THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



Ill 



tannin extracted, up to a certain point. 

 It is a question whether this increased 

 astringency in the syrup is therapeuti- 

 cally desirable. 



Bland's Pills {Improved). — The usual 

 formula for this much-used unofficial 

 ferruginous preparation of ferrous sul- 

 phate, potassium carbonate, tragacanth 

 and glycerin, can be much simplified and 

 made to yield a more permanent product 

 by using the following formula: Potassi- 

 um carbonate, one-third grain; potassium 

 sulphate, two grains, and mass of iron 

 carbonate, three grains, in each pill. 

 Little or no excipient is required. The 

 pills flatten somewhat on keeping, and 

 are best dispensed in gelatin capsules. 

 They are small in size, and do not be- 

 come hard and reddish-brown on frac- 

 ture, as do those made by the old form- 

 ula. 



Ointment of Ammoniated Met airy. — 

 This ointment is most difficult to make 

 by the official process and secure entire 

 freedom from "grit." The best method 

 is, for example, to finely powder in a 

 mortar 48 grains of the mercury com- 

 pound and beat it into a smooth paste 

 with 12 grains of glycerin, and make the 

 official ointment from this, as wanted, by 

 admixing one drachm with 7 drachms 

 of cerate. In this connection, criticism 

 may be made against the use of alcohol, 

 as in the 1880 Revision, or olive oil, as 

 in the 1890 Revision, to render veratrine 

 smooth in making veratrine ointment. 

 A small quantity of glycerin is better. 

 Glycerin is also of superior utility in 

 softening extract of belladonna prior to 

 making it into ointment; the Pharmaco- 

 poeia specifies diluted alcohol. 



Mucilage of Sassafras Pith. — This mu- 

 cilage is best made by beating the pith 

 in a wedgewood or porcelain mortar with 

 a small quantity oi sterilized water until 

 it gets pasty, expressing through chee.se- 

 cloth, returning residue to mortar, add- 



ing more of the water and continuing as 

 before. In this way, in a short 

 time, a dense and syrup-like muci- 

 lage may be had, very different in physi- 

 cal appearance from the watery product 

 gotten by following the official directions 

 ol simple maceration in zvater for three 

 hours and straining. 



As this preparation is used as an emol- 

 lient in inflammatory conditions of the 

 eye-ball and mucous membrane, it is ob- 

 vious that the greater the percentage of 

 mucilage in solution the more soothing 

 it will be. In these days of asepsis, the 

 use of water in making the official muci- 

 lage is an unpardonable sin in the eyes 

 of oculists. Sterilized water, i. e., water 

 or distilled water boiled and cooled, only 

 should be employed. Three hours' time 

 in making the preparation is far too 

 long, when it can be better done in a few 

 minutes. 



Hope's Camphor Mixture. — This old 

 preparation has been gradually increas- 

 ing in use, and is recognized by the Na- 

 tional Formulary under the name of 

 Mistuia Camphora Acida, which author- 

 ity follows the formula of Ellis (Grif- 

 fith's Formulary, 1866, p. 160) in using 

 nitric acid. The original formula of 

 Hope, however, specified nitrous acid. 

 The formula we have used for years is: 

 Fuming nitrous acid, 2 fluid drachms ; 

 tincture of opium, 80 minims, and cam- 

 phor water, I pint. Parrish's Pharmacy 

 (1884) refers to the mixture as follows: 



"This formula was originally made 

 public after twenty-six years' experience 

 of its use in dysentery, by Thomas Hope, 

 Esq., surgeon, Chatam, in the Edinbor- 

 ough Medical and Surgical Journal, Jan- 

 uary, 1824. Dr. Hope was in the habit 

 of directing nitrous acid, not nitric, which 

 he says he has 'not found to produce any 

 good effect.' I have been careful to fol- 

 low his formula literally, and have for 

 the purpose prepared nitrous acid by the 



