Fel Bovinum. Beef's Gall.

Preparation: The gall (bile) of cattle is prepared for medical purposes by simply evaporating it at a moderate heat, in a shallow pan. It may thus be brought to a condition so dry that it may be powdered, yet preserve its original smell and properties. It requires to be preserved in air-tight bottles.

Properties and Uses: This article is very slightly alkaline; and is also stimulant and moderately relaxant. It acts upon the stomach, duodenum, and smaller intestines, proving mildly laxative, and leaving behind a tonic impression. It has been used in powder, as a component in pills, for intermittent, dyspeptic, bilious, and similar difficulties dependent upon an insufficient amount of bile in the duodenum. Probably its best use is in ague–not as an antiperiodic, but as a hepatic; for it seems to arouse the gall-ducts gently. Combined with strong stimulants and tonics, it usually proves quite efficacious in such cases. Dose, from three to ten grains, three times a day.

The Physiomedical Dispensatory, 1869, was written by William Cook, M.D.
It was scanned by Paul Bergner at http://medherb.com