Collection of prescription-books of an unidentified London [Islington?] Chemist. From an entry inside the fly-leaf of Vol. 10, it appears that these prescription-books were commenced in 1835. The name of the firm responsible for this collection has not been ascertained, and has not been found in any of the volumes, but from the names of physicians appended to many of the prescriptions it seems to have been in Islington or in that part of London, for a large proportion of these are associated with the Islington Dispensary. Among these are many entries for Henry Bateman, FRCS [1806-1880] who was surgeon and later consulting surgeon to that institution. [Cf. Obituary notice in the Lancet 1880, ii, p. 874.] Pasted inside the upper cover of Vol. 18 [1861-1863] is a cut-out signature of Florence Nightingale [1820-1910]. Pasted inside the upper and lower covers of Vol. 27 [1884-1888], are two printed advertisements of J. Ramel, Crosby Hall Chamber, 24 Bishopsgate St., who describes himself as a 'Sanitary India-Rubber and Chirurgical Instruments Manufacturer and Importer'. One of the lists includes contraceptives. They are here entered as 'F.L.s', priced at from 6/6 per gross: there are also 'Marguerites'-for use by women-at 2/- each. Produced in London.
UnknownCollection of extracts on the Plague, from the earliest times to 1687. An encyclopaedic collection of excerpts from works of physicians and others who have written on the subject, with references in each case to the books consulted: it includes also notes of prescriptions for prevention and cure, and is for the most part in Latin, though there are also extracts from English writers.
UnknownA collection of extracts and notes on alchemy, with a detailed account of the unidentified author's own experiments. This set of MSS. seems to have been begun in 1828 [cf. Vol. I] and the latest date found is in Vol. V, p. 102 'Aujourd'hui 1. Ap. 1834'. On fol. 772 of Vol. I he speaks of having been engaged on alchemical researches 'pendant plus de 30 ans', and on pp. 74-77 of the same volume, he gives details of various experiments and processes tried out from 1810 to 1825.
Unknown