On the action of various absorbents as promoting or retarding putrefaction.

The whimsical and ill-grounded hypotheses which were framed by the chymists of the sixteenth century, had, unhappily, too much influence, on the medical practice of that and the succeeding age. Among other false theories which the physicians had adopted from them, was that of attributing the origin of most diseases either to an acid or alkaline cause: but the former, being more obvious to the senses, was supposed to be the most frequent parent of diseases. Among others, fevers, even of the putrid kind, were imagined to be occasioned by an acid, and from hence the testaceous medicines acquired so high a degree of reputation, as to be deemed the grand correctors of acrimony, and were almost universally prescribed as alexipharmics; and the most celebrated compositions which are ranged under that head, contain a large proportion of these powders.

But a very learned physician, by a series of accurate and ingenious experiments on septics and antiseptics, has proved that chalk and all the testaceous powders accelerate the corruption of animal flesh, and from the result of one he made on bile with crab's eyes, he naturally concluded that all these substances would produce the same effect on that humour, as they had all uniformly proved septic to flesh. Yet, even upon this supposition, he candidly allows, that in some fevers, they may have their uses, even where no offending acid exists; as in order to cure some diseases, it may be requisite to attenuate the humours, and relax the fibres by a degree of putrefaction, and that possibly the crisis of fevers of this kind, may be hastened or perfected by the testaceous powders. In diseases, however, where the disposition to putrescency is already too strong, all medicines, which in the smallest degree increase such tendency should be studiously avoided; and, on this account, the administration of the testacea in putrid, malignant fevers has of late been condemned by some ingenious writers. I was myself fully convinced of the rectitude of this opinion, and, in drawing up an account of the medicinal uses of Magnesia, had therefore suggested the impropriety of prescribing them where a bilious acrimony prevails. But not being able to recollect, that the septic powers of Magnesia had ever been experimentally proved,[r] I thought it would be most satisfactory to determine them by that method; little doubting but that the event would justify my doctrine. My inquiries evince the accuracy with which Sir John Pringle has made his experiments, but as I was induced to carry the investigation of this subject further than he has proceeded, very different practical inferences, from those I at first expected, may, perhaps, be deduced therefrom.

EXPERIMENT II.

Two drachms of fresh beef, two scruples of Magnesia, and two ounces of distilled water were mixed in one bottle; and in another the same quantity of beef with two ounces of distilled water only: the meat was cut small, and the bottles were placed uncorked in a heat rather inferior to that of the human blood. In twenty four hours the beef in the mixture with Magnesia was become quite putrid. The standard was perfectly sweet, and remained for some days, before it acquired the true putrid foetor.

Being thus convinced that Magnesia is possessed of the property of hastening the putrefaction of animal flesh, in common with the rest of the absorbent tribe, it was imagined, that it might be of some consequence to practice, to determine how far it exceeded or was inferiour to the calcareous and testaceous earths as a septic; and also whether calcination produced any difference in it, in this respect. In reciting the experiments, where I only mention Magnesia, I always would be understood to mean that powder in its uncalcined state, the calcined shall constantly be distinguished by that epithet. It also appeared to be a convenient opportunity of repeating the inquiry, how far the addition of the testacea might take effect in diminishing the antiseptic qualities of the contrayerva root.

EXPERIMENT III.

Into one phial were put two scruples of Magnesia, into a second the same weight of calcined Magnesia, and into three others the same quantity of chalk, pulv. e chel. cancr. comp. and pulv. contrayerv. comp. To each of these, two drachms of fresh beef, and two ounces of distilled water were added. A sixth phial was kept as a standard, and contained only the same proportions of beef and water. The bottles, distinguished in the order they are mentioned by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, were placed in the same heat as that to which the Magnesia was exposed in the former experiment, and were frequently shaken up and examined.

