572 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
other forms of administration. There can be no doubt, however, that both the 
public and the medical profession have long and fully appreciated the benefit 
that was conferred on medicine by the introduction of the “ JSeidlitz powder,” 
which was the first important step taken in this direction. Art was here ap¬ 
plied to imitate nature, for the effervescent forms are but imitations of tne 
sparkling saline waters of mineral springs, which in all ages have been held in 
high repute for their curative properties. I should not wish it to be thought, 
however, that I am prepared to advocate the introduction into the Pharma¬ 
copoeia of all the preparations of this sort that the ingenuity of some of our 
brethren has devised. All that I would suggest is, that whatever is good and 
essential be sought out from among the varied extrinsic qualities which are 
given to such preparations for mere trade purposes. Thus, for instance, in the 
granular effervescent preparations, is there not a definable basis underlying the 
whole series, which, in its most eligible form, might be used as a simple effer¬ 
vescent saline, to which, as occasion requires, more active additions might be 
made? 
The form of Lozenge , again, is one the use of which for the administration of 
medicines seems to promise successful extension, and this is one of the methods 
adopted for giving as agreeable a character as possible to an otherwise disagree¬ 
able dose. 
In external applications, also, some improvement has been made. The old 
form of ointment has often been referred to as one calling for improvement; for 
what can be more offensive than a rancid unguent smeared over the skin ? The 
so-called Plasma , which was introduced by Mr. Schacht, of Clifton, in 1858, is 
certainly a great improvement in elegance and the absence of repulsiveness upon 
the forms previously used for similar purposes. This plasma, which is a solu¬ 
tion of starch in glycerine, has now been in use for several years, and there 
appears to be but one objection to it, which is that, if exposed to the air, it 
absorbs moisture, and is then liable to become mouldy. But it has several 
recommendations, and it will probably come into more general use as it be¬ 
comes more extensively known. 
May we not also extend the application of glycerine in medicine ? Several 
suggestions have been made with this object by Mr. Haselden and others, and 
there are some preparations on the table, which have been kindly furnished by 
the Chairman, that serve to illustrate the practicability of such suggestions. 
Glycerine is not only a very efficient solvent of many active medicinal agents, 
but it also tends to preserve some of those that otherwise are subject to change. 
It dissolves and preserves tannic acid, and is a very good solvent for gallic acid. 
It has also been suggested as a vehicle for carbolic acid. Gallic acid, as is known, 
is but slightly soluble in water, but it dissolves in glycerine to the extent of 25 
per cent. 
If glycerine is to be thus used, it is desirable that we should have some name 
that could be conveniently applied in pharmacy as a generic name for solutions 
where it is employed as the solvent. Some names have been already proposed, 
but none of them appear to me to be unobjectionable. Solutions in glycerine 
have sometimes been called glyceroles , but this name is suggestive of a property 
the reverse of that which glycerine imparts. Glyceroleum cannot therefore be 
considered a suitable generic name for a class of preparations distinguished from 
olea and unguenta by the possession of entirely different characters. Then we 
cannot call them glycerides or glycerates , because these names are already appro¬ 
priated as chemical names, having different significations from those here in¬ 
tended. I would suggest that the name glycemate might be suitably used for 
these preparations. This name has not yet been appropriated that I am aware 
of, and it seems to fulfil what is required. The word glycemate would be glyce - 
matum in Latin, and this would apply to solutions of substances such as I have 
