with Oyl of Vitriol and Sp. of Niter c. preserved Blood fluid and also free from Putrefaction the last of which is what neither Volatil nor sixt Alkalies will do as may be seen by the following Experiments EXPERIMENT 1. He mix'd with 5 or 6 Ounces of Blood 6 Drops of 🆠of 🜖 diluted in 2 Ounces of Water and it preserved the Blood fluid gave it a better colour and consistency than some of the same he mix'd nothing with he kept it in a Viol 18 Days and it was equally free from any smell or signs of Putrefaction as when it stream'd from the Vein In Answer to which I say he is not sure that the 2 Ounces of Water would not do more towards keeping the Blood fluid thin and of a bright colour than the 6 Drops of 🆠of 🜖 could do one way or other But to do the Gent. all right and to Answer fairly to his Experiments I try'd them more nicely than he did For I took the same Proportion of 🆠of 🜖 and Water that he did and having made it just blood-warm in the Viol I let the Blood of a healthy young Man run from the Vein into it till I had that just quantity by weight in proportion to the 🆠of 🜖 and Water and shaking them well together and stoping the Viol with a Cork I set it by It soon look'd of a muddy black Colour and being open'd at 14 Days it began to stink EXPERIMENT 2. The like proportion of Blood he says he mix'd with 30 Drops of Oyl of Tartar in 2 Ounces of Water it seem'd to remain fluid in the Porringer but having let it stand close stop'd in a Viol 3 or 4 days the grumous part was precipitated and it stunk most intollerably and the smell was like that proceeding from a dead Body whose Lungs or other Vicera have been Vlcerated The Gentleman has 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this Experiment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blood was like that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have been exulceâ—â—â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubtless that can disâ—â—â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parts from that of all 〈◊〉 flesh corrupâ—â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wonder if he don't conclude the exulceration of the Lungs proceeds from Oyl of Tartar But I try'd this Experiment also after the same manner I did the former I open'd it at 4 Days and it had no more ill smell than when it came from the Vein at 8 Days I open'd it again it was likewise free from any ill smell so again at 12 Days at 14 and at 18 and at 23 and at 28 Days it look'd well and had no ill smell when some Blood that had nothing but the proportion of Water stunk in half the time EXPERIMENT 3. He mix'd he says with the like quantity of Blood 20 Drops of Sp. of 🜖 dulc in 2 Ounces of Water and it preserv'd the Blood fluid gave it a better colour hindering its parts from subsiding nor did it stink in the least while he kept it which was 20 or 30 Days In this Experiment the 20 drops of Sp. of 🜖 dulc must have at least 10 of Sp. of Wine which we know will preserve Blood But I tryed this also as I did the foregoing and having kept it 14 Days it stunk much and look'd no better than that in which was nothing but Water But in his 4 EXPERIMENT He says he mixed 30 Drops of Sp of 🜖 with 4 Ounces of Blood and it preserv'd it fluid but after 7 or 8 Days he open'd the Viol and it sent forth a very offensive Stink I also try'd this Experiment as I did the others and open'd the Viol at 8 Days at 12 Days at 16 Days and at 20 Days and it had no ill smell at all lastly at 28 Days was thin and of better colour and consistence than the Blood in any of the other Experiments and had no ill smell but that with the 🆠of 🜖 look'd worst of all The Gent. adds If these four Experiments are not enough to convince the Dr. of the falsehood of my Assertion he has variety of others at his Service I answer he whose commanding Requests oblig'd the Gentleman to write needs no more to convince him But I think if they will serve him no better than these have done he will do better to keep his service to himself The Gent. says pag. 17. that whereas I argue a juvantibus ledentibus and say that Acids are seen often to hurt in Hypochondriack Hysterick and Scorâ—utical Cases and in Vlcers Issues c. which on the contrary are relieved by Alkalies but he has 〈◊〉 my bare word for it I say my Word is as good as anothers but I could give Observations not only of my own but of divers famous Physicians But no Authorities but those of Acid Doctors are any thing to the Acid Gentleman who farther says should he undertake effectually to prove that Acids are the only Medicines which cure those Diseases I have named it must be by enumerating observations of Cures perform'd by them which would make his Epistle too long Here the Gentleman speaks well for if he should prove that Acids are the only Medicines that cure these Diseases he must not only enumerate all the Acid Doctors Cures who I am well inform'd often Cure sine recidiva but he must enumerate all the Cures that have been done in the World of these Diseases and ascertain us that all of them were done by Acids which would indeed be too long for a Letter to a Man of business But I