In twelve hours, number 1 began to smell; an intestine motion was perceptible in numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6, but especially in the chalk. In twenty-four hours, number 1 was become highly putrid, number 3 smelled offensively, number 4 had acquired a very slight foetor, as had number 5 which fermented briskly. The standard had acquired a vinous smell, but number 2 remained unchanged.

In thirty six hours, number 3 was very putrid, numbers 4 and 5 had made little progress since the last examination, though number 5 was rather more putrid than the other, allowance being made for the peculiar odour of the contrayerva; but in four hours more they both stunk intolerably. The standard continued two or three days longer before it became absolutely putrid, and the calcined Magnesia preserved the beef untainted for several days longer, when it was removed to make room for other phials. The water which was mixed with the calcined Magnesia differed from all the others in not becoming bloody, nor did the beef in it seem so tender as when infused in lime water.

When I made the first experiment, I had not observed any discharge of air from the Magnesia and beef, and in the present one no fermentation was perceptible either in number 1 or 2. As this was an unexpected circumstance in the former, I repeated the experiment several times, but the event was always the same.

Magnesia was afterwards compared with crab's eyes, burnt hartshorn, and prepared coral. The mixture with Magnesia grew putrid first, afterwards that with the crab's eyes; the other two remained for some hours longer before the putrid foetor came on.

From the above experiments it appears that Magnesia Alba, when replete with fixed air, is a stronger septic to animal flesh than any other absorbent which was compared with it; and yet when deprived of its air by calcination, it powerfully resists putrefaction. Dr. Macbride has endeavoured to account for this difference between calcareous earths and quick-lime, by supposing the particles of the lime to insinuate themselves intimately into the texture of the beef, and to prevent the escape of the fixed air, by attracting, absorbing, and thus confining it within the substance of the beef. How far this theory is satisfactory is not my province to determine; and the matter is so obscure, that I do not presume to offer any conjecture of my own, relative to the reason of it.

Nitre is found to be a strong antiseptic when applied to animal flesh, but to resist the putrefaction of bile with a very disproportionate force: and Dr. Percival has lately observed the same difference in the action of the Columbo root. These variations encouraged me to try the effect of Magnesia on gall; but being strongly prepossessed with the notion of its septic quality, I entertained very small hopes of a different event. I was also desirous to compare the action of the calcined Magnesia with the other. The heat used in the succeeding experiments was the same as that in the preceding trials.

EXPERIMENT IV.

To two drachms of fresh ox gall, were added two scruples of Magnesia, and two ounces of water, in one phial. Two scruples of calcined Magnesia with the same quantity of gall and water were placed in another; and a third containing two drachms of bile without any other addition than water, served as a standard, which began to have a rank smell in forty-eight hours, and in sixty hours was highly offensive. The calcined Magnesia and bile emitted a sweetish smell, something resembling that of the urine in a diabetes: the liquor which swam above was quite pellucid and colourless, whereas that of the other Magnesia was turbid and tinged green with the bile. Both were perfectly free from any putrid foetor; the latter continued so for ten days, and the bile with the calcined Magnesia remained unchanged as long as any notice was taken of it.

EXPERIMENT V.

Twenty grains of Magnesia preserved six drachms of ox's gall free from any signs of corruption for twenty-four hours after the standard containing gall and water, of each six drachms, had become putrid. A scruple of the calcined Magnesia mixed with the same proportions of gall and water, remained without any alteration as long as they were attended to, which was about ten days.

EXPERIMENT VI.

The putrid liquor which had been used as a standard in the fourth experiment, was divided into four parts, one of which was continued as a standard, to another was added about half a drachm of Magnesia, and an effervescence was procured by some drops of oil of vitriol. The offensive smell continued for a few minutes, but was soon much abated, and at length entirely sweetened. To another portion was added twenty grains of Magnesia only, this in fifteen minutes had almost lost its putrid smell, and in two or three hours became quite sweet. To the fourth was added the same weight of calcined Magnesia, which almost instantly deprived the liquor of every degree of putridity. The standard was then mixed with a scruple of crab's eyes, which, for about a minute, seemed to diminish the foetor, but it then returned as strongly as ever; whereas the others continued sweet for several days.

