938 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[May 20, 1871. 
fote ani ^atrics. 
*#* In order to facilitate reference , correspondents are 
requested to mark their ansivers in each case with the title i 
and number of the query referred to. 
No notice can be taken of anonymous communications. 
All queries or answers should be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer. 
NOTICE.— To prevent delay, correspondents are re¬ 
quested to send their communications to the Journal Depart¬ 
ment, 17, Bloomsbury Square, JF.C., and not to the Bub- 
Ushers. 
[227.]—PREPARATION OF POMADES.—Not having 
seen any reply to the inquiries of your correspondent 
“ MoelUne,” of the 22nd ult., I think I may venture to sug¬ 
gest to him to use less solid matter in the preparation of his 
pomades, and to have his bottles just warmed through, and 
the pomade just beginning to set before pouring in. At this 
season of (he year I find 2 oz. of genuine beeswax is suffi¬ 
cient for 1^ lb. of oil for solid pomade; in winter, If oz. is 
sufficient. 
For crystalline pomade, “ Moelline” will find 21 oz. sper¬ 
maceti sufficient tor 1 lb. of oil in summer, and 2 f oz. in 
winter.—W. Parkington. 
[231.]—BEETLE POWDER.—The recommendation of 
the New York Druggists' Circular of borax as a cockroach 
exterminator has been going the round of the papers to such 
an extent as to create a popular demand for the article for 
this purpose. I should like to know how it is to be applied, 
for it seems to me that nothing short of subcutaneous exhibi¬ 
tion will suffice. It is recommended to be sprinkled in their 
haunts, but there must be some magic in “ putting the salt 
on their tails,” for I have nearly smothered them with borax, 
and kept them for seven days in a glass; but I might as well 
have subjected them to the pope’s anathema, for “none of 
them seemed a penny the worse,” but they were as brisk and 
lively at the end of the saline treatment as at the beginning. 
The experience of some housekeepers would lead to the 
opinion that what is poison at one period is food at another. 
Can any entomological correspondent explain ?— Henry H. 
Pollard. 
Powdered borax is a delusion and a snare as a poison for 
my blackbeetles. A quarter of a pound has been expended 
for their benefit, not mine; for they have eaten it all up, 
and are more numerous than ever.—J. B. 
[254.]—ACIDULATED GINGER SYRUP.—Will any 
reader oblige with a form for making acidulated ginger- 
syrup for aerated gingerade that will not exhibit ilocculenee- 
after being bottled one or two months ?—M. P. S. 
[255.]—LIQUID GLUE.— T. C. L. would be glad if any 
reader could inform him what adhesive substance is used for 
joining cardboard or willow boxes together; something that 
sets hard directly. 
COPAIBA JELLY'.—At a clinical lecture delivered by 
Mr. Berkeley Hill, in University College Hospital, he exhi¬ 
bited a new' preparation of copaiba in the form of a jelly, 
which he said was taken by his patients readily. It was 
bright and almost as firm as calf’s-foot jelly, very attractive- 
by its rosy-red colour to the eye, and not repulsive to the 
palate, its flavour being masked by peppermint. It contained 
50 per cent, of copaiba. A piece as large as a filbert, rolled 
in wafer-paper, might be swallowed without being tasted at 
all. The after effects of nausea, diarrhoea, etc. are not more 
than, if so frequent as, from other preparations of copaiba. 
The specimen had been prepared by Mr. Martindalo, dispenser- 
to the hospital, according to the following formula, which was 
an improvement made by him upon the original one 
Take of Thick Copaiba *viij 
Powdered Sugar 31 V 
Honey (not crystallized) 
Distilled Water 5v 
Oil of Peppermint 5j 
Roseine (dissolved in mxx water) ^ gr. 
