Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 91

=Bis.m.u.thous Sulphide.= Bi_{2}S_{3}. This compound occurs native (BIS'MUTHINE), and may be easily prepared artificially by either fusing its elements together, or by pa.s.sing sulphuretted hydrogen through a solution of nitrate of bis.m.u.th.

=Bis.m.u.thous Valerianate.= _Syn._ BISMU'THI VALERIA'NAS, L. _Prep._ An acid solution of nitrate of bis.m.u.th is decomposed with a solution of valerianate of soda in water containing a little free valerianic acid; the precipitate is carefully washed in distilled water, and dried in the shade. Recommended as superior to the subnitrate in some forms of gastrodynia, dyspepsia, intermittents, &c.--_Dose_, 2 to 6 gr., or more.

=BIS'TRE= (-ter). [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BISTER, Ger. _Prep._ 1. The most compact, best coloured, and well-burnt portions of the soot of beechwood, or of peat,[184] are selected, reduced to powder and sifted through a very fine lawn sieve. It is then digested in clear warm water for several hours, with frequent stirring; after which it is allowed to settle, when the liquid portion is decanted from the sediment. This process is repeated a second, and even a third time. The paste is next poured into a tall narrow vessel, which is then filled with pure cold water, and well agitated. The grosser parts only are now allowed to subside,[185] and the supernatant liquor, containing the finer portion of the BISTRE in suspension, is poured off into another vessel, where it is left to deposit its contents. The deposit is next collected, and carefully dried and powdered; or it is only partially dried, and at once made into cakes with gum-water or isingla.s.s-size, and then allowed to dry and harden for sale.

[Footnote 184: The first is usually employed in England.]

[Footnote 185: Two or three minutes suffice for this purpose.]

2. (Dr MacCulloch.) The tar-like liquid obtained from the dry distillation of wood is again carefully distilled until all volatile matter has pa.s.sed over, and a brittle, pitch-like residuum is obtained, which is either brown or black according to the time and temperature employed; after which the heat is still further prolonged, but with increased care, until the brittle substance becomes pulverulent and carbonaceous. It is then ground and elutriated with pure cold water, as before.

_Uses, &c._ As a water colour to tint drawings, in the same way as Indian ink, to which it is esteemed superior when the subjects are intended to be afterwards tinted with other colours. It occupies the same place among water colours that brown-pink does in oil.

According to Dr MacCulloch, bistre from wood-tar, when carefully prepared, has great depth and beauty of colour, with all the fine properties of sepia; but that if the whole of the oils and acids have not been removed by the process, it is apt to collect in little flocks which interfere with its use.

=BITES= and =STINGS=. _Syn._ MOR'SUS (-SUS, _sing._) ET IC'TUS (-TUS, _s._), L. The treatment of the bites of non-venomous and non-rabid animals is the same as that of ordinary lacerated or punctured wounds, as the case may be; that of the bites and stings of venomous and rabid animals, serpents, insects, &c., often require, in addition, the use of special antidotes to destroy the virus or to prevent its absorption, or to neutralise its effects when absorbed and to promote its elimination from the system.

The bites and stings of ANTS, BEES, WASPS, HORNETS, and similar insects common to this climate may be treated by washing the part with spirit of hartshorn or dilute liquor of ammonia or eau de luce, or a weak solution of chloride of lime. Should considerable inflammation ensue, and the part become much swollen, a thing that rarely occurs, leeches may be applied, and a cooling purgative given. The stings of venomous reptiles may be similarly treated, excepting that the strength of the solutions of ammonia, chloride of lime, &c., should be stronger than in the former case, so as to produce some pain and smarting. In cases where the venom is of a very poisonous description, the wound should be first well washed with water of ammonia, and afterwards seared with lunar caustic in every part, including the interior and deep-seated portions. In extreme cases the surface of the wound, both internal and external, may be removed with the knife; or, in the case of a small joint, as a finger, the injured portion may be amputated. Prior to the use of the washes or caustic, dry-cupping or suction with the mouth may be had recourse to with great advantage. A ligature placed on the limb, above the wound, as soon as possible after the accident, will impede the absorption of the poison whilst the other treatment is in progress. A similar plan may be followed after the bite of a dog supposed to be mad. It has, indeed, been lately a.s.serted by one of our most celebrated veterinarians that he and his colleagues have been repeatedly bitten by dogs that have afterwards been proved to be mad, but from having fearlessly applied caustic to the parts they have escaped uninjured.

