S98 the virtues of lime-water
fervefce ; Hence they they are not alcaline. With a ley of potafh,
they make no ebullition, but are turned into a white coagulum.
Upon adding oil of vitriol to them, a violent ebullition enfues,
with a ftrong fmell of fpirit of fea-falt, and a white coagulum falls to
the bottom. When mixed with a foiution of mercury in aquafor¬
tis, they immediately precipitate the mercury.
A piece of B, four grains, after twenty-eight hours warm, and
as long cold digedion, in a fmall phial full of the liquid {hell, had
only half a grain of its fubdance diffolved.
Hence it appears, that this medicine is neither acid nor al¬
caline, contains little of the virtue of the calcined {hells, and has
but a very inconfiderable power of diffolving the done. How
juftly then it is faid to diffolve the calculus out of the body in a few
hours, in a moderate heat, or has been extolled as a grand alcali,
and a powerful folvent of the done in the bladder, is left to every
one to judge.
SECT. XI.
Of the action of lime- water in difolvhig the fone>
ALTHO’ it is of much greater importance to mankind to know
that a certain remedy is able to cure this or the other difeafe,
than to be informed of the precife manner in which it produces
this effect; yet, to invedigate the operation of medicines in the cure
of difeafes, is not only a iubjedt worthy of a phyfician, and highly
entertaining to a philofophical mind, but is alfo of very confider-
able ufe in practice ; for it is likely, that a medicine, whofe real
nature and manner of aeding upon the human body are known,
will be more judicioudy and happily applied in the cure of difeafes,
than one, whofe unknown nature and fpecific operation, fcarcely
afford any indication in what particular dages of a difeafe, or cir-
cumdances of the patient, it may be ufed with the greated profpedl
of fuccefs, and the fmalled chance of mifehief ; when it may be
mod