478 
Substitute  for  Poultices. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
\     October,  1899. 
A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  POULTICES. 
By  M.  I.  WII.BERT,  Ph.G.,  Apothecary  to  the  German  Hospital. 
As  an  improvement  on,  and  a  general  substitute  for,  poultices,  a 
mixture  of  kaolin  and  glycerin  has  been  placed  on  the  market, 
within  the  last  three  or  four  years,  and  extensively  advertised, 
especially  in  the  western  part  of  the  United  States,  under  the  trade- 
marked  name  "  Antiphlogistine ;"  lately  an  evident  imitation  is 
being  brought  forward  and  advertised  as  "  Antithermaline,"  at  a 
slight  reduction  in  price. 
From  an  observation  of  the  cases  treated  in  a  general  dispensary, 
as  well  as  from  reports  of  physicians  who  have  used  the  prepara- 
tion, it  would  seem  that  the  claims  made  by  the  manufacturers  of  the 
trade-marked  article  are  not  at  all  unreasonable,  and  that  this  mass 
or  mixture  will  prove  to  be  a  very  important  and  most  valuable 
addition  to  our  stock  of  remedies  for  local  application. 
It  may  be  used  in  all  cases  where  a  poultice  is  indicated,  and  has  the 
advantages  of  being  readily  applied  without  boiling  or  other  prepa- 
ration, of  not  requiring  renewal  for  Irom  twelve  to  forty-eight  hours, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  inflammation  or  injury,  and  ©f  giving 
almost  immediate  relief  from  pain  in  most  cases  of  acute  or  sub- 
acute inflammation  or  congestion.  As  a  substitute  for  many  oint- 
ments and  cerates  it  has  the  advantage  of  not  being  greasy  or  dirty, 
it  being  readily  washed  off  with  cold  water.  It  can  readily  be  com- 
bined with  many  drugs,  such  as  iodine,  the  various  iodides,  iodo- 
form, tar,  ichthyol  and  many  others  used  in  the  local  treatment  of 
disease. 
The  manufacturers  of  the  trade-marked  article  usually  give  quite 
an  elaborate  formula  among  the  advertising  matter  supplied  with 
each  can;  this  formula,  while  practically  correct,  is  slightly  mislead- 
ing, the  first  and  last  article  of  the  formula  being  the  component 
parts  of  the  mass,  as  well  as  its  active  ingredients.  To  get  a  work- 
ing formula  for  the  mass,  25  grammes  of  antiphlogistine  was  taken 
and  mixed  with  200  c.c.  of  distilled  water.  Ihis  mixture  was 
transferred  to  a  wetted  filter  and  allowed  to  drain,  the  mass  on  the 
filter  then  thoroughly  washed  with  distilled  water,  the  residue 
dried  at  a  temperature  of  about  8o°  C,  when  the  dry  powder  was 
found  to  weigh  1 2-3  grammes.  The  filtrate  from  the  original  mixture 
was  perfectly  clear  and  tasted  aromatic  and  sweet,  showing  that  the 
