Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume Ii Part 18

=Lemon Juice, Facti"tious.= _Syn._ SOLUTIO ACIDI CITRICI, SUCCUS LIMONUM FACt.i.tIUS, L. _Prep._ 1. Citric acid, 1-1/4 oz.; carbonate of pota.s.sa, 45 gr.; white sugar, 2-1/2 oz.; cold water, 1 pint; dissolve, add the yellow peel of a lemon, and in 24 hours strain through a hair sieve or a piece of muslin.

2. As the last, but using 15 or 16 drops of oil of lemon, to flavour instead of the lemon peel.

_Obs._ The above is an excellent subst.i.tute for lemon juice, and keeps well in a cool place. Tartaric acid, and even vinegar, are sometimes used instead of citric acid; but it is evident that it then loses all claim to being considered as an imitation of lemon juice, and to employ it in lieu of which would be absurd.

=LEM'ON PEEL.= _Syn._ CORTEX LIMONUM (B. P., Ph. L.), L. "The fresh outer part of the rind." (B. P.) "The fresh and the dried exterior rind of the fruit;" the latter dried "in the month of April or May." (Ph. L.) Candied lemon peel (CORTEX LIMONUM CONDITUS) is employed as a dessert, and as a flavouring ingredient by cooks and confectioners. It is reputed stomachic.

See CANDYING.

=LEMON PIC'KLE.= See SAUCE.

=LEMONADE'.= _Syn._ LEMON SHERBET, KING'S CUP; LIMONADUM, L.; LIMONADE, Fr. _Prep._ 1. Lemons (sliced), 2 in no.; sugar, 2-1/2 oz.; boiling water, 1-1/2 pint; mix, cover up the vessel, and let it stand, with occasional stirring until cold, then pour off the clear through a piece of muslin or a clean hair sieve.

2. Juice of 3 lemons; yellow peel of 1 lemon; sugar, 1/4 lb.; cold water, 1 quart; digest for 5 or 6 hours, or all night, and decant or strain as before.

3. Citric acid, 1 to 1-1/2 dr.; essence of lemon, 10 drops; sugar, 2 oz.; cold water, 1 pint; agitate together until dissolved.

_Obs._ Lemonade is a pleasant, cooling summer beverage, and when made as above may be drank in large quant.i.ties with perfect safety. It also forms an excellent refrigerant and antiseptic drink in fevers and putrid diseases generally. Tartaric acid is commonly subst.i.tuted for citric acid, from being cheaper; it is, however, much, inferior, being less wholesome and less agreeable. Lemonade for icing is prepared as above, only using a little more sugar. Orange sherbet, or orangeade for icing is made in a similar way from oranges.

=Lemonade, Aera'ted.= _Syn._ LIMONADUM AERATUM, L.; LIMONADE GAZEUSE, Fr.

_Prep._ 1. (P. Cod.) Water, charged with 5 times its volume of carbonic acid gas, 1 pint; syrup of lemon, 2 oz.; mix.

2. (Without a bottling machine.)--_a._ Into each bottle put lemon syrup, 1 to 1-1/2 oz.; essence of lemon, 3 drops; sesquicarbonate of soda, 1/2 dr.; water, q. s. to nearly fill the bottle; have the cork fitted and ready at hand, then add of tartaric acid (cryst.), 1 dr.; instantly close the bottle, and wire down the cork; it should be kept inverted in a cool place, and, preferably, immersed in a vessel of ice-cold water.

_b._ As the last, but subst.i.tuting lump sugar, 3/4 oz., for the lemon syrup.

_c._ From lump sugar, 1 oz.; essence of lemon, 3 drops; bicarbonate of pota.s.sa, 25 gr.; water q. s., as No. 1; then add citric acid (cryst.), 45 gr., and cork, &c., as before. The last is most wholesome, especially for the s...o...b..tic, dyspeptic, gouty, and rheumatic.

_Obs._ The best aerated lemonade of the London makers is prepared by putting 1-1/2 fl. oz. of rich lemon syrup into each bottle, which is then filled up with aerated water at the bottling machine.

=Lemonade, Antimo"niated.= _Syn._ LIMONADUM ANTIMONIATUM, L. _Prep._ By adding tartar emetic, 1 gr., to each pint of ordinary lemonade.--_Dose._ A winegla.s.sful every 1/2 hour or hour; as a diaph.o.r.etic and expectorant. See ANTIMONY (Pota.s.sio-tartrate).

=Lemonade, Ape"rient.= _Syn._ LIMONADUM LAXATIVUM, L. _Prep._ 1. Sugar, 1 oz.; lemon juice, 3/4 fl. oz.; sulphate of soda, 3 dr.; water, 8 fl. oz.; put them into a soda-water bottle without shaking, have the cork ready fitted, add of sesquicarbonate of soda (in cryst.), 1/2 dr., and instantly cork the bottle, wire it down, and keep it in a cool place, inverted. For a dose.

