MERCURIAL  OINTMENT. — GRAIN  WEIGHTS.  15 
NOTE  ON  MERCURIAL  OINTMENT. 
By  E.  H.  Hance. 
Mr.  Wm.  Procter,  Jr.  : — Bear  Sir, — Having  noticed  vari- 
ous plans  for  expeditiously  reducing  mercury  in  the  manufacture 
of  mercurial  ointment,  none  of  which  have  proved  very  practical, 
I  offer  the  following  process,  which,  to  my  knowledge,  has  never 
before  been  proposed  : — 
Be.    Hydrargyri,         .       .        .       .       .  liv. 
Cetacei,  §ss. 
Adipis,  gij. 
Sevi,   Eiss 
First,  slightly  warm  the  mortar,  then  introduce  the  mercury, 
and  to  this  gradually  add  the  spermaceti  previously  melted,  con- 
stantly triturating  the  mixture  ;  the  mercury  will  almost  imme- 
diately become  reduced  into  very  minute  globules,  and,  as  the 
mixture  hardens,  add  a  small  portion  of  the  lard,  and  triturate 
briskly  for  a  few  minutes,  when  the  mercury  will  become  en- 
tirely extinguished,  then  gradually  add  the  remainder  of  the 
lard  and  suet. 
The  above  method  I  have  repeatedly  tried  in  small  quantities 
with  great  success,  but  in  manipulating  with  large  quantities,  do 
not  succeed  so  well. 
Thinking  the  above  formula  may  be  of  benefit  to  retail  apothe- 
caries, I  offer  it  to  you  for  publication  in  the  "  American  Journal 
of  Pharmacy." 
Philadelphia,  Oct,  22, 1856. 
EXAMINATION  OF  GRAIN  WEIGHTS, 
By  Edward  R.  Squibb,  M.  D.,  U.  S.  N.,  Assist.  Director  Naval  Laboratory, 
Some  time  since,  the  writer  had  occasion  to  examine  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  grain  weights  that  are  sold  in  the  market,  with 
a  view  to  determine  the  most  reliable  for  ship-board  dispensing. 
The  appearance  of  these  weights  is  generally  such  that  no  great 
degree  of  accuracy  would  be  expected  in  them ;  but  they  are 
really  so  inaccurate  as  scarcely  to  deserve  the  name  of  weights. 
From  this  circumstance,  it  appears  important  that  dispensers 
