122 
ON  SOAP  LINIMENT. 
a  number  of  years  with  much  satisfaction,  having  never,  in  a  sin- 
gle instance,  been  disappointed  in  producing  a  perfectly  accepta- 
ble preparation.  It  is  simply  a  modification  of  the  "  officinal,''  in 
which  I  substitute  alcohol  fort,  for  alcohol  85  per  cent.  U.  S.  P., 
which,  with  a  somewhat  different  manipulation,  entirely  obviates 
the  prolonged  digestion  entailed  upon  the  process  by  the  officinal 
formula,  and  consequently  affords  a  more  facile,  expeditious  and 
economical  method  of  operating,  and  at  the  same  time  preserves 
intact  the  integrity  of  the  finished  product,  the  result  being  in 
strict  conformity  to  the  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia.  The 
following  is  the  formula  which  I  offer,  and  which  has  stood  the 
test  of  about  fifteen  year's  experience: 
B.  Saponis,  (in  shavings  or  coarse  powder),  giv  Troy. 
Camphorse    .       .        .       .        .  ^ij« 
01.  Rosmarini  .        .       .       .       .  f  ^ss. 
Aquae  BuUientis    .       .       .       .     f  ^viss. 
Alcohol  Fortioris  ....  f  gxxixss. 
Pour  the  boiling  water  upon  the  soap,  in  a  pan  or  other  suita- 
ble vessel ;  stir  and  beat  the  mixture  well  with  a  spoon  for  about 
five  minutes,  or  until  a  soft,  comparatively  smooth  and  pul- 
taceous  mass  is  obtained.  To  this  gradually  add  the  alcohol, 
with  constant  stirring,  until  the  soap  is  dissolved,  then  filter  into 
a  bottle  containing  the  camphor  and  oil  of  rosemary. 
If,  after  the  alcohol  has  all  been  added  and  the  mixture  well 
stirred,  there  should  remain  any  lumps  or  undissolved  portions  of 
soap,  these  should  be  separated  by  passing  the  mixture  through  a 
sieve  or  other  strainer,  rubbed  to  a  smooth  paste,  dissolved  in  a 
portion  of  the  strained  liquid,  and  then  the  whole  mixed  together 
before  filtering. 
The  soap  generally  employed  by  pharmacists  for  the  fabrication 
of  this  liniment  is  the  broken  pieces,  cuttings,  and  waste  por- 
tions which  accumulate  in  the  course  of  business  and  which  is 
usually  quite  dry ;  when  in  this  condition  it  can  be  readily  re- 
duced to  coarse  powder  by  contusion  and  trituration,  which  will 
greatly  facilitate  its  solution. 
In  hasty  preparation,  in  order  to  render  the  camphor  more 
quickly  soluble,  it  may  be  first  reduced  by  trituration  with  a  por- 
tion of  the  solution  of  soap. 
