378 
Fish  Oils  used  as  Medicine. 
{Am.  Jour.  Pharh'. 
Aug.  1,  1874. 
the  State  of  Maine  is  also  large.  Six  factories  in  Long  Island1 
use  up  every  week  about  2,000,000  fish.  The  manufactories  are- 
nearly  all  worked  on  different  plans.  Some  use  large  tanks,  in 
which  the  fish  are  placed,  and  into  which  steam  is  forced.  A  portion 
of  the  oil  is  extracted,  and  coming  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  i& 
skimmed  off;' the  water  is  then  drained  away,  and  the  refuse  is 
pressed  by  hydraulic  presses  or  powerful  levers.  In  another  mode  of 
working  used  by  one  manufactory,  the  fish  are  placed  in  a  large  iron 
cylinder,  similar  to  a  boiler,  and  steam  is  let  in  at  a  given  pressure,, 
while  the  cylinder  is  made  to  rotate  by  a  steam  engine.  The  fish  are 
steamed  from  twelve  to  fifteen  minutes,  then  turned  out,  and  sub- 
jected to  hydraulic  pressure,  which,  of  course,  extracts  oil  and  water 
together.  This  runs  through  pipes  into  tanks,  where  the  oil  rises  to 
the  surface,  and  is  taken  off.  A  thousand  fish  yield  on  average  about 
thirteen  or  fourteen  gallons  of  oil,  though  this  depends  largely  on  the 
season,  and  the  good  or  bad  condition  of  the  fish.  The  uses  to  which 
this  oil  is  put  are  very  numerous.  It  is  good  for  table  purposes,  and,, 
when  properly  prepared,  the  best  kind  is  extensively  used  under  the 
name  of  6  olive  '  oil.  It  is  a  good  paint  oil  :  (?)  much  of  the  linseed 
oil  sold  in  America  has  a  large  amount  of  menhaden  oil  mixed  with 
it.  It  cannot,  however,  be  used  for  lubrication,  owing  to  the  rapidity 
with  which  it  absorbs  oxygen  and  'gums.' 
"From  the  ool-a-chan,  or  houlican,  a  small  transparent  fish  like  a* 
smelt,  the  Indians  of  Vancouver  obtain  an  excellent  oil,  which  is  used 
for  the  same  purposes  as  cod-liver  oil,  and  with  as  much,  if  not  greater,, 
benefit.  The  oil  when  cold  is  of  the  consistence  of  thick  cream,  white 
in  color,  but  with  little  odor,  and  by  no  means  unpleasant  to  the. 
taste  ;  in  fact,  those  who  use  it,  very  quickly  acquire  a  partiality  for 
it.  The  Indians  make  large  quantities  every  season,  and  with  them 
it  supplies  the  place  of  butter.  They  cannot  live  without  it,  and  it 
forms  a  great  article  of  trade.  They  prefer  it  rancid.  It  is  a  no- 
torious fact  that  the  Indians  are  subject  to  spitting  of  blood  and  con- 
sumption, but  still  live  to  a  great  age.  How  much  has  the  ool-a-chan 
oil  to  do  with  the  prolongation  of  their  days  ? 
"The  houlican  is  somewhat  larger  than  the  sprat,  and  is  so  full  of 
oil  that  it  is  said  that  those  caught  in  the  north  will  burn  like  a  can- 
dle. The  oil  is  obtained  by  merely  immersing  the  fish  in  a  small 
quantity  of  water  and  applying  heat.    The  oil  is  then  skimmed  off,, 
