Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1878. 
Glycerin  in  Pharmacy. 
l9 
there  is  30  per  cent,  more  surface  exposed  by  the  condensing  tubes  than 
is  possessed  by  the  containing  cylinder. 
To  the  pharmacist,  occupied  by  many  various  duties,  it  is  an  object 
to  be  able  to  save  time  and  trouble,  and,  with  a  little  practice,  it  is  not 
difficult  with  a  good  fire  and  the  ordinary  water  supply,  in  moderate 
weather  (water  at  50°F.)  to  recover  a  gallon  of  alcohol  from  weak 
tincture  in  fifteen  minutes ;  the  whole  apparatus  maybe  set  up,  the 
distillation  finished,  and  all  finally  cleaned  and  put  away  easily  in  30 
minutes.  Seven  streams  issue  from  the  delivery  tubes  of  the  condenser 
instead  of  one,  and  the  danger  arising  from  alcoholic  vapor  issuing 
uncondensed  on  account  of  urging  the  fire,  and  communication  with 
flame,  is  almost  prevented  by  the  increased  power  of  the  condenser. 
The  condenser  should  have  the  inside  surface  protected  from  rust  by 
a  thick  coat  of  red  lead  and  oil,  if  made  of  tinned  iron. 
Philadelphia,  Twelfth  mo.  10th,  1877. 
GLYCERIN  IN  PHARMACY. 
By  C.  J.  Biddle,  Ph.G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  December  18,  1877. 
Of  the  discoveries  of  Scheele,  glycerin  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant and  useful ;  although  nearly  a  century  has  passed  since  its  discov- 
ery, it  has  not  been  in  extensive  use  but  for  comparatively  few  years  ; 
improvements  in  the  mode  of  production  have  both  increased  its  purity 
and  reduced  its  cost  to  the  consumer,  so  that  at  present  its  uses  in  the 
arts  and  manufactures  are  innumerable. 
Glycerin  entered  the  list  of  preparations  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  in 
1850,  and  was  transferred  to  the  materia  medica  list  in  i860;  about 
this  period  it  appeared  to  be  beginning  to  claim  the  notice  of  pharma- 
cists, as  in  1865  Mr.  Alfred  Taylor,  of  this  city,  recommended  its 
use  in  the  manufacture  of  fluid  extracts,1  and  since  then  numerous 
formulas  have  appeared  in  the  pharmaceutical  journals,  the  result  of 
which  was  that  our  present  edition  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  contains  a 
list  of  preparations  called  "  Glycerita,"  and  glycerin  enters  into  about 
thirty-six  other  officinal  preparations.  But  its  use  is  not  limited  to  the 
few  now  officinal,  and  it  can  be  advantageously  used  in  many  more 
1  "Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,"  1865,  p.  50. 
