526 
Uses  of  "Wood  Pulp"  Sheets. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X  November,  1899. 
That  I  have  good  reason  for  believing  that  there  is  a  money  side,  as 
well  as  a  professional  one,  to  this  new  use  for  wood  pulp,  is  proven 
to  me  by  the  widespread  interest  my  suggestions  have  aroused. 
About  two  weeks  ago  the  Medical  Record  (New  York)  published  a 
short  article  of  mine  on  this  subject ;  since  then  I  have  received  a 
number  of  inquiries  from  both  doctors  and  druggists  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  as  to  details,  cost,  place  of  manufacture,  etc.  I  plead 
as  an  excuse  for  mentioning  this  personal  matter  that  it  shows  con- 
clusively that  there  is  a  demand  for  something  to  replace  flaxseed 
meal  in  poultice-making,  and  that  "  wood  pulp  "  seems  to  come  very 
near  to  the  ideal  substance.  Therefore,  I  think  that  the  subject  is 
worthy  the  attention  oi  tlie  druggist.  He  can  procure  this  material 
and  supply  it  to  his  clientele  of  physicians,  as  well  as  to  the  regular 
trade. 
As  regards  cost  and  source  of  supply  of  the  article  I  regret  that 
I  cannot  give  much  definite  information  on  this  point.  The  firm 
from  whom  I  procured  the  sheets  with  which  I  experimented  is  the 
McDonald  Paper  Mills,  Manayunk,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and,  as  far  as  I 
can  remember,  the  cost  was  very  nominal.  I  do  know  this,  that 
any  druggist  who  is  desirous  of  going  into  this  subject  can  obtain 
full  information  as  to  cost,  etc.,  from  the  firm  from  whom  he  buys 
his  paper.  The  sheets  of  wood  pulp  can  be  had  in  any  thickness 
and  in  any  size  if  a  demand  is  created  for  them,  as  this  is  a  common 
way  in  which  the  wood  pulp  is  shipped  from  the  mills  to  the  paper 
makers.  There  are  a  number  of  pulp  mills  in  the  New  England 
States,  Maine  especially. 
before  I  begin  my  summary  of  the  uses  to  which  the  wood  pulp 
sheets  can  be  put,  I  must  emphatically  state  that  the  looser  the 
texture  of  the  sheets  the  better  will  be  the  results.  A  closely 
pressed  sheet  will  take  longer  to  make  use  of,  and  will  not  be  so 
satisfactory  ;  the  crude  sheets,  just  as  they  come  from  the  mills,  are 
the  best.  I  prefer  the  so-called  "  unbleached  pulp,"  since  the  "  sul- 
phite pulp  "  sometimes  contains  a  trace  of  sulphites  and  other 
bleaching  chemicals. 
THE  USES  OF  WOOD  PULP  SHEETS. 
As  a  Substitute  for  Flaxseed  Meal  for  Making  a  Poultice. — Cut  a 
sheet  of  the  pulp  to  a  size  approximate  to  the  surface  to  be  covered, 
soak  the  sheet  in  hot  water  until  it  has  become  thoroughly  softened. 
