demonstrations of energy and honesty. He was fatherly and kind to the young men who were just entering the field to which he had devoted so many years of his own life. Although "not one of the great physicians of his time," his medical accomplish- ments, nobility of character, and long, important, and faithful publie service mark him as a person of high distinction. An interesting episode is his struggle with Count de Cessac, director of administration of war, who, wishing to win Napoleon's favor by effecting economies, made an effort to restrict certain allowances made to soldiers and even intended that the lint used for dressing their wounds be washed and used over and over again. Dr. Coste won the contest. His admiration for Wash- ington and Franklin and their ideals ex- tended to the nation which they served, and particularly to the State of Virginia, after which he named a daughter. His philosophical outlook shows the strong in- fluence of Voltaire, as do even his writings on the relation of philosophy to medicine. To his credit stand 28 published works, the most important of which bear upon the subject of military medicine and its improve- ment. His best published work is his book on military hospitals and their reform: D u Service des H 6 p i t a u x Mil i ta ires I iappel~ aux Vrais Principes, Paris, 1790.

For the use of the hospitals in his charge, Coste wrote a compendium dealing with a total of 88 medicines. For more than 80

5 He even managed to save "his general's" life when Rochambeau fell ill of typhus fever.

of these he gives specific directions in compounding. Some of the remaining preparations are ready made, and others are to be prepared by following the directions in the C o d e x . . . Parisiensis. The classes of medicinals which he considers in this work (written in Latin and published in 1780 by Henry Barber at Newport, Rhode Island) are as follows:

Potus Apozemata

Aquae Potiones

Vina Spiritus & Liquores

Boli Pilulae

Pulveres Julepi

Collyria Enemata

Fotus Caetera Externa

The work consists of a pamphlet of 13 pages of directions and three additional pages--title, preamble, and postscript. 6 The title page reads:

COMPENDIUM Pharmaceuticum

Militararibus Gallorum Nosocomiis, in Orbe Novo Boreali Adseriptum.

Quid quid praecipies esto brevis. Hor. art. poet.

Polonius remarks that "brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and out- ward flourishes . . . . " So our medical poet quotes Horace, counselling us that whatever we prescribe, let it be brief.

In the preamble he tells us, among other things, that the hazards of war, the sea, and a lengthy voyage persuade him to

Dr. Coste later remarked that less than one tenth of the formulae had really been put to use in practice and that his Compendium could therefore have been much briefer.

378 E C O N O M I C BOTANY

recommend that remedies be few in number, a necessity which he finds pleasing, for it fits in excellently with his philosophy of medicine--the simpler, the better. He makes the additional point that it is fitting that men who are fired by the inspiration of liberty and who must dare to accomplish heroic things while enjoying good health can recover from illness only by employing heroic remedies.

The Compendium was completed on July 25, 1780, shortly after his arrival upon our shores. It is a very rare and early formulary, very different in many ways from a modem edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the United States. It was probably the second such work published in our country, 7 and only three copies are known to exist here. s It is a very interesting work, but it presents the modern reader with many difficulties, not to say dark mysteries.

Before the current worldwide resurgence of interest in medicinal plants, the modem reader of the Compendium would have been struck by the almost exclusive, but necessary, reliance upon the Plant Kingdom for medicinal agents. Only five from mineral and animal sources come to mind: potassium nitrate, magnesium sulphate, sodium sulphate, lard and sow-bug--with only occasional use of a few others such as magnesium carbonate and the like. This heavy reliance upon plants continued beyond Coste's time to the early 20th Century. Gradually the era of the synthetic drug took over, and many came to believe that the Plant Kingdom had had its day as the principal source of medicines. Yet statistics show that of 300,000,000 prescriptions written in 1964, over 47% contained a drug of vegetal origin; 9 and although he may not

r The first, also for use in the Army, was written in 1778 by Dr. William Brown of Virginia.

s These are located at the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland; at the Belle- vue Medical Center Libraries, New York Uni- versity, New York; and at the John Carter Brown Library, Providence, Rhode Island.

9 This is reported by the prescription-audit- ing firm of R. A. Gosselin and Co., as a result of their analysis, and quoted by Margaret B. Kreig in Green Medicine, Rand McNally and Co., Chicago, 1964.

be aware of it, the average doctor in the United States writes at least eight prescriptions a day for natural drugs. 1~ The volume of botanical drugs used increased fivefold from 1950 to 1960. The prediction of many years ago that a renascence would usher in a new period in preventive and curative medicine by the use of botanicals seems to be coming true. Not only have new uses been found for old drugs, but old claims have been corroborated (e.g., Cato's counsel on the use of cabbage to offset the effects of over-consumption of alcohol). Furthermore, many drags contain new chemical constituents, which have shown the way for the chemist's synthesis of even better drugs. The era of the synthetic drug notwithstanding, Coste's reliance upon botanicals need give us no sense of superiority. The agents that he put to use had been tried for centuries. For example, in common with Maimonides (1135-1204), Coste employed the following plants or plant products in one form or another:

asparagus manna barley marshmallow basil maidenhair (fern) beet melon borage nutmeg camphor parsley carrot poppy cassia fistula pumpkin cinnamon radish cucumber rhubarb endive rice fennel rose fumitory saffron ginger senna gourd sorrel goose-foot family sugar jalap (allies) tamarind honey thistle family lavender vinegar lettuce violet (pansy, licorice "hearts ease")

water-cress

A few comments--far from exhaustive-- on the puzzles, mysteries, and frustrations confronting the translator of Dr. Coste's Compendium may be of interest. There are

~o Ibid.

ABRAHAMS: JEAN FRANCOIS COSTE 379

numerous differences in the Latin style between that of a Frenchman writing 18th- Century medical directions and that used for the same purpose by Americans in the 20th. For example: quot for quantum; abluere for lavare. To make matters worse, Coste abbreviates in a way that creates several possible meaning~ e.g., "inter." (internal?, interval?). Even where his materials seem easy to identify, some ambiguity arises: radish vs. horseradish, or violet vs. pansy. Some of his contractions are easy to decipher ("infde" for infunde); others are not ("aq. cois," aqua com- munis?). Some names of drugs will cause the modern apothecary to seek the reference literature:

Terra foliata tartari (potassium acetate) Sal tartari (potassium carbonate, not

tartrate) (also called sal absinthii) Sal volatile (ammonium carbonate of the

Codex . . . Parisiensis) Sal vegetabile (potassium tartrate, not

bitartrate) Magnesia alba (magnesium carbonate) Panacea mercurialis (calomel, i.e., mer-

curous chloride) Sal saturni (lead acetate) Succus liquiritiae (stick licorice, or liter-

ally, licorice juice) Globuli martiales (crude iron tartrate)

(and many others)

Some names would be familiar chiefly to historians of science ("air fixum": carbon dioxide). Others masquerade as simple substances but are not ("antimonium crudum" is antimony sulphide, Sb2Sa; "crocus metallorum antimonii" is brown antimony oxide, or more accurately, antimony oxysulphide).

Numerous items in the Compendium re- quire the use of the Codex . . . Parisiensis of 1732 or 1748 (e.g., the ointments and plasters of Section XIV, item 8). The Codex, like the Compendium, is in Latin and raises the same problems as those noted above.

Items like flores benzoes may suggest that the flowers of the plant are involved instead of the sublimate made from the gum which it yields (i.e., benzoic acid),

paralleling the meaning in flowers of sulphur.

