The natural history of lac, amber, and myrrh : with a plain account of the many excellent virtues these three medicinal substances are naturally possessed of, and well adapted for the cure of various diseases incident to the human body: and a restorative balsamic tincture ... / By John Cook.

  • Cook, John, approximately 1705-1777.
Date:
1770
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The natural history of lac, amber, and myrrh : with a plain account of the many excellent virtues these three medicinal substances are naturally possessed of, and well adapted for the cure of various diseases incident to the human body: and a restorative balsamic tincture ... / By John Cook. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    On breaking a piece of Stick Lac, it appear^ compofed of regular cells, like the honey-comb* with fmall corpufcles of a deep red colour lodged in them : thefe are the young infeds, and to thefe it is the Lac owes its tindure ; for, when freed from them, its colour is very dilute. The Shell and Seed Lacs, which do not exhibit any infects or cellular appearance upon breaking, are fuppof- ed to be artificial preparations of the other : the Seed fort is laid to be Stick Lac bruifed and rob¬ bed of its more fubtile parts; and the Shell to be the Seed Lac melted, and formed into cakes. The Stick Lac is therefore the genuine fort, and ought alone to be employed for medicinal pur- pofes This concrete is of great eiteem in Ger¬ many, and other countries^ for laxity and fpon- ginefs of the gums proceeding from cold, or fcorbutic habit. For this ufe, the Lac is boiled in water with the addition of a little Alium, which promotes its folution ; or a tindure made from it with redified Spirit. This tindure is re¬ commended alfo internally for feminal weaknefs* and in rheumatic and fcorbutic diforders. It has a grateful fmel), and not an unpleafant, bitterifh, aftringent tafte. The principal ufe of Lac among vs is in certain mechanic arts, as a colouring drug, and for making fealing-wax ; but my folu¬ tion of its fubftance renders it an excellent me¬ dicine, and inferior to none for the dileafes under the next Head fpecified, II. The virtues of the EfTence of Lac, as pre-* pared by my diredions, and under my infpedion, by Mr. John Jacob, Chymift and Druggift, op¬ posite the Monument, London, as are ail the others here following, are many and excellent. This