believe he would in his own Practice hardly be able to give us many instances of Ulcers cur'd with nothing but Acids or be willing to be dress'd with nothing else himself But to save the vast labour he gives us a Catalogue of some of the most celebrated Medicines used in curing those distempers as steel in its best Preparations all the Acid Spirits and Elixirs Crem Tart. Tart. Vitriolat Sal. Succini c. and refers to Dr. Colbatch his Authority But I must tell the Gentleman Dr. Colbatch his Authority and his reasoning are no better one than the other Steel Acid Spirits c. he says are the most celebrated Medicines in use in the cure of the foremention'd Diseases Ergo those Diseases are cur'd by nothing else And would that be good Logick yet the Medicines enumerated are not all Acids or cure as such as we may have occasion to shew before we have done But our Gent. says pag. 18. He won't believe me that an Acid can be got from Blood or Vrine of either healthy or diseased Persons because I have not told him the process Answer I thought I had told it plain enough to any one that understands a little Chymistry And I can make him believe it very easily but that I don't write to teach Gentlemen Chymistry but to shew them the Ignorance and groundless Confidence and danger of Acid Quacks But he complains farther that I will not teach him the Legerdemain of mixing Alk.
take Iron and work on it how he will without any thing that can supply a combustible Body I defy him or a Horse with a bigger Head to get me a grain of Sulphur So in his process of Tartar Vitriolat and filings of Iron if true the Sulphur comes from the other things not the Iron But he says he has not mentioned the proportions of his Ingredients because he is talking to a Chymist It seems he takes the Physician he writes to for a Chymist but he talks not like one for proportions of things necessary in order to divers resulting Products in Chymistry that a Man has not tried and observed are not hit easily by any Rules in Chymistry and in many Operations much depends on proportion But if these Experiments won't prove a Sulphur in Iron he says he may chance to produce 20 more but these he supposes will satisfie the reasonable I answer I suppose these were not his worst and if he produces no better 40 won't do to satisfie the skilful whatever the reasonable may think But he says he must conclude Steel to be rather an Acid than an Alkali That 's his Misery that he must conclude it an Acid tho' none ever got an Acid from it But if he can get a Sulphur from it he hopes none will doubt but he may also get an Acid in quantity I answer to conclude this mighty point if the Sulphur he supposes he gets from it were indeed from it t is so little that it would not denominate Steel a Sulphur and that Acid in the Sulphur is much less and would much less give Iron the title of an Acid. But let an honest Country man Mr. Yardly if you please taste filings of Steel not knowing what it is or any thing indeed produced from it and if he says it tastes sour I 'll be an Assheadist I thought I had done with Steel for this bout because something else comes next but I find there 's another touch upon Steel afterwards so I 'll go to that that we may dispatch all the martial Man's business together The Gentleman tells us pag. 46. I say the Doctor 's Preparation of Steel with Sal Armon is not made with an Acid and he thinks it is and to prove it says he if you make it in a Retort and a strong Fire nothing but an Alkali will rise and the Acid will remain with the Steel for if you take the Cap. Mort. and distill you shall have nothing come over but a pure Acid of great use in Physick I am at a little loss to know who he means by the Doctor it must be some body sure that is a Doctor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle was known formerly by the name of the Philosopher but the Gentleman being one that loves Verjuice well I guess he means Mr. Colebatch but I 'd faign know what made him a Doctor whether Ignorance Confidence or a Licence to kill or all together But now I think on 't Doctor is a Teacher and he teaches the abuse of Crabs Oranges and Lemons therefore he is a Doctor But the Doctor 's Preparation of Steel must be with an Acid. If it be I say 't is because the Doctor is an Acid for Sal Armon is not being a compound of com Salt and Vol Salt of Urin neither of which is an Acid and tho com Salt may be distill'd into an Acid yet 't is not an Acid before Distillat on any more than Lead for instance is Glass because it may be turn'd into Glass But when Salt is turn'd into an Acid Liquor it then ceases to be a Salsum tho' it may be brought back again very easily into its old and natural Form as the Glass of Lead may likewise soon be reduced into Lead again And the Doctor 's Preparation is made with it before distill'd But the Gentleman adds if we dissolve Filings of Steel in Sp. of Salt and distill as before we shall find the Cap. Mort. the same as that made with Sal Armon And farther says he ' t is not the com Salt but the Acid Spirit of it that is one part of the compound of Sal Armon and Vol. Alkali the other