Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 274

2. Yellow prussiate of potash and white sugar, of each 1 part; chlorate of pota.s.sa, 2 parts; powder each separately, and mix them well, but carefully, with a bone or wooden knife. It may be granulated like gunpowder, by making the powder into a paste with a little water, and pressing the ma.s.s through a parchment sieve.[344]

[Footnote 344: See the precautions noticed under BLASTING POWDER, page 230.]

=GUN'JAH.= See HEMP (Indian).

=GUT.= _Syn._ FISHING GUT, SILKWORM G. This is obtained from the _Bombyx mori_ (Linn.) or silkworm caterpillar. _Prep._ The silkworms, when just ready to spin, are steeped in strong vinegar for 12 hours in warm weather, or 2 or 3 in cold weather, and are then broken in half, and stretched out as far as possible on a board, furnished with slits or pegs to hold them; in this state they are allowed to dry in the sun or a warm place.

_Obs._ Used by anglers. The worms may be known to be going to spin by refusing food, and by having a fine silken thread hanging from the mouth.

=GUT'TA PERCHA.= The concrete juice of the _Isonandro Gutta_, a tree growing only in the Malayan Archipelago, and of other species of the same genus. The stem of the gutta-percha tree grows to the diameter of 5 or 6 feet, and on being notched yields a milky juice, which, after exposure to the air for some time, solidifies, forming the gutta percha of commerce.

It arrives in this country in irregular blocks of some pounds in weight, usually containing a large portion of impurities in the form of pieces of wood, stones, and earth. To prepare this crude product for manufacturing into useful articles, the blocks are first cut into slices, and then torn into shreds. These are softened by hot water, and kneaded in a 'masticator,' the stones, earth, and other impurities, being gradually washed away by water. After several hours the gutta percha is found to be kneaded into a perfectly h.o.m.ogeneous ma.s.s, which is rolled or drawn into sheets, bands, or tubes, as required.

_Prop., &c._ Gutta percha is a tough, inelastic substance, becoming soft and plastic at 212 Fahr., at which temperature two pieces may be firmly welded together. It is one of the best insulators of electricity, is impervious to moisture, and resists the action of acids and alkalies to a great extent. Its best solvents are benzol, chloroform, bisulphuret of carbon, rectified mineral naphtha, and rectified oil of turpentine. All these dissolve it readily. According to the a.n.a.lysis of Payen, the purified gutta percha of commerce consists of 75 to 828 of chemically pure gutta percha, which is insoluble in ether and alcohol, and a white and a yellow resin, soluble in boiling alcohol.

_Uses._ These are numerous and varied. No substance, perhaps, with the exception of caoutchouc, has been 'tortured' to so many different purposes. Its perfect plasticity when warm, and its capability of receiving the most delicate impressions, render it invaluable in many cases where india rubber would be useless. Beautiful mouldings, picture frames, and a number of ornamental articles, are made from it. To the chemist and photographer it is of great use as a material for making bottles, carboys, photographic baths, and voltaic battery cells. One of the most important uses to which it has been applied is for enclosing the metallic wires used for telegraphic purposes. Its indestructibility by water, its plasticity, and high insulating power, have rendered it particularly valuable for this purpose. At the International Exhibition of 1862 the Gutta Percha Company exhibited one mile of covered wire perfectly insulated, which was hardly thicker than common sewing cotton. Gutta percha may be rolled into thin transparent sheets, which, being perfectly impervious to moisture, are well adapted for surgical purposes. Again, a solution of gutta percha in chloroform forms an excellent dressing for incised wounds, and a protection for abraded surfaces, burns, &c. It is used in the same way as collodion.

=Gutta Percha, Purified.= Dr Cattell, of London, has succeeded in purifying gutta percha so perfectly from all extraneous matter, that it presents the appearance of ivory. The raw material is dissolved in a certain solvent, and the solution most carefully filtered until it leaves on evaporation the gutta percha in a pure milk-white condition.

