242  Gun  Cotton  and  its  Preparations.  {AHjS,^!f" 
sive,  leaving  scarcely  any  ash,  soluble  in  ether,  ether  fortior,  acetic 
ether,  glacial  acetic  acid,  and  in  mixture  of  alcohol  and  ether,  vary- 
ing from  1  part  ether  to  3  parts  alcohol  to  pure  ether  itself.  If  a 
cotton  superior  to  this  is  desired,  it  may  be  obtained  by  treating  this 
cotton  with  an  additional  proportion  of  the  mixed  acids,  washing  and 
drying  as  before.  The  cotton  gains  about  one  per  ct.  in  weight,  be- 
comes perfectly  soluble,  and  is  so  free  from  any  ash  as  to  scarcely 
scorch  a  sheet  of  white  paper  it  may  be  burnt  on.  Both  this  and  the 
previous  gun  cotton  may  be  ignited  on  gunpowder  without  exploding 
it.  The  advantages  claimed  for  this  cotton  over  that  of  the  U.  S.  P. 
are  that  it  is  perfectly  soluble,  very  explosive,  cheap,  its  manufacture 
is  much  more  easy,  requiring  but  little  time  and  attention,  and  turning 
out  a  superior  product  with  large  yield  and  less  cost. 
The  subject  of  collodion  next  claims  our  attention,  it  being  the 
most  important  pharmaceutical  preparation  of  gun  cotton.  The  appli- 
cability of  gun  cotton  in  ethereal  solution  to  the  dressing  bf  wounds, 
inflamed  surfaces,  &c,  was  first  made  known  by  Dr.  Horace  Maynard, 
of  Boston.  Its  valuable  properties  soon  commanded  attention,  and 
at  once  supplied  a  want  long  felt  in  the  medical  profession.  No  better 
formula  for  collodion  can  be  found  than  that  of  the  U.  S.  P.  Using 
the  cotton  prepared  as  before  mentioned,  it  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 
Collodion  can  also  be  made  the  vehicle  for  other  medicines.  Those 
remedies  which  are  used  externally,  of  course,  can  only  be  adminis- 
tered in  this  manner.  Having  made  a  number  of  experiments  on 
this  subject,  I  present  the  following  formulae,  several  of  which  I  think 
are  new : 
Styptics. 
Styptic  Collodion. 
ft.   Tannin   ^ij. 
Stronger  Alcohol   tjfjv. 
"       Ether     f  Jxii. 
Soluble  Cotton     Jjj  ^ij- 
Canada  Balsam   sjj. 
Introduce  the  cotton  into  a  suitable  bottle,  pour  on  it  2  fluidounces 
of  alcohol,  shake  well ;  then  add  10  fluidounces  of  the  ether,  and  agitate 
frequently  until  dissolved.  Dissolve  the  tannic  acid  in  a  mixture  of 
the  remainder  of  the  alcohol  and  ether,  mix  with  the  first  liquid,  add 
the  balsam,  allow  to  stand  until  clear ;  then  pour  off. 
Collodion  with  Sesquichloride  of  Iron. 
ft.   Sesquichloride  of  Iron   grs.  iv. 
Stronger  Alcohol  f  5iv. 
"       Ether   f  ^xij. 
Soluble  Cotton   '^j  grs.  iv. 
