APOTHECARIES.
138 .
vellers, Shaw, Pococke, Norden, Ilasselquist, Niebuhr,and Mariti, have since confirmed the preceding recital.
There want not writers who have asserted, that thisarticle comes also from the East Indies; but as no evidenceof it has been yet discovered in any papers relative to thetrading concerns of the European India companies, suchrelations are not believed.
Reports have likewise been circulated, that it has beenmanufactured in Germany ; but a German writer of greatresearch into the trading interests of his country denies it,but, at the same time, admits that a spurious imitation mayhave been manufactured at Bamberg, and even Vienna ,which, he says, was prepared from the sediment of thesalt-pans and old urine. The only manufacture of thisarticle in Europe which he recognises, is one that was esta-blished in Edinburgh , in 1756, by Dorin and Hutton, andwhich, he says, like many English manufactories was car-ried on upon a large scale. This he considers as one of themost modern, as well as the only European manufactory ofsal ammoniac. 6
APOTHECARIES.
During the progress of our inquiries, we have often casta wistful glance at those whom we know are infinitely betterqualified than ourselves to discuss many of our precedingthemes, with that justice they merit. This impression hasnever visited us more strongly than upon the present occa-sion ; but having undertaken to say something on this sub-ject,—that respect we owe the public compels us to givethe best information in our power. Since then we can onlyrelate what we know, and testify of those things which wehave seen, we proceed to furnish our information on thissubject, and do it in the following manner.
Our old friend Diodorus Siculus is the first who willinglypromised) his assistance ; and he informs us, that the Egyp-tians report that Isis found out many medicines for therecovery of man’s health, being very expert in the art ofphysic, and contrived many remedies for that purpose. * 1
In chapter vi. lib. 1, the same historian informs us, thatin Egypt , to prevent diseases, they made use of clysters,(we have also somewhere seen that the origin of this idea was
6 Beckmann’s Hjat. article sal ammoniac, vol. iv. p. $03.
1 Diod. Sic. lib. i. c. 2.