EXPERIMENT VII.

Two drachms of putrid bile, which had been kept closely corked in a phial since the year 1770, and smelled very offensively, were mixed in a cup with twenty grains of Magnesia, and half an ounce of water, and thereby restored to sweetness. Twenty grains of calcined Magnesia were also added to two drachms of the same bile: on stirring them a pungent smell was observed, like that of volatile salts, and half an ounce of water being put to the mixture, the bile was totally deprived of any putrid smell. Even five grains of the same powder sweetened two drachms of putrid gall.

EXPERIMENT VIII.

Magnesia, calcined Magnesia, chalk, crab's eyes, pulv. e chel. cancr. c. and pulv. contrayerv. comp. each in the proportion of two scruples to two drachms of ox gall and two ounces of water, were exposed to the usual warmth. The crab's eyes mixture grew rank in twenty-four hours, and in forty-eight was absolutely putrid: the bile with the chalk was in the same condition in twelve hours more. The Magnesia mixture became putrid on the ninth day; the pulvis e chel.[s] on the tenth; but the pulvis contrayerv. comp. preserved the bile from corruption about three weeks, and no change was perceptible in that with the calcined Magnesia when examined above a month after their first admixture.

EXPERIMENT IX.

Twenty grains of Magnesia, and the same quantity of chalk, were separately neutralized with distilled vinegar, and their effects on ox gall compared with that of thirty grains of the artificial Epsom salt dissolved in a sufficient quantity of water. The bile in this solution became putrid in about sixty hours. That in the solutions made in the vegetable acid retained its sweetness for several days longer.

These experiments, which terminated so very differently from what I had expected, seem to justify, in some degree, the practice of giving the testaceous and absorbent medicines in fevers of a putrescent type, at the same time that they point out some of that class which ought to be avoided, and evince how fallacious a method it is to judge of the effects of medicines a priori.

As the bile is, by many, supposed to be the great source of putrid diseases, ought not the antiseptics which may be prescribed in these cases, to be such as more particularly impede the corruption of this fluid, rather than that of flesh?

On account of the superiour antisepticity of the calcined Magnesia to most of the absorbents, and its greater purity and solubility, together with the probability of its acting as an evacuant, as well as a corrector of putrid bile, does it not appear to merit a preference to all other medicines of this class?

In diseases where an acid cacochymy prevails, and an alkalescent diet, such as wild fowl, fish, &c. is prescribed, but from the scarcity of these articles in some countries, cannot be complied with; may not taking Magnesia or the testaceous powders, immediately before or after meal time, coincide with this intention, by increasing the putrefactive fermentation of other animal food in the stomach, which in these disorders is almost totally subdued by the superabundant acid?

But where animal food is used in putrescent diseases, either through necessity, or the obstinacy of the patient, ought not Magnesia, in an uncalcined state, and all the calcareous and testaceous earths to be carefully abstained from?

Dr. Percival, in a volume of very ingenious experiments and observations which have been before referred to, has mentioned a physician of his acquaintance, who always observed his stools to be more particularly offensive after having taken Magnesia. Might not this proceed from the action of the Magnesia on the animal food he had eaten; and is it not reasonable to suppose that the effect might have been very different where a vegetable or milk diet had been used, as is generally the case in putrid fevers, and in young children?

I know a person whose stools are, in common, very little tinged with bile, who after taking calcined Magnesia, evacuates fÆces of a very bilious appearance, though less foetid than usual. It is a fact worthy of observation, that in the experiments which were made with calcined Magnesia and bile, the latter was absorbed by, and had united with the former; and another remarkable circumstance was, that the watery part of all the mixtures which resisted putrefaction, acquired a very pungent, saline taste.