INDIFFERENT REMEDIES. MECHANICALS 291 



coca oil, mutton suet, spermaceti, ointment of rose water, and 

 sevum salicylatum.i 



2. Mucilaginous remedies: Linseed, acacia, althaea, traga- 

 canth, salep, mallow, dietetic remedies (oat and barley mucilage). 



3. Paraffin ointment,^ lanolin, simple cerate. 



4. Plasters and liniments : Adhesive plaster, Lxmd's plaster,' 

 Carron oil (linamentum calcis). 



5. Silver nitrate (silver covering of bums and other cutaneous 

 affections). 



6. Gelatin, collodion, traumaticin [gutta-percha dissolved in 

 chloroform], water glass. 



7. Starch, lycopodium, zinc oxide, bolus, talcum, pulvis talci 

 salicylicus (N.F.). 



8. Cotton and other dressing material, 



2. EMOLLIENTS 



Synonyms: Demulcents, Bolvents; softening, loosemng, liquefsring, dis- 

 integrating remedies. 



Actions and Uses. — The emollients operate upon the different 

 pathological indurations of the skin, subcutis, tendons, tendon 

 sheaths, and muscles by mechanical diffusion and imbibition 

 (water, oil, glycerin, soap), by preventing the dissipation of heat 

 and water (poultices) and by chemical solution (lyes, alkahes), 

 disintegration and liquefaction. The remedies concerned in in- 

 ternal softening and solution have already been considered in the 

 chapters on resorbents (p. 76), expectorants (p. 107) and diuretics 

 (p. 113.) The external disease conditions which are most frequently 

 treated with emollients are thickenings of the skin, calluses, scabs 

 and crusts upon the skin, squamous eczema, thickenings of the 

 subcutis, hard swellings in the tendons and tendon sheaths as in 



[' Salicylic acid 2 parts, benzoic acid 1, mutton suet 97.1 

 p Petrolatum album.] 



p Turpentine and pitch, equal parts; liquefy by heat, mix, and spread on 

 cloth.] 



