504 
Oil  of  Maize. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
Oct.,  1889. 
It  could  not  be  used  to  adulterate  olive  oil,  as  it  gives  different  re- 
sults with  all  the  tests  for  the  identity  of  that  body.  "With  concen- 
trated sulphuric  acid  it  instantly  darkens.  Immersed  in  a  freezing 
mixture  of  ice  and  salt,  it  did  not  deposit  a  granular  substance  and 
remained  nearly  transparent,  but  became  very  notably  thicker  in 
consistence,  so  much  so  that  it  was  scarcely  mobile.  The  probability 
is  that  it  consists  largely  of  olein. 
It  is  more  easily  absorbed  by  the  skin  than  cottonseed  or  olive  oils, 
and  is  an  excellent  vehicle  for  external  applications.  It  also  dissolves 
camphor  with  more  facility  than  those  oils. 
Numerous  preparations  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  were  made  by  sub- 
stituting oil  of  maize  where  cottonseed  oil  is  directed,  to  ascertain 
whether  it  is  capable  of  replacing  that  body.  The  results  were  very 
satisfactory  in  every  case.  In  some  instances  its  superiority  over  cot- 
tonseed oil  was  very  well  marked.  In  the  preparation  of  ammonia 
liniment  this  feature  was  most  prominent.  The  oil  readily  saponified 
on  the  addition  of  the  ammonia  water,  forming  a  smooth, 
creamy  mixture,  which  did  not  become  curd-like  or  separate  on 
standing,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with  the  officinal  liniment  of 
ammonia.  Examined  at  the  expiration  of  two  months,  no  changes 
could  be  observed,  and  it  was  apparently  as  perfect  as  when  first 
made. 
The  oil  could  be  adapted  to  table  use  as  a  dressing  for  salads,  etc., 
and  could  readily  take  the  place  of  those  oils  now  used  for  such 
purposes. 
Taken  internally  in  the  dose  of  a  fiuidounce,  it  gives  no  medicinal 
effects  other  than  those  possessed  by  olive  oil. 
It  is  said  that  this  oil  is  already  an  article  of  commerce  in  some  of 
the  western  states.  It  is  a  by-product  in  the  manufacture  of  starch. 
Where  corn  is  used  as  the  source  of  that  substance,  it  becomes  an 
object  to  get  rid  of  the  oil-bearing  germs,  and  this  is  done  by  the  aid 
of  machinery,  which  separates  the  starchy  portion  of  the  corn  in  one 
direction  and  the  germs  in  another.  The  germs  are  then  freed  from 
adhering  integuments  as  far  as  practicable  and  subjected  to  the  action 
of  steam,  after  which  the  oil  is  removed  by  the  aid  of  hydraulic 
pressure. 
Sulfonal  is  recommended  for  night  sweats  by  Dr.  Boethrick,  a  dose  of  0'5 
gms.  (gr.vijss)  being  usually  sufficient,  and  its  effect  being  noticed  during  the 
second  night  in  less  profuse  perspiration. 
