Am.  Jour.  Pliarru.  i 
March,  1907.  J 
Approved  Proprietary  Preparations. 
123 
Report  of  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry \  from  the  Journal 
A.  M.  A.,  October  20,  1906. 
tyree's  antiseptic  powder. 
Tyree's  antiseptic  powder  was  assigned  for  examination  to  a  sub- 
committee of  the  Council,  which  made  the  following  report  : 
To  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry  :  Your  subcommittee, 
to  whom  was  assigned  Tyree's  Pulv.  Antiseptic  Comp.,  marketed  by 
J.  S.  Tyree,  Washington,  D.  C,  reports  as  follows: 
The  label  on  the  package  states  :  "  This  preparation  is  a  scientific 
combination  of  borate  of  sodium,  alumen,  carbolic  acid,  glycerin  and 
the  crystallized  principles  of  thyme,  eucalyptus,  gaultheria,  and 
mentha,  in  the  form  of  a  powder,"  etc. 
The  statement  that  the  powder  contains  the  crystalline  principles 
of  thyme,  eucalyptus,  gaultheria  and  mentha  is  vague  and  mislead- 
ing* since  the  chief  medical  constituents  of  eucalyptus  and  gaul- 
theria are  liquids,  but  it  tends  to  convey  the  impression  that  the 
powder  contains  the  essential  constituents  of  these  drugs,  namely, 
thymol,  oil  of  eucalyptus  or  eucalyptol,  oil  of  wintergreen,  or  methyl 
salicylate,  and  menthol. 
The  literature  supplied  to  physicians  claims  its  composition  to  be  : 
"  Parts,  sod.  bor.,  50;  alumen,  50;  ac.  carbol.,  5  ;  glycerin,  5  ;  the 
cryst.  principles  of  thyme,  5  ;  eucalyptus,  5  ;  gaultheria,  5,  and 
mentha,  5." 
The  composition,  therefore,  might  be  expressed  as  follows  : — 
Sodium  borate  (borax)   50  parts,  or  38'46  per  cent. 
Alum  ....   50  parts,  or  38*46  per  cent. 
Phenol  (carbolic  acid)  5  parts,  or  3*85  per  cent. 
Glycerin    .   5  parts,  or   3*85  per  cent. 
Thymol  5  parts,  or   3*85  per  cent. 
Oil  of  eucalyptus  or  eucalyptol  5  parts,  or  3.85  per  cent. 
Oil  of  gaultheria  (or  menthyl  salicylate)  .  5  parts,  or  3*85  per  cent. 
Menthol  5  parts,  or   3-85  per  cent. 
Analysis  of  specimens  purchased  from  different  sources  in  the 
open  market  were  made  under  our  direction.  The  reports  of  the 
chemists  show  that  Tyree's  antiseptic  powder  contains  no  borax,  or 
mere  traces  only,  and  that  it  contains  no  alum,  or  mere  traces  only. 
Instead,  the  analyses  show  that  boric  acid  and  zinc  sulphate  are  the 
essential  constituents.    The  amounts  of  carbolic  acid,  thymol,  men- 
