Liquor essentialis

Body disease and historical medicine · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. An assimilable humour described through its becoming flesh and blood.

In the book. Liquor salis is described through preservation from putrefaction, and Liquor Mercurii through healing power.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 30; facsimile PDF page 358.

Historical Definition

Liquor essentialis is the humour that is converted into flesh and blood.

Meaning

Essentialis does not here mean a fragrant essential oil. The liquid is defined by what happens to it in the living body: it becomes flesh and blood. The entry therefore concerns the material of nourishment and bodily formation, rather than a general label for any highly purified extract.

Use in the Book

Liquor salis is described through preservation from putrefaction, and Liquor Mercurii through healing power. Those qualifications distinguish different roles within the book’s accounts of the living body.

Places to Read

Liquor Mercurii. A mercurial liquor defined as the seat of healing power.

Liquor salis. A saline liquor understood through its preservative action.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 30; facsimile PDF page 358 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 358, Liquor essentialis

See also. Liquor Mercurii; Liquor salis