552       Linimentum  Ammonice  and  other  Liniments.  {AmNov^)'l88b7?^m, 
gested  itself  that  an  equally  good,  if  not  better,  ammonia  liniment 
than  the  usual  one,  could  be  had  by  using  ammonia  water  in  place  of 
lime  water.  Experience,  in  this  case,  has  sustained  theory,  and  the 
results  yielded  are  very  satisfactory ;  saponification  ensues  immedi- 
ately on  simple  agitation  of  the  two  liquids,  but  care  must  be  exer- 
cised in  the  selection  of  the  oil,  and  only  the  unboiled,  officinal,  cold- 
pressed  oil  should  be  used,  otherwise,  the  result  is  a  failure  since  the 
boiled  oil  yields  a  most  unsaponifiable  preparation. 
The  U.  S.  P.,  1880,  states  cold-pressed  linseed  oil  to  be  soluble  in 
five  parts  of  absolute  alcohol.  The  writer  has  examined  quite  a  num- 
ber of  commercial  makes,  and  one  personally  made  from  flaxseed 
meal  aDd  carbon  bisulphide;  but  in  no  instance  was  he  able  to  obtain 
an  oil  soluble  in  less  than  ten  times  its  weight  of  Squibb's  absolute 
(99.8  per  cent.)  alcohol,  and  when  the  home-made  product  was  heated 
its  solubility  was  diminished  over  50  per  cent.  Several  dealers  have 
stated  that  a  cold-pressed  linseed  oil  of  undoubted  purity  is  readily  ob- 
tainable in  the  markets. 
The  following  is  the  formula  used : 
Take  of 
Ammonia  water  (F.  F.  F.1)   2  f.  oz. 
Lin-eed  oil  (IT.  S.  P.,  '80)   4  f.  oz. 
Place  the  oil  in  a  bottle,  add  the  ammonia  water  in  portions  at  a 
time,  agitating  thoroughly  after  each  addition. 
The  product  formed  is  a  cream-like  saponaceous  liquid,  possessing 
all  the  stimulating  and  rubefacient  qualities  of  those  made  by  the 
older  formulae,  and  unlike  them  does  not  cake  on  standing.  It  ac- 
quires, however,  on  standing  a  month  or  two,  a  yellowish  tinge,  but 
its  properties  remain  unaffected.  Rubbed  on  the  surface  of  the  body 
it  warmly  stimulates,  and  is  quickly  absorbed  by  the  skin. 
The  readiness  of  cold-pressed,  unboiled  linseed  oil  to  saponify,  even 
when  added  to  other  fixed  oils,  was  also  curiously  illustrated  to  me 
a  short  time  ago.  Having  some  four  or  five  pints  of  volatile  lini- 
ment on  hand,  made  by  the  present  pharmacopoeial  formula  with  cot- 
ton-seed oil,  which  had  separated  into  several  layers,  about  four 
fluid-ounces  of  linseed  oil  was  added  to  the  unsightly  mixture  and  the 
bottle  thoroughly  agitated,  with  the  result  of  complete  saponification  of 
all  the  cotton-seed  oil,  as  well  as  the  added  linseed  oil.    Up  to  the 
1  The  commercial  F.  F.  F.,  or  20°  B.,  ammonia  water,  contains  17.5  per  cent. 
NH3  gas.;  spec.  grav.  .933. 