The poison inserted by the stings and bites of several venomous reptiles is so rapidly absorbed, and of so fatal a description, as frequently to occasion death within a very short s.p.a.ce of time, and before any remedy or antidote, under ordinary circ.u.mstances, can be applied. But even in these extreme cases it is probable that absorption, and consequently the rapidity of the action of the poison, might be considerably impeded or lessened by the immediate application of a ligature above the part, as before described, the patient accompanying the treatment by swallowing a large quant.i.ty of liquid, by which partial plethora would be produced, and the functions of the absorbents for a time nearly-suspended. A few minutes thus gained would permit of the application of appropriate antidotes, by which the poison might be neutralised before it would become necessary to remove the ligature, whilst the kidneys would be in full action.

Unfortunately, these wounds are generally inflicted in parts of the world where precautionary measures are seldom thought of, and generally at times when people are least prepared to meet them, as well as so suddenly and unexpectedly as to stagger even those observers who may be in no absolute danger themselves. Such is the bite of the East Indian CO'BRA DI CAPEL'LO, against which two Asiatic (a.r.s.enical) pills are often prescribed by the Hindoos; but which are generally scarcely swallowed before the poison of the serpent has rendered the patient a stiffened corpse. Eau de luce, a favorite remedy in India, when liberally employed both internally and externally, is said to prove sometimes more successful. The bite of the PUFF-ADDER is of a similar, or even a more fatal description than that of the cobra. When the venom of any of these animals or of a rabid dog is once fully absorbed into the system, there appears to be no treatment that can save the patient. A bottle of Madeira wine or 1/2 a pint of brandy or rum diluted with twice its weight of water, drank in two doses about 3 or 4 minutes apart, is a popular remedy in India in such cases. Its effect is to impede absorption.

The secret antidote so long successfully employed by Mr Underwood, the 'snake-king' of Australia, for the bites of the WHIP-SNAKE and the DIAMOND-SNAKE, two of the most venomous of that region, is now positively a.s.serted to be the common male fern (_polypo'dium fi'lix mas_, Linn.). Of the powdered root, or preferably, of the green leaves of this plant nearest the root, he prepares a sort of decoction, or broth, which he takes or administers liberally. A more convenient preparation would, perhaps, be a tincture prepared by digesting 1 _oz._ of the dried, or 3 _oz._ of the fresh leaves (bruised), in a pint of proof spirit or strong brandy or rum for a fortnight; as in this state it could be kept for any length of time, if well corked, without deterioration.

For HORSES AND CATTLE. Mr Finlay Dun recommends ammonia solution; solution of caustic potash; carbolic acid; prussic acid and chloroform.

[See HYDROPHOBIA, POISONS, SNAKE-BITES, STINGS, VENOM, WOUNDS, &c.[186]]

[Footnote 186: Notices of several chemical and neurotic antidotes, of great promise, will also be found in different parts of this volume. The names of the respective animals may likewise be referred to.]

=BITT'ER.= [Eng., Ger.] _Syn._ AMA"RUS, L.; AMER, Fr. Tasting like wormwood, qua.s.sia, or other similar vegetables; subst., a bitter plant, bark, or root (= AMA"RUM, L.; see _below_).

=Bitter App'le.= Colocynth.

=Bitter Cup.= A cup or tumbler formed by the turner out of qua.s.sia wood.

Liquor, by standing in it a short time, becomes bitter and stomachic. They are now common in the shops.

=Bitter Earth*.= Magnesia.

=Bitter Herbs.= See BITTERS (_infra_) and SPECIES (Bitter).

=Bitter Salt=, Bitter Pur"ging-salt. Sulphate of magnesia.

=Bitt'er-sweet.= Woody nightshade.

=Bitt'er-wort= (-wurt). Gentian.

=BITT'ERN.= The 'mother-water' or 'bitter liquor' of salt-works from which the chloride of sodium (sea-salt) has been separated by crystallisation.

