ON GLYCELjEUM. 
183 
salad mixture above referred to be made much thinner than in the recipe given, it 
will be impossible to mix them in a mortar by trituration, the same also if a much 
larger proportion of oil be used ; but combination may in either case readily be 
effected by stirring or rather “slicing” with a flexible spatula. The pressure 
of the pestle seems to squeeze out the oil from the emulsion as soon as formed. 
This is on a par with what I and doubtless others have remarked, viz. that the 
common liniment containing vinegar, camphor, and turpentine, emulsed with 
yelk of egg, is more readily mixed by simple agitation in a bottle than by work¬ 
ing it in a mortar. The yelk must of course be thoroughly broken up, in order 
to destroy its structure and render it miscible with water. 
To return from my digression,—on making trial of the usual gummy sub¬ 
stances, such as acacia and tragacanth, I found that this class of compound 
could not be formed by their aid ; emulsions of the ordinary kind might be 
made, but not paste emulsions. The natural thing to do in such case was to 
separate, in a pure form, the emulsive principle contained in the mustard seed, 
and go to work with it; but, before doing so, I tried the finely powdered farina 
of other oil-seeds, such as linseed and almond, and was gratified to find that 
either will answer the purpose as well as mustard. I have no doubt that all the 
oil-seeds, when deprived of their oil by pressure, and then reduced to powder, 
answer equally well, though perhaps not all with equal power. The meal of 
decorticated pressed sweet almonds is that which I prefer and which I have 
used. Messrs. Barron, Harvey, and Co., who express a good deal of almond 
oil, were kind enough to prepare for me a cake of this article. When powdered, 
it should be passed through a fine silk sieve, cypress or lawn ; it refuses alto¬ 
gether to go through a fine wire sieve. 
To prepare glycelseum, then :— 
Take of 
Almond meal . . . \ oz. 
Glycerine . . . . 1 ,, 
Olive oil . . . . 3 ,, 
Mix s. a. It may be effected in a mortar in the ordinary way, up to nearly 
the end of the operation ; but it is better, I think, to use the spatula and “ slice ” 
in the last addition of oil. It will then form a soft, semi-gelatinous paste, which, 
when mixed gradually with water or a watery fluid, forms readily an emulsion. 
The glycerine it contains being protected by the oil, it does not quickly deli¬ 
quesce, though when exposed to the air for some time it does soften somewhat. 
It is of course unaffected by the ordinary temperatures of the body ; if it were 
otherwise, its softness would be an objection to its use ; .as it is, it leaves plenty 
of room for powdery admixtures of every kind. 
This form may be varied in many ways, viz. the glycerine may be either pure 
or diluted, and may or may not in either case contain medicinal substances in 
solution. The olive oil may be substituted by another oil or by a mixture of 
oils, or, again, by a balsam, an essential oil or a hydrocarbon. All these may 
or may not contain other substances in solution. It is only essential to re¬ 
member that the body in the first place must not precipitate emulsine, in the 
second place must be a fluid. I have in several ways attempted to emulse lard. 
I have melted it and succeeded perfectly, so long as it remained fluid ; but, if 
stirred after solidification, the emulsion was at once “ inverted,” or as Mr. 
Proctor styles it, converted into a “negative” emulsion, i.e. the glycerine is 
emulsed in the fat, and not the fat in the glycerine. 
The advantages I attribute to glyceteeum as compared with ointments and 
with plasma, I imagine to be these :—Ointments are greasy, prone to rancidity, 
do not “touch,” in a strict sense, watery surfaces, and are not easily removed 
from the surfaces to which they become attached ; on the other hand they are 
cheap, they are fatty, and they are repellent of moisture. 
