ADMINISTRATION OF BISMUTH IN THE SOLUBLE FORM. 
301 
Acidum Aceticum, P. L., 
Contains of real Acid 308 per cent. 
For although the acid marked 1 to 9 corresponds very nearly with it, none of 
the directions for diluting this or the other acids sent out with them, would yield 
a product corresponding with the Acid. Acet. Dil. of the P. L. 
In thus endeavouring to throw a little light on this anomalous subject, I feel 
I have not done it justice or gone so fully into it as I might have done. It may 
however serve to show that however correct our business instinct may be, and 
however warrantably we may rely on the manufacturer for the strength and pu¬ 
rity of his commodities, we are not justified in failing to study the Materia Me¬ 
dina and Pharmacopoeia for ourselves, and working them out in their integrity 
to the best of our ability. At the present day so much progress has been made 
in general knowledge and in scientific acquirements, and the thirst for more has 
become so general, that there is less fear of the forthcoming National Pharma¬ 
copoeia being as much neglected by the mass of chemists and druggists through¬ 
out the country as there was even so short a time back as 1851. Besides, we 
shall have but one rule of action instead of three to go by, and all such anomalies 
will be removed. 
In naming Messrs. Beaufoy and Co., I wish it to be particularly understood 
that I cast no reflection on them ; the fault is our own, for we are greatly indebted 
to them as the great pioneers in the preparation of pure acetic acid for pharma¬ 
ceutical purposes from the destructive distillation of wood. 
The President thought the Society was indebted to Mr. Deane for’ the 
great pains he had taken in explaining this subject, which had hitherto been 
imperfectly understood by many pharmaceutists, and had occupied a great deal 
of the time of the Pharmacopoeia Committee in endeavouring to make it more 
intelligible. 
Mr. Squire could bear his testimony to the diligence which had been exer¬ 
cised by Mr. Deane in working out this subject while on the Pharmacopoeia 
Committee. He hoped that in the new British Pharmacopoeia the anomalies 
which had hitherto existed with reference to the acetic acids ordered in medicine 
would be removed. 
UPON THE ADMINISTRATION OF BISMUTH IN TITE 
SOLUBLE FORM. 
BY CHARLES R. C. TICHBORNE, F.C.S. 
Under the name of Liq. Bismuthi there has been introduced to the notice of 
the Faculty a preparation, which purports to possess great advantages over the 
ordinary basic nitrate. The desirable points in this preparation are—first, its so¬ 
lubility ; second, its slight taste ; and third, its alkalinity. It has also the pecu¬ 
liarity of not being precipitable by water. 
I felt the desirability of such a mode of exhibiting bismuth, and therefore 
made an analysis of the solution for my own information ; and as it possesses 
certain phases of interest, I now take this opportunity of placing it before the 
members of the Pharmaceutical Society. 
A qualitative analysis elicited the following :—The solution contained bismuth, 
citric acid, and ammonia ; not a trace of nitric acid could be detected in the 
solution. Liq. Bismuthi is therefore probably a solution of a basic salt, having a 
composition analogous to 3MOCi + MO ; one of the bases, MO, being replaced 
by BiO a : it is made from the recently precipitated and well-washed oxide. From 
the peculiarity of having to deal with an alkaline bismuthic solution, direct pre- 
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