2. Heavy carbonate of magnesia, 1-1/2 dr.; refined sugar, 1 oz.; essence of lemon, 5 or 6 drops; water, 8 fl. oz.; bottle as last, then add of citric acid (cryst.), 3 dr., and instantly cork, &c., as before. For a dose. It should be kept for at least 24 hours before being taken.

=Lemonade, Lactic.= _Syn._ LIMONADUM LACTIc.u.m, L. _Prep._ (Magendie.) Lactic acid, 1 to 4 dr.; syrup, 2 oz.; water, 1 pint; mix. Recommended in dyspepsia, &c.

=Lemonade, Milk.= _Syn._ LIMONADUM LACTIS, L. _Prep._ Take of sugar, 1/2 lb.; water, 1 pint; dissolve, add the juice of 3 lemons; milk or whey, 1/2 pint; stir the whole together and strain through a hair sieve. Some persons add a gla.s.sful of sherry.

=Lemonade, Min'eral.= _Syn._ LIMONADE MINERALE, Fr. On the Continent this name is applied to various drinks consisting of water acidulated with the mineral acids and sweetened with sugar. Thus we have limonade chlorhydrique, nitrique, phosphorique, sulphurique, &c., all of which are used as cooling drinks in fevers, inflammations, skin diseases, &c.

=Lemonade, Port'able.= See POWDERS.

=LEMONADE POWDERS.= See POWDERS.

=LEMONATED KALI.= See KALI, POTa.s.sIUM (Citrate), &c.

=LEN'ITIVES.= In _medicine_, purgatives which act in a gentle manner, and have a soothing effect. See LAXATIVES.

=LENS.= In _optics_, a piece of gla.s.s or other transparent medium, having one or two curved surfaces, either convex or concave. A description of the different kinds of lenses belongs to a work on optics. It may, however, be useful to the chemical student to remark here that the CODDINGTON and STANHOPE LENSES, which may now be bought at any of the opticians, neatly mounted and of great power, for a few shillings, will be found of the greatest service in examining minute crystals, precipitates, &c.; and for all ordinary purposes offer a cheap and efficient subst.i.tute for more complicated microscopes. An extemporaneous instrument, possessing considerable power, may be made by simply piercing a small circular hole in a slip of metal, and introducing into it a drop of water, which then a.s.sumes a spherical form on each side of the metal, while the latter is held in a horizontal position. The ingenious little TOY MICROSCOPES sold about the streets of London, under the form of a perforated pill-box, at one penny each, consist of such a lens made with Canada balsam instead of water, which has the property of hardening without losing its transparency after exposure for a few hours to the air. A still simpler subst.i.tute for a lens is a piece of blackened card-paper with the smallest possible needle-hole pierced through it. Any very small object held in a strong light, and viewed through this hole at the distance of about an inch, will appear quite distinct, and from 10 to 12 times larger than its usual size.

We have often found this little instrument of incalculable service in situations and under circ.u.mstances in which a more powerful or complicated apparatus was unattainable or could not be applied.

Another method for the manufacture of an extemporaneous lens, by Mr Francis, is the following:--Procure a piece of thin platinum wire, and twine it once or twice round a pin's point, so as to form a minute ring with a handle to it. Break up a piece of flint gla.s.s into fragments a little larger than a mustard seed; place one of these pieces on the ring of wire, and hold it in the point of the flame of a candle or of a gas-light. The gla.s.s will melt and a.s.sume a complete lens-light or globular form. Let it cool gradually and keep it for mounting. It may be mounted by placing it between two pieces of bra.s.s which have corresponding circular holes cut in them of such a size as to hold the edge of the lens.

=LEN'TIL.= _Syn._ LENS, L. The seed of the _Ervum Lens_, a plant of the natural order _Leguminosae_. The lentil is considerably smaller than an ordinary pea, and is of the shape of a double convex lens. Several varieties are cultivated on the Continent of Europe and in many parts of Asia, where they are largely consumed as human food. Lentils are more nourishing than any other description of pulse, but are reputed difficult of digestion, apt to disorder the bowels, and injurious to the eyes.

Several alimentary preparations, sold at high prices as cures for dyspepsia, constipation, &c., contain lentil flour as the princ.i.p.al ingredient.

_Composition of Lentils._

Nitrogenous matter 252 Starch, &c. 560 Cellulose 24 Fatty matter 26 Mineral matter 23 Water 115 ------ 10000 (PAYEN.)