=Bittern.= An intoxicating poisonous mixture sold by the brewers'

druggists, composed of 1 part each of extract of qua.s.sia and powdered sulphate of iron, with 2 parts of extract of cocculus indicus, 4 parts of Spanish liquorice, and about 8 parts of treacle; the liquorice being first boiled with a little water until dissolved, and the solution evaporated to a proper consistence before adding the other ingredients. Used by fraudulent brewers and publicans to impart a false bitter and apparent strength to their liquors.

=BITT'ERS= (-erz). _Syn._ AMA"RA, &c., L. Vegetable bitters are commonly regarded as tonic and stomachic, and to improve the appet.i.te when taken occasionally and in moderation. The best time is early in the morning, or half an hour or an hour before a meal. An excessive, or a too prolonged use of them, tends to weaken the stomach, and to induce nervousness. They should not be taken for a longer period than about 8 or 10 days at a time, allowing a similar period to elapse before again having recourse to them.

Among the most useful and generally employed bitters are--calumba, cascarilla, chamomiles, gentian, hops, orange peel, qua.s.sia, and wormwood.

=Bitters.= In the liquor-trade, a compound prepared by steeping vegetable bitters, and some aromatics as flavouring, in weak spirit, for some 8 or 10 days; a little sugar or syrup being subsequently added to the strained or decanted tincture. In that of the taverns and gin-shops the menstruum is usually gin, or plain spirit reduced to a corresponding strength.

BRAN'DY-BITTERS and WINE'-BITTERS are prepared in a similar way with common British brandy, or some cheap white wine (Cape or raisin), as the case may be. Each maker has usually his own formulae, which he modifies to suit the price and the palate of his customer.--This cla.s.s of liquors has been justly charged with being the fertile cause of habitual intemperance, of disease, and even of death! Their occasional use as tonics or stomachics is also objectionable, owing to the trash, and even deleterious substances, which so frequently enter into their composition. See LIQUEURS.

=BITU'MEN.= [Eng., L.] _Syn._ BITUME, Fr.; ERDPECH, ERDTHEER, &c., Ger. A term of a very comprehensive character, and, in general, very loosely applied, including a variety of inflammable mineral substances, consisting of varying proportions of hydrocarbons, having a strong smell and differing in consistence, all the varieties being found in the earth, of which asphaltum, naphtha, and petroleum may be mentioned as examples.

Asphalt is very extensively disseminated throughout Europe, Asia, and America. Considerable quant.i.ties are exported from the West Indian Islands, and from the Dead Sea, in Judaea; hence its commercial name, 'Jewish bitumen,' or 'Jew's pitch.' The different kinds vary greatly in quality, according to the amount of earthy matter and other impurities contained in them; they may all, however, be reduced to a state of equal purity by boiling or macerating them in hot water, by which means the earthy and siliceous matters are more or less completely removed. These latter fall to the bottom of the vessel, and the bitumen rises to the surface, or forms clots on the sides of the boiler, when it is skimmed off, and thrown into a large cooler, where more water separates. At the Seyssel and Bechelbronn bitumen works the bitumen so obtained is thrown into large cauldrons and boiled for some time, by which means the volatile products and water accompanying it are driven off, and the remaining sand and impurities fall to the bottom of the cauldron, leaving the purified asphalt in the form of a thick fatty pitch, in which state it comes into the market or is applied to various purposes. In the following table we give the composition of a few bitumens:

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen per cent. per cent. per cent. per cent.

Viscous bitumen of Bechelbronn 880 120 -- --

Virgin bitumen of Bechelbronn 880 110 -- 10

Liquid bitumen from Hatten, Lower Rhine 880 116 -- 04 _______________ Solid bitumen of c.o.xatambo, near Cuenca, in Peru 887 97 16

_Annexed is a table of the a.n.a.lysis of several asphalts, centesimally represented_:--

Bitumen of Bitumen of Bitumen of Pont de Chateau, Bitumen of Monastier, Bastennes. Auvergne. Abruzzi. Haute Loire.

