ON  GLYCERIN. 
141 
agreeable  remedy  of  pleasing  appearance  and  tonic  power.  The 
proportions  may  be  varied,  and  sherry  wine  used  instead  of 
part  water,  as  also  the  officinal  solution  of  citrate  of  iron,  being 
careful  to  heat  it  before  mixing  with  the  other  salts ;  but  the  for- 
mula as  given  fulfils,  as  near  as  may  be,  the  conditions  before 
mentioned  of  efficacy,  agreeability,  economy  and  convenience 
of  preparation. — Proc.  Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1864. 
Philadelphia,  1864. 
GLYCERIN— ITS  MISSION  (SO  TO  SPEAK)  AS  A  REMEDY, 
AS  AN  ADJUVANT  AND  AS  A  SOLVENT. 
By  W.  J.  M.  Gordon,  Cincinnati. 
When  I  accepted  this  subject  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  As- 
sociation, I  expected  to  have  given  it  more  attention  than  my 
time  during  the  past  year  would  permit.  Not  having  inves- 
tigated it  as  thoroughly  as  desirable,  I  will  present  what  I 
have  accomplished  in  connection  with  much  that  is  not  new, 
so  as  to  present  it  as  fully  as  possible,  and  leave  it  for  the  ex- 
periments and  suggestions  of  all  who  may  be  interested  in  it. 
Glycerin,  it  is  generally  known,  possesses  a  wonderful  range 
of  solvent  properties,  dissolving  many  substances  not  soluble 
in  alcohol  or  water.  Its  agreeable  taste,  harmless  action  upon 
the  system  and  perfect  assimilation  with  human  digestion,  spe- 
cially adapt  it  when  other  substances  would  be  rejected.  Its 
sweetening  property  being  almost  equal  to  cane-sugar  syrup, 
but  differing  from  it  in  not  being  liable  to  fermentation ;  re- 
sembling oils,  but,  unlike  oils,  miscible  with  alcohol  and  water 
in  any  proportion  ;  not  volatile  at  ordinary  temperatures,  and 
not  becoming  hard  at  the  freezing  point  of  mercury.  Possess- 
ing these  properties,  it  cannot  but  be  an  article  of  importance 
both  in  pharmacy  and  in  the  arts. 
The  high  price,  heretofore,  no  doubt,  has  kept  it  from  many 
uses  to  which  it  is  now  applied.  Eecently,  glycerin,  adapted 
to  the  various  purposes  to  which  it  is  extensively  used,  has 
been  produced  at  a  lower  price  than  alcohol,  sugar,  or  oil, 
which  it  has  come  in  competition  with,  and  which  places,  it 
