January. 1918 



C. U. C. P. ALUMNI JOURNAL 



Making Shellac Soluble. — H. A. D., 



lias some bleached shellac that has be- 

 come insoluble in alcohol. He desires 

 suggestions as to how to remedy the 

 situation. 



In all of the books on varnishes which 

 we have consulted reference is made to 

 tlie fact that if too much heat is applied 

 white sliellac goes over into an isomeric 

 state which is entirely insoluble. No sug- 

 gestions, however, are given to means of 

 redemption of it. 



If we had the problem before us we 

 would be tempted to try the effect of a 

 small amount of ammonia added to al- 

 cohol used in a solvent. 



States Pharmacopoeia unless it was a pre- 

 scription written by a foreign physician. 



Monsel's Pow^der. — S. T., New York. 

 — In the American Journal of Pharmacy 

 (32-1860-10) is found a recipe for Mon- 

 sel's salt, which directs the preparation 

 of what is practically solution of ferric 

 subsulphate evaporation of this to syrupy 

 consistence and then pouring on glass 

 plates to dry. 



Monsel's original ])aper. which ap- 

 peared in Journal dc Phaniiacic ct de 

 Cliimie (32-1857-208), ])rovides a similar 

 method of manufacture. 



Stibium Sulphuratum. — B. L. D., 

 New York. — This term is as confusing 

 as are the various sulphides of antimony 

 which it literally means. In Hager's 

 liandhuch der pliarmaceiitischen Praxis 

 five substances are described under the 

 titles: 



1. Stibium sulphuratum nigrum or ordi- 

 nary black antimony. 



2. Stibium sulphuratum nigrum laeviga- 

 tum or purified antimony sulphide of 

 the Pharmacopoeia of 1890. 



3. Stibium sulphuratum rubrum sine 

 oxido stibico or the sulphurated anti- 

 mony of the Pharmacopoeia of 1890. 

 Stibium sulphuratum rubrum or 

 Ivermes mineral of the Swiss "Br- 

 gansungshiich." 



5. Stibium sulphuratum aurantiacum of 

 the Austrian, German, Swiss, British 

 and French pharmacopoeias, which is 

 the golden sulphide of antimony, 

 SbaSg. 



In this confusion, we would merely 

 suggest that on a j)rescription for "sti- 

 bium sul])huratum," we would dispense 

 Kermes mineral of the former United 



4 



The Composition of Proprietary 

 Preparations. — A number of queries to 

 the composition of proprietary remedies 

 have been answered by telephone during 

 the past month, by reporting analyses 

 published by chemists in various bureaus 

 devoted to such work. For various rea- 

 sons, at this time we will not print the 

 answers to such queries, but will refer 

 our readers to the two publications of 

 the American Medical Association, The 

 Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary 

 Medicines and Nostrums and Quackery, 

 as well as to the Bulletins of the food 

 and drug departments of the States of 

 Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana and North 

 Dakota, all of which we have in the 

 library. 



Dose of Iodine. — K. L. B., New 

 York, has received a prescription calling 

 for tincture of iodine, menthol and castor 

 oil. the tincture being prescribed in a 

 single daily dose of lo minims. This is 

 of course far in excess of the average 

 of U. S. P. ix. fo.i mil). 



Turning to the table of maximum doses 

 of the German Pharmacopoeia we find 



