1008 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[Jane 17, 1871. 
stages of the last-mentioned disease as many other 
more costly ones. 
In some forms of dyspepsia, in the vomiting, 
griping, or diarrhoea from errors in diet, in simple 
Hatnlence and even tympanites, in faintness and 
exhaustion, in choleraic diarrhoea, in certain cases 
of colic and in hysteria, it has been found, even 
when given alone, pre-eminently useful. 
From all that is known of tills medicine it appears 
to combine the stimulant quality of capsicum or 
mustard, the bitter property of kreata, and the anti- 
spasmodic virtues of asafoetida. 
The seed, or fruit, is one of the forms of adminis¬ 
tration by the natives ; another is in decoction with 
sundry other aromatics, namely, ginger, sweet flag, 
galanga, etc., but it is evident this is not a good 
iorim A distilled water, under the names of ‘ Sison 
Cordial ’ and ‘ Omum Water,’ is sold at many of the 
dispensaries and shops about the counfry. Another 
preparation called “ Sugar of Omum ” is to be had 
in Madras. It has the appearance of candy, and 
though probably a little more expensive, is much 
more efficacious and agreeable than the water. Mr. 
Lynsdale gives the following directions as to quan¬ 
tity for distillation:—“ To one viss (or 3 lb.) of the 
bruised seed, add six bottles of water and distil over 
four. In the necks of these bottles will be found the 
oil, amounting to about *ss.” The Bengal Pharma¬ 
copoeia directs two gallons of water to one of the 
Ajwan, distilling over one gallon. 
The Pharmacopoeia of India gives the following,— 
“ Take of Ajwain fruit, bruised, twenty ounces, water 
two gallons; distil a gallon. Dose, from one to two 
fluid ounces.” . There is not probably, in the city of 
Madras and its suburbs, a single Eurasian family 
who, if they have not some of the omum water at 
home (and numbers have), have not used it at some 
time or other, or at least heard of its virtues. And 
it is not in Madras alone that it is so extensively 
used by the middle classes of society, bjit in many 
of the larger cantonments up-country it is pretty 
well known. Further, with very few exceptions in¬ 
deed, the so-called seed of the omum is to be found 
among the domestic medicines of both Mahomedan 
and Hindoo families, and is looked upon as the sine 
qua non of remedies in many affections. 
The “sugar of omum” alluded to above is evi¬ 
dently the same as in the Pharmacopoeia of India is 
called Ajwain- 1ca-phul, said to be sold in the bazaars 
of the Deccan, Scinde, etc., and is prepared in Cen¬ 
tral India during the cold season. It is also stated 
to form spontaneously on the surface of the distilled 
water of Ajwan. Dr. Stenliouse examined and 
found it to be a Stearopten (see Pharm. Journ. 1855 
vol. XXV. p. 272). 
ON THE PREPARATION OF SUPPOSITORIES. 
BY WILLIAM G. EWIXG. 
^ r( j a ^ mos t °f the articles that have appeared in ! 
the Amer. Journ. Pharmacy for several years upon the 
subject of suppositories, and have gained many valuable 
suggestions from Messrs. J. B. Moore, Charles L. Eberle 
and others; but I have fallen upon a process not alluded 
to by any of them, that greatly facilitates this tedious, 
and sometimes very difficult and troublesome class of 
prescriptions. The plan I have adopted is as follows:— 
mst, procure a large, coarse tin grater,—such as may 
. had of any tinner—and with it grate the cacao butter 
mio a coarse powder, pass through sieve No. 20, and put 
it into a wide-mouthed bottle ready for use; next, take 
some pure white wax, grate, sift, bottle, and set it aside 
in the same manner as above. The fragments that will 
not pass through the sieve can be melted and gratod 
again after cooling. "With these two substances on hand, 
the prescriptionist is prepared for any formula in the 
suppository line. 
The management of the melting-point of suppositories 
has been a matter of great difficulty, annoyanco and 
delay, varying as. it does with the seasons; but with 
this grated material we havo a ready means of regu¬ 
lating it at will; for if the mass should be too hard,—as 
in winter,—the addition of a little olive oil will be found 
advantageous; or, if too soft,—as in summer,—the addi¬ 
tion of the grated wax will bring it to the right con¬ 
sistence. In addition to the above ready means of con¬ 
trolling the melting-point, it has the advantage of being 
much more easily manipulated. For instance, take the 
following suppository from the U. S. Dispensatory, 13th 
edition, viz.:— 
P> Tannic Acid.grs. 36 
Benzoated Lard .... 41 
White Wax. 10 
Oil of Theobroma. ... „ 90 
The directions are to melt the wax and oil of theo¬ 
broma with a gentle, heat and add the tannic acid and 
benzoated lard, previously rubbed together in a mortar, 
and mix all the ingredients thoroughly; pour the mix¬ 
ture, while it^is still fluid, into suitable moulds of the 
capacity of 1-5 grains, or the fluid mixture may be al¬ 
lowed to cool, and then divided into twelve equal parts, 
each of which shall be made into a conical or other con¬ 
venient form for a suppository. 
The above formula is easily expressed, but not so 
easily complied, with in all cases, owing to the variable 
nature of the oil of theobroma, and also to the tempera¬ 
ture of the season ; but, accepting it as it stands, the ad¬ 
vantage of the grated wax and cacao butter is very per¬ 
ceptible, since, instead of melting one portion together, 
and rubbing the other portion in a mortar as prescribed, 
the whole may be at once mixed and rubbed together in 
a mortar, forming a plastic mass as easily rolled into 
lengths and divided as an ordinary pill mass; and each 
piece formed by the fingers into a conical shape, or, if 
desirable, pressed into suitable moulds previously dusted 
with lycopodium, as suggested by Mr. J. B. Moore. 
The following is a copy of a far more difficult prescrip¬ 
tion that was brought to me by a patient to be filled one 
very warm night:— 
P> Carbolic Acid .... grs. wt 
C acao Butter.jiss. 
Mix and make suppositories No. 10. 
Here the prescriptionist is in a dilemma. If the car¬ 
bolic acid and cacao butter are melted together, they will 
not solidify oh cooling; if wax be melted with the mix¬ 
ture, considerable time is occupied in adjusting the pro¬ 
portions, as it is necessary to test it by allowing portions 
to cool from time to time, and adding wax by degrees 
until the proper consistence is attained ; meanwhile the 
carbolic acid is evaporating and the efficacy of the sup¬ 
positories being impaired. Having the grated materials 
at hand,, and no other resource but to add a sufficiency 
of wax, it was immediately and easily done by rubbing it 
in until the proper consistence was attained, the amount 
of wax required being 70 grains; the prescription was 
much more quickly dispensed than by any of the usual 
methods, and as there was no heat employed in the pro¬ 
cess there could have been no evaporation of the carbolic 
acid. In the above case, the grated wax and carbolic 
acid were first well rubbed together and the cacao butter 
added last. 
. As no allowance was made for the addition of wax, the 
size of each suppository was slightly increased (though 
not materially) and, as each contained the exa'ct propor- 
