070 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[June 3, 1871. 
heat, and the consequent suspension of the medicine, 
which should he diffused and deposited over as large a 
surface as possible. 
Content with the simple fusion of such mixtures, the 
ease with which they may be manipulated, and the temp¬ 
tation to dispense quickly, the more important fact has 
been overlooked by many, who will, doubtless, correct 
the error in their future operations. I have invariably 
found that when the additions were not large enough 
to render the use of the moulded cones inadmissible, 
there was no advantage gained by a combination of base 
or excipient. 
With regard to the effect upon the animal tissues of 
such applications of hardened suppositories, I can only 
say that where they are of such a character as to produce 
local irritation, the uneasiness induced requires their re¬ 
moval ; this objection is now but seldom met with. 
Within the past two years the education of the pharma¬ 
cist has materially advanced in this direction, so that 
none of repute dispense cones that will not at least 
fuse at animal temperature, however slowly this fusion 
may occur, or however imperfectly they may medicate 
from the suspension of the medicine until its ejection by 
the action of the parts. Those having but occasional 
prescriptions for them, are now in the habit of depend¬ 
ing on the larger retail establishments, who furnish the 
trade with a great variety. 
There need be no apprehension of a local irritation 
arising from the use of wax, if not carried beyond the 
proper fusing-point. As much as fourteen per cent, is used 
by pharmacists of good repute, without complaint in this 
respect. The mixture fuses quite slowly at animal tem¬ 
perature, but there is no apparent dissection of the cone, 
whereby the wax is separated from the butter during 
fusion , however much this may be the case when the 
melted substances are allowed to cool ad libitum. There 
is a uniformity of constitution so long as the heat is 
present. 
Slow manipulation with a mixture of wax and cacao- 
butter before hardening, w r e can readily understand, 
w T ould cause a granulation of the wax, and produce a 
cone in which the heat to which it is to be subjected 
would act only upon the cacao-butter, to the exclusion 
of the wax, which 'would then remain unchanged, causing 
irritation and difficulty; but we are only supposed to be 
dealing with mixtures which have been well stirred at 
the time of their introduction into the mould, which 
mould has been thoroughly chilled, and the suppository 
likewise. Under such circumstances the mixture is uni¬ 
form and perfect, and shows no disposition to separate 
on fusion, if the heat be maintained at that point. 
The difficulties in a proper understanding of the pre¬ 
paration of suppositories without the addition of a harden¬ 
ing - ingredient in connection with cacao-butter have 
been solely those of manipulation. 
Experience is leading many to prepare the excipient 
with a smaller proportion of wax, spermaceti, etc., than 
they at first thought necessary, until the quantity used 
by some is so trifling as to practically amount to little or 
no use. 
Of the various mixtures, those of one-eighth sperma¬ 
ceti or one-fourteenth or less of w T ax are least objection¬ 
able. Tallow suet or paraffine produced no results not 
secured by the first-mentioned, while there were some 
objections to be attached to their use not present in the 
others. 
. Now while some have discovered points of manipula¬ 
tion to make these suppositories of cacao-butter alone , 
lapidly and well, (and how much often hangs upon a 
very slight thread in this respect!) far exceeding in value 
those I am about to offer to you, I will simply state the 
mode which gives me the most satisfactory result. 
The mould is of brass; a clamp hinged at one ex¬ 
tremity and handled at the other, held firmly in place 
by a ring slipped over said handles; the cones are turned 
from the interior face of the clamps, as in an ordinary 
bullet-mould. It should mould at least one dozen, and 
be improved by the addition of a loose clamp, to be at¬ 
tached firmly in the centre and at the bottom of so lono- 
a tool, to prevent the loss of the fused mass before con¬ 
gealing, by running from between the plates. 
This mould should, so far as possible, be thoroughly 
chilled and ready for use. To place the fused butter in 
the mould while it is w r arm, and cool both by the same 
operation, almost invariably results in the contraction of 
the metal upon the cool cone to a degree that upon the 
attempted separation of the matrix every cone will be 
split in two. When the mould is thoroughly cooled, the 
butter sets rapidly, and in fifteen or twenty minutes the 
suppositories will drop from the matrices by their own 
gravity. 
The deductions I draw from a close observance of this 
subject for the past two years are, that the addition of a 
substance such as wax, spermaceti, etc. to cacao-butter 
produces a mixture requiring a higher point of heat for 
its fusion, and in proportion to the amount of such ad¬ 
dition ; and that when such addition is made, if it should 
not be sufficient to prevent the fusing of a suppository 
at animal temperature, no irritating or harmful effect is 
produced either upon the vagina or urethra. Where a 
larger quantity than that mentioned above is added, the 
annoyance produced requires the removal or ejection of 
the suppository before any harm may be done.— Troc. 
Amer. Fharm. Assoc. 1870. 
PROCESS FOR PREPARING LIQ. FERRI TERSUL- 
PHATIS AND LIQ. FERRI SUBSULPHATIS, U.S.P., 
WITHOUT THE FORMATION OF NOXIOUS GASES- 
by j. cheese. 
The best method for preparing the persulphates of iron 
perfectly pure is, undoubtedly, to run a stream of chlo¬ 
rine gas through a solution of the protosulphate pre¬ 
viously acidulated with the proper quantity of sulphuric 
acid. But this is obviously impracticable to most phar¬ 
maceutists. The Pharmacopoeia of the United States 
prescribes to oxidize the protosulphate of iron by means 
of nitric acid, a certain proportion of sulphuric acid being 
added. This is more practicable, and yields a good pro¬ 
duct, but is liable still to several objections. Expensive 
vessels are required for boiling a mixture of sulphuric 
and nitric acids; a good draught is also nepessary for the 
escape of the nitrous fumes, and very often during the 
operation the vessels are broken, or the operator is an¬ 
noyed by the poisonous gases escaping into the room. 
For these reasons, many pharmaceutists prefer to buy 
the articles ready made; they have to pay a high price 
for it, and to depend on the manufacturer for its strength 
and purity. 
I propose this new method, by wffiich any pharmaceu¬ 
tist may prepare his own liq. ferri tersulphatis or his liq. 
ferri subsulphatis on his very prescription-desk, if need 
be, and wdth the usual implements found in all drug¬ 
stores. 
R. Sulphate iron in coarse powder, 12 troy ounces. 
Sulphuric acid, 2 troy’- ounces and 60 grains. 
Chlorate of potash, 348 grains. 
Boiling water, 12 fluid ounces. 
Dissolve the sulphate of iron, in the boiling water, in 
a glass matrass, or any^ convenient bottle. Add the sul¬ 
phuric acid gradually, and, while the liquid is hot, add 
the chlorate of potash by small portions. When all is 
dissolved, filter and complete 24 fluid ounces. The whole 
operation need not take more than fifteen minutes. 
The following equation explains the reaction:— 
12Fe0,S0 3 ’-f 6S0 3 + K0,'C10 5 = 
6Fe 2 0 3 ,3S0 3 +KCl.‘ 
This process has the advantage of giving out no fumes 
