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ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.
tinued stimulus; as chlorosis, hepatic affections, gout, rheumatism, lepra,&c. Buxton water, taken internally, has been found serviceable in dis-ordered conditions of the digestive organs, consequent on high indul-gence and intemperance; in calculous complaints, and in gout: em-ployed externally, it has been principally celebrated in rheumatism. Thewater of Bristol Ilotwell is taken in dyspeptic complaints and pulmonaryconsumption.
Order 4. Alkaline ivaters. —The mineral waters denominated alkalinecontain carbonate or bicarbonate of soda as their characteristic ingredient.They pass insensibly into, and are, therefore, closely related to, the watersof the preceding classes. Thus springs which contain carbonate of soda,with a considerable excess of carbonic acid (as those of Carlsbad and Selt-zer), are denominated acidulo-alkaline, and are classed with the acidulousor carbonated waters. Those in which carbonate of soda is associated withprotocarbonate of iron and excess of carbonic acid (as Spa water), aretermed chalybeate waters. The only waters in this country which con-tain carbonate of soda are those of Malvern, in Worcestershire ; and Ilkes-ton, in Derbyshire , near Nottingham; but the quantity in both cases isvery small. The first, which is a very pure water, contains only 0‘61parts of the carbonate in 10,000 of the water, and the second 3'355grains in an imperial gallon. For external use the alkaline waters areprincipally valuable on account of their detergent qualities. When takeninternally they act on the urinary organs. They may be employed incalculous complaints connected with lithic acid diathesis, in gout, indyspepsia, &c.
Order 5. Siliceous waters. — Most mineral waters contain traces ofsilica, but some contain it in such abundance that they have been deno-minated siliceous. Thus in the boiling springs of Geyser and Reikum, inIceland , it amounts to nearly one-half of all the solid constituents. Inthese waters the silica is associated with soda (silicate of soda) sulphateof soda, and chloride of sodium (See Dr. Black’s analysis, in the Trans.Royal Soc. Edin. vol. iii.: also Faraday’s, in Barrow’s Visit to Iceland ).I am unacquainted with their action on the body. It is probably similarto that of the alkaline waters.
Ac'idum Hydrochlo'ricum. — Hydrochlo'ric Acid.
History and Synonymes— Liquid hydrochloric acid was probablyknown to Geber, the Arabian chemist , in the eighth century. The pre-sent mode of obtaining it was contrived by Glauber. It has been knownby the various names of spirit of salt, marine acid, and muriatic acid.Some modem chemists term it chlorohydric acid. Scheele , in 1774, maybe regarded as the first person who entertained a correct notion of thecomposition of hydrochloric acid. To Sir H. Davy we are principallyindebted for the establishment of Scheele ’s opinion.
Natural History . —It is found in both kingdoms of nature.
(a.) In the inorganized kingdom. —Hydrochloric acid is one of thegaseous products of volcanoes. Combined with ammonia, we find it involcanic regions.
(h.) In the organized kingdom. —Free hydrochloric acid is an essentialconstituent of the gastric juice in the human subject. Hydrochlorate ofammonia (sal ammoniac) was found, by Berzelius, in the urine. Chevreul states he detected free hydrochloric acid in the juice of Isatis tinctoria.