174  Chinese  Method  of  Making  Vermilion.     {"^"'-^^r^i  S""' 
dose,  as  in  the  case  under  investigation^  wliere,  instead  of  Friedliin- 
der's  preparation,  wliich  was ,  intended  but  not  specified  by  the  pre- 
scriber,  that  of  Petit,  which  was  one  hundred  and  seventy  times 
stronger,  was  used.  The  author  also  recommends  that  the  official 
maximum  dose  in  the  Dutch  Pharmacopoeia,  of  4  milligrams,  or  32 
milligrams  daily,  should  be  struck  out,  as  in  this  case  it  proved  fataU 
Comparative  experiments  with  the  mixture  confirmed  the  statement 
that  Petit's  preparation  had  been  used  in  dispensing  the  mixture. 
Only  negative  results  Avere  obtained  with  the  residue  from  the  vomit^ 
etc. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Feb.  18,  1882. 
CHINESE  METHOD  of  MANUFACTUEING  VERMILION. 
By  Hugh  MacCallum. 
Mead  before  the  North  British  Branch  of  the  PharmaGeutieal  Society. 
There  are  three  vermilion  works  in  Hong  Kong,  the  method  of 
manufacture  being  exactly  the  same  in  each.  The  largest  works  con- 
sume about  six  thousand  bottles  of  mercury  annually,  and  it  was  in 
this  one  that  the  following  operations  were  witnessed : 
Fii'st  Step. — A  large,  very  thin  iron  pan,  containing  a  weighed 
quantity,  about  14  pounds,  of  sulphur,  is  placed  over  a  slow  fire,  and 
two-thirds  of  a  bottle  of  mercury  added ;  as  soon  as  the  sulphur  begins^ 
to  melt  the  mixture  is  vigorously  stirred  with  an  iron  stirrer  until  it 
assumes  a  black  pulverulent  appearance  with  some  melted  sulphur 
floating  on  the  surface ;  it  is  then  removed  from  the  fire  and  the 
remainder  of  the  bottle  of  mercury  added,  the  whole  well  stirred.  A 
little  water  is  now  poured  over  the  mass,  which  rapidly  cools  if;  the 
pan  is  immediately  emptied,  when  it  is  again  ready  for  the  next  batch.. 
The  whole  operation  does  not  last  more  than  ten  minutes.  The  result- 
ing black  powder  is  not  a  definite  sulphide,  as  uncombined  mercury 
can  be  seen  throughout  the  whole  mass ;  besides,  the  quantity  of  sul- 
phur used  is  much  in  excess  of  the  amount  required  to  form  mercuric 
sulphide. 
Second  Step. — The  black  powder  obtained  in  the  first  step  is  placed 
in  a  semi-hemispherical  iron  pan,  built  in  with  brick,  and  having  a 
fireplace  beneath,  covered  over  with  broken  pieces  of  porcelain.  These- 
are  built  up  in  a  loose  porous  manner,  so  as  to  fill  another  semi-hemi- 
spherical iron  pan,  which  is  then  placed  over  the  fixed  one  and  securely 
luted  with  clay,  a  large  stone  being  placed  on  the  top  of  it  to  assist  in. 