There are preparations whose names are suggestive of animal sources (corallin re- minds a person of coral, and scolopendrium of the multiped). These prove to be fanci- ful names, applied because of similarity in appearance between the animal and the plant intended.

Punctuation is a source of difficulty: Praescribatur per Cyath. et Dosis Spirit, Cochlear.optata.--a spoonful of "spirits," to be taken with the dose; or a dose of spirit of cochlearia, i.e., scurvy-grass?.

Measurements are misleading. "Cyathus" may be a glassful (tumbler) or a wineglass- ful, which Dr. Coste most probably meant.

Surprises lurk everywhere---e.g., the use of theriac Andromachus, with its ingredient of viper's flesh, and the tenacious use of the old term "panacea." Capillaris is not necessarily maidenhair fern, but a syrup which may be prepared from that plant, and by extension a simple syrup flavored with orange-flower water.

Some medicamenta have no exact modern equivalent, leaving the historian's conscience mildly troubled [potus, lotus, bolus, apozeme, fomentation, piceus litus, extractum cicutae--(water hemlock) Stoerckiana meth- oda paretur]. Translatable as they are, they are obsolete and in a few more decades will be regarded as historical curiosities.

Most interesting, however, is the search for the facts concerning pills of Morton's balsam. Not only is a discussion of this "balsam" not to be found easily (the writer searched in many possible sources and finally found it only in the Codex . . Parisiensis of 1748, although it may also occur in later editions), but, in addition, it proves to be a complicated mixture of many ingredients, the most surprising of which is a crustacean, the sow-bug, or wood-louse. The Codex mentions it under the name milleped, specifying Asellus sylvestris. The relocation of this animal from among the millepeds (now the Diplop- oda), where the Codex places it, to the Crustacea, among which it has been classi- fied in more recent times, involved some confusion and an interesting search, since some sources mention sow-bug under each of these classifications.

380 ECONOMIC BOTANY

THE COMPENDIUM PHARMACEUTICUM OF DOCTOR JEAN FRAN(~OIS COSTE

The translator's annotations are given here in italics and below the line in the form of footnotes, in which the abbreviated Latin terms are quoted Jrom the Compendium Pharmaceuticum exactly as they appear there.

I. POTUS

A potus is a medicinal drink.

1. PTISANNA HIPPOCRATIS Infusion of barley, i.e., barley water

Rx Whole barley Couch grass 11 Wash, then boil them in ordinary water. Add licorice root. Or, if lacking that, the extract of the same. Strain for ordinary use.

2. INFUSU'M: PECTORALE Infusion for the chest

Rx Flowers of

Common mallow

Marshmallow

Violet

Coltsfoot

Over these pour boiling water. Infuse, tepid.

3. INFUSU'M FLORUM SAMBUCI Infusion of Elder Flowers

Rx Elder flowers 12 Pour over these boiling water.

4. DECOCTIUM LAPATHI Decoction o] Yellow Dock 13

Rx Root of yellow dock Boil in ordinary water. In the strained portion dissolve licorice juice ("stick licorice").

5. AQUA ORIZAE Rice Water

Rx Rice Boil in water.

4 pounds. 1 pound.

20 pounds. 4 ounces. 2 ounces.

Of each one handful.

12 pounds.

4 handfuls. 20 pounds.

4 ounces. 12 pounds.

1 ounce.

1/2 o u n c e .

2 pounds.

it Graminis, i.e., triticum repens--the rhizome of Agropyron repem, deprived of rootlets, cut into pieces and carefully dried. Originates in Central Europe.

12 Sambucus nigra--a European shrub having narrow leaflets and black berries. The flowers have a greenish yellow volatile oil, which gives them their odor. An acrid resin is also present.

13 (A decoction differs from an infusion in that the former is made by continuing the proc- ess of boiling after the addition of the drug.)

Yellow dock--Lapathum acutum, and its near relative Rumex crispus. It is bitter and astrin- gent, and contains chrysophanic acid, tannin, calcium oxalate and other compounds found in rhubarb.


6. SERUM LACTIS Whey

Make in the usual manner, by means of cream of tartar.

7. DECOCTUM ALBUM White decoction

Rx Crumbs of whitest bread Boil in water. In the strained portion dissolve sugar.

8. SOLUTIO GUMMI ARABICI Solution of Gum Arabic

Rx Purified gum arabic Dissolve in ordinary boiled water.

2 ounces. 2 pounds.

1 ounce.

9. INFUSUM AMARUM Bitter infusion

Rx Centaury flowers 14 Pour over them boiling water.

10. OxYcaATrOM A mixture o] water and either vinegar or sour wine

Rx Spring water

1 ounce. 3 pounds.

1 handful. 4 pounds.

2 pounds. Best vinegar, sufficient quantity to produce a pleasant sourness. Ordinary sugar i ounce.

11. AQUA ACIDULATA Acidulated water

Rx Spring water 2 pounds. Dilute sulphurous acid, sufficient quantity to produce a pleasant

sourness

Ordinary sugar 1 ounce.

12. LIMONADA Lemonade

Rx Lemon juice ) Of each a Ordinary water ~ sufficient Sugar I quantity

At this point in the Compendium, Coste supplies the following additional information: Decoctions employing special roots should be prepared like that of yellow dock (cf. 4 above). Infusions of flowers or leaves should be prepared like that of elder flowers (cf. 3, above). Milk: add one half, one third, or one fourth; antimony: to two pounds of decoction or infusion, add from one to two grains; honey: to the same amount of decoction or infusion add one half to one ounce; nitre: one half dram up to two drams (to the same amount of decoction or infusion, i.e., two pounds) according to the physician.

14Centattrii min.- -Centaurium erythraea is a member of the Gentianaceae and contains a bitter principle. Another member is the Sab-

batia eUiotti of the Southern States, where it grows in the pine barrens and is called "quinine herb," in probable reference to its bitter taste.

382 ECONOMIC BOTANY

II. APOZEMATA

Compound decoctions or inlusions

1. APOZEMA LAXANS Laxative apozeme

Rx Wild chicory root Wild chicory leaves Borage leaves 1~ Senna Glauber's salt, i.e., sodium sulphate Boiling water Make a warm infusion, not a decoction. To the strained portion

add Syrup of chicory and rhubarb Dose: one, two, or three, etc., glasses.

2. DECOCTUM KINAE Cinchona decoction

Rx Peruvian bark 16 Nitre, i.e., potassium nitrate Boil in water. Dose: same as that of Laxative apozeme.

3. DECOCTUM KINAE CU~I LACTE Decoct ion o I Peruvian bark with milk

Rx Cinchona decoction (vid. sup. 2) Fresh milk of the cow, of each

4. APOZEMA FEBRIFUGUM LAXANS Fever-laxative apozeme

Rx Laxative apozene (vid. sup. 1) Cinchona decoction (vid. sup. 2) Dose: one glass, once or twice

5. APOZEMA ANTISCORBUTICUM Antlscorbutic apozeme

Rx Fresh radish root 17 Wood sorrel of Newport, i.e. domestic is Leaves of the preceding Water cress I9 Boil in water

2 ounces. 2 ounces.

4 handfuls. �89 ounce. 1 ounce.

8 pounds.

3 ounces.

2 ounces. �89 ounce.

6 pounds.

4 ounces.

Equal parts of each.

2 ounces. 2 ounces.