for a mixture of Sp. of Salt and Vol. Alkali will produce good Sal Armon Right but these Alkalous Bodies change the acidity of the Sp. of Salt into a body not Acid but a Salsum its natural old Form and in that form it works not in that it has not when so changed But not to let go what the Gentleman says pag. 46. without a Remark he there tells us he is sure a Disease caus'd by Acids may be cured by Acids But here he unwittingly gives away the Cause by confessing a Disease may be caus'd by Acids which is the very thing I would prove and there are divers kinds of Acids having different Effects therefore Acids may cause divers Diseases But still he holds fast to one part of the Doctrine that all Diseases even those caus'd by Acids may be cured he should have said must by Acids And how proves he this Why Acids operate upon or alter the texture of one another and if the texture be alter'd its qualities must be alter'd and it must act differently from what it did I answer whatever change Acids make on one another they do not change one another from being Acids and the Disease being caus'd by the Acid as Acid the change of the Acid will but change the Disease not cure it that must be done by taking away its Acidity or expelling the Acid and if Acid could be supposed to expel Acid 't would be but one Devil entring to cast out the other this being as troublesome a Guest as that disposs'd and the Experiment the Gentleman brings to confirm his Opinion is nothing pertaining to Medicine or Man's Body For Sp. of Nitre or Aq. fort says he dissolves Silver but Sp. of Salt mixed with them makes it it shall never dissolve Silver as it did But our Bowels are not Silver to be dissolved in Sp. of Nitre that Sp. of Salt should be a Medicine to render ineffectual The Gentleman says pag 47. that I am very angry with Doctor Colebath for saying Cinnabar is an Acid but have not proved or said it is an Alkali To which I tell him I was never angry with Doctor Colebatch in my Life nor with his Gentleman but I think I said enough to prove that Cinnabar is not an Acid much less running Mercury 13 sixteenths of it But the Gentleman refers to all the World whether running Mercury will act as Cinnabar does if not then Cinnabar does all by vertue of the Sulphur embodied with it But I 'll refer it even to the Acidists by the same Argument whether common Sulphur will act as Cinnabar does if not then Cinnabar does all by vertue of the Mercury embodied with it and if the Argument be good it is 13 to 3 on my side But I tell the
Gentleman to leave these Logical Depths for Experience Cinnabar acts as Cinnabar and not as Mercury or as Sulphur otherwise we need not be at the trouble to compound them And the Gentleman goes on with his Argument Sulphur is an Acid why Because I allow it to be compounded of an Acid and an Oyl but not of an Acid and an Alkali The Argument runs thus in the whole latitude of it Sulpur is an Acid because it is compounded of a little Acid and an Oyl and Cinnabar is an Acid because it has a little of that that has a little Acid in it By the same Logick I may prove the Gentleman is a Calf because he dined upon Veal and has a little of a Calf in him But the Gentleman talks on shewing more Ignorance saying he believes Mercury an absorber of all kind of Salts Alkalies or Acids rather than of Acids But I must tell him it is not an Absorber of Alkalies for they revive it and disengage it from Acids which it hath absorb'd But he says it will dissolve Mettals which is an Argument I often use to prove the Acidity of a Body I answer it will not truly dissolve Metals it only pulverises them But he continues to abuse me so as a Gentleman can't be thought to do for I never that I know of much less often made it an Argument to prove the Acidity of a Body that it will dissolve a Mettal tho' he would be contented it should be took for one I suppose that if he should be convinc'd that Sp. of Sal Armon is a good Medicine he would prove it an Acid by its dissolving Copper But he says Mercury will ferment with Gold if well managed and make a heat not to be endured by the Hand But this is no Argument that Mercury is an Acid and tho this story he has heard be true he knows not what the well managing of the Mercury is or the cause of the Heat He says he has often met with two Acids that will ferment with one another but he has given no instance but what he is mistaken in But the Gentleman pag 48. wishes I had told them how to make the Quintessence of Wine an Alkali which I said I would oppose to all the Acids in the World that it might be us'd and judged whether it be so noble an Alkali or not I answer this Alkali has been us'd and is us'd and judg'd and found to be a noble Alkali and I have cured considerable Diseases with one small Dose of it and have had a Patient sick in bed and fear of Death one day and up and pretty well on the morrow by the use of this Alkali But I did not say I would oppose it to all the Acids in the World but to Mr. Colebatch's Acids for there are better Acids than he is aware of useful in some tho not in all Cases But if the Gentleman has a mind to see the