Lentils on account of their difficult digestibility require to be very thoroughly cooked. See ERVALENTA and REVALENTA.

=LEPROSY.= _Syn._ LEPRA. A disease of the skin distinguished by circular scaly patches.

=LEPTANDRIN.= A peculiar crystalline principle obtained from the root of _Leptandra Virginica_, a North American plant belonging to the nat. order _Scrophulariaceae_. Leptandrin is chiefly employed in American medical practice as a cathartic and cholagogue, in which latter function it has been recommended as a subst.i.tute for mercury. It is stated to be very serviceable in cases of duodenal indigestion and chronic constipation.--_Dose_, 1/4 to 1/2 grain.

Mr Wayne obtained leptandrin by adding subacetate of lead to an infusion of the root, filtering, precipitating the excess of lead by carbonate of sodium, removing the carbonate of lead by filtration, pa.s.sing the filtered liquid through animal charcoal to absorb all the active matter, washing the charcoal with water till the washings began to be bitter, then treating it with boiling alcohol, and allowing the alcoholic solution to evaporate spontaneously. By dissolving the powder thus obtained in water, treating this with ether, and allowing the ether to evaporate, needle-shaped crystals were obtained, which had the bitter taste of the root. Leptandrin is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether.

=LETH'ARGY.= _Syn._ LETHARGUS, L. A heavy, unnatural sleep, sometimes bordering upon apoplexy, with scarcely any intervals of waking, from which the patient is with difficulty aroused, and into which he again sinks as soon as the excitement is withdrawn. It frequently arises from plethora, in which case depletion is indicated; or from the suppression of some usual discharge or secretion, which it should then be our business to re-establish. It also often arises from over mental fatigue and nervous debility, when relaxation from business, the use of a liberal diet, and ammoniacal stimulants and antispasmodics, are found useful. When depending on a determination of blood to the head, cupping may be had recourse to, and all sources of excitement avoided. In all cases the bowels should be moved as soon as possible by means of mild purgatives.

=LET'TUCE.= _Syn._ LACTUCA, L. The early leaves or head of the _Lactuca sativa_, or garden lettuce, forms a common and wholesome salad. They are reputed as slightly anodyne, laxative, hypnotic, and antaphrodisaic, and have been recommended to be eaten at supper by those troubled by watchfulness, and in whom there exists no tendency to apoplexy. The leaves and flowering tops of _L. virosa_ are officinal in the B. P., the "flowering herb" (LACTUCA), in the Ph. L.; the "insp.i.s.sated juice," in the Ph. E.; and the "insp.i.s.sated juice and leaves," in the Ph. D. The "insp.i.s.sated juice" of _Lactuca virosa_, or strong-scented wild lettuce, is also officinal in the Ph. E.; and both the "leaves and insp.i.s.sated juice" of the same variety are ordered in the Ph. D. The last species is more powerful than the cultivated lettuce. See EXTRACT and LACTUCARIUM.

=LEUCORRH'A.= _Syn._ WHITES; CATARRHUS v.a.g.i.n.ae, FLUOR ALBUS, L. The symptoms of this disease are well known to most adult females. The common causes are debility, a poor diet, excessive use of hot tea, profuse menstruation or purgation, late hours, immoderate indulgence of the pa.s.sions, frequent miscarriages, protracted or difficult labours, or local relaxation. Occasionally it is symptomatic of other affections. The treatment must be directed to the restoration of the general health, and imparting tonicity to the parts affected. Tepid or sea bathing, or shower baths; bark, chalybeates, and other tonics; with local affusions of cold water, and mild astringent injections, as those of black tea or oak bark, are generally found successful in ordinary cases.

=LEVANT' NUT.= See COCCULUS INDICUS.

=LEVIGA'TION.= _Syn._ LEVIGATIO, L. The process of reducing substances to fine powder, by making them into a paste with water, and grinding the ma.s.s upon a hard smooth stone or slab, with a conical piece of stone having a flat, smooth, under surface, called a 'muller.' Levigation is resorted to in the preparation of paints on the small scale, and in the elutriation of powders. The term is also, sometimes, incorrectly applied to the lengthened trituration of a substance in a marble or Wedgwood-ware mortar.

=LEVORACE'MIC ACID.= See RACEMIC ACID.

=LEY'DEN JAR.= _Syn._ LEYDEN PHIAL, ELECTRICAL JAR. An instrument for the acc.u.mulation of the electric fluid. Its simplest form is that of a wide-mouthed jar of rather thin gla.s.s, coated on both sides with tin-foil, except on the upper portion, which is left uncoated, and having a cover of baked wood, through which pa.s.ses a bra.s.s wire, terminating in a metallic k.n.o.b, and communicating with the inner coating. To charge the jar, the outer coating is connected with the earth, and the k.n.o.b put in contact with the conductor of an electrical machine. The inner and outer surfaces of the gla.s.s thus become respectively positive and negative, and the particles of the gla.s.s become strongly polarised. On making connection between the two coatings with a conducting substance, discharge takes place by a bright spark and a loud snap; and if any part of the body be interposed in the circuit, a shock is felt.

