Am.  Jour.  Pharru.  \ 
November,  1900.  / 
Ointments. 
515 
supply  of  meats  in  the  large  cities,  have  entered  into  the  manufac- 
ture of  lard,  lard  oil  and  lard  substitutes  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
for  this  reason  do  not  market  the  raw  product. 
When  we  come  to  consider  the  therapeutic  use  of  ointments  we 
find  that  they  may  generally  be  grouped  in  one  of  two  classes,  and 
are  used  for  either  their  local  or  general  effect.  Those  classed  in 
the  first  group  are  used  for  the  protective,  emollient  or  stimu- 
lating effect  of  the  base,  or  of  the  combined  base  and  medicinal 
ingredient  on  the  skin  and  superficial  tissues.  Among  these  we 
may  mention  cold  cream,  petrolatum  and  the  ointment  of  oxide  of 
zinc. 
In  the  second  class  we  make  use  of  the  base  as  a  vehicle  to  carry, 
6r,  in  some  cases,  to  facilitate  the  absorption  of  more  or  less  active 
medicinal  ingredients  for  their  resolvent  or  alterative  effect.  In 
this  class  we  may  place  such  ointments  as  the  ointment  of  potas- 
sium iodide,  salicylic  acid  and  mercury. 
As  a  vehicle  to  facilitate  the  absorption  of  active  medicinal  in- 
gredients associated  with  it  in  an  ointment,  lard  probably  has  some 
advantage  over  petrolatum,  at  least  that  is  what  the  results  of 
physiological  experiments  would  indicate.  From  a  practical  point  of 
view,  even  this  maybe  questioned, as  it  has  been  repeatedly  demon- 
strated that  such  active  drugs  as  potassium  iodide,  salicylic  acid 
and  acetanilid  are  very  readily  absorbed  into  the  system  from  an 
ointment  made  up  with  petrolatum,  and  even  a  mercurial  ointment 
made  with  petrolatum  seems  to  be  quite  as  active  as  one  made  with 
lard  and  suet,  according  to  the  directions  of  the  Pharmacopoeia. 
It  is  when  we  are  after  the  protecting  and  emollient  effect  of  an 
ointment  that  petrolatum  offers  many  points  of  advantage  over 
animal  fats,  and  as  a  majority  of  our  ointments  are  used  for  their 
local  effect  on  the  skin  and  superficial  tissues,  it  would  seem  strange 
that  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  has  not  pre- 
viously recognized  the  marked  advantages  offered  by  this  stable, 
bland,  unctuous  material.  Both  the  German  and  British  Pharma- 
copoeias have  recognized  the  desirability  of  supplying  a  substitute 
for  animal  fats  in  this  class  of  preparations,  and  for  this  purpose 
have  introduced  as  parafffne  ointment  a  mixture  of  hard  paraffine 
and  paraffine  oil.  This  preparation  is  far  from  satisfactory,  and 
although  theoretically  the  same  as  petrolatum,  still  practically  it 
seems  to  have  distinct  physical  properties,  and  will  not  stand  the 
