6 
SYRUP  OF  TAR. 
ON  SYRUP  OF  TAR. 
By  J.  B.  Moore. 
Tar  is  a  very  popular  domestic  remedy,  and  is  also  very  liiglily 
esteemed  by  many  medical  practitioners  in  the  treatment  of  the 
various  chronic,  pulmonary  and  bronchial  affections  so  prevalent 
during  the  damp,  cold  and  changeable  weather  of  the  winter  and 
spring  seasons  in  our  climate,  It  is  also  very  useful  as  a  diuretic 
in  certain  diseases  of  the  kidneys  and  bladder. 
All  of  the  published  formulas  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
syrup  of  tar  yield  preparations  entirely  too  feeble  in  the  pro- 
perties of  tar  to  possess  much  medicinal  activity  or  value ;  and 
as  the  season  is  approaching  when  remedies  of  tliis  class  will  be 
in  demand,  I  thought  it  would  not  be  amiss  to  offer  to  the 
profession  a  formula  which,  if  carefully  and  skillfully  manipu- 
lated, will  afford  an  excellent  and  efficient  syrup.  The  following 
formula  I  have  employed,  with  but  slight  variation,  for  the  last 
ten  or  twelve  years  : 
B.    Tar  (strained)  ^  j  (troy.) 
Pulv.  sugar  (refined)  g  xij 
Magnesia  carb.  (rubbed  to  powder  on  a  sieve)  ^  iij  " 
Alcohol,  f^  ij  " 
Water,  quantity  sufficient. 
Mix  the  alcohol  with  six  fluidounces  of  water,  rub  the  tar,  in 
a  mortar  of  sufficient  capacity,  with  one  troy  ounce  of  the  sugar, 
and  then  with  the  carbonate  of  magnesia  gradually  added  until 
the  whole  is  reduced  to  a  uniform  pulverulent  mixture.  To  this 
gradually  add,  with  constant  trituration,  which  should  be  con- 
tinued for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  four  fluidounces  of  the 
mixture  of  alcohol  and  water,  then  strain  with  strong  expres- 
sion. Return  the  residue  to  the  mortar  and  again  triturate, 
first  with  one  troy  ounce  of  the  sugar,  and  then  with  the  re- 
maining four  fluidounces  of  the  mixture  of  alcohol  -and  water, 
gradually  added  as  before ;  finally  strain  and  strongly  express, 
and  then  reduce  the  dregs,  by  trituration,  to  a  smooth  and 
uniform  condition,  and  pack  firmly  in  a  glass  funnel  prepared 
for  percolation  and  adjusted  to  the  neck  of  a  graduated  bottle 
containing  the  remainder  of  the  sugar,  and  pour  upon  this  the 
