514 
NOTE ON CHINESE SAL AMMONIAC. 
and tlie consequent “ smoothness” of the ointment made from it, are strong pre¬ 
sumptive proofs in its favour, the absolute proof of its superiority over the 
nitric oxide is to be found in the fact, that patients who have first made use of 
the latter and then of the former, always declare, and that without any prompt¬ 
ing, in favour of the binoxide. 
A lady lately under my care accidentally underwent a threefold change, from 
nitric oxide to binoxide, and then back to nitric oxide again. She had suffered 
for the last sixteen years from a chronic cutaneous disease, which, notwithstand¬ 
ing that she had been under treatment the greater part of that time, had slowly 
but steadily got worse. The irritation occasioned by it was so intense and so 
unremitting, that it was a constant source of torment. In conjunction with 
other remedies, I directed the use of an ointment containing the nitric oxide. 
Although considerable improvement took place, it did not progress so rapidly as 
I desired ; finding this, I wrote for precipitated oxide in place of nitric oxide, the 
treatment, except in this particular, being continued as before. The result was 
not only much more decided relief from the distress occasioned by the disease, 
and a more marked alteration in its appearance, but the ointment was praised as 
a much more agreeable application. A short time after this alteration had been 
made, the ointment, whose colour was masked by the presence of other ingre¬ 
dients, was accidentally made up by her chemist with the nitric oxide, and there 
being- nothing in its appearance to indicate the difference it was used as before, 
but she complained that it seemed to have lost much of its efficacy, and the ap¬ 
pearance of the diseased skin confirmed her statement. On examining the oint¬ 
ment and making inquiry of the dispenser, the cause appeared. 
I mention this case, since it affords an instance where neither patient nor 
practitioner were aware of a change until it declared itself by its effects, and 
where a difference (in favour of the yellow oxide) was first noticed by a person 
who, having no theory to prove, was perfectly free from all prejudice. 
I have since then frequently tried in appropriate cases ointments containing 
merely one or the other of the oxides, and the result has been uniformly in favour 
of the precipitated yellow oxide of mercury. 
Dr. Attfield said, that not the least important point in any proposition to 
introduce a new substance into pharmacy was the character of the name by 
which it was designated. Mr. Squire had brought before their notice two 
varieties of the red oxide of mercury ; one prepared by the old method of heating- 
nitrate of mercury, the other by precipitation of solution of corrosive sublimate 
by potash. Mr. Squire had apparently experienced some difficulty in distin¬ 
guishing between these varieties, and had not yet succeeded in stating the true 
distinction. The fact was that the old kind was perfectly free from water, while- 
that precipitated from solution contained twenty per cent.; the one was an¬ 
hydrous red oxide , the other hydrated red oxide. 
Mr. Daniel H anbury said that the house with which he was connected had 
many years since prepared for a well-known practitioner in skin diseases, a simi¬ 
lar ointment to that now suggested by Mr. Balmanno Squire, but the old sort 
had been returned to. 
NOTE ON CHINESE SAL AMMONIAC. 
BY DANIEL HANBURY, F.L.S. 
Among a numerous collection of Chinese drugs, a report upon which I pub¬ 
lished in the ‘Pharmaceutical Journal’ in the years 1860, 61, and 62, was a 
substance called Naou ska , which particularly excited my curiosity, on account 
