BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA, 341 
meshes of the bag, and a tallow-like mass is left 
behind, which is made up of stearin, portions of 
liver, and other matter. The specific gravity 
of the oil varies, according to the quality. Prof. - 
Proctor says a pure quality of light-colored oil at 
72° F. is about 0.91, brown, 0.92, and the dark 
brown as much as 0.93 specific gravity. The 
three commercial oils are designated as the 
white or pale yellow, brownish yellow and the 
dark brown. The white is prepared from the 
fresh livers, the brownish yellow from those liv- 
ers which have been removed from the fish for 
several days or weeks, and the dark brown oil 
is from the livers after putrefaction has taken 
place. The finer qualities of oil have little or 
no odor of the fish; taste, bland, oily and insipid ; 
but the coarser oils are fishy, nauseous and ac- 
rid. Cod-Liver Oil contains asse/ine and morr- 
huine which are alkaloids; oleic, palmitic and 
steartc acids, with glycerine; acetic and butyric 
acids with traces. of chlorine, iodine, phospho- 
tus, sulphur, cholesterin and other compounds, 
These substances exist in all biliary matter other 
than fish livers. Cod-Liver Oil yields, with 
nitric acid, a purple mixture changing to a 
brown color after standing. For further tests 
of purity I refer you to the U. S. Dispensatory. 
The oil, from a medical standpoint, is tonic, al- 
terative and a food, and is given in doses of 1 to 
4 fluid drachms; it is also given in form of emul- 
sion. Emulsions are oils combined with vari- 
ous other medicaments, such as dilute phos- . 
phoric acid, egg, lime, tron, and soda, Cod-Liver 
Oil is also known as the Oleum Hepatis Morr- 
huz and Oleum Jecoris Aselli. 
