436 VEGETABLE DRUGS 



Soap, 60; camphor, 45; oil of rosemary, 10; alcohol, 700; water to make 1000. 

 Made by solution, agitation and filtration. (U. S. P.) „ „ _ „ . 

 Emplastrum Saponis. Soap Plaster. (U. S. & B. P.) 



Soap, 10; lead plaster, 90; made by solution in water, 100; and evaporation. 

 Sapo Mollis. Soft Soap. (U. S. & B. P.) 



Synonym.— Potassium oleate, sapo viridis, green soap, E.; savon mou, savon 

 vert, Fr. ; Itali seife, grilne seife, G. 



A soap prepared from potassa and a fixed oil. 



DeriooHom.— Dissolve potassium hydroxide, 86; in water, 100; by heat, and 

 add cottonseed oil, 430; stir and heat till it froths from boiling, and add alcohol, 

 50. Withdraw heat and stir till paste forms. Test for alkalinity and add water 

 to make 1000. (U. S. P.) 



Properties. — A soft unctuous, yellowish-white to brownish-yellow mass, having 

 a slight characteristic odor and an alkaline taste. Soluble in about 5 parts of 

 hot water and in 2 parts of alcohol. 



PBEPAHATIOir. 



Linimentum Saponis Mollis. Liniment of Soft Soap. (U. S. P.) 

 Synonym. — Tinctura saponis viridis. 



Soft soap, 650; oil of lavender flowers, 20; alcohol to make 1000. Made by 

 solution and filtration. 



Castile soap is the best example of a pure soap. Mottled castile 

 soap contains iron as the coloring matter. The household "soft soap" is 

 not sapo mollis, but is made of all kinds of rancid fats and is generally 

 unfit for medicinal use. Yellow laundry soap owes its color to rosin. 

 Super-fatted soaps are of neutral reaction and unirritating. They are 

 used as a basis for medicinal soaps containing tar, carbolic acid, etc. 



Action and Uses. — Most soaps are alkaline. Soap is a detergent or 

 cleansing agent. The lather mechanically removes dirt, while the alka- 

 linity assists in the removal of grease, dead epidermis, and sebaceous 

 matter from the skin. The caustic alkali contained in soap relieves itch- 

 ing and is stimulating to the skin; so much so, that cheap soaps are 

 harmful in normal conditions of the integunlent. 



Liniment of soft soap is frequently employed in chronic eczema and 

 psoriasis, to remove scales and crusts ; to stimulate the parts ; and to quiet 

 itching. It should be rubbed smartly into the skin, washed off, and 

 followed by the application of a suitable ointment. This liniment or, as 

 it is commonly called, tincture of green soap, is as powerful a disin- 

 fectant as tincture of iodine, 5% phenol, or 1 to 500 mercuric chloride, 

 in killing common pathogenic bacteria within one minute. So it is an 

 admirable hand disinfectant. Gauze saturated with soap suds (soap 

 suds poultice) is an excellent agency to cause the exfoliation of the 

 epidermis in patches of old scaly eczema or psoriasis, when applied f,or 

 several hours. Soft soap, oil of cade, and -alcohol, equal parts, are 

 recommended as a useful preparation for the treatment of chronic eczema 

 and pruritus. The application of soap and water is a necessary prelimi- 

 nary to the employment of a vesicating ointment, or parasiticide, since it 

 cleanses the skin, and, by removing epidermis, exposes the burrows of 

 acari in mange and scab. Soap liniment is a favorite remedy for sprains 

 and bruises. If a more stimulating action is desirable, it is advisable to 

 combine oil of turpentine or water of ammonia with it. If an anodyne 

 effect is indicated, tincture of aconite or opium is added. 



Chafing of the skin produced by harness, should be treated by wash- 



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