416 
Some  Old-Time  Medicines. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1918. 
The  original  formula  was  made  up  of  senna,  currants,  coriander 
seed,  cream  of  tartar  and  made  into  a  decoction  which  afterward 
became  official  in  the  London  and  Edinburgh  Pharmacopoeias,  as  an 
infusion  of  senna. 
Citrine  Ointment. — An  ointment  was  known  in  the  early  cen- 
turies under  this  title  composed  of  coral,  quartz,  white  marble,  white 
lead  and  tragacanth  mixed  with  lard,  suet  and  hen's  fat.  After- 
wards the  formula  was  revised  by  omitting  some  of  the  older  in- 
gredients and  substituting  sugar  of  lead,  rose  water  and  frankin- 
cense. In  1722  nitrate  of  mercury  ointment  (citrine  ointment)  be- 
came official.  The  first  use  of  the  yellow  ointment  of  mercury 
appears  to  have  been  for  the  eyes,  afterwards  its  use  was  extended 
to  other  maladies. 
Fowler's  Solution  of  Arsenic. — Seems  to  have  had  its  origin 
in  a  quack  remedy  containing  arsenic  and  that  subsequently  an  Eng- 
lish apothecary  named  Thomas  Fowler  produced  a  mixture  of 
arsenic  flavored  and  colored  with  spirits  of  lavender.  Fowler  him- 
self stated  that  the  spirits  of  lavender  were  added  to  give  the  mix- 
ture a  medicinal  appearance  and  to  avoid  the  use  of  the  term  "  arse- 
nic "  in  the  title  of  the  preparation.  At  the  height  of  its  popularity 
it  attained  considerable  reputation  for  fever  and  ague. 
Friar's  Balsam. — It  would  appear  that  while  this  only  became 
official  in  the  London  Pharmacopoeia  in  1746,  for  generations  pre- 
vious there  had  been  sold  a  number  of  compounds  under  the  name 
of  Friar's  Balsam,  Jesuit's  Drops,  Turlington's  Drops,  etc.,  of  a 
similar  nature.  It  is  supposed  that  it  is  possible  this  originated 
among  some  of  the  medical  friars.  The  official  preparation  is  our 
well-known  tincture  of  benzoin  compound. 
Hiera  Picra. — Preparations  under  this  name  could  possibly 
have  been  bought  in  Damascus  one  thousand  years  ago,  and  possibly 
in  Rome  and  Alexandria  more  than  a  thousand  years  beyond  that 
time.  It  is  sometimes  stated  to  be  the  oldest  Pharmacopoeial  com- 
pound that  remains.  It  is  still  used  in  some  of  the  country  dis- 
tricts of  America  and  Europe.  A  feature  of  the  preparation  is  that 
from  its  beginning  it  has  in  one  way  or  another  been  a  preparation 
of  aloes,  flavored,  sweetened  and  colored. 
Compound  Tincture  of  Lavender. — At  one  time  standing  on 
the  pinnacle  of  glory.  Originally  a  compound  of  French  brandy 
and  twenty-seven  other  ingredients,  including  lavender,  rosemary, 
cinnamon,  nutmegs,  cubebs,  saccharine  and  roses.    Somewhere  in 
