412 
Our  Writing  Fluids. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\     Sept.  1, 1 872. 
bonate  of  iron  were  all  formed  into  pills  no  larger  than  the  ordinary 
5-grain  size.  These  all  present  a  handsome  appearance,  keep  well  in 
boxes  in  contact  with  lycopodium,  and  without  being  hard  retain  their 
shape  admirably. 
For  forming  chloral,  nitre,  and  other  soluble  salts  into  pills,  this 
solution  will  not  take  the  place  of  simple  soluble  tartar,  but  for  sub- 
stances not  readily  soluble,  and  of  which  it  is  required  to  get  as  much 
as  possible  in  an  ordinary  sized  pill,  it  possesses  some  advantages  over 
the  tartar,  one  very  important  one  being  its  ready  solubdity  in  cold 
water. 
There  is  no  advantage  in  having  the  excipient  thicker  than  mucil- 
age, as  the  drops  would  not  flow  freely  from  the  bottle,  and  would  be 
inconveniently  large  for  most  purposes ;  in  fact  the  value  of  these  so- 
lutions, as  pill  excipients,  obviously  depends  upon  their  being  equal 
in  thickness  with  those  in  common  use,  such  as  glycerin,  syrup  and 
mucilage. — Pharm.  Journ.  and  Trans.,  July  27,  1872. 
OUR  WRITING  FLUIDS. 
By  Archibald  Paterson. 
The  author  read  a  very  interesting  paper  on  this  subject  before  the 
Glasgow  Chemists'  and  Druggists'  Association,  on  February  21st. 
After  referring  to  the  nature  of  the  inks  used  by  the  ancients,  and  to 
the  composition  of  modern  writing  inks,  the  author  continues  : 
The  proportions  which  appear  most  suitable,  and  upon  which  most 
dependence  can  be  placed,  are — bruised  galls,  one  pound ;  to  this  add 
one  gallon  of  boiling  water,  and  one-third  of  the  weight  of  the  galls, 
viz.,  five  ounces  and  a  third  of  sulphate  of  iron,  in  solution  ;  also 
three  ounces  of  gum  arabic  previously  dissolved,  and  a  few  bruised 
cloves,  or  a  few  drops  of  creosote  or  carbolic  acid  dissolved  in  methyl- 
ated spirit.  It  is  better  to  allow  the  galls  to  macerate  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  then  to  strain  the  infusion,  and  add  the  other  ingredients. 
I  cannot  do  better  at  this  part  of  the  subject  than  offer  you  a  for- 
mula used  and  recommended  by  that  eminent  chemist,  the  late  Dr. 
Penny,  of  Anderson's  University  in  this  city. 
Take  of  bruised  galls  twelve  ounces,  macerate  for  a  week  in  one 
gallon  of  cold  water,  then  add  six  ounces  of  sulphate  of  iron  in  solu- 
tion, also  six  ounces  of  mucilage  of  gum  arabic,  and  five  or  six  drops 
of  creosote. 