1 handful. 1 handful. 6 pounds.

Prescribed by the glassful, and a dose of Spirit of scurvy-grass added, if so desired ( See note 44. )

~ Borragin.--An erect, rough herb, Borago officinalis (Europe), with blue flowers and rough hairs. Other members of the family are forget-me-not, heliotrope, and hound's tongue.

16 Cortic.peruv.--The bark of Cinchona suc- cirubra or C. ledgeriana calisaya. Among the many alkaloids present are quinine, quinidine, quinamine, hydroquinine, hydroquinidine, cin-

chonine, cinchonidine, hydrocinchonidine, homo- cinchonidine, etc.

17Raphan.Rustic.rec.--Species of Raphanus sativus, or garden radish.

1~ Acetos.Newport--i.e., Oxalis acetosella. Oxalic acid and acid oxalates are present in the leaves, hence the sourness.

19 Nasturt. aquat.--One or more species con- stitute the garden nasturtiums. The leaves contain a compound related to mustard-oil.


6. APOZEMA APERIENS Aperient apozeme

Rx Wild ehieory root, or dandel ion root (e i ther one) Or of each one of these Fumi to ry leaves 2~ Seolopendr ium 21 Add one-half to three drams of potass ium 22 acetate to a glassful,

as prescribed.

7. SUCCUS SAPONACEUS Soapy juice

Rx Dande l ion l Wi ld chicory Water-cress

Borage l Wood-sor re l

(P lant par t not specif ied) Use those which can be had, f rom a m o n g this list. Break into

pieces (i.e., bruise) in a marble mortar, and clarify the juice (of the c rushed mater ia ls) , by al lowing to settle out.

Dose: f rom one to three ounces, once, twice, etc.

8. APOZEMA DIURETICUM Diuretic apozeme

Rx Root of garden parsley 2:~ asparagus eringo 24 Par ie tary leaves 25 Ord ina ry wate r

t

3 ounces. 1�89 ounces. �89 handful . �89 handful .

Of each a sufficient quanti ty.

Of each, 1�89 ounces.

2 handfuls. 6 pounds.

Boil. A glass of oxyme126 of squill m a y be added, w h e n so prescribed.

2o Fumar.--Fumaria officinalis, a low herb, with terminal racemes of rose-colored flowers, used as an alterative and tonic. It contains the alkaloid protopine (fumarine) and is a member of the poppy family, but, although it also possesses narcotic properties, morphine has not been isolated from it.

21 Scolopend.--A milleped-like fern having large fronds, coriaceous in texture, and oblong- lanceolate, from a heart-shaped base, from a half foot to one and a half feet long. Common names are hart's tongue, buttonhole, fox-tongue, lamb's tongue, snake leaves, etc. (The term is easily confusable with scolopendra, a milleped. )

22 Terrae foliatae Tartari, so called because it is made from Sal Tartari (potassium carbonate). (Note: No quantity of menstruum is specified--perhaps by oversight?)

23 Petrosilin.--Petroselinum sativum.

24 Eringii--The eryngium, a coarse umbellff- erous herb of temperate and subtropical cli- mates, having blue or white flowers. It was believed to have diuretic and diaphoretic properties. There are a great many, thistle-like species, some cultivated as ornamentals, and one American variety known as button-snake- root. The roots of some varieties are candied, and one or two varieties are used for flavoring soups.

2.~ Parietar.--The pellitory or paritory (parietary). The plant is spreading and low, often supporting itself by hooks at the end of long hairs. The leaves are alternate, three-nerved, and the flowers small. It is a member of the Urticaceae.

2o Oxym.Scyllit.--An oxymel is a mixture of honey and vinegar boiled to the consistency of a syrup and containing one or more medicinal agents. In this case the agent was squill. (See note 48. )

384 E C O N O M I C BOTANY

lII. AQUAE Waters

1. AQUA STIBIATA A n t i m o n a t e d water

Rx Tartrated antimony 27 3 grains. Dissolve in ordinary water. 12 ounces. Let patient consume it, within a space of three hours, but with

the usual precaution in mind.

2. AQUA MINEBALIS MAJOR Mineral water--Greater

Rx Glauber's salt, i.e., sodium sulphate 1 ounce. Nitre, i.e., potassium nitrate �89 ounce. Ordinary water 1�89 pounds. Divide it into three parts. Let the patient consume it within a

space of three hours.

3. AQUA MINERALIS MINOR Mineral water--Lesser

Rx The preceding salts, in half the quantities, i.e., sodium sulphate �89 ounce. potassium nitrate �90 ounce. water 1 pound. Let the patient take one half, followed two hours later by the

other half.

4. AQUA CALCIS L i m e w a t e r

The dose of this may be taken with milk, the physician ordering the dose as in #2 or # 3 above (i.e., mineral water major or minor.)

5. AQUA PICEA Tar w a t e r 28

Rx Naval pitch 2 pounds. Pour over it ordinary water. 12 pounds. Shake as frequently as possible for a period of three days. Decant

through bibulous paper, and set aside for use. May be combined with milk.

6. AQUA MARTIALIS Chalybeate water, or water impregnated wi th iron

Rx Tartrate of iron ( impure in the form of "marbles of Nancy") 29 Suspend (a "marble") by a thread. Soak for a half day, in

tepid water. 1 pound. Le t the patient take a glassful, followed one hour later by another.

~z Tart.Stib.--Tartar emetic was known as stibio-kali-tartaricum. The Codex . . . Pari- siensis gives tartarus stibiatus as an ingredient of tabellae emeticae (p. 96), and the method of making tartarus emeticus (p. 234), while using both terms on p. CXV. However, the same substance is meant.

2s A cold infusion of tar, a popular remedy

for many chronic diseases, especially those of the lungs.

2~ Globuli martiales--("Boules de Nancy"). They are made by digesting iron filings and crude tartar, evaporating to dryness, adding a little gum arabic, then forming the mass into spheres. The product is a mixture of potassium and iron tartrate.


IV. POTIONES

Draught, Potion

1. POT~O ttYDRAGOGA Hydragogue potion

Rx Senna leaves (Oriental) 3~ Elder pith (see note 12) Glauber's salt, i.e., sodium sulphate Boil in sufficient water to make To the strained liquid add Syrup of Buckthorn. 31

2. LAXANS Laxative

Senna leaves (Oriental) 30 Epsom salt, i.e., magnesium sulphate Infuse in tepid water.

3. LAXANS CU~ MANNA Laxative with manna

Rx Manna (Calabrian) 32 Dissolve in the preceding potion, i.e., #2 above.

4. AQUA CASSlAE Cassiae fistula water

Rx Cassia fistula p u l p 33 Potassium tartrate 34 Hot water

3 drams. 3 drams.

6 ounces. 1�89 ounces.

3 drams. % ounce. 8 ounces.

1 to 2 ounces.

2 ounces. 2 drams.

2 pounds. F o r four glasses. Take at in tervals . T h e n t ake no m o r e for a t ime.

5. AQUA CASSIAE STIBIATA Antimonated aqua cassia

Rx Tartar emetic (see note #27) A prescribed quantity. Dissolve in one of the four glasses of cassia fistula water directed

in #4 above.

8~ of both Cassia acutifolia (Nile valley), and of Cassia angustir (India, eastern Africa, and southern Arabia). Among the constituents are several glucosides, resembling those in aloes and rhubarb; emodin and chrysophanic acid, which result from the glucosides present, and cathartic acid.

