BITTER  WINE  OF  IRON. 
19 
Macera,te  in  a  bottle  loosely  corked,  for  two  weeks  or  longerj 
then  express  and  filter  for  use. 
A  reaction  occurs  between  the  iron  filings  and  the  acid  of  the 
cider,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  malate,  and  perhaps  some 
acetate  of  protoxide  of  iron,  with  the  evolution  of  hydrogen 
gas,  which  swells  up  the  ingredients,  and  requires  that  the  mas- 
ceration  should  be  conducted  in  a  bottle  of  twice  the  capacity 
of  the  ingredients. 
This  preparation  has  a  dark  almost  black  color,  very  bitter 
aromatic  taste,  and  is  a  good,  though  not  an  elegant  chalybeate, 
in  the  dose  of  a  teaspoonful. 
BITTER  WINE  OF  IRON. 
{MuhhelVs  Recipe.) 
For  some  time  past,  Mr.  0.  S.  Hubbell,  of  Philad.,  has  pre- 
pared a  Bitter  Wine  of  Iron,"  which  has  been  much  prescribed 
by  several  physicians.  The  peculiarity  of  this  preparation  is, 
that  it  consists  of  iron  and  cinchona,  and  yet  is  free  from  any 
inky  taste  or  appearance,  is  perfectly  transparent,  of  a  light 
brown  color,  not  very  different  from  that  of  sherry  wine,  and  a 
bitter,  not  disagreeable  taste. 
The  label  claims  for  it  the  presence  of  citrate  of  the  mag- 
netic oxide  of  iron,  as  the  ferruginous  ingredient. 
On  applying  to  Mr.  Hubbell  for  the  recipe  for  publication,  he 
freely  gave  me  sufficient  data  with  which  to  make  the  follovYing 
formula  : 
Take  Citrate  (of  magnetic  oxide)  of  Iron,  128  grains. 
Precipitated  extract  of  Galisaya  bark,  256  grains. 
White  wine  (sherry),  a  pint, 
Curacao  (the  best),  five  fluid  ounces  and  a  third. 
Dissolve  the  precipitated  extract  of  bark  in  the  wine  by  dAd 
of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  citric  acid,  then  add  the  citrate  of 
iron,  filter  the  solution,  and  add  to  it  the  Curacao  and  mix. 
The  precipitated  extract  of  bark  employed  by  Mr.  Hubbell 
is  not  the  commercial  extract,  or  yet  that  of  Wetherill,  or  of 
Ellis,  but  is  made  by  himself,  by  a  process  based  on  that  of 
Mr.  Herring,  of  London,  for  the  manufacture  of  quinine. 
Any  quantity  of  Calisaya  bark  is  treated  with  a  solution  of 