=GYP'SUM.= This is native sulphate of lime. When baked, to deprive it of water, and ground, it forms PLASTER OF PARIS. Gypsum is an excellent manure for certain soils.

=HAARBALSAM, Vegetabilischer--Vegetable Hair Balsam= (Joh. Andr.

Hauschild, Leipsic). A decoction of burdock root, containing a little spirit and coloured green with indigo. (Konig.) Hager a.n.a.lysed a turbid brownish fluid, which deposited a brown precipitate on standing, and when filtered consisted of a decoction of burdock root with 20 per cent. of spirit.

=Haarbalsam Mailandischer--Mailand's Hairbalsam= (Kreller, Nuremberg).

Beef marrow, 40 parts; cinchona extract, 5 parts; balsam of Peru, 1 part; storax, 1 part; oil of bergamot, 1 part; oil of lemons, 1/2 part. (Hager.)

=Haarbalsam Ostindischer--East Indian Hairbalsam= (Dr Ayer). Contains sugar of lead, sulphur, glycerin, oil of lavender, and water.

=Haarbalsam= (J. F. Sehwarzlose Sohne, Berlin). A brownish-yellow spirituous aromatic fluid, having nearly the composition of eau de Cologne, with liquid storax, carbonate of potash, and a fat--perhaps derived from cantharides. (Hager.)

=Haarbalsam= (A. Marquart, Leipsic). A mixture of 83 grammes water perfumed with eau de Cologne, with 12 grammes glycerin, 425 grammes milk of sulphur, and 12 gramme lead nitrate.

=HAD'DOCK.= A small sea-fish, allied to the cod, and esteemed an excellent article of food. It is the _Gadus aeglefinus_ of Linnaeus. Split, smoked, and dried, it is common in the smaller shops of London.

=HaeMATEM'ESIS.= In _pathology_, vomiting of blood. See STOMACH AFFECTIONS.

=HaeM'At.i.tE.= _Syn._ HEMAt.i.tE. In _mineralogy_, one of the most important iron ores. Two kinds are distinguished, the red, which is an anhydrous peroxide of iron, and the brown, which is the hydrated peroxide.

=HaeMATOCRYS'TALLIN.= A crystalline substance obtained by the action of oxygen and afterwards carbonic acid on the 'clot' of blood.

=HaeMATOS'IN.= _Syn._ HaeMATIN, RED PIGMENT OF BLOOD. The red colouring principle of the blood. It is not known in a state of purity. It differs from the other animal principles in containing, as an essential ingredient, the sesquioxide of iron.

=HaeMATOX'YLIN.= A principle obtained by Chevreul from common logwood (_Haematoxylon campechianum_), and on which its colour appears to depend.

_Prep._ 1. Infuse logwood chips in water, at a temperature of about 130 Fahr., for 12 hours, filter, and evaporate to dryness in a water bath; digest the residuum in rectified spirit for 24 hours, again filter and evaporate; then add a little water; again gently evaporate and set aside the solution in a cold place that crystals may form; these must be washed in rectified spirit and dried.

2. Digest powdered hard extract of logwood in rectified spirit, and proceed as last.

3. Powdered logwood is mixed with sand and digested for several days in pure ether; the resulting liquid is filtered, evaporated to a syrup, and set aside to crystallise.

_Prop., &c._ Brilliant reddish-white or straw-yellow crystals, soluble in boiling water, forming an orange-red solution which turns yellow as it cools, but resumes its former colour on being heated. Alkalies in excess change its colour successively into purple, violet, and brown; acids brighten it; with the metallic oxides it forms compounds having a blue, purple, or violet colour.

=HaeMOP'TYSIS.= In _pathology_, spitting of blood. It generally arises from extreme fulness of the blood-vessels of the lungs, or the rupture of blood-vessels, as a consequence of ulceration; but sometimes it is induced by excessive exertion or external violence. Depletion, aperients, acidulous and astringent drinks, and nauseants, are the usual remedies.

