That Quality which is attributed to the Essence of Satyrion Root.

 

Chapter IV.

Of Spanish Flies.

They are a sort of beetle, of a golden greenish lustre, produced from a worm-like caterpillar. They breed in wheat, the leaves of ash and poplar. The best are found amongst wheat and in meadows. They abound in Provence and Languedoc, from whence we are chiefly supplied. They are hot and very corrosive, seldom used inwardly without good correction.

The Essence of Spanish Flies.

Bruise four ounces of cantharides. Put them into a cucurabit, and pour upon them, by little at a time, twelve ounces of spirit of nitre, and let them stand in digestion twelve hours. Then, with a glass spoon or spatula, take off the black foam from the surface of the spirit, which cast away; pour gradually upon them one pound of tartarized spirit of wine, mix them well by shaking, and place them in a sand-furnace. Lute on a head and receiver, kindle the fire, which gradually increased to the second degree, and in that heat draw off a pound and a half of spirit, which keep by you for further use.

To that which remains in the cucurbit, put, by a little at a time, so much fixed saltpetre as will satiate its acidity, which you will know by the ceasing of the ebulliation. Then, put the mixture into a glass or marble mortar; add to it one ounce of refined camphor, and grind them till they are well incorporated. Then, return them again into the cucurbit; rinse out the mortar with some of the spirit of wine which you drew off from the mixture, which pour into the body with the remaining part of the spirit. Shake the whole together well, and set it in a heat of digestion; make the cucurbit a circulatory, lute the joint close, and let it stand in that heat eight to ten days, shaking the ingredients well about every day. Then, let the whole cool, and stand to settle; pour off the tincture into a clean cucurbit and, in a very gentle heat, draw off one half or more of the spirit, which again put upon the mixture to extract more tincture and, when that spirit is again tinged, draw off two-thirds, which put the third time to extract more tincture and distil as before, still putting the tincture remaining after distillation of the spirit to the first tincture.

Then, take one dram of ambergris, half a dram of musk and two drams of white sugar-candy; grind them very well together with a little of the spirit last drawn off. Pour the mixture into a mamtrass, and to them add four ounces of the aforesaid spirit; close the matrass well, and set it to digest four or five days. Then, put the matter to the tincture of cantharides (also in a matrass) and let them circulate together four or five days more; then, pour the essence into a clean dry bottle, which keep well-stopped for use.

It is accounted a great cordial, and really is endued with that quality which is attributed to the essence of satyrion root. Its dose is from ten to a hundred drops in a glass of canary wine, or any other vehicle which better pleases the patient. 

Make the dissolution in a place where the fumes may freely ascend without annoyance to the operator. The same care must be taken in mixing the spirit of wine with that of nitre, and also the same caution ought to be used in putting the fixed salt of nitre to its spirit.

The camphor absorbs the corrosive quality of the fly, and the fixed salt of nitre satiates that of the spirit, so that there is no need to fear any ill consequence from either. The dissolution subtlizes the fly, and corrects all its poisonous quality, the discharge of the dissolved particles by the fixed salt, renders it fit to yield its effential being to the spirit of wine.