31 Spin.Cerv.--Rhamnus cathartica, the brown or black berries of which are called buckthorn berries. The odor is disagreeable and the taste bitter; it stains the saliva yellow. A glucoside, rhamnonigrin, is present. This yields emodin. Three yellow coloring principles are also present. It is allied to Rhamnus purshiana ( cascara sagrada).

~ZMann.Cal.--The dried exudation of the stems of Fraxinus ornus, a small tree cultivated in southern Europe, particularly in Sicily. The

exudation flows from incisions made in the tree, and hardens. It contains from 80% to 90% of the sugar marmitol.

33 Pulpae Cassiae---The ripe fruit of Cassia fistula, a leguminous tree of India, tropical Africa, and South America. The legume is indehiscent, cylindrical, from 25 to 50 centimeters in length and 2 centimeters in diameter, with a rounded base and a reddish brown color. The inside is divided by transverse partitions into many compartments, each containing one seed, ovoid, compressed, light brown, and a brownish black pulp of prune-like odor and sweet taste.

34 Sal Vegetab.--Made by the action of potassium bitartrate (cremoris tartari) upon potassium carbonate ( sal tartari).

386 ECONOMIC BOTANY

6. AQUA TAMAmNDORUM Tamarind water

Rx Tamar ind 35 2 ounces. Nitre, i.e., potassium nitrate, purest 2 drams. Ord ina ry wa te r 2 pounds. Boil lightly. Strain. Divide into 4 glasses. Taken as prescribed.

7. RHAEUM CUM MANNA Rhubarb and manna

Bx Rhubarb , e leetuary 36 ~ 1 d ram

Glauber ' s salt, i.e., sodium sulphate f of each. Boil gent ly in sufficient o rd inary wate r to make 4 ounces. Dissolve in it Calabr ian Manna (See note # 3 2 ) . 11/2 ounces.

8. EMETICUM BRASILIENSE Brazilian emetic (Ipecac)

Rx Ipecac (Brazi l root) '~7 18 to 30 grains. Ord ina ry water 4 ounces.

9. DECOCTUM SIMABOUBAE Decoction of simaruba

Rx Simaruba bark 3s 2 drams. Ord ina ry wa te r 1 pound. Boil until it measures 12 ounces. Restore to original volume.

Div ide into two glasses. Le t the pat ient take it at prescr ibed intervals.

10. Ca~aD~,CUM Cardiac--For indigestion

Bx Ther iaca Andromachi , 39 or Venice treacle �89 dram. Simple peppe rmin t water 4 ounces. Syrup of cloves 1 ounce. Take one spoonful, or �89 spoonful, twice.

a5 Tamarind.ping.--The preserved pulp of the fruit of Tamarindus indica, a leguminous tree of Africa and the East Indies. The pulp has a distinct odor and an acidulous, sweet taste and contains many dark, flat, smooth seeds. Among the constituents are tartarie and citric acids, potassium bitartrate and salts of other organic acids, and invert sugar from 32 to 42%.

a6 Rhaei Elect.--A confection of rhubarb and honey or sugar (C. may have intended "select," from "electum" ).

arRadic. Brasil.pulv.--The dried root of Cephaelis ipecacuanha, a shrub growing in Brazil. It contains the alkaloids emetine, cephaeline, and psychotrine.

a8 Cortic Simar.---The bark of root of Sima- ruba amara, with a bluish brown color and very bitter taste due to the presence of a substance which resembles quassiin, found in Quassia, a relative.

39Theriacae Androm.--Theriacs were mix- tures of medicinal agents, intended as antidotes

against the poisonous bites of wild beasts, especially serpents. The word theriac, descend- ing through Old French and Middle English, finally became "treacle." Theriaca Andromachi is a mixture of sixty to seventy or more drugs, prepared, pulverized, and made into an elec- tuary by adding honey.

Andromachus, the Elder, chief of Nero's medical attendants, added squill, viper's flesh, and opium to the formula that descended to his times. This theriac was prepared amidst much public pomp and ceremony and was held in highest regard for the treatment of fevers from ancient times until the century of Dr. Coste (i.e., ca. 1750). The viper's flesh was the potent ingredient of the mixture, acting as a vehicle to help the other medicines per- meate the human system, it was believed. It was really "an opiated sudorific, a sort of glorified Dover's powder" see George W. Comer: Mithridatium and Theriae, the most famous remedies of old medicine, in Johns

ABRAHAMS: JEAN FRANCOIS COSTE 387

11. EXl'ECTO~TIVUM Expectorant

Rx Gum ammoniac 4~ Dissolve in oxymel of squill (See note #26 and 48.) Infusion of elder flowers (See I, #3.) Let the patient take a spoonful.

12. AER FIXUM Carbon dioxide 41

Rx Lemon juice Potassium carbonate a2 Ordinary water Mix at the bedside.

�89 dram. �89 ounce. 4 ounees.

2 ounces. 2 drams.

2 ounces.

Let the patient stir gently, and take it at the time that it is effer- vescing.

13. I-IatrsTtrs PERUVIANUS Peruvian draught

Rx Powdered Peruvian bark (selected) Sal ammoniac, i.e., ammonium chloride Bitter infusion (See I, #9.) Let it be given two, three, or four times a day.

14. GARGAlalSMA ANTISCORBUTICLrM Antiscorbutic gargle

Rx Antiscorbutie apozeme (See II, #5.) Syrup of the same 43 Spirit of scurvy-grass 44 (Acid elixir of vitriol, as prescribed )

15. GARGARISMA ACIDULATU'h,s Acidulated gargle

Rx Oxycratium (See I, #10.) Honey of roses, sufficient quantity 45

1 dram. 12 grains. 4 ounces.

8 ounces. 1 ounce. 2 drams.

1 pound.

Hopkins Hospital Bulletin 26 (1915): 222- 226. The modern Dover's powder (Pulvis Ipecacuanhae et Opii) contains powdered ipecac, 10, powdered opium, 10, sugar of milk, 80, and was named for Thomas Dover, English physician, 1660-1742.

4~ Ammon.--A gum-resin found as an exudation on stems and branches of Dorema ammoniacum (Western Asia), a member of the carrot family. The gum is in the form of yellowish brown globules or flattened "tears," having a balsam-like odor resembling that of angelica, and a bitter taste. African ammoniac is obtained from Ferula tingitana.

41 Fixed air, the old name for CO_~. 4~ Sal absinthii. 4~ Syr.Ejusd. Codic. Paris. The Codex Medi-

camentarius seu Pharmacopoeia Parisiensis (1732) gives the method of preparation of Syrupus Antiscorbutieus (p. 46). Among the ingredients are:

Foliorum Cochleariae (scurvy grass) Beccabungae (speedwell) Nasturtii aquatici (water cress)

Radicis Raphani rusticani (radish) Corticis exterioris Arantiorum amarorum

(bitter orange peel) and juice of the same

Cinnamomi pulverati (powdered cinnamon)

44 Spirit.Cochlear.--Made from: fresh scurvy-grass 8 parts alcohol 5 parts water 3 parts

The Cochlearia make up a genus of 25 species of cruciferous (mustard family) herbs. C. officinalis (scurvy grass) was celebrated as an antiscorbutic and often eaten as a salad. The glueosides and volatile oils of the family re- semble each other closely.

