328 
Liquid  Petrolatum. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\     July,  1914. 
given  at  one  time,  it  would,  of  course,  be  advisable  to  use  a  com- 
paratively smaller  quantity  of  the  volatile  oil  as  a  flavor.7 
From  the  foregoing  it  would  appear  that  apart  from  the 
Pharmacopoeia  of  the  United  States,  practically  all  other  known 
pharmacopoeias  describe  a  water-white  mineral  oil  under  the  title 
"  Paraffinum  Liquidum  "  or  "  Liquid  Paraffin  "  as  a  colorless,  odor- 
less, tasteless,  non-fluorescent,  oily  liquid,  free  from  acids,  alkalies 
and  organic  impurities.  As  explained  before,  the  specific  gravity  of 
the  preparation  as  recognized  in  other  countries  and  as  offered  on 
the  American  market  at  the  present  time  varies  considerably,  and 
there  appears  to  be  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  exact  nature 
of  the  product  that  is  preferable  for  use  for  different  purposes. 
This  matter  requires  further  investigation. 
Since  the  definition  of  liquid  petrolatum  in  the  U.  9.  Pharma- 
copoeia permits  the  use  of  fluorescent  products  of  widely  varying 
specific  gravities,  it  is  recommended  that  physicians  who  desire  the 
water-white  non-fluorescent  (Russian)  mineral  oil  should  use  the 
term  "  Petrolatum  Liquidum,  Grave,"  or  "  Paraffinum  Liquidum,  B. 
P.,"  if  the  heavy  product  recommended  by  Lane  is  desired,  and  "  Pet- 
rolatum Liquidum,  Leve,"  if  the  light  varieties  are  required.  It  is 
further  recommended  that  under  the  foregoing  names  manufacturers 
and  pharmacists  be  requested  to  dispense  the  products,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  following  descriptions : 
Petrolatum  Liquidum,  Grave. — Heavy  (Russian)  Liquid  Pet- 
rolatum.— Paraffinum  Liquidum,  B.  P.,  liquid  paraffin. — A  trans- 
parent, colorless,  tasteless,  non-fluorescent,  oily  liquid,  odorless  when 
cold  but  giving  off  a  faint  petroleum  odor  on  heating.   This  prepara- 
7  In  addition  to  the  articles  referred  to  in  the  preceding  footnotes,  the 
following  are  of  interest  in  connection  with  this  subject: 
Editorial,  Therap.  Gaz:,  1885,  ix,  353. 
Junker,  F.  A.:  Med.  Record,  London,  1885,  xiii,  506. 
Editorial,  Med.  News,  1886,  xlviii,  105. 
Dunbar  :  Deutsch.  med.  Wchnschr.,  1896,  xxii,  33. 
Stubenrath,  Franz  Casimir :  Munchen.  med.  Wchnschr.,  1897,  xliv,  639. 
London  Letter,  Med.  News,  1899,  lxxiv,  504. 
Hutchison,  Robert :  Brit.  Med.  lour.,  1899,  i,  724. 
Schlesinger,  E.  G. :  Boston  Med.  and  Surg.  lour.,  1913,  clxix,  14. 
Lane,  W.  Arbuthnot :  Brit.  Med.  Jour.,  1913,  ii,  1126;  Proc.  Roy.  Soc. 
Med.,  1913,  vi,  49;  Surg.,  Gynec.  and  Obst,  1913,  xvi,  No.  6. 
Jordan,  Alfred  C. :  Practitioner,  London,  February,  1913. 
Chrysospathes,  J.  G. :  Zentralbl.  f.  Chir.,  1913,  No.  45 ;  abstr.,  The  Jour- 
nal A.  M.  A.,  Dec.  13,  1913,  p.  2201. 