Acetate of lead, in small doses, has been recommended for this affection.

When this substance is given, it should be accompanied with a sufficient quant.i.ty of free acetic acid, to prevent its being converted into the poisonous carbonate of lead in the system.

=HaeM'ORRHAGE.= _Syn._ HEMORRHAGE; HaeMORRHAGIA, L. A bleeding or flow of blood. Bleeding may be divided into active, pa.s.sive, and accidental.--Active haemorrhage is that arising from a full state of the vessels, or plethora.--Pa.s.sive haemorrhage, from general debility of the system, and of the blood-vessels in particular.--Accidental haemorrhage, from external violence, as blows, wounds, &c. The first generally requires depletion, and the second the usual treatment to establish the general health and vigour of the body. The bleeding from wounds, if extensive, should be arrested by tying the ruptured blood-vessels; or where this cannot be done, and in less important cases, by the application of styptics, as creasote, sulphate of iron, infusion of galls, compound tincture of benzoin, &c.

=HAIR.= _Syn._ CAPILLUS, PILUS, L. The hair of the human head has continually formed a subject for the chisel of the sculptor, the pencil of the artist, and the lay of the poet. Nor is this surprising, since all the features of the face, as well as the head it covers, derive from it additional finish and unequalled grace. The hair is, indeed, one of the greatest auxiliaries of personal beauty, and imparts to it some of its princ.i.p.al charms. All nations, in all ages of the world, have been unanimous in their admiration of luxuriant and flowing or gracefully arranged hair.

Of all organic substances, hair is the one least liable to suffer spontaneous change. It is also less affected by aqueous liquids than most other substances. Hence its value in various branches of the useful arts.

The preservation of the hair of the head, independently of its connection with personal beauty, is a matter of the utmost importance in relation to hygiene. In other parts of this work, we have referred to its management under various conditions, but a few observations may be added here.

When the hair is in a weakly state, and either falls off or grows feebly, frequently cutting it will be found of the greatest service. "In the arrangement of the hairs, on the surface of the body, it might be inferred that little existed to excite attention; but this is not the fact, if we are to judge by the careful investigations to which the subject has given rise. The hair-tubes are not placed perpendicularly, but obliquely, in the skin; hence the direction of the hairs, after their escape from the tubes, is in the same sense inclined towards the surface; and the 'set' of the hair, from the root to the point, is governed by a law as precise as that which regulates any other of the secondary vital functions. Thus, on the head, the hair radiates from a single point, the crown, to every part of the circ.u.mference, making a gentle sweep, behind towards the left and in front to the right. The direction of this sweep is naturally indicated on the heads of children, and is that in which the hair is turned," (Eras.

Wilson.) The same occurs on the face and other parts of the body. In making our toilet, this natural arrangement of the hair should be interfered with as little as possible. Combing it or banding it in an opposite direction to that which it naturally a.s.sumes, is highly prejudicial to its healthy growth, and if long persevered in, leads to its premature and rapid decay. The practice now common among ladies, of throwing the hair from the forehead towards the back of the head, is of this reprehensible character.

In addition to our remarks elsewhere, we may here observe, that all the various systems proposed for strengthening or restoring the hair depend for their efficacy upon simple excitation or stimulation of the skin.

Friction with the hair-brush, and the use of the ordinary hair-oils, pomades, and washes, are of this kind. The various advertised nostrums for reproducing or restoring the hair are either stimulants or rubefacients of more or less activity, or are emollients, which are directed to be applied by friction, in such a manner as to set up a considerable amount of irritation. When the affection depends on the languid circulation of blood in the part, this treatment often succeeds; but when the hair-bulbs are withered or decayed, or the scalp much attenuated, the restoration of the hair is an impossibility. See BALDNESS.

