The San Francisco call., 1896-05-01
DIR. DOVER, BUOOANEER.

He Discovered Selkirk, Sacked Guaya-
quill, and Invented Dover's Powder.
Not many persons who have taken a
Dover's powder have any idea of the ro-
mantle career of the man who gave his
name to the preparation. Professor Osler
OF Johns Hopkins University, in paper
published in the Lancet, tells his story
Thomas Dover was born in Warwick
shire about 1860, and after studying at
Cam bridge, and with the famous DR..
Sydenham, settled down at Bristol, for
centuries the home port for adventures,
prlvateers and slave traders. He was
nearly 80 when he Joined in commercial
and piratical venture with a number of
Bristol merchants. Two ships, the Duke
and the Duchess, were fitted out ior
voyage to the south seas, from which Will
liam Dampier, the circumnavigator OF the
world, had brought wonderful tales of
Spanish riches. Dampier, who had
come to grief in his last expedition
TO those regions, was taken along as
pilot, while Dover went as third in CON-
mand OF Captain Rogers, and appears in
his narrative as Captain Dover. The ex-
pedltlon was memorable for two events.
On February l, 1903, the ships arrived off
the island of Juan Fernandez and Captain
Dover, who was sent ashore in the pin
mace, brought back with him TO the ship
couple of days later a man clad in goat
skins, who had been left on the island four
years and a half before. This was Alexan-
der Selklrk, the original Robinson Crusoe.
Later the expedition sailed up the South
American coast and found what il was
seeking in the two cities of Guyaquil,
which 1t attacked and sacked. Dover led
the van and cured the sailors of the plague
which broke out after the capture of the
cities. Alter cruising in the Pacific for
another two years for the Spanish treas
ure ships they returned to England in
I'LL, having collected plunder 70 the value
OF SS5O,OOO Doyer's share made him 3
wealthy man and left him free to wander
about the world for some years.
he settled down in London as a phy-
sician in 1871, carrying into his practice
| the pugnacious habits of his buccaneers s
lished his book, "rhe Ancient Physicians s
Legacy to His Country; being what he
| has collected himself in forty-niue years
of practice designed for the use of ali
private families" The book ran through
eight editions, the last apparently being
published IN III. On page Is, on the sec
ton on gout, is given the formula for his
famous powder:
Take opium one ounce; saltpeter and
tartar vltrlolated each four ounces: ipe-
cacuanha one ounce. Put the saltpeter
and tartar into a redhot mortar stirring
with spoon until they have done flaming.
Then powder them very fine, after that
slice in your opium, grind them to pow
der and then mix the other powders with
these. Dose, from forty to sixty or sew
enty grains in glass of white wine posset
going to bed, covering up warm and drink
ing quart or three ,pints of the posset;
drink while sweating"
The publication of the book made great
noise and brought Dover into many quar-
rels with his fellow practitioners, who
treated him as quack. as they did Syden-
ham for that matter. He carried on a bit
ter war against apothecaries, too, and died
in 1742 His powder is still in the British
pharmacopPia.