4~ Mell. Ros.--A mixture of honey and extract of rose (p. 26, C o d e x . . . Parisiensis).

388 ECONOMIC BOTANY

16. EMULSIO Emulsion

Rx The four "cold seeds "46 Ordinary water Ord inary sugar Le t an emulsion be made, accord ing to art. Divide it into three equal parts.

1 ounce. 1 pound.

2 ounces.

V. V~A

Wines

2 ounces. 1 ounce.

2 pounds.

1. VINUM ABSYNTHII Wine of Absin th ium or Wormwood

Rx Both varieties of 47 Absin th inm Of each 2 ounces. Cor iander seeds 2 drams. Whi te wine 4 pounds. Infuse, cold, for 36 hours. Filter. Put aside (preserve) , for use. Dose, f rom two to six ounces

2. VINUM SCYLLITICUM Wine of squill

Rx Squill, prepared, dried, 4s and broken up (shredded) 1 ounce. Put it into a sufficiently large flask. Pour over it Spanish wine. 1 pound. Infuse, cold, for four days. Squeeze the l iquid th rough a l inen

cloth. Filter. Put aside (preserve) , for use. Prescr ibed as a dose and as a vehicle

3. VINUM PERUVIANUM Wine of Peru

Rx Peruvian bark bruised Orange r ind Pound up. Pour over the drugs red wine. Infuse for e ight days, agi ta t ing three or four times a day. Filter.

Pu t aside (preserve) , for use. Dose: f rom two to four ounces

46 Semin. quat. frigid.--Seeds of some of the species of Cucurbitaceae, i.e., CitruUus vulgaris (watermelon), Cucumis sativus (cucumber), Cucumis melo (cantaloupe or muskmelon), Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin), Lagenaria vulgaris (gourd, squash). The Codex . . . Parisiensis names four--Anguriae, Cucurbitae, Peponis, and Melonis--as major, and Semina quatuor frigida minor as Chicorii, Endiviae, Lactucae, Portulacae.

�9 r Absynth.utriusque.--The dried leaves and flowering tops of Artemisia absinthium, a woody, branching herb of Europe and North Africa. The leaves are glandular-hairy and of grayish green color. The flowers are yellowish green. The drug is aromatic and bitter. Some

of the constituents are absinthol, thujyl alcohol, isovalerianic acid, phellandrene, and cadinene. Absinthiin is its glucosidal principle.

The common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is another species of absinthium.

4s Scyll.praepar.sicc. & Concis.--The fleshy scales of the bulb of Urginea maritima, a member of the lily family (Algeria, Malta). Some of the active principles are the glucoside scilli- toxin (which bears a physiological resemblance to digitoxin), and scillipicrin, a bitter substance having diuretic powers. Also present are a yellow crystalline glucoside scillin, and an amorphous, bitter glucoside scillain, which acts as an expectorant.


4. VINUM AROMATICUM Aromatic wine

Rx Flowers of: Lavender Rosemary Wild thyme Thyme Sage or the same number of other flowers of the

same group Ammonium chloride Digest in red wine. Put aside as a fomentation, i.e. ( lotion) for external use.

Of each 1 handful. 1 ounce.

6 pounds.

VI. SPImTUS ET LIQUORES

Spirits and Solutions

l . LIQUOR MINERALIS HOFFMANN149 Spirit of ether

2. ALKALI VOLAT1LE 5~

Ammonium carbonate Either of these may be prescribed, with sugar. Pour out the drops at the bedside, and let the pat ient drink

immediately.

3. TINCrURA KINAE sPmIT.D.WHYTT 5x Compound tincture of cinchona, or Whytt's elixir

Rx Peruvian bark (selected) 4 ounces. Orange peel 1 ounce. Gentian root 2 ounces. Pour over them alcohol 4 pounds. Digest on a water ba th for six days. Filter. Add spirits of lavender. �89 pound. Of this medicine prescribe a dose of one half to two ounces.

4. LIQUOR SYPHILITIC'US Liquid 1or syphilis

Rx Mercuric chloride ~2 12 grains. Camphor 1 dram. Spirits (or whiskey?) 53 2 pounds. Dose: one spoonful, from one to four times.

49 There are two similar, but not identical, preparations: Liquor anodynus mineralis Hoff- manni (Spirit of ether---30% ether, 70% alcohol), and Hoffmann's anodyne (Compound spirit of ether--30% ether, 67% alcohol, 3% ethereal oil) i.e., esters of sulphuric acid and olefine hydrocarbons.

5o "Alkali volatile" is ammonium carbonate. The title of this section being "Spiritus et Liquores," it seems proper to assume that this

agent is Spiritus Ammoniae Aromaticus (aromatic spirit of ammonia), containing both ammonium carbonate and ammonia water.

51Whytt's tincture--A tincture having the same ingredients as tinctura kinae.

~2Merc. Subl. Corros.--"Corrosive sublimate," i.e., mercuric chloride.

5a (Spiritus vini rectificatus--alcohol) ( Spiritus frumenti--whiskey). Spirit. fru-

menti rectif.? Coste prescribes the last named here.

390 ECONOMIC BOTANY

VII. JULEPI

Juleps--Pleasant vehicles for nauseating medicine

1. J u ~ P u s PECTORALIS Pectoral julep

Rx Infusum Pectorale (See I, #2 . ) Syrup of Althea 54

2. JULEPUS ANODYNUS Anodyne julep

Rx Ptisanna Hippocratis (See I, #1. ) Syrup of poppy-heads 55 Syrup of maidenhair fern or syrup of orange flowers 56

3. SOMNIFERUM Somnifacient

Rx Powdered opium Dissolve in sweet-scented vinegar. Infusum florum sambuci (See I, #3 . )

4. JULEPUS KERMETIS Kermes julep

Rx Kermes mineral 5r Add sugar Infusum florum sambuci (See I, #3 ) . Divide into four parts.

prescribed.

5. JULEPUS CAMPHORATUS Camphor julep

Rx Camphor Dissolve in alcohol. Add ordinary sugar. Infusum florum sambuci (See I, #3.)

6. JULEPUS DIUIqETICUS Diuretic julep

Rx Oxymel of squill (See notes 26 and 48.) Syrup of five roots ~8 Nitre, i.e., potassium nitrate Infusum florum sambuci (See I, #3.)

4 ounces. 1 ounce.

4 ounces. % ounce. 1 ounce.

1 grain. 1 spoonful.

4 ounces.

4 grains. 1/~ ounce. 4 ounces.

Let the patient take it at intervals, as

4 grains. 1 spoonful.

1/~ ounce. 4 ounces.

2 drams. 1 ounce. 1 dram.

6 ounces.

54 Syr. alth.--Made by steeping marshmallow root in boiling hot water for six hours, straining, adding sugar, and boiling to a syrup.

55 Syrup Diacod.--Syrupus Diacodii (Syrup of poppies ).

58 Capillar.--Capillaire, a syrup prepared with maidenhair fern; by extension, any solution of honey or sugar, in water, impregnated by the flavor of orange flowers.

0r Kerm.min.--Chiefly hydrated antimony trisulphide (Sb..S~), with a small quantity of antimony trioxide (Sb:Oa).

~s Syr. de V Radicib.--Syrupus de Quinque

Radicibus (Codex . . . Parisiensis, p. 40): Rx Radicum Apii (wild celery)

Foeniculi (fennel) Petroselini ( parsley ) Rusci (butcher's broom) Asparagi (asparagus)

Ana uncias quatuor Coque in aqua libris quatuordecim ad libras octo,& cum Sacchari libris quinque. Clarus fiat Syrupus, secundum artem.