Put the honey, sugar, copaiba and water into an evapo¬ 
rating dish. Keeping it well stirred, heat the mixture gently 
till it boils, and continue the agitation and ebullition about- 
five minutes. In the first part of the operation two distinct 
strata are formed,—the upper, the copaiba; the lower, the- 
honey, etc. As the water is evaporated, numerous bubbles 
of steam are given off, just as the whole becomes a homo¬ 
geneous jelly. W T hen it has partly cooled, stir in the roseine- 
and oil of peppermint. When well made, it should resemble- 
raspberry jelly. Should this very minute quantity of roseine- 
(one of the aniline pigments) be objected to, an ammoniacal 
solution of carmine gives a very good colour.— Lancet. 
OIL OF SANDAL-WOOD.—The following formula for 
the administration of oil of sandal-wood is suggested by Dr- 
Henderson :— 
Oil of Sandal-wood 
Rectified Spirits of Wine 
Oil of Cinnamon nixxv. 
[241.]—WARTS. — If “ Omega" has tried caustic and 
acetic acid, and failed, let him try liq. potassce or Lugol’s 
caustic solution of iodine.—J. B. 
[242.]—IODIDE OF STARCH.— 
Iodi gr. xxiv 
P. Amyli -j. 
Triturate the iodine with a little water; add the starch gra¬ 
dually, and continue the trituration till the compound is of a 
deep and uniform colour. Dose, 5 ss to 5 ij.—J. B. 
[251.]—INKSTAINS.—Would any one favour me with a 
recipe for taking out inkstains P— Querist. 
[252.]—DISPENSING.—Would any reader kindly in¬ 
form me the best way of dispensing the following recipe ?— 
R. Zinci Sulphatis 9 ij 
Cupri Sulphatis gr. x 
Mucilaginis Acacite 3 iv 
Tr. Ferri Muriatis 5iv 
Aquae 5 x 1 ]. 
Mft. Injectio 3 SS ter die interdum.— Alpita. 
[253.]— ESSENCE OF RATAFIA.—What is the strength 
css. ratafia is usually sold ? I have been for some years in 
the habit ot selling it in the proportion of 1 part essential oil 
to 7 parts s. v. r. (or sixteen times the strength of the formula 
given in the Journal of the 22nd April); and, as I think a 
uniformity in this article very desirable, it may be useful to 
have the opinions of our brethren through your “ Notes and 
Queries ” column.— Amygdala. 
Dose, one or two drachms three times a day.— Lancet. 
ZINC WATER TANK.—M. Zinrek reports in the Lyon- 
Medical the results of examinations of water that had been 
kept for a long time in zinc tanks. He found that the water 
dissolved the zinc in proportion to the chlorides it contained, 
and the length of time during which it wa 3 in contact. Boil¬ 
ing does not precipitate the zinc from water charged with it.- 
In a sample of water, containing a small proportion of chlo¬ 
rides, but which had been a long time in a zinc-tank, as much 
i as fifteen grains of zinc was found in each quart. To prevent 
this state of things, the author recommends that zinc tanks* 
be coated inside with an oil paint of which ochre or asphalte 
forms the basis. No minium, ceruse, or carbonate of zinc 
should be used. Fifteen grains in a quart seems an enormous 
proportion, nor does the author say whether he found the- 
actual metal or a salt of oxide of zinc.— Lancet. 
ANHYDROUS GLYCERINE.—M. Eberhard has called 
attention to the power possessed by absolutely anhydrous 
glycerine of withdrawing water by an exosmotic process from 
tissues to which it is applied. Marion Sims some time ago- 
demonstrated that a ball of lint dipped in glycerine and ap¬ 
plied to a freely suppurating surface arrests the secretion. 
Fiirst has also applied the glycerine plug in a large number 
of cases of fluor albus, and M. Eberhard states that he has 
been very successful in applying the same means in similar 
cases.— Practitioner. 
GLA^CEROLE OF IODINE.—This preparation, recom¬ 
mended for loss of the voice, is composed of a solution of 
10 grains of iodine in 1 oz. of inodorous glycerine .—Jledical 
l Record. 
