78 
BOTANY BAY, OB GBASS-TREE GUM. 
was not quite as white as usually met with in apothecaries’ stores; but a thin layer on 
the surface, containing more wax, and being firmer on that account, rather tended to 
counteract the tendency to become rancid; and he had repeatedly examined some 
several months after its preparation, and, though a slight odour of incipient rancidity 
was observed, this decomposition had not proceeded far enough to unfit it for surgical 
use. From 800 to 1200 lbs. were frequently run off in one day. 
Mr. Bringhurst said that he had no doubt that the simple cerate, like all other prepa¬ 
rations made at the U. S. Army Laboratory, were prepared in accordance with the Phar¬ 
macopoeia ; but he had opened a great many packages issued from that institution and 
found them all rancid, and, in his opinion, unfit for dressing w'ounds. 
Mr. Maisch.—Early in 1863 he had proposed to make simple cerate with yellow 
instead of white wax, as probably furnishing a preparation not so prone to change as 
the officinal, but the surgeons who had to decide upon it would not entertain the pro¬ 
position because the preparation would be so different in appearance from that with 
which the surgeons of the army were familiar that it would be returned. There was, 
however, one reason which easily accounts for the rancidity of the simple cerate as met 
with in the general hospitals and on the battle-field. Mr. Henry N. Eittenhouse, who 
is present at this meeting, and W'ho has acted as medical purveyor during a considerable 
period of this war, has had practical experience in the mode of furnishing medical sup¬ 
plies to the array, and could give better information on this point than the speaker. 
Towards the close of a quarter, the Laboratory would endeavour to have a stock of all 
preparations on hand to fill the requisitions of the various medical jDurveyors, who made 
theirs three months in advance. The surgeons in charge of general hospitals likewise 
made their quarterly requisitions three months ahead, and they were usually filled by 
the purveyors from the supplies received during the pr.evious quarter. It will be seen 
that six to nine months might have elapsed before the medical supplies reached those 
points where they were to be used, and that nine to twelve months might pass away be¬ 
fore they were all used. This is entirely too long a period to preserve simple cerate, 
which is rendered still more inclined to change by the heat of- our summer.— Amer. Joimi. 
Vharm. 
OEANGE-LEAF WATEE AS AN ADULTEEATION OF OEANGE-FLOI^TIR 
WATEE. 
M. Gobley (Journ. de Fharm., April, 1866, 2.49) says, that water distilled from orange- 
leaves is sometimes substituted for or mixed with orange-flower waters, than which it is 
much less odorant or agreeable. He proposes the following chemical means of distinguish¬ 
ing between these two waters. Twenty parts of nitric acid, ten of sulphuric acid, and thirty 
of water are mixed. The assay is made by mixing one part of this test acid solution 
with five parts of the distilled water of orange-flowers, when a rose-colour of greater or 
less depth, according to the strength of the water, occurs. With the water of the 
leaves no such coloration occurs. Unfortunately this test is only useful in distinguish¬ 
ing the separate waters, as it will not detect the presence of the leaf-water even nega¬ 
tively, as orange-flower water is made of several commercial starengths. It is also 
the opinion of M. Eabot that age deprives this water of the property of being coloured 
by the acid mixture. [We have tried this test with orange-flower water, imported in 
flasks, and find it to react perfectly; but water made from oil of neroli did not react, so 
that this test will distinguish the distilled orange-flower water from that made from oil 
of neroli.—Ed. Amer. Journ. Pharm.] 
BOTANY BAY, OE GEASS-TEEE GUM. 
BY P. L. SIMMOXDS, P.S.S. 
This remarkable resin, which is known in different parts of Australia under various 
local names, as “ black boy ” gum, grass-tree gum, etc., would seem to be obtained from 