Butcher's broom is a member of the liliaceae. There are three species in the Mediterranean.


VII I . BOLI

Large pill masses 1. BoLus JALAPPAE

Jalap pill Rx P o w d e r e d jalap 59 1 dram.

C innamon 12 grains. Reduce to a fine powder . Mix the p o w d e r wi th honey sufficient

to make a pill mass.

2. BOLUS CYNOGLOSSI Hound's tongue pill

Rx Pill mass of hound ' s tongue 6~ 3 grains. Make a pill mass. Le t the pa t ien t take once or twice.

3. BOLUS VERMIFUCUS Vermijuge pill

Rx Corall ina of Corsica, 61 or c o m m o n wormseed, 62 if the first cannot be ha d 1 dram.

Honey, sufficient quant i ty to make a pill for a dose

4. BoLus THERL4,CAE Theriae pill

Rx Ther iaca Andromach i (See note 39.) % dram. Make pill masses. Le t the pat ient take once or twice.

5. BOLUS THERIACAE CUM RHAEO Theriar and rhubarb pill

Rx Powdered rhuba rb Of each Ther iac ( # 4 above.) 10 grains. Make a pill mass. Take f rom two to four times.

6. BoLus TEREBINTHINAE Turpentine pill

Rx Boiled turpent ine 1 scruple. Powdered sugar, sufficient quant i ty Make a pill mass. Le t the pat ient take once, twice, three times,

four times.

They are erect, branching, half-woody plants and bear leaf-like branches instead of leaves. The fruit is a pulpy berry. The rhizome has diuretic qualities. One variety is called "double tongue."

59 Jalap--The dried root of Exogonium purga (morning-glory family). It is a hydragogue.

6~ officinale, of the borage family, containing the powerful alkaloid cynoglossine, which resembles curarine in action, and a gluco-alkaloid, consolidin.

al Corallin. Corsicae--A genus of calcareous algae (seaweed), with erect filfform fronds and opposite branches, resembling coral. There a r e

over thirty species, mostly tropical, of which the

commonest is Corallina officinatis. It is of beautiful rose-colored or purple hue.

G2 Semin.Contra vulg.--Common wormseed, the fruit of Chenopodium anthelminticum (goosefoot family), and other species. The active principle is a volatile oil (oil of chenopodium ).

Spanish wormseed is obtained from Anabasis tamariscifolia.

Levant wormseed (santonica) is obtained from a small shrub indigenous to the deserts of northern Turkestan. The constituents are santonin, a volatile oil (chiefly cineol ), artemi- sin, and a resin. The drug is derived from Artemisia Cina, of the composite family.

392 ECONOMIC BOTANY

7. BOLUS BALSAMICUS Balsam pills

Rx Balsam of Peru 63 Powdered sugar, sufficient to make a pill mass

10 drops.

IX. PILULAE

Pills

1. PILULAE SAPONACEAE Soap pills

Rx Medicinal soap 64 Powdered licorice Make a pill of ten grains.

2. PmULnE SCYLL1TICAE Squill pills

Rx Prepared squill (See note 48. ) Medicinal soap 64 Powdered licorice, sufficient to make pills of 6 grains

3. PILULAE BALSAMICAE MORTON165 Morton's balsam pills

Compound them in the same manner as that of the Codex . . . Paris.

Dose: from six to twelve grains

Sufficient quantity. Sufficient quantity.

�89 ounce. 2 ounces.

6ZBals. Peruv.Liquid--A balsam obtained from the bruised trunk of a tree, Toluifera Pereirae, which grows in northern South Amer- ica and northward to Mexico. The constituents include esters of benzoic and cinnamic acids, free cinnamic acid, and vanillin. The fruit, also, contains a fragrant, vanilla-like balsam.

Sapon.Medic.--Natural, white Castile soap of high grade.

65 P i lu lae B a l s a m . M o r t o n i . - - C o n f i c i a n t u r juxta Codic. Paris.

The Codex . . . Parisiensis of 1748, p. 117, directs that these pills be made as follows:

Rx Pulveris Millepedum praeparatum (powdered, prepared millepeds ) 6 drams

Gummi Ammoniac (gum ammoniac---see note 40) 3 drams Florum Benzoini (flowers of benzoin, i.e., benzoic acid, made by sublimation from gum benzoin) 2 drams Extracti Croci ( tincture of saffron) of each Balsami Peruviani sicci 1 scruple (Balsam of Peru--see note 63) Balsami Sulphuris Terebinthini vel Anisati, sufficientem quantitatem (sulphurated oil of turpentine a sufficient quantity) Misee; fiat massa secundum artem. (Mix:

make a pill mass, according to art.) Millepedum praeparatio--according to the Codex . . . Parisiensis of 1732 (page 4) Rx Asellos sylvestris coloris argenti quot

volueris (Take asellus, any desired quantity) Vino albo ablue. Exsicca & serva. (Wash in white wine. Dry. Put aside)

Oniscus asellus is the common wood-louse or sow-bug, an isopod crustacean. It is de- scribed by some writers as a "multiped," while other sources speak of a "woodlouse-milleped," i.e., they classify it as a nfilleped, placing it among the Glomeridae, of the Diplopoda, a different class of the same phylum as the Crusta- eea. Still other sources cite the termite, or white ant, as an example of the animals known as wood-lice. However, the Codex uses the term "asellus," which identifies it as the oniscus asellus, the crustacean sow-bug.

Balsamum sulphuris terebinthinatum (sulphurated oil of turpentine ) - -prepared as follows: Six parts of linseed oil are mixed with one part of sulphur and boiled in an iron vessel over a slow fire, with constant stirring, until homogeneous. At this stage it is of a dark red- brown color and of the consistency of a thick syrup. When diluted with three times its weight of oil of turpentine, it is known as Balsanmm sulphuris terebinthinatum.


. PILULAE MERCURIALES Mercurial pills

Rx Calomel 66 Crumbs of whitest bread Mix the powdered calomel and bread crumbs with sufficient

water. Make 288 pills, of 4 grains. Dose: one to six

5. EXTRACTUM CICUTAE Water-hemloch pills 67

Rx Prepare it by the method of Stoerck.* Daily dose from 5 grains to 2 drams and beyond * This method, proposed by Anton von Stoerck, directs that the

fresh juice of the plant be evaporated, with care.

X. PULVERES

Powders 1. PULVIS MAGNESIAE

Magnesia powder Rx Magnesium carbonate 68

Nutmeg Make a powder for one dose.

2. PULVlS ANTIMONIALIS Antimonial powder

Rx Washed, native ant imony sulphide 69 Cinnamon 70 Ordinary sugar Mix the powders. Divide into eighteen equal parts. Le t the pat ient take twice, three times, or four times.

XI. COLLYlqIA

l. COLLYRIUM ANTIPHLOGISTICUM Antiphlogistic eye-lotion

Rx Zinc sulphate rl Rose water

2. COLLYRIU1V[ TONICUM Tonic eye-lotion

RX Ammonium chloride Alcohol Spring water

1/~ ounce. 3 drams.

1 dram. 15 grains.

1 dram. 1~ dram. 3 drams.

34 grains. 6 ounces.

8 grains. 12 drops. 8 ounces.