=LIBAVIUS'S LIQUOR.= See TIN (TIN CHLORIDE).

=LI'CHEN.= In _pathology_, a dry papulous or pimply eruption of the skin, terminating in scurfy exfoliations. "Lichen exhibits great variety in its outward characters in different individuals; in one the pimples are brightly red; in another, of debilitated const.i.tution, they are bluish and livid; in a third they are developed around the base of hairs; in a fourth they appear as circular groups, and increase by their circ.u.mference, while they fade in the centre, forming so many rings of various size; in a fifth, a modification of the preceding, they have the appearance of flexuous bands; while in a sixth they are remarkable for producing intensity of suffering, or unusual disorganisation of the skin. They are all occasioned by const.i.tutional disturbance, sometimes referable to the digestive, and sometimes to the nervous system. In some instances, however, they depend upon a local cause. I have had a crop of lichenous pimples on the backs of my hands from rowing in hot weather; and in hot climates that annoying disorder called p.r.i.c.kly heat is a lichen." (Eras.

Wilson.) The treatment of this affection is noticed under ERUPTIONS (Papular).

=LICHENS.= _Syn._ LICHENES--Juss., LICHENALES--Lind., L. In _botany_, these are cryptogamous plants, which appear under the form of thin, flat crusts, covering rocks and the barks of trees. Some of them, like Iceland moss (_Cetraria Islandica_), are esculent and medicinal and employed either as medicine or food; and others, when exposed in a moistened state to the action of ammonia, yield purple or blue colouring principles, which, like indigo, do not pre-exist in the plant. Thus, the _Rocella tinctoria_, the _Variolaria orcina_, the _Lecanora tartarea_, _&c._, when ground to a paste with water, mixed with putrid urine or solution of carbonate of ammonia, and left for some time freely exposed to the air, furnish the archil, litmus, and cudbear of commerce, very similar substances, differing chiefly in the details of their preparation. From these the colouring matter is easily extracted by water or very dilute solution of ammonia. See ARCHIL, CUDBEAR, and LITMUS.

=LIEBER'S HERBS OF HEALTH--Gesundeheitskrauter Liebersche--Blankenheimer Thee--Blankenheimer Tea=--Herba Galeopsidis Grandiflorae Concisa (Yellow Hemp Nettle).

=LIG'ATURE.= In _surgery_, a small waxed piece of cord or string formed of silk or thread, employed for the purpose of tying arteries, veins, and other parts, to prevent haemorrhage, or to cause their extirpation. To be safe and useful they should be round, smooth, and sufficiently strong to permit of being tied with security without incurring the danger of breaking or slipping. There are many cases recorded in which emigrants, soldiers, and travellers have lost their lives from the simple inability of those around them to apply a ligature.

=LIGHT.= _Syn._ LUMEN, LUX, L. Light acts as a vivifying or vital stimulus on organised beings, just as privation of light, or darkness, disposes to inactivity and sleep. "In maladies characterised by imperfect nutrition and sanguinification, as scrofula, rickets, and anaemia, and in weakly subjects with dematous (dropsical) limbs, &c., free exposure to solar light is sometimes attended with very happy results. Open and elevated situations probably owe part of their healthy qualities to their position with regard to it." On the contrary, "in diseases of the eye, attended with local vascular or nervous excitement, in inflammatory conditions of the brain, in fever, and in mental irritation, whether attended or not with vascular excitement, the stimulus of light proves injurious, and, in such cases, darkness of the chamber should be enjoined. After parturition, severe wounds, and surgical operations, and in all inflammatory conditions, exclusion of strong light, contributes to the well-doing of the patient." (Pereira.)

=LIGHT, ELECTRIC.= We believe we are correct in stating, that within the last two or three years some 600 registrations for patents, more or less, have been taken out for electricity applied to the purposes of artificial illumination. Conceding that many, if not the greater part, of these inventions may prove useless, their number is nevertheless an index of the mental activity that has lately been directed to the subject of electric lighting; and although we are far from affirming that the problem of the practical application of electricity to the lighting of our streets and dwellings may eventually be successfully thought out, still, we think, looking upon these constant endeavours to accomplish the end in view as links in the chain of that experimental evolution and gradation which has characterised the course of most great discoveries, we are justified in regarding them as not altogether improbable auguries and precursors of subsequent success.