Am.  Tour.  Pharm. 
May,  1918. 
How  to  Make  B.  I.  P.  P. 
363 
HOW  TO  MAKE  B.  I.  P.  P.1 
Reference  has  been  made  in  the  C.  &  D.  and  The  Chemist  and 
Druggist  Diary,  191 8,  to  the  composition  and  uses  of  B.  I.  P.  P., 
devised  by  Professor  Morison  for  treating  infected  war-wounds.2 
The  inventor3  now  gives  the  details  of  the  preparation,  sterilization, 
and  keeping  of  B.  I.  P.  P.  as  worked  out  by  Mr.  Sidney  Dunstan, 
chemist  and  dispenser  to  the  Royal  Victoria  Infirmary,  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne.    The  method  adopted  is  as  follows  : 
Iodoform    440  grams 
Bismuth  subnitrate   220  grams 
Paraffin    220  grams 
M.  S.  A. 
The  bismuth  and  paraffin  are  sterilized  by  dry  heat  at  a  tem- 
perature of  1200  C.  for  half  an  hour,  and  the  bismuth  after  cooling 
is  mixed  with  the  iodoform  in  a  mortar  which  has  been  sterilized 
by  means  of  boiling  water  and  formalin.  The  paraffin  is  added  to 
the  mixture  at  a  temperature  of  900  C.  and  thoroughly  mixed,  then 
put  into  specially  made  collapsible  tubes  with  nozzle  ends,  holding 
40  to  80  grams. 
The  paraffin  used  should  be  semi-solid,  odorless,  and  tasteless, 
melting  point  45 0  C,  free  from  acidity  and  carbonizable  organic 
impurities.  The  iodoform  should  be  free  from  moisture,  acids,  and 
fixed  impurities.  It  is  also  necessary  that  the  bismuth  be  chem- 
ically pure,  free  from  arsenic,  and  care  taken  in  sterilizing  that  the 
temperature  does  not  rise  too  high,  otherwise  nitrous  fumes  will  be 
evolved.  Should  a  paste  be  required  of  a  softer  consistency,  the 
formula  may  be  modified  as  follows : 
Iodoform    440  grams 
Bismuth  subnitrate    220  grams 
Paraffin  base    220  grams 
M.  S.  A. 
The  paraffin  base  consists  of 
Paraffin,  melting-point  450  C   19  parts 
Paraffin  liq.,  sp.  gr.  880    40  parts 
1  From  The  Chemist  and  Druggist,  February  23,  1918. 
2  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  March,  1918,  p.  199. 
3  British  Medical  Journal,  II.,  1917,  p.  503. 