_______ _______ _______ _______ Crude. Pure. Crude. Pure.

Oily matters } {200 -- -- -- -- 70 Carbon } Bitumen { 37 7613 775 7764 818 35 Hydrogen -- 941 96 786 84 -- Nitrogen -- } { 124 102 10 -- Oxygen -- } 1266 { 05 835 88 -- Water -- -- -- -- -- 45 Gas and vapour -- -- -- -- -- 40 Quartz sand and mica } { -- -- -- -- 600 Clay } 763 { -- -- -- -- Ferrug. 210 Ashes -- 180 -- 513 -- -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

The solid bitumens are now extensively employed in the manufacture of bituminous mastic or cement and similar compositions, which are used for the lining of water-cisterns, and for various other hydraulic purposes; as also for roofs, floors, roads, pavements, &c. For the last purpose the native varieties of 'asphaltic rock,' consisting of a mixture of bitumen and calcareous earth, when tempered with a proper quant.i.ty of crushed granite, or calcareous sand or gravel, is found to be the most substantial and durable. The plan followed in laying down such pavements in Paris, where they have been the most extensively adopted, is--The ground having been made uniformly smooth, is edged, in the usual manner, with curb-stones rising about 4 inches above its level, and then covered, to the depth of 3 inches, with concrete (made with about 1-6th part of good hydraulic lime), which is well pressed upon its bed, the surface being subsequently smoothed over with a very thin coating of hydraulic mortar.

On this, when perfectly dry,[187] the 'bituminous mastic,' rendered semi-fluid by being cautiously heated in a suitable iron cauldron,[188] is evenly spread over so as to form a layer three quarters of an inch, or for less solid work, half an inch thick. Some coa.r.s.e sand is lastly sifted over and pressed down on the surface, when the work is complete; and in a few days the pavement becomes sufficiently compact and solid to be thrown open to foot pa.s.sengers.

[Footnote 187: On this point depends the success of the work. Absolute dryness is a _sine qua non_ in the process. The mastic must also be laid down in dry weather. If laid in wet, damp, or even foggy weather, it will be liable to separate from its bed, and gradually to break up. This is why so much of the asphalt and bituminous pavement laid down in London has proved a failure.]

[Footnote 188: It is here that the mixture of the bitumen (previously crushed sufficiently small to pa.s.s through meshes 10 to the inch) is made with the sand or gravel; a small portion of mineral tar or coal-tar (3 to 7 or 8%) being commonly added to promote their fusion and complete union.]

An important precaution to be observed in making asphalt pavements or roads is to boil the bitumen which is employed thoroughly, so as to expel the water and volatile oils, which if allowed to remain are found to render the mastic more liable to be affected by the extremes of heat and cold, as well as less able to stand the wear and tear of traffic.

_Claridge's Process._ This consists in fusing the blocks of mastic in a suitable boiler, similar to that seen in fig. 1, and in adding a quant.i.ty of mineral tar, in the proportion of 1 _lb._ to every _cwt._ of the mastic. The tar is first fused in the boiler, 56 _lbs._ of the mastic are then introduced, and the whole repeatedly stirred so as to prevent the formation of a deposit. When the contents of the boiler are melted, the cauldron is covered over for a quarter of an hour, after which the remainder of the mastic is added, and its fusion proceeded with as before, the process being repeated until the boiler is full, allowing an interval of from ten to fifteen minutes between each operation.

When the mastic is sufficiently fluid it will drop freely from the stirrer, and jets of light smoke are observed to issue from it. If stiff mastic be required, the proportion of tar is lessened, and a quant.i.ty of coa.r.s.e grit or river sand, to the amount of 20 or 30 _lbs._ to the _cwt._, is added.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1.]

In laying the asphalt the greatest attention and care must be paid to the preparation of a solid and dry foundation.

This is usually accomplished by removing or ramming the loose earth, and placing upon the bed a layer of coa.r.s.e sand mixed with powdered limestone, in the proportion of seven parts of the former to one of the latter, and the whole is pressed or beaten solid; upon this a second layer of finer materials is laid compacted and levelled; the bed thus prepared is allowed to dry before coating it with mastic.

Fig. 2 shows the manner in which ordinary asphalting is laid down. In this figure C is the bed of coa.r.s.e concrete, B the second and finer layer of the same material, and A the superior layer of asphalt.