EXPERIMENTS  ON  SPERMACETI  OINTMENT  AND  OLIVE  OIL.  157 
good,  they  were  set  aside,  and  have  again  been  examined,  to. 
gether  with  Nos.  3  and  4,  after  the  expiration  of  two  years. 
Small  quantities  of  each  specimen,  Nos,  1,  2,  3,  and  4,  were 
boiled  in  separate  portions  of  distilled  water.  After  cooling, 
the  water  was  poured  off  from  each  and  tested  with  blue  litmus 
paper,  and  the  following  results  were  obtained  : — Nos.  3  and  4, 
the  bleached  oil  and  lard  preparations,  instantly  reddened  the 
test  paper  in  a  most  decided  manner ;  whilst  No,  1,  made  with 
unbleached  olive  oil,  white  wax  and  spermaceti,  showed  only  a 
very  slight  indication  of  the  presence  of  an  acid,  and  not  until 
some  moments  had  passed  did  the  paper  become  slightly  red- 
dened. No.  2,  the  specimen  prepared  with  unbleached  oil,  yel- 
low wax  and  spermaceti,  did  not  exhibit  the  smallest  indication 
of  the  presence  of  an  acid.  And,  moreover,  you  will  perceive, 
upon  smelling  these  ointments,  that  No.  1  has  only  the  slightest 
possible  rancid  odor,  and  that  No.  2  has  not  the  faintest  trace 
of  rancidity  ;  in  fact,  it  is  as  good  now  as  it  was  the  day  it  was 
prepared ;  whilst  Nos.  3  and  4  are  most  decidedly  rancid  and 
quite  unfit  for  use  as  ointments. 
These  results  have  exceeded  my  expectations.  I  scarcely 
thought  it  possible  that  spermaceti  ointment  prepared  with  un- 
bleached oil  would  keep  so  perfectly  good  for  so  long  a  period 
as  two  years.  The  ointment  made  with  both  unbleached  oil 
and  wax  is  undoubtedly  the  best ;  therefore,  I  think  the  Phar- 
macopoeia Committee  should  recommend  the  employment  of  un- 
bleached bees'  wax  in  the  preparation  of  this  ointment  and 
cerate. 
It  is  to  my  mind  very  evident  that  the  peculiar  odor  of  yellow 
wax  has  a  preservative  action  upon  it,  and  that  nature  has  sup- 
plied it  with  this  principle  in  order  that  it  may  be  better  adapted 
for  our  use.  So  with  olive  oil.  Its  odor,  I  am  inclined  to 
believe,  has  a  preservative  effect  upon  it.  We  have  two  other 
familiar  instances  of  the  power  of  odoriferous  principles  in  pre- 
serving fatty  substances,  namely,  pomade  divine  and  benzoated 
zinc  ointment. 
The  next  experiment  was  commenced  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1858,  and  consisted  in  filling  these  two  bottles  with  fresh  olive 
oil  from  the  same  jar,  and  corking  them  securely.  One  of 
them,  marked  No.  1,  was  placed  outside  a  window  on  the  south 
