sb. and a. Med. [ad. med. or early mod.L. vesicatorius, -orium (whence F. vésicatoire, It. vessicatorio, Pg. vesicatorio, Sp. vejigatorio), f. L. vēsīca: see VESICATE v. and -ORY.]
A. sb. A sharp irritating ointment, plaster or other application for causing the formation of a blister or blisters on the skin; = BLISTER sb. 3.
Very frequent from c. 1650 to c. 1780; now somewhat rare.
1604. F. Hering, Mod. Defence, 18. Vesicatorys to be applied neere vnto the most principall Part.
1655. Culpepper, etc., Riverius, I. vii. 32. You must apply a Vesicatory to the fore part of the head.
1676. T. Garencieres, Coral, 58. Carrying in his Pocket a Vesicatory made of Cantharides.
1704. F. Fuller, Med. Gymn. (1711), 38. It can’t be done by Vesicatories without some Pain.
1752. Phil. Trans., XLVII. 504. These were blistered slightly, by means of a small vesicatory.
1803. Med. Jrnl., X. 310. A vesicatory applied to the affected part, constantly relieved the pain, and produced the desired effect.
1830. Lindley, Nat. Syst. Bot., 7. The leaves of Knowltonia vesicatoria are used as vesicatories in Southern Africa.
1875. H. C. Wood, Therap. (1879), 561. Epispastics, vesicatories, or, more colloquially, blisters.
B. adj. Of the nature of a vesicant; capable of, characterized by, raising blisters.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 173. The use of Vesicatory medicines; namely, Cantharides in painfull swolne limbs.
1663. Boyle, Usef. Exp. Nat. Philos., II. ii. 43. If you duly perpend what I lately mentioned, of the transmutation of water into hot and vesicatory substances.
1817. Kirby & Sp., Entomol., II. 227. The vesicatory beetles … are not improbably defended from their assailants by the remarkable quality … that distinguishes them.
1822–7. Good, Study Med. (1829), I. 59. The cerambyx moschatus, which possesses a vesicatory power nearly equal to that of the lytta.
1868. Rep. U.S. Commissioner Agric. (1869), 102. Many of these beetles [sc. Meloidæ] possess strong vesicatory powers.
