250 
NOTES UPON OINTMENTS AND THE PREPARATION OE THEM. 
BY A. F. IIASELDEN. 
At the commencement of the year 1862, I undertook the preparing of all the 
ointments, and some of the cerates, which were to form a part of the collection 
of chemicals, drugs, and pharmaceutical preparations, to be shown by the 
Pharmaceutical Society at the Exhibition ; and whilst so occupied, as also since, 
some little matters occurred to mo connected therewith, worthy as it seemed 
to me of particular observation ; at any rate my memory was refreshed,—and the 
best memories require gentle jogging occasionally,—and I thought that in these 
thirsty days any information I had gained, and a glance at the ointments from 
another point of view, would not be altogether without interest to my fellow- 
workers in the field of pharmacy. 
It may perhaps be matter of surprise, that I should have so long delayed bring¬ 
ing the subject forward ; but the delay has only helped to satisfy me in making 
my remarks, and besides, to speak the truth, I have been looking for that much- 
coveted book, the Pharmacopoeia, and imagined that I might either have more 
to say, or perhaps nothing at all, as probably that book would forestall me, but 
as it does not travel by rail and is so long upon the road, I thought I might 
as well try and have my little say before it came; and I may mention that 
though placed upon the Pharmacopoeia Committee of this Society, it was not (I 
regret to say for my own sake) until the work, so far as that committee was con¬ 
cerned, was all but finished ; therefore any remarks I may make are done quite 
in ignorance of anything connected with the future Pharmacopoeia ointments 
and the mode of preparing them. 
Amongst the thoughts which struck me upon seeing our collection in the Ex¬ 
hibition, were the following:—the employment of glass vessels for the ointments 
was an unmistakable error : the idea of being able to see them, in their variety 
of colour, etc., without moving them, was frustrated at an early period by the 
rapid action of light upon them, on which they soon became changed in their ex¬ 
ternal appearance. This was particularly observable in the ointment of iodide of 
lead,—the front exposed to the light soon put on a leaden hue, whilst the other 
sides and tire interior of the mass remained of the original bright-yellow\ The 
portion protected by the ordinary white label continues unchanged to this time. 
Also the ointment of nitric oxide of mercury became almost black externally, 
whilst the inner portion remained good, and of its original colour, for more than 
twelve months ; the iodide of mercury was protected with a covering of tin-foil, 
and that almost entirely retained its colour, except on the top and a small space 
at the bottom where it was not so perfectly covered ; the ointment of iodide of 
potassium in the same way became yellow, and the attendant told me one day 
that in consequence of the change lie had put it away in the cupboard below ; 
upon my desiring to see it, knowing by previous experience what the probable 
result would be, he was much surprised to find that it had in retirement returned 
to its pristine state of whiteness. The ointment I have here was made early in 
1862, but having, upon ordinary exposure, become in several places yellow or 
light-brown, it was wrapped in a piece of packing-paper, or whitey-brown, 
when it lost its colour, and has continued as it now is, almost colourless. 
Again, the covers of these glass jars fitted so accurately on the tops that there 
was no escape for any possible moisture that might rise in the vegetable oint¬ 
ments, and the result was, in one or two instances, a fine crop of vegetable 
mould ; again, the quantities were too small to make any appreciable show with 
the other preparations in such an exhibition. In the event of any such exhibition 
taking place in future, I should say, avoid glass for ointments ; let them be put in 
some prettily-coloured earthen vessel, and let the jars be larger, even if they are 
not quite full. So much I gathered respecting the exhibition of ointments. 
