Page:Chronicles of pharmacy (Volume 2).djvu/224

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Wards pharmacopœia became a rather extensive one. His pills and drops were the principal medicines he concocted; both were strong antimonial preparations. The pills were composed of glass of antimony (an oxy-*sulphide of the metal), 4 parts, mixed with 1 part of dragon's blood. This combination was made into 1-1/2 grain pills. The combination of antimony with a resinous substance had been adopted in several earlier preparations, mastic being generally preferred. The resin was supposed to "blunt" the action of the antimony. The drops were made by dissolving 1/2 oz. of glass of antimony in 1 quart of Malaga wine. These powerful medicines were no doubt effective in many cases. Both cures and casualties were likely enough to result from them. These were the medicines which Ward first made famous in Paris, and with which he started his career in London.

Ward made besides a "white drop" which was an ammoniated solution of nitrate of mercury; two sweating powders, one of which was simply "Dover's," but with some liquorice powder added; the other was the same with the addition of white hellebore. His paste for fistula and piles was the original of our Conf. Piper. Nig. His "liquid sweat" was a wine of opium with saffron, cinnamon, and salt of tartar; his "dropsy purging powder" was jalap, cream of tartar and orris powder in equal proportions; later the orris was dropped and a small quantity of bole armeniac was substituted, and his essence for the headache appeared later in the Pharmacopœia as compound camphor liniment.

By advertisements of various kinds, and by a number of startling cures, Ward attained astonishing success. George II. had unbounded faith in him. At his first interview with the King the latter had a dislocated