effects of this Medicine I say still let there be a number of Patients sick of such Diseases wherein I think it useful divided between Mr. Colebath and I or any other Acidist and I will use the Quintescence and he shall use what Acid he pleases and if I don't recover more than he I 'll be an Acidist But the Gentleman can guess what this Quintescence of Wine is and he supposes it is the finest rectified Sp. of Wine talkâ—d of by some that is so subtile a Drop will not fall to the Ground Such an Essence of Wine he has seen and can make at any time but he affirms it will come under the denomination of an Acid. I answer I confess such an Essence of Wine will come under the denomination of an Acid if Mr. Colebatch says 't is an Acid as he must do if he should use it or if it be found in the ingenious Mr. Stringer's Catalogue of Acids but there is no better Argement for its Acidity But to satisfie the Gentleman I tell him this Alkali is as much an Alkali as any thing he ever saw and 't is not his supposed Essence of Wine or any other Essence but a Quintessence if he knows what that means But yet to satisfie him sufficiently if he be a Philosopher as well as a Gentleman as he says Physicians are I 'll tell him why this is call'd a Quintescence and what it is The Quintessence is the fifth state or being of Wine The first is in the Must or Juice of Grapes The second in the Wine when fermented and brought to its perfection as an inflamable Spirit and in this state the Gentleman's Essence is found The third when this second inflamable Spirit is turn'd into an incombustible Salt The fourth when this Salt is mortified and seemingly destroy'd The fifth is its change and resurrection into a noble Alkalous and green Spirit The Gent says pag. 49. Sp. of Salt diluted in a convenient quantity of an aqueous Vehicle is better to preserve Flesh than com Salt and com Salt by an addition of a proper quantity of Sp. of Salt will be more useful in all respects I answer if he had told us his convenient and proper quantities the Tryal of the matter might soon have been made But if you take a piece of Meat season'd as the Gentleman prescribes and another after the ordinary way I 'll engage on Tryal the last shall eat best and Mr. Colebatch himself would say so if he knew nothing of their seasoning The Gentleman adds that in Opposition to Mr. Colebatch I affirm that Bittern is not an Alkali but an Acid because Sp. of Salt is to be obtain'd from it in Distillation but I have not told in what quantity for I knew the proportion is inconsiderale to what remains after Distillation there being at least four parts of Alkali in Bittern to one of Acid which turns Syr. Viol. green and answers the intentions of a strong Alkali and he has known Soap made of it which is not done without a great quantity of Alkali And tho' Sp. of Salt may be obtain'd from Bittern yet this will not prove it an Acid or that the Sp. is any part of the Bittern for it is but some remains of the Acid part of the Salt for the Bittern after Distillation will cause Thirst more than it did before and the Spirit will allay Thirst if judiciously used I answer the Gentleman has so often unbecoming a Gentleman made me say what I never said that I now can hardly believe he is indeed a Gentleman but rather some little Medicaster or very small Surgeon I never said Bittern was an Acid because Spirit of Salt may be distill'd from it but I said Bittern in its natural form is but a Salsum and by skill in Chymistry Mr. Colbatch his damn'd â—ixt Alkali as he call'd it becomes a blessed Volatil Acid. But the Gentleman cannot conceive the Chymical Metamorphosis of Bodies his Pyrotechny is only separatory I told the Gentleman's Physician also that
Bittern would rise in the Fire and come over I did not say yeild good Spirit of Salt And the Gent. is much mistaken in supposing the Spirit is inconsiderable to what remains or that Bittern has 4 parts of Alkali to one of Acid. For as I said it leaves nothing behind but an insipid white Earth and that is inconsiderable to what comes over if it be skilfully distill'd nor will that Earth cause thirst so much as Sa it in which there is no Bittern I do not believe he ever saw Soap made of Bittern as he says but I know Soap may be made with a very little Alkali But the Gent. concludes he is of the Opinion that I cannot produce a Catalogue of Medicines equaly efficacious in the Cure of Diseases with Mercur. dule Turpeth Min. Red precip Cinnabar Sal Succini Sal Martis En. Veneris Oyl of Vitriol Sp. of Nitre Oyl of Sulphur and Dr. Colebatch ' s Elixir Vitrioli all which operate by vertue of their Acids for if they be divested of their Acid Particles they will never produce those effects And if the use of Alkalies cannot be thus demonstrated he shall remain a Proselyte to the Doctrine of Acids And thus says he he has given his Thoughts in answer to those Objections that seem most material in the Dialogue but has omitted to take notice of what has not a relation to Acids and Alkalies being the Cause or Cure of Diseases and in so doing hopes he has answer'd the Doctor 's Request I answer I can produce