whatever substances serve to restore health.—Medicines are either simple or compound; the former being prepared by nature alone; and the latter owing to the industry of man, by variously mixing the simple together. See Pharmacy.

Medicines are likewise distinguished, from the manner of using them, into external and internal; and with regard to their effects, they are said to be emetic, cathartic, astringent, &c. See Materia Medica.

Pocket Medicines, in surgery, those which a surgeon ought always to carry about with him, in a box, or convenient case.

Those, according to Heister, are the common digestive ointment, and the brown or Egyptian ointment, for cleansing and digesting foul ulcers; and some vulnerary balsams, as the Linimentum Arcæi, or the balsam of Peru, Gilead, or Copivi, or the Samaritan balsam: to these must also be added a plaster or two; as the diachylon or fyspticum Crollis, since one or other of these is almost constantly wanted. Neither should there be wanting a piece of blue vitriol for the taking down luxuriant flesh, and to stop hemorrhages: but if vitriol is wanting, burnt alum, red precipitate, the infernal stone, or any other corrosive medicine, will supply its place in corrosive intentions; and the last will also serve to open abscesses, to make illuses, and perform many other operations of that kind.

With these there should always be kept in readiness also a quantity of scraped lint, that the surgeon may be able to give immediate assistance to wounded persons; since, if he is unprepared for this, they may easily be taken off by an hemorrhage; a circumstance which ought also to prevail with him to be always provided with suitable bandages.