Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
April,  1877.  / 
Salicylate  of  Atropia. 
lS3 
There  are  two  of  them,  both  of  the  same  strength  (viz.:  4  grains  to 
the  fluidounce),  as  they  are  intended  for  the  same  use  in  ophthalmic 
surgery. 
The  first  (liquor  atropine)  is  a  solution  of  the  alkaloid  itself  in  a 
mixture  of  spirit  and  water,  the  proportions  being  one-eighth  rectified 
spirit  to  seven-eighths  water.  Such  a  solution  keeps  fairly,  but  pro- 
duces great  irritation  of  the  eye,  particularly  in  those  cases  where 
operations  have  been  performed,  or  where  there  is  a  chronic  sensibility 
attending  many  abnormal  conditions  of  the  organ.  The  liquor 
atropiae  is,  therefore,  inadmissable  in  such  cases.  We  presume  it  is 
from  this  point  of  view  that  the  rather  absurd  plan  of  introducing  a 
second  solution,  corresponding  in  almost  all  its  therapeutical  effects  to 
the  first,  is  introduced.  This  solution  is  the  liquor  atropiae  suiphatis, 
which,  although  free  from  the  objection  of  its  being  irritating,  has 
another  one  equally  objectionable,  for  it  will  not  keep.  A  fungus  is 
developed  at  the  expense  of  the  alkaloid  ;  the  solution  becomes  thick, 
muddy  and  loses  its  strength.  Perhaps  the  best  remedy  hitherto  pro- 
posed was  the  one  suggested  in  Dr.  W.  Smith's  book,  but  from  some 
cause  or  the  other  not  generally  adopted.  The  suggestion  was  that 
the  solution  should  be  made  with  camphor  water. 
In  conducting  some  experiments,  some  vears  ago,  on  salicylic  acid, 
it  struck  me,  at  the  time,  that  the  salicylates  of  some  of  the  alkaloids 
might  be  used  with  a  considerable  amount  of  advantage,  as  they  ought 
to  possess  inherent  antiseptic  properties.  I,  therefore,  considered  that 
salicylate  of  atropia  would  be  an  appropriate  salt  to  operate  upon,  if 
such  a  salt  could  be  formed.  If  atropia  is  mixed  with  salicylic  acid, 
in  equivalent  proportions,  a  soft  soluble  mass  is  obtained  that  cannot 
well  be  crystallized.  Although  accidentally  a  semi-crystalline  mass 
was  once  obtained  by  acting  upon  a  sample  of  foreign  atropia,  these 
results  could  never  be  repeated  ;  it  is  probable  that  the  crystallization 
was  due  to  the  presence  of  some  impurity.  My  experiments  were 
afterwards  made  with  a  beautiful  crystalline  specimen  made  by  Messrs. 
Hopkins  &  Williams,  of  London,  i^tropia  and  crystallized  salicylic 
acid  were  mixed  in  equivalent  proportions,  assuming  that  the  last- 
named  acid  was  a  monobasic  acid,  and  the  alkaloid  acted  as  a  monad. 
If  atropia  be  warmed  with  an  excess  of  salicylic  acid  and  a  moderate 
quantity  of  water,  and  then  allowed  to  cool,  the  excess  of  acid  crystal- 
lizes only,  and  on  evaporating  down  the  mother  liquor  27  parts  of 
atropia  were  found  to  give  4/04  of  colloidal  salicylate  of  atropia,  which 
is  '05  over  the  weight  required  by  theory. 
