188 
BITTER  WINE  OP  IRON. 
portion  of  alcohol,  say  about  two  ounces  to  a  quart  jar.  The  va- 
por of  the  alcohol  is  soon  absorbed  by  the  bulbs,  and,  so  far  aa 
my  experience  goes,  entirely  destroys  all  their  vitality ;  hence, 
all  tendency  to  germinate  is  destroyed,  and  in  this  manner  the 
article  under  consideration  can  be  kept  (as  I  have  done)  for  years, 
and  at  the  same  time  its  virtues  apparently  maintained  to  the 
last  so  far  as  smell,  taste,  &c,  goes  to  prove  it. — Proc.  Amer. 
PJiarm.  Assoc.,  1864. 
BITTER  WINE  OF  IRON. 
By  James  T.  Shinn. 
Preparations  of  bitter  tonics  in  wine,  and  of  iron  in  the 
same  menstruum,  have  been  in  use  for  many  generations,  and 
various  formulas  for  making  them  are  to  be  found  in  old  me- 
dical works.  In  "  The  Complete  English  Dispensatory,"  pub- 
lished in  1730,  by  John  Quincy,  M.  D.,  quite  a  number  are 
given  for  Yinum  Ferri,  Yinum  Chalybeatum,  Yinum  Amarum, 
&c,  but  none  combining  the  iron  and  bitters,  though  in  some 
remarks  on  the  medical  properties  of  wine  of  steel,  it  is  stated 
to  be  very  efficacious  when  given  with  the  stomachic  bitters ; 
it  is  also  recommended  to  be  mixed  with  wine  of  vipers,  there- 
by increasing  the  effect,  if  not  improving  the  taste ;  but  this 
latter  article  is  now  scarcely  to  be  found,  save  in  some  anti- 
quated apothecary's  shop  window,  and  the  human  race  is  suffi- 
ciently tinctured  with  the  old  serpent  without  resorting  to  such 
an  infusion. 
Early  in  this  century,  Dr.  Physick,  of  Philadelphia,  pre- 
scribed a  bitter  wine  of  iron  by  macerating  iron  filings,  gentian, 
orange  peel  and  ginger  in  old  cider,  which,  though  containing 
but  little  iron  in  solution,  was  considerably  used  by  the  pro- 
fession, and  kept  its  popularity  until  within  a  few  years ;  the 
tannin  in  the  orange  peel  caused  it  to  become  quite  dark  in 
color,  which  detracted  from  its  elegance  as  a  preparation. 
In  1841  M.  Beral  published  some  notices  of  various  prepa- 
rations of  iron,  including  citrate  of  sesquioxide  and  of  the 
magnetic  oxide,  and  of  one  called  chalybeate  wine  of  quinqui- 
na, of  which  he  says,  "  Composed  of  elements  which  were  sup- 