=HAIR COSMETICS.= Under this head are included all preparations which are used for beautifying, preserving, or restoring the hair. These are fully described in different parts of this work, and we shall here merely name the princ.i.p.al heads under which they will be found. The hard pomatums used for keeping the hair, moustache, and whiskers, in form, and sometimes to colour them at the same time, are noticed under COSMETIQUE; the mucillaginous preparations for stiffening the hair, under FIXATURE; the compounds for removing superfluous hairs, under DEPILATORY; the applications for the cure and prevention of baldness, under POMADES and WASHES; and those employed to cleanse or beautify the hair under the last two heads, and under HAIR DYES and OILS.

=HAIR DYES.= _Syn._ TINCTURA CAPPILLORUM, L. The practice of dyeing the hair is of great antiquity; and though not so common as formerly, it is still far from infrequent at the present day. The numerous preparations vended for this purpose have generally a basis of lead or silver. Bis.m.u.th, pyrogallic acid, and certain astringent vegetable juices, are also occasionally thus employed. The following list embraces all those of any value:

_Prep._ 1. Litharge, 1 part; fresh-slaked lime and starch, of each 2 parts; all in fine powder, and perfectly dry; mix, and keep the compound in well-corked bottles. This powder is to be made into a thin paste or cream with water (for black), or milk (for brown), and applied to the hair (previously freed from grease with soap and water, and dried), by means of a sponge or brush, or the fingers; observing to rub it well into the roots, and to pa.s.s a comb for some time through it, to ensure its coming in contact with every part. The whole must be then covered with a moist leaf of cotton wadding, or some brown paper several times doubled and well damped with hot water, and allowed to remain so for 3 or 4 hours, or even longer; or an oil-silk cap, or a bladder, may be worn, the object being simply to prevent the evaporation of the moisture. After a sufficient time has elapsed, the powder may be removed by rubbing it off with the fingers, and afterwards washing it out with warm soap-and-water. A little pomatum or hair-oil will restore the usual gloss to the hair. Another method of operating is to apply the cream or paste as before, and then to keep rubbing it about the hair with a brush as long as may be required, occasionally adding a few drops of hot water to preserve the whole moist.

In this way the action of the dye is facilitated, and the process concluded in a much shorter time.

2. Lime (slaked in the air), 2 parts; carbonate of lead (pure white lead), 1 part; mixed and applied as the last.

3. (AQUA ORIENTALIS.) From grain silver, 2 dr.; steel filings, 4 dr.; nitric acid, 1 oz.; soft water, 1-1/2 fl. oz.; digested together, the solution being afterwards diluted with water, 3-1/2 fl. oz., and filtered.

Applied by means of a fine-toothed comb, or a half-worn tooth-brush to the hair, previously well cleaned with soap and water, and dried.

4. (ARGENTAN TINCTURE.) From nitrate of silver, 1 dr.; eau de rose, 1 fl.

oz.; nitrate of copper, 2 gr., or q. s. to impart a slight greenish tint.

Used as the last.

5. (Dr Cattell.) Nitrate of silver, 11 dr.; nitric acid, 1 dr.; distilled water, 1 pint; sap green, 3 dr.; gum arabic, 1-1/4 dr.; digest together.

Used as No. 3.

6. No. 1 Solution. Gallic acid, 7-1/2 gr.; acetic acid, 20 min.; distilled water, 1 fl. oz.

No. 2 Solution. Nitrate of silver, in crystals, 30-1/2 gr.; distilled water, 1 fl. oz.; ammonia sufficient to form the precipitate formed at first.

7. (CHESTNUT HAIR DYE.) "We have met with the following, but do not guarantee it:--Permanganate of potash gives the hair a beautiful chestnut-brown colour, varying according to the strength of the solution of the salt. A good formula is permanganate of potash, 1 dr.; powdered gum Arabic, 2 dr.; rose water, 3 oz.; mix. Apply carefully with a tooth brush so as to avoid staining the skin. ('Chemist and Druggist.')

8. (HAIR RESTORER.) This is in reality a dye. Sulphur, 45 gr.; acetate of lead, 20 gr.; glycerin, 1/2 oz.; water to make up 10 oz.