202 
Pharmaceutical  Notes. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Phaem. 
\     May  1, 1872. 
employment  of  liquor  potassae  in  the  manufacture  of  suppositories  of 
assafoetida.  By  the  use  of  the  alkali,  he  saponifies  the  resin  and 
volatile  oil  of  the  gum-resin  and  thus  facilitates  its  admixture  with 
the  cacao  butter.  The  use  of  so  powerful  a  medicinal  agent,  however, 
is  not  necessitated. 
By  the  following  formula  I  have  prepared  suppositories  of  ten 
grains  each  : 
3^.       Ext.  Assafoetidse  gr.  lxxx. 
Olei  Theobromse    .....  gv. 
M.  fiant  suppos.  No.  xii. 
Have  at  hand  some  warm  water  in  a  dish  into  which  a  small  capsule 
containing  the  powdered  cacao  butter  can  be  immersed.  Remove  the 
capsule  frequently,  in  order  that  the  cacao  butter  shall  melt  slowly. 
When  it  has  cooled  sufficiently  and  retains  but  little  heat,  rub  up  the 
extract  with  a  small  portion  of  it  on  a  marble  slab,  mix  this  thor- 
oughly with  the  reserved  portion  in  the  capsule,  and  pour  (constantly 
stirring)  into  moulds  of  the  capacity  of  half  a  drachm  each.  If 
necessary,  during  the  process,  the  capsule  may  be  again  immersed  in 
the  warm  water,  great  care  being  observed  to  subject  the  mixture  to 
as  little  heat  as  possible. 
If  the  moulds  are  perfectly  dry  and  clean,  and  suspended  in  iced 
water  until  quite  cold  before  pouring,  the  suppositories  may  be  re- 
moved by  simply  pressing  them  at  the  base  with  the  finger,  and 
striking  the  rim  of  the  mould  on  the  counter.  The  resulting  supposi- 
tories will  present  a  beautiful  polished  surface.  I  have  never  found 
it  necessary  to  lubricate  the  moulds  in  any  manner. 
If  care  is  used  in  the  above  process,  the  resin  will  be  found  to  be 
equally  and  intimately  suspended  in  each  suppository. 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES. 
By  Emil  Martin. 
Red  Precipitate  Ointment. — The  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  directs  lard 
ointment  for  making  unguentum  hydrargyri  oxidi  rubri,  but  having 
had  frequent  difficulty  in  preserving  the  beautiful  reddish  color  of  the 
ointment  I  was  induced  a  few  years  ago  to  institute  a  series  of  expe- 
riments to  obtain  a  more  permanent  and  reliable  preparation.  After 
many  experiments  I  became  convinced  that  a  compound  of  castor  oil 
and  white  wax  would  just  be  what  I  wanted. 
