SOLUTIONS OF IODINE AND OTHER PREPARATIONS. 
603 
4. Made with white curd soap 24.1.70.—White and opaque or semi-opaque, 
being more translucent than 3. 
5. Made with B. P. soft soap.—Clear, transparent, and semi-gelatinous. 
6. Made with recent olive-oil hard soap bearing the brand of F. Court Payen. 
Semi-transparent, more gelatinized than 5, and, when slightly agitated, it exhi¬ 
bits some of the characters of the jelly of the pastrycooks. 
Acetum Scillce .—This preparation, which is one of the oldest galenical for¬ 
mulae in the Pharmacopoeia, its origin by Pereira being ascribed to Pythagoras, 
has been the subject of some remarks by Mr. Bland. He objects to the addition 
of proof spirit. My experience of it is that, either with or without the spirit, 
there is always a deposit formed in it, but I think less when the spirit is added. 
In the London Pharmacopoeia of 1721 spirit was not mentioned in the formula 
for its preparation, but in the next edition there is directed to be added to it 
“about one-twelfth its quantity of proof spirit, that it may keep the longer 
from growing mothery.” 
The squill has always been directed to be dried before digesting or macerat¬ 
ing in the vinegar or diluted acetic acid. The volume Pythagoras wrote on 
squill not being extant, I am not able to certify that it was not so ordered in 
the original formula; but it would be more rational to use the bulb in the fresh 
state, seeing that much of its activity is volatilized on drying the squamae. The 
fresh bulbs are easily preserved in dry sand, being so exceedingly tenacious of 
life that Dr. Christison says, “ My large bulbs, while lying on ray museum 
table, produced two stems two feet tall, and covered with flower buds, many of 
wdiich became fully expanded; and a small one, after being kept in the same 
place for at least eight years without any signs of life, began also, without any 
change of circumstances, to push forth its stem.” 
As four-fifths of the weight of the fresh bulb consists of moisture, I think an 
expressed juice mixed with acetic acid, and clarified by defsecation or other 
means, would yield the best preparation. Rectified spirit might likewise be 
added to the expressed juice in sufficient quantity to separate the greater por¬ 
tion of the probably inert mucilaginous matter, thus a preparation would be 
produced corresponding to succus taraxaci and other expressed juices. This 
might supplant the tincture of the present Pharmacopoeia. 
It is somewhat curious that up to 1851 the fresh bulbs had always been 
officinal in the London Pharmacopoeias, but, as before free-trade principles had 
come into vogue, the duty on the fresh bulb and dried squamae was equal, for 
the sake of economy squill was always imported in the dried state. I think 
that medicine, especially if it has to make a sacrifice of some of its virtues, 
ought not thus to bow to commerce, and, as I now believe both are admitted 
free of duty, we could easily, by making our request known, be supplied with 
the fresh bulbs. I have made frequent inquiries for them, but have always 
been informed that the fresh bulbs do not now come into the London market. 
I took the trouble, when in Paris three years ago, to get two procured for me. 
One of them I noticed put forth a shoot last year, and I think both are yet 
possessed of life. I obtained them with the intention of trying to make the 
preparations I have suggested, but a fitting opportunity did not then occur. 
As many of the outer scales have become dry, I fear they will not now yield 
much expressed juice, but I intend trying them. 
Oxymel Scillce .—The directions for making this preparation are concise and 
definite, but not very practicable,—“Mix and evaporate by a water-bath until 
the product, when cold, shall have a specific gravity of 1*32.” The plan 
generally adopted in making it is, to make the acetum w'ith half the quantity 
of diluted acetic acid, using it one-half stronger than B. P. This thoroughly 
exhausts the squill if the “mark” be well pressed. One pint of this acetum, 
where two of the other are ordered in the formula, added to the honey, requires 
2 r 2 
