THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
JANUARY,  1  8  60. 
ON  OXALATE  OF  CERIUM; 
By  Ferd.  F.  Mayer,  of  New  York. 
This  preparation,  heretofore  a  rara  avis  even  in  a  chemical 
laboratory,  is  now  coming  into  use  as  a  remedy  for  obstinate 
vomiting  in  pregnancy,  for  which  purpose  it  has  been  highly 
recommended  by  Professor  Simpson,  of  Edinburgh.*     It  is 
*  The  drug  I  refer  to  is  oxalate  of  cerium,  which  I  have  seen  successful 
in  curing  vomiting  in  a  larger  proportion  of  cases  than  any  other  single 
remedy  which  I  have  used ;  and  its  good  effects  are  not  confined  to  the 
forms  of  vomiting  which  depend  on  the  sympathetic  derangements  of  the 
stomach  caused  by  changes,  functional  or  pathological,  in  the  uterus  or  other 
organs,  but  are  manifested  also  in  those  forms  of  the  disease  which  are  due 
to  different  morbid  conditions  of  the  stomach  itself.  Cerium  is,  as  you 
know,  one  of  those  rare  and  little-known  metals  which  were  first  discovered 
in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  and  is  found  chiefly  in  the  Scan- 
dinavian mines,  combined  in  small  proportions  in  various  minerals.  I  be- 
lieve that  any  of  the  other  preparations  of  the  metal  would  fulfil  the  indi- 
cation equally  as  well  as  the  oxalate,  which  is  used  simply  because  it  is  the 
most  easily  procurable  salt  of  cerium  in  the  market ;  oxalic  acid  being 
used  to  separate  the  cerium  from  the  metal  with  which  it  is  most  generally 
combined  in  nature,  namely,  didymium.  The  action  of  cerium  on  the 
stomach  seems  to  be  that  of  a  sedative  tonic,  resembling  in  some  degree 
the  action  of  the  salts  of  silver,  and  bismuth ;  and  I  have  seen  it  succeed  in 
curing  the  most  obstinate  cases  of  vomiting  so  much  oftener,  and  so  much 
more  speedily  than  any  other  remedy,  that  I  have  come  of  late  to  have  great 
faith  in  its  employment.  I  would  not  lead  you  to  suppose  that  by  the  ad- 
ministration of  a  quantity  of  oxalate  of  cerium  you  will  succeed  in  curing 
every  case  of  vomiting,  or  even  in  alleviating  it  in  every  case ;  but  I  am 
certain  that  you  will  find  the  remedy  successful  in  a  larger  majority  of 
instances  than  you  will  find  any  other  one  drug.   You  may  give  one  or  two 
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