78 



There is one official suppository — Suppositoria Glycerini, be- 

 sides which the Pharmacopoeia contains general formulas for those 

 made with oil of theobroma and glycerinated gelatin. 



Suppositoria Glycerini 



Glycerin 15.0 Gm. 



Monohydrated Sodium Carbonate 0.25 Gm. 



Stearic Acid 1.0 Gm. 



Water 2.5 mils 



Dissolve the monohydrated sodium carbonate in the water and 

 add it to the glycerin, contained in a suitable vessel placed on a water 

 bath in such a way that the vessel is well down in the boiling water 

 and its contents protected as much as possible from the steam of the 

 ibath. Add the stearic acid, and heat the mixture for 15 minutes 

 or until carbon dioxide ceases to be evolved, and the liquid is clear. 

 Then pour the melted mass into suitable molds, remove the supposi- 

 tories when they are completely cold, and preserve them in a tight- 

 ly stoppered glass vessel in a cool place. 



CATAPLASMA— CATAPLASMS— POULTICES 



These are wet masses of solid matter applied to the skin for the 

 purpose of reducing inflammation, or in other cases to act as counter- 

 irritants. The solid matter as the base is chosen with a view to its 

 capacity for absorbing water. Thus the base of the one former offi- 

 cial cataplasma is clay, while mucilaginous drugs, such as flaxseed, 

 are valuable for poultice bases. 



If the poultice is intended to reduce inflammation, the proper 

 base is one devoid of medical action, and the poultice wet with cold 

 water or liquid acts similarly to a cold compress. If intended to 

 act as a counterirritant, the poultice is either applied hot or is made 

 of some drug which has rubifacient properties, (mustard poultice) . 

 Cataplasma Kaolini belongs to the class of mechanical non-medi- 

 cinal poultices used for allaying inflammation. It was official in 

 the Pharmacopoeia of 1905. 



