Efficacy of Early Modern medicines, c.1600-c.1800: How important were mortars?

A focus on the role of mortars in trituration leads to a discussion on the preparation of early modern medicines. After considering authoritative recommendations for using mortars ('good practices'), this article asks two questions: To what extent did apothecaries and preparers of home medicines implement the recommendations? And, is it possible to determine whether such recommendations were significant in improving a preparation's effectiveness? Responses look at various factors contributing to therapeutic outcomes and draw attention to the general difficulty in assessing therapeutic reputations of medicaments.