450       NEW  PROCESS  FOR  PREPARING  POWDER  OF  IRON. 
therein  two  or  three  days,  by  which  it  becomes  thick,  feels  sandy, 
exhibits  a  brown  color,  and  tastes  sweet.  This  mass  is  now  puri- 
fied by  means  of  fresh  spring  water,  which  is  poured  in  rather 
large  quantities  into  the  vessel ;  the  mass  is  often  stirred  and 
then  allowed  to  remain  quiet  for  some  time  until  it  is  deposited 
on  the  bottom  of  the  vessel.  The  dirty  water  is  then  poured  off 
and  fresh  added,  and  the  dirty  water  poured  away  from  time  to 
time  until  a  fine  white  powder  is  obtained.  The  first  water 
poured  off  may  be  used  for  fattening  pigs,  and  the  latter  ones, 
which  have  rather  a  white  color,  and  -contain  much  milk-sugar 
dissolved,  are  evaporated  as  the  whey.  The  white  powder  is 
milk-sugar,  and  must  be  converted  into  certain  forms.  It  is  thus 
crystallized.  The  pure  white  powder  is  dissolved  in  boiling  water, 
poured  into  a  well-tinned  vessel,  and  allowed  to  stand  there  for 
eleven  to  fourteen  days.  It  forms  fine  crystalline  sticks  in  the 
form  of  a  cake.  To  obtain  the  crystals  in  the  form  of  a  sugar- 
loaf,  wooden  rods  are  introduced  into  the  vessel  about  which  the 
milk-sugar  crystallizes.  After  the  time  named  the  sugar  is  taken 
out  and  dried,  when  it  is  fit  for  use. 
The  water  remaining  in  the  vessel  is  further  evaporated,  puri- 
fied, and  yields  very  fine  milk-sugar,  which  is  made  into  tablets 
by  pouring  moist  powder  on  a  wooden  table  covered  with  linen, 
allowing  it  to  stand  twelve  hours,  then  cutting  the  mass  into 
tablets  and  drying  them.. — Annals  of  Pharm.,  July,  1854,  from 
Buchners  Repertorium. 
ON  A  NEW  PROCESS  FOR  PREPARING  POWDER  OF  IRON. 
By  Arthur  Morgan,  LA.C. 
This  preparation,  known  also  as  the  "  Fer  Reduit,"  or  Que- 
venne's  iron,  from  the  name  of  the  gentlemen  who  introduced  it, 
has  obtained  a  place  both  in  the  last  Dublin  Pharmacopoeia,  and 
in  that  of  the  United  States.  On  the  continent,  and  in  America, 
practitioners  speak  highly  of  its  effects  as  a  chalybeate  and  tonic; 
in  this  country  its  use  has  not  been  sufficiently  extensive,  as  yet, 
to  justify  a  decided  opinion.  I  may  mention,  however,  that  in 
several  cases  in  which  it  has  been  lately  used  at  Sir  Patrick  Dun's 
Hospital,  its  good  effects  were  well  marked. 
In  the  formulae  which  have  been  published  in  the  two  Pbarma- 