6~ Panac. Mercur.--Panacea Mercurialis. i.e., mercurous chloride, or calomel.

6r Extractum cicutae--Extract of Cicuta virosa, or Cicuta maculata, names for water hemlock. It grows in wet meadows and has purple-streaked stems and white flowers in large compound umbels. The fruits contain cicutine, and the rhizome, stems and leaves cicutoxin.

68 Magnes. alb.--Magnesia alba (carbonate and hydroxide of magnesium, in admixture, plus water of hydration) [(MgCO3),. Mg'(OH)2" 5H_~O ).]

~9 Antimon.crud.lot.pulv.--Antimonium cru- durn . . . stibnite (Sb.~S~), washed and powdered.

ro Cinnam.acut.--Ceylon cinnamon. rl Vitrol alb.--Vitriolum album (white vit-

riol ).

394 ECONOMIC BOTANY

XII . ENEMATA

Enemas

1. ENEMA R x Var ious k inds of d r y drugs , r2

ac t ing as emol l ien ts v3 Boil in suff ic ient w a t e r to m a k e an enema.

2. ENEMA LAXANS Laxative enema

Rx C o m m o n laxa t ive (Vid. sup. IV, # 2 . ) E m o l l i e n t decoc t ion 73 suf f ic ien t to m a k e an e n e m a

3. ENEMA STIBIATUM Antimony enema

R x W i n e of a n t i m o n y ( t u r b i d ) 74 E m o l l i e n t decoc t ion 73

4. ENEMA LENIENS Mild enema (soothing enema)

R x F r e s h l inseed oil E m o l l i e n t decoc t ion 73 suf f ic ient to make an e n e m a

1 handfu l .

8 ounces.

2 ounces. Suff ic ient quant i ty .

2 ounces.

.

XI I I . FOTUS

Fomentations, i.e., lotions, which warm or heat, and are applied by means oJ f lannel or other cloths dipped into them

FOTUS EMOLLIENS Emollient lotion

R x E m o l l i e n t decoc t ion 7~ Suff ic ient quan t i ty . Moi s t en a woo len or l inen c lo th wi th this a n d wr ing ou t ve ry

gent ly . A p p l y to the d i r e c t e d par t .

72 Specier.plant. Emoll. 7:~ Deeoct. Emoll.--The Codex . . . Paris. p.

19, reads:

Rx Foliorum Betae (sugar-beet) Maluae ( apple ) Althaeae (marshmallow) Mercurialis (dog's mercury) Violarum (violet) Senecionis ( groundsel ) Acanthi ( acanthus ) Parietariae (parietary)

Mercuralis is a member of the Euphorbiaceae and is composed of six species of herbs of the Mediterranean region. Mercurialis perennis, a poisonous weed, grows to a height of six to eight inches, has oblong or ovate-lanceolate leaves, mostly on the upper half of a simple erect stem, and flowers on slender axillary peduncles. (Mereurialis tomentosa was believed to have the power of determining the sex of children, according to whether the prospective

mother drank the juice of the male or female plant~"boy's or girl's mercury"). Several varieties of mercurialis contain methylamine.

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), a common herb, member of the Compositae, has yellow, tubular flowers. It has emollient properties and is used as a home remedy for numerous ailments.

Acanthus--Acanthus, brankursine (COdex . . . Paris. p. ii), a genus of tall herbaceous plants of the Mediterranean region, having beautiful, large, spinosely toothed leaves, so widely represented in the capital of the Corinthian column. Many members of the family are used in medicine in the tropics. One contains the alkaloid vascine, believed capable of de- stroying algae growing in rice swamps.

74 Vin.Emet.turbidi--Vinum Emeticum. Codex �9 . . Paris., p. 22:

Croci Metallorum pulverati ("brown" antimony oxide, i.e., antimony oxysulphide), 3 ounces infused in either Spanish or white wine, 2 pounds.

ABRAHAMS" JEAN FRANCOIS COSTE 3 9 5

2. FOTUS SAMBUCINUS Elder flower lotion

Rx Elder flowers (See note 12.) Boil in ordinary water. To the strained liquid add vinegar Strain before using as a lotion. If so prescribed, add Spirit of Camphor. 75

3. FoTus ANTISEPTICUS Antiseptic lotion

Rx Chamomile flowers TM

Peruvian bark Boil in water Strain Add Spirit of Camphor.

4. F o T u s VEGETO-MINEtL~LIS Vegeto-Mineral lotion

Rx Distilled water 77 Solution of lead subacetate 78 Brandy (or whiskey)

For a weaker solution double the amount of the vehicle, i.e., the water.

1 handful. 1 pound.

�89 pound.

1 ounce .

�89 handful. 1 ounce.

3 pounds.

2 ounces.

2 pounds. �89 ounce. 2 ounces.

.

.

XIV. CAETERA EXTERNA

Other external preparations

CATAPLASMA Poultice

Rx Bread crumbs Boil in milk Add saffron

LITUS PICEUS Tar ointment

Rx Naval pitch Lard Melt together and mix. Spread over the part gently.

Sufficient quantity. Sufficient quantity. Sufficient quantity.

2 parts. 1 part.

75 Spirir.(Spirit.?) vin. camph.--Codex . . . Paris., p. 196:

Spiritus vini camphoratus Spiritus vini rectfficati libras duas Campborae unciam unam (The U.S.P. IX gives alcohol 1000 mils, camphor 100 grams.) 76Flor C h a m a e m . - - R o m a n or Engl i sh

chamomile, flower-heads of Anthemi~ nobili~, a perennial herb, indigenous to England, France, Belgium, as well as the United States. The

flowers contain a volatile oil, a crystalline glucoside (anthemic acid), resin, a crystalline wax, and tannin. The volatile oil contains anthemol, an isomer of camphor, and isobutyl, amyl and hexyl esters of butyric, angelic and tiglic acids.

77 Ap.Stillat.--Most probably an error on the part of the printer, who meant Aq.

7SExtra. saturn.Liq.--Goulard's Extract, or solution of lead subaeetate.

396 ECONOMIC BOTANY

3. SINAPISMUS Mustard poultice

Rx Mustard seed Freshly raised bread Strong vinegar r9 Mix to the consistency of a poultice.

4. PEDILUVIU!V[ SAPONACEUIVs Soapy footbath

Rx Ordinary soap Dissolve in sufficient water to make a footbath.

5. BALNEUM MINERALE Mineral Bath

Rx Lime 8~ Sulphur Boil in water. Strain. Pour into a regular or ordinary warm bath.

6. FUMIGIUM PECTORALE Chest vapor or fumigator

Rx Naval pitch

11/~ ounces. A sufficient quantity. A sufficient quantity.

2 drams.

8 o u n c e s .

4 ounces. 6 pounds.

Yellow wax Equal parts Turpentine of each. Melt (the mixture) in a vessel, over a fire. Allow the vapor to

mix with the air in room, all openings having been closed; or let the patient inhale it by means of a tube or pipe, as soon as the prescribed time has arrived.