the same Catalogue and a better But the Medicines named are not the invention of any Acid Doctor but were common to all Physicians before any such sharp Fancy had turn'd the Brains of any Pretenders to Physick nor are they all Acids nor do any of them except the Spirits operate by vertue of their Acids But I might say if I could allow my self to reason as the Gentleman does by vertue of their Alkalies for if you take away ☿ ♀ and ♂ the Acids now joined with them will never produce the Effects alone But I know better they operate by vertue of their Texture resulting from their Conjuction even as Gun-powder does not operate by vertue of Sulphur or either of its Ingredients but by Nitre Sulphur and Charcoal all together And if the use of Acids or Alkalies either cannot be better demonstrated than the Gentleman or his Master Colebatch have demonstrated their pretended Hypothesis of Acids I shall not be a Proselyte to either The Gentleman has at last answer'd his Doctors request and pick'd out here and there an expression in my Dialogue which he thought he could say some thing to but how well he has answered what was indeed Material and how much he has Omitted I must yet leave to the judicious Reader of my Dialogue wherein I think stands unanswer'd enough to shew the groundlessness and danger of the pretended new Hypothesis of Acid and Alkali as well as the immodest self applause shameful contempt and abuse of all Physicians gross mistakes and great ignorance of the Pretender Which want of Learning and Vertue the Gentleman in his Letter has not so much as excus'd wherefore I hope his Master is also Conscious thereof and will amend And the Gentleman perhaps in a little time may see that he is a Proselyte to so very sensless and mean a Sect he may be asham'd on 't or he may be blown with some less biting or dangerous Maggot or become fond of some newer Fancy since Gentlemen are inclinable it seems to be as well pleas'd with their Physicians for imposing new Fashion'd sufferings upon them as with their Taylors for putting them into new fashion'd Cloaths And for such Gentlemens sakes I have a good mind before I Conclude to start a yet newer Hypothesis that may serve them when that of Acids is out of Fashion which when it shall be strongly asserted by some Man of Confidence I don't question but it will take please as well be more effectual and leâ—s dangerous than the practice of Acids I have been inform'd by a Person of Credit that a certain Doctor in France who was famâ—d for his Cures gave nothing to his Patients but Brick-dust And I have heard of another of considerable repute in another Place who as a Panacea gave all that came to him convenient quantities of common Water These Doctors wanting a more generous Principle both disguised their Medicines they seem to have acted contrary but which appear'd to have the better success I was not well inform'd but some of the Patients of both no doubt recover'd and some of them died those that lived would swear the Doctor heald them but those that pack'd off were left out of the Catalogue of his Cures But let it be how it will the hint gives me ground enough to build a new Hypothesis upon now that of Acids grows old Brick-dust and Water then shall be two Principals into which bodies may be resolved Distillation and Transmutation reduces all into them Whatever is Liquid comes over either in the form of Water the one principle required or in the form of Oyl or of a saline Spirit The Oyl 's Unctuosity and Inflamableness may soon be changed and the sapor of the Salts be destroyed the Vita Media of both may be soon took away and the Liquor reduced into common insipid Water But whatever is solid may be by the Fire reduced either to a Liquid to be wrought on as before said or by burning will be reduced to a Caput Mort. which expos'd to the action of the Air will be rotted and turn'd into common Earth which then by art may be made into Brick and then easily pulverised if you will follow the French Man fine enough for the Stomaâ—h of a Lady How these two Principles are concern'd in the Life and Death of all things in the Macrocosm I could readily teach if an exact Physiology were thought necessary to a Doctor Now let these two Principles be taken instead of Acid and Alkali for the Life and Death of things and for the Cause and Cure of Diseases it shall be all one to me which is the Killer and which is the Curer and I will make out the Aitiologie of all Deseases and their Cures from them But forasmuch as Gentlemen now-a-days are generally great lovers of the Bottle and will rather cause a dose from the Glass than from the Trowel and a Physicians business is to humour them Brick-dust shall be the cause and Water the cure of all Diseases But because we will recommend our selves by talking learnedly as Physicians ought that is so as our Grand-mothers may not readily understand us we will call them Arid and Humid and say Arid is the Cause and Humid the Cure of all Diseases Let us begin at the Mouth as Physicians commonly do at which death is so often let in in this our luxurious and Pharmacutick Age. It is apparent that no