BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
Venice turpentine, and powdered guaiacum. These were all put into willow 
boxes, and, in order to hasten the reaction, placed in a warm situation, whose 
temperature ranged between 70° and 80°. 
On the 28th of the following February (85 days), I observed the oint¬ 
ment made with plain lard to be slightly discoloured. By the 11th of March 
(96 days), the change had developed itself in the lavender, neroli, lemon, 
rosemary, and caraway, which, with the plain, were most discoloured. Next 
came cassia, Venice turpentine, less discoloured ; and then fennel, almond, 
and bergamotte, least discoloured. In some cases the interior was more dis¬ 
coloured than the exterior. April 19th, 1862 (135 days), the most changed 
were the plain and bergamotte; the next best, cassia, lemon, rosemary, la¬ 
vender, almond, turpentine; the least changed neroli, Venice turpentine, 
fennel, and caraway. The rest continued good. On the 2nd of June (179 
days), the only kinds remaining undiscoloured were rose, pimento, clove, 
creasote, cumin, sassafras, guaiacum, and balsam of Peru, the least affected 
of the remainder being benzoin, which now had given way. 
By the 10th of September (279 days), rose and cumin had become dis¬ 
coloured, leaving good only clove, pimento, Peruvian balsam, sassafras, 
guaiacum, and creasote, all of which at the present date are apparently as good 
as ever. 
December 5th of the following year (1862), I put by, under the same cir¬ 
cumstances, another series of ointments containing 4 drops to the ounce, 
and a second series containing only 2 drops to the ounce of the following oils, 
etc.:—Clove, sassafras, pimento, balsam of Peru, and creasote,—those, in fact, 
that had comported themselves best on the prior occasion. 
By May 5th, 1862 (151 days), the plain ointment was spoiled. By August 
11th, 1862 (249 days), the benzoinated and No. 2 sassafras. At the present 
date (August 29tli, 1864), balsam of Peru No. 2 shows symptoms of giving 
way, but all the rest are apparently as good as ever. In order to ascertain 
the actual condition of the fats—to try whether or not the test of colour could 
be relied on—I recovered them by means of benzole from the No. 2 creasote 
and No. 2 pimento, and found them react perfectly neutral with iodide of 
potassium, notwithstanding they had been purposely kept under = the most 
unfavourable conditions for upwards of twenty months. 
The action of creasote, the great antiseptic, is not difficult to understand ; 
but whether the essential oils shared its power to prevent the putrefaction of 
albumen remained to be proved. To do so, I prepared a filtered solution of 
egg albumen, and to 2-ounce portions of it, placed in 3-ounce bottles, I added 
2 drops of each of the essential oils I had used with the ointments, dissolved 
in I drachm of rectified spirit. One portion, mixed with spirit only, was 
placed with them for comparison. They all were set aside in the situation 
previously occupied by the ointments. The unscented albumen became 
putrid in 28 days, the other specimens are still good. I expect them to ob¬ 
serve the same order in this experiment as in those with the ointments. I 
may add, that all these essential oils precipitate albumen, some more, some 
less. 
Having succeeded so well with the ointment of oxide of mercury, I com¬ 
menced, January 22nd of this year, to try similar experiments on pure lard. 
Twelve pounds of fresh flare were completely deprived of flesh and membrane, 
bruised well, washed under a stream of water, and placed in a porcelain 
vessel over a water-bath. As soon as one-third was liquefied, that portion 
was strained and set aside. The temperature had not exceeded 140°. This 
lard I shall refer to as No. 1. 
The rest was kept on the bath one hour after total liquefaction, then 
strained, its temperature being 190° ; half of it was set aside=No. 2. 
