12G 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [August 13, 1870. 
Erom these comparisons it appears tliat the Harrogate 
Muspratt well is not unique in being supposed to contain 
chloride of iron; that it does not contain iron in uniquely 
large quantity ; and also, that it is by no means a pure 
spring, for after allowing for 22 - 5 grs. of common salt, 
which would not probably interfere much with the 
assimilation of the iron, it contains 27* *2 grs. of other 
salts. Finally, the quantity of carbonic acid is very 
trifling. 
Are strong iron waters like the foregoing ones well 
adapted for drinking ? The general voice is against 
them, and they are usually employed only for baths. 
And it may be said that, in spite of all theoretical asser¬ 
tions of their styptic nature, iron waters are of little use 
for what are popularly termed steel baths, unless they 
contain a great deal of carbonic acid; for the non¬ 
absorption by the skin of solutions of salts in ordinary 
baths seems to be definitely settled by the recent in¬ 
quiries of the Societe d’Hydrologie, of Paris. Still, 
notwithstanding the presumption against such a spring 
as the Muspratt one, the accounts of the practitioners 
who use it are entitled to consideration. They assert 
that immense improvement often results from its use. 
Glandular swellings, low forms of gout, dyspepsia, and 
fatty heart, have all been found to yield to its influence. 
Such general statements are too often made respecting 
all waters, and from Dr. Myrtle’s book I am much in¬ 
clined to think that he has obtained at least as satis¬ 
factory results with the Tewit and the Kissingen well, 
containing as they do only J4 and *33 grain of carbonate 
of iron respectively. And he says of the Muspratt well, 
that its water must be given with much circumspection, 
that it is not only most difficult of digestion frequently, 
but is apt to cause some of the most painful physio¬ 
logical effects common to the ordinary preparations of 
iron. 
If, then, general experience has shown that these 
strong iron waters are inconvenient for drinking, what 
strength of iron waters has practically been employed P 
Waters containing from *35 to less than 1 gr. in 16 oz. 
of the carbonate of iron, waters not containing a large 
amount of solid ingredients and containing a good sup¬ 
ply of carbonic acid—such are the waters the efficacy of 
which has been proved by the experience of centuries. 
This is well illustrated by glancing at the composition 
of the most popular chalybeate waters. 
Spa. 
Schwalbach: Pyrmont. 
Carbonate of iron . 
0*4 
0*46 
0*42 
Other salts . . . 
1*65 
11*9 
17*9 
Carbonic acid. . . 
20*1 
45 
40 inches 
Or take a few excellent wells, not perhaps so widely 
known. Konigswarth, near Marienbad, in Bohemia, at 
a height of 2000 feet; Elster in Saxony; Booklet, close 
to Kissingen; Rippoldsau, on the whole the best of the 
Black Forest chalybeates, at a height of 1800 feet; or 
Liebenstein in Central Germany, as high as Schwalbach, 
or about 900 feet. 
St Elsier - 
Carbonate of iron *65 -48 -67 
Other salts . . 5-8 16T2 24*6 
Carbonic acid . 37*2 32-9 37*3 
Lieben- Rippolds- 
stein. au. 
*59 *67 
10-7 20-6 
40-9 32-8in. 
All these are specimens of waters in which iron is 
presented in a shape rendering it easy of assimilation. 
I shall not enumerate the springs, such as Marienbad, 
or Franzensbad, or Harrogate, in which the quantity of 
sulphates or of common salt is so great as to make their 
action distinctly purgative. Two salt springs appear 
to have common salt in a desirable proportion. These 
are— 
Eakotski, Kissingen ; and Louisenwell, Homburg. 
Common salt. . 44*7 23 
Carbonate of iron *33 -33 
Carbonic acid .41 32 inches 
But even in them, and particukrly in the Rakotski, 
there is too much common salt. 
