Cbe 



Journal of Pbarmacolodv, 



Devoted to the Advances Made in Materia Medica in its Branches. 



Pharmacy^ Pharmacognosy, Chemistry, Botany, Pharmaco- 



Dynamics, Therapeutics and Toxicology. 



Published for the Alumni Association of the College of Pharmacy of the City of New York, 



by Gillespie Bros., Stamford, Couu. 



Vol.. VII. 



DECEMBER, 1900. 



No. 12. 



Increasing the Therapeutic Value of Cod-Liver Oil by the Addition 

 of Free Iodine and Free Phosphorus. 



By Louis J. Lautenbach, A. M., M. D., Ph. D. 

 Philadelphia. 



Cod-liver oil, the oil of the liver of theGadus Morrhua, has iDeen 

 a much used remedy for rheuniatisni, scrofulous and wasting diseases for 

 centuries, but only within the past century has it become a standard rem- 

 edy with the medical professiou. Many have been the preparations in- 

 troduced as substitutes, but nevertheless it still stands pre-eminent and 

 really alone in its special field — a field which in our opinion cannot be 

 said to be entirely dependent upon the fatty ingredients of the oil, nor 

 upon its halogen constituents, nor upon its nerve-building property. 



The purposes of this paper are to compare the modern cod-liver oil 

 with the cod-liver oils of the time prior to 1853 and to discuss the seem- 

 ing relative loss in the therapeutic action of the newer oils, and also to 

 endeavor to explain the cause of this loss as well as a means for over- 

 coming it. When the Icelander or the Norwegian of the long ago went 

 fishing for cod he brought in his catch, packed the livers in barrels and 

 headed up the barrels. He continued doing this all the season, which usu- 

 ally lasted about three months. After the season was over he opened the 

 barrels and skimmed oiT the floating oil. Of course by this time, even in 



Surgeon-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat 

 Institute; Nose and Throat Physician to the Odd Fellows' Home; 

 Late Chief of Eye Clinic of German Hospital. 



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