ADMINISTRATION  OF  BISMUTH. 
163 
by  the  presence  of  mineral  acids.  This  is,  no  doubt,  due  to 
the  greater  solubility  of  the  salts  formed  by  the  latter  acids  in 
citrate  of  ammonia. 
The  reactions  of  this  bismuthic  solution  are  as  follows  : — 
Ammonia  and  carbonate  of  ammonia  give  no  precipitate. 
Potash  and  soda,  or  the  carbonates  of  these  alkalies,  give  pre- 
cipitates insoluble  in  an  excess  of  the  precipitant.  Nitric,  sul- 
phuric, and  hydrochloric  acids  give  precipitates  soluble  in  an 
excess  of  the  respective  acids,  and  reprecipitable  on  neutraliza- 
tion with  ammonia.  These  precipitates  are  also  soluble  on 
the  further  addition  of  ammonia.  Water  gives  no  precipi- 
tate. Sulphide  of  ammonium  throws  down  the  whole  of  the 
bismuth  as  sulphide. 
As  the  reactions  of  citric  and  tartaric  acids  are  at  present 
little  known,  it  is  my  intention  to  investigate  the  matter  fur- 
ther, particularly  with  a  view  to  its  analytical  bearing  ;  but  in 
the  mean  time,  I  place  before  you  the  results  of  my  investiga- 
tion of  the  Liq.  Bismuthi. — Lond.  Pharm.  Jour.,  Jan.,  1 
Mr.  Schacht  (of  Clifton)  said  that  although  the  author  of 
the  paper  had  not  thought  fit  to  mention  his  name  in  connection 
with  the  liquor  bismuthi  examined,  there  could  be  no  doubt, 
from  the  quotation  made  from  the  circular,  that  the  preparation 
the  meeting  had  just  heard  so  freely  discussed  was  that  made 
by  himself.  Assuming  this  to  be  the  case,  he  could  state  that 
the  author  had  well  performed  his  task  in  submitting  it  to  anal- 
ysis. The  preparation,  sold  as  liquor  bismuthi  (Schacht)  con- 
sisted of  bismuth  oxide,  citric  acid,  and  ammonia,  and  the  quan- 
tity of  oxide  of  bismuth  present  was  one  grain  in  each  fluid 
drachm.  This,  however,  had  been  published  in  the  "Lancet" 
several  months  ago.  A  fact  so  easy  of  investigation  he  had 
never  attempted  to  keep  secret,  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  had 
told  its  composition  to  every  medical  man  with  whom  he  had 
conversed  on  the  subject.  He  had  adopted  the  name  "  Liquor 
Bismuthi  (Schacht),"  partly  because  having  been  fortunate 
several  years  ago  in  discovering  this  elegant  method  of  holding 
bismuth  in  permanent  solution,  he  was  anxious  to  reap  some 
measure  of  reward  in  the  credit  which  would  attach  to  so  dis- 
tinct an  improvement  as  he  believed  this  preparation  to  be ;  and 