7. UNGUENTUM AD SCABIEM Ointment for scabies; for itch

Rx Powdered sulphur 4 ounces. Ammonium chloride �89 ounce. Lard 1 pound. Dose: one dram, once or twice, etc. (i.e., spread over the affected

part)

S. UNGUENTA ET EMPLASTRA Ointments and Piasters

PovvL•uM--Codex.. . Paris., p. 146 Unguentum populeum. (Ointment of Populus nigra, or black poplar, which contains a volatile oil, the important constituent being humulene, also present in hops, and soothing in action. )

MERCURIALE--( See note 63. ) ALTHAEAE--Codex . . . Paris., p. 145

Unguentum de althaea. Ointment containing marshmallow root, decoction of barley, linseed and fenugreek. (Seeds of Trigonella Faenumgraecum, a member of the Legumi- nosae. )

79 Aceti acerrimi Acetum acerrimum, so Calc.Viv.--Calx viva.


VESICATORIuM--Codex . . . Paris., p. 148 Ungaaentum epispasticum. (Ointment containing eanthar- ides, i.e., Spanish fly, powdered mustard seed, feverfew, stavesacre or lousewart, pepper, euphorbia, sweet-basil, and turpentine. )

CmUTAE--Codex... Paris., p. 152 Emplastrum de cicuta. (A plaster containing rosin, beeswax, Burgundy pitch, oil of caper-bush, water-hemlock, gum ammoniac and vinegar of squill. )

And so forth, as in the Codex Parisiensis.

(A)

(B)

POST SCRIPTUM

Rx Birch Beer

Newport beer (so called Birch Beer) 200 pounds. Fresh radish (or horseradish) 4 pounds. Of this beer and ordinary water prescribe equal parts, by the

glassful, once, twice, three times, etc.

Whatever is prescribed (by the doctor), on the spot, should be administered immediately; ff for to-morrow, at least two hours before the first visit; in the evening about 7:00 P.M., if for "the evening." Let the pharmacist himself administer to the patients all the remedies and the doses of all things, as prescribed, at various hours. They should be of greatest benefit to those suffering from fainting, vomiting (that way). Very few things should be left to the nurses--the things which are of least consequence, and that very infrequently.

Bibliography 1. Harold J. Abrahams and Marion B. Savin:

The M6moire sur les diff6rents genres d'asphyxie of Doctor Jean-Francois Coste. Transactions and Studies of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia 4th Ser. 35( 3 ), January, 1968, pp. 96--111.

2. Codex Medieamentarius seu Pharmacopoea Parisiensis. Paris, (a) , 1732, (b) , 1748.

3. George W. Corner: Mithridatium and Theriac, the most famous remedies of old medicine. Johns Hopkins Hospital Bull. 26 (1915) : 222,-226.

4. Jean Francois Coste: Oratio Habita in Capitolio Guielmopolitano . . . . Leyden, 1783. (See also, Anthony P. Wagener's translation of this work in Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences 7: 10-67).

5. Alain-Yves Dubourg: A fabulous physician. Abbottempo I( 3 ) : ( 1963 ) : 28-31.

6. Laurence Farmer: The early directors of

the medical services of the American Revolutionary Army. Bull. N.Y. Acad. Med. $6 (1960): 765-776.

7. Fielding H. Garrison: An Introduction to the History of Medicine. Philadelphia, 1917.

8. C. Malcolm Gilman: Military surgery in the American Revolution. Journ. Med. Soc. N.J. 57 (1960): 491-496.

9. Courtney R. Hall: The beginnings of American military medicine. Ann. Med. Hist., Ser. 3, No. 4 (1942): 122-131.

10. F .R . Kirkland [Editor]: 1ournal of Lewis Beebe. Philadelphia, 1935, pp. 11-26.

11. Henry Kraemer: A Text-Book of Botany and Pharmacognosy. Philadelphia, 1907.

12. John E. Lane: Jean Francois Coste, Americana, January, 1928 (reprint, 30 pp., at Library of the American Philo- sophical Society), p. 57.

13. Letters: (a) Franklin Papers, Vol. 28, No. 135; Vol. 33, No. 129; Vol. 57, No. 123. (b) Writings of Thomas

398 ECONOMIC BOTANY

1effersou, Vol. 4 (1903) 102, to General Edward Stevens, September 2, 1780. Andrew A. Lipscomb [Editor], Washing- ton. Also The Papers o~ Thomas Jeffer- son, J. P. Boyd [Editor], Princeton Uni- versity, 1950- . (c) Writings of George Washington from Original Manu- script Sources, 1745-1799, John C. Fitz- patrick [Editor], Washington, 1938. Vo]. 25, 244 to Doctor Jean Francois Coste, October 7, 1782.

14. Maimonides ( Moses ben Maimon) : Two Treatises on the Regimen of Health, Translated from the Arabic . . . Ariel bar-Sela, Hebbel E. Hoff and Elias Faris. Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., n.s., 54(4) (1964).

15. National Dispensatory, Alfred Stille and John M. Maisch [Editors], Ed. 4, Phil- adelphia, 1887.

16. Francis R. Packard: History of Medicine in the United States, Philadelphia, 1901.

17. Pennsylvania Gazette, October 3, 1778. 18. Pharmacopoeia of the United States. 9th

Decennial Reviskm, New York, 1916. 19. Joseph Remington: Practice of Pharmacy,

Ed. 4. 20. Sadtler and Coblentz: A Text-Book of

Chemistry Intended for the Use of Pharmaceutical and Medical Students, Philadelphia, 1906.

21. Scharf and Westcott: History of Phila- delphia, Vol. 2 (1884) 1477.

Miscellaneous Reference Works The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Wil-

liam Dwight Whitney [Editor], New York, 1895.

The International French Dictionary, Paul Passy and George Hempl [Editors], New York, 1903.

CasseU's Latin Dictionary, New York (1953). The Latin Grammar of Pharmacy, Joseph Ince,

Ed. 8, London, 1903. Pharmaceutical Latin, Jacob S. Dorfman,

Philadelphia, 1938. Latin for Pharmaceutical Students, J. W.

Cooper and A. C. McLaren, London, 1930.

The English Dispensatory, John Quincy, Ed. 3, London, 1720.

Universal Pronouncing Dictionary o~ Biography and Mythology, Joseph Thomas, Phila- delphia, 1915.

Nouvelle Biographic G~ndrale, Vol. 11, Paris, 1856, Notice sur I. F. Coste.

Acknowledgments

Warm thanks are expressed to the following persons for their kind assistance: Miss Marion B. Savin, of Philadelphia; Mr. Charles Roos, Head, Reference Section, and Dr. John B. Blake, Chief, History of Medi- cine Division, National Library of Medicine; Mrs. Edith B. Hampel, of the Library, and Dr. Lloyd W. Daly, of the Department of Classical Studies, University of Pennsyl- vania; Mrs. Gertrude D. Hess, of the Li- brary of the American Philosophical Society; Miss Grace Quimby, Chief, National Ar- chives Library; Dr. James A. Servies, Li- brarian, College of William and Mary; Miss Louise A. Schulte, of the Library of LaSalle College; Mr. R. N. Williams, 2nd, Director of the Historical Society of Pennsyl- vania; and Mrs. Elizabeth W. Johnson and Professor Elsa Ehrenstein, Philadelphia Col- lege of Pharmacy and Science.

Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University This publication, entering its 23rd volume, has long been unavailable in complete

sets. Complete sets are now available at $127.50 (plus postage) through and including volume 22. Current subscription: $9.50 per volume of 10 numbers spread over two years.

The Leaflets include research done at the Botanical Museum by its staff and students in the fields of economic botany; ethnobotany; origin of cultivated plants; paleobotany; orchidology; flora of tropical America.

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The compendium pharmaceuticum of Jean François Coste