The great defect of our pure chalybeates, such as 
Tunbridge Wells or Llandrindod, is the want of carbonic 
acid to render the waters sparkling for drinking, or use¬ 
ful for baths. The warm chalybeates of Bagneres do 
Bigorre are also deficient in gas. 
Perhaps the places where the best carbonated iron 
baths can be had are Schwalbach, Pyrmont, Liebenstein, 
Konigswarth, Franzensbad, Elster, and St. Moritz. I 
believe that the new baths at Spa are good, but they do 
not contain the largest amount of gas. 
With reference to St. Moritz, it is probable that its 
curative effects depend more on its climate during three, 
months of the year and on its baths, than on its not 
powerful chalybeate. Those who are in search of stronger 
chalybeates than it affords would do well to go south and 
visit St. Caterina, at the same elevation as St. Moritz, 
or St. Bernardin, a few hundred feet lower, both with a 
large amount of carbonate of iron and of carbonic acid; 
or, if they will descend a little towards Italy, they will 
find two of the best chalybeates in existence, with a 
large supply of iron and carbonic acid, and minute 
quantities of carbonate of soda and of common salt— 
Rabbi at a height of about 1800 feet, and Pejo perhaps 
100 feet higher. Proceeding further and fairly into- 
Italy, he will find the more polished Recoaro, with less 
potent waters, however. The whole five are in beautiful 
scenery. The analysis of the waters of Pejo gives about 
1 gr. of carbonate of iron, with carbonate of soda, 8*6 ~ 
carbonate of lime, 1*8; common salt, 2*9 ; total mineral 
constituents, 15 gr.; carbonic acid, 31 inches: while 
Rabbi has 0*91 of carbonate of iron; carbonate of soda, 
6*4; carbonate of lime, 2*3; common salt, 2*2; total 
mineral constituents, 12*6 gr.; carbonic acid, 29 inches. 
It is scarcely possible to have better combinations. 
The war which has broken out since these lines were 
penned will compel those who will not venture into 
Switzerland and the Tyrol to make the most of our own 
chalybeates. At their head in England stand Tunbridge 
Wells and Harrogate, Llandrindod in Wales, Lisdun- 
varna in Ireland. Pannanich Wells, near Ballater, is 
almost the only chalybeate in use in Scotland. A host 
of such springs were formerly in repute in the three 
kingdoms .—Medical Times and Gazette. 
ON THE COMBINATIONS OF CARBONIC 
ANHYDRIDE WITH AMMONIA AND WATER, 
BY EDWARD DIVERS, M.D. 
(Continued from p. 96.) 
II. Half-acid Ammonium Carbonate. 
History .—Rose first definitively obtained this salt in 
1839,* but I think Hiinefeldf came across crystals of it 
on cooling the aqueous alcohol from which he had dis¬ 
tilled some commercial carbonate ; for he described some 
of the crystals obtained by this cooling as rhombic 
plates, and, as crystals of the half-acid carbonate can 
thus be prepared, it is probable these were some. 
H. St. Claire Deville obtained it in a different way in 
1852, and gave an account of its crystalline form.;}; 
Preparation .—The half-acid carbonate -was obtained 
by its discoverer by distilling some commercial carbonate 
at a gentle heat in a retort, the mouth of which was 
joined to a tube dipping under mercury, until the con¬ 
tents of the retort had become entirely liquefied, and 
setting aside the liquid thus obtained in a closed vessel 
to crystallize. 
Deville dissolved commercial carbonate in concen¬ 
trated ammonia-water at a temperature of about 30°, and 
* Poggendorff’s * Annalen,’ vol. xlvi. p. 373. Also Taylor’s 
* Scientific Memoirs,’ vol. ii. p. 98. 
t In 1836. Journ. fur Prakt. Chemie, vol. vii. p. 25. 
J ‘ Comptes Rendus,’ vol. xxxiv. p. 880. Ann. de Chimie- 
[3], vol. xl. p. 87. 
