CHAPTER IX,

Concerning the Virtues and Properties of Salts in Alchemy and
IN Medicine*
God, in His goodness and greatness^ willed that man should be led by Nature to such a state of necessity as to be unable to live naturally without natural Salt, Hence its necessity in all foods. Salt is the balsam of Nature,* which drives away the corruption of the warm Sulphur with the moist Mercury, out of which two ingredients man is by Nature compacted. Now, since it is necessar)' that these prime constituents should be nourished with something like themselves, it follows as a matter of course that man must use ardent foods for the sustenance of his internal Sulphur ; moist foods for nourishing the Mercor}^ and salted foods for keeping the Salt in a faculty for building up the body* Its power for conservation is chiefly seen in the fact that it keeps dead flesh for a ver>' long time from decay ; hence it is easy to guess that it will still more preserve living flesh. Coming, at length, to its ktnds^ there are three which are considered specially useful for man*s life. The first of these is Marine Salt, the second is Spring Salt, and the third Mineral Salt. Spring Salt is chiefly conducive to health ; in the second place, Mineral Salt ; and, lastly, Marine Salt. This last and the first are decocted by Art, the other only by Nature, This and the Marine Salt are not comprised under the nature of muria (brine), but that which is decocted is first of all turned thereinto, before it is separated from the water into cojigulated salt. There are, therefore, two descriptions of Salt to be put foripvard by us, one from muria, the other from wholly refined salt. But, first, consideration should be given to that condition which is common to every Salt, Where Salt has not been used with foods there is no correction ; and if the stomach receives those foods it is unable to digest them. There is in Salt an expulsive force, acting through the excrement or through the urine, and unless these are kept in their regular course and motion, all the vital faculties are prostrated in their endeavours
• VirTiiic vitriol^ red vilriot^ cupmc vkriolj rock aluitif alumen plumo&um, Alumen sci:$&um, atumen entaJii olumen itsnetum, sal gemnwE:, rock sail, mountain salt, sea salt, spring *alt— all these specie* Ofiginatc from the lialt of the three prime principles, and are sultject to catcination, reverberation^ or sublimation^ Now^ if all these thtngi. sub&ist in a proper proportion or, ^o to !^f>cak, c»encc, ihey are called by one universal name, liquor of Nature, or liquor of 5ah, or bftlsam of salt. Besides thejie, there arc arr^cnic, rciilgur* ogertum, black auripigment (thai is, orpimeni), antimony^ mercury, asphalt, These, in like manner, arc aubject to calcinationt reverberation, dl»tiUalion, etc., and if ihey subsist wholty In one essence they are called the balsam of Nature, tbe liquor of Mercury, or the balsam of Mercury. Firudly, ibere are the various species of sulphur, petroleum, carabe. pitch, etc., which arc also if they subsist unbepa^at«^d in a single CAWtuce they are called the tincture of Nature, tiquor of sulphur, or bal&am of sulphur. — /'f^afmemia Mfdica^ No. 3,
The Economy of Minerals.
99
and in their powers of expulsion. The blood Is in its own nature salt, and does not receive unsalted nutriment. If it does, through extreme hunger, sometimes receive such, it passes away to decay. In order that such a fault might be avoided, Salt has been appointed as an addition to alimentary foods, so that the natural outlets may not be obstructed, or the members be deprived of their due nutriment. Moreover, there lies hid in Salt a solvent faculty for opening the obstructions which accidentally occur in the pores of the skin, and driving them out by resolving them into urine* The urine is only the salt of the blood, that is^ the salt from the natural salt which is associated with the microcosmic salt, and so they both act powerfully for the expulsion of the excrements. Now, this natural conjunction can only be made when tempered with a proper quantity of alimentary salt, otherwise through the stoppage they easily remain and adhere somewhere. Every physician ought to know the power there is in Salt as a medicine, especially when he wishes to purge the natural Salt* Let him more freely prescribe this, especially the kind that comes from gems, which, above all others, has the faculty of attacking and expelling this natural Salt. The operations of these three different kinds of Salt should be carefully watched in practice, a method which opens the eyes far better than any letter or description.