ON  GLYCELiEUM  :  A  PROPOSED  BASIS  FOE,  OINTMENTS. 
5T 
Mix  the  mustard  and  syrup  in  a  mortar  to  a  smooth  paste,  then 
add  gradually,  with  constant  trituration,  the  olive  oil.  When 
nicely  made,  it  forms  a  soft  paste  which,  after  a  few  days'  rest 
for  the  elimination  of  air  bubbles,  becomes  nearly  transparent. 
When  mixed  by  gradual  addition  with  vinegar  and  flavoring  in- 
gredients to  taste,  it  forms,  to  my  mind,  an  excellent  and  simple 
salad  dressing.  This  is  not  strictly  pharmaceutical,  but  it  was 
out  of  this  arose  the  idea  of  the  subject  of  this  paper — Glyce- 
laeum. 
It  of  course  soon  occurred  to  me  that  other  oils  besides  olive 
could  be  so  emulsed,  and  that  compounds  so  obtained  might  be 
made  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the  surgeon  or  of  the  doctor — 
might  be  used  to  favor  the  assimilation  of  oil,  or  as  dressings  for 
wounds  and  such  like.  Mustard  was,  of  course,  inadmissable  for 
either  purpose.  I  must  here  observe  that,  if  the  ingredients  for 
the  salad  mixture  above  referred  to  be  made  much  thinner  than 
in  the  recipe  given,  it  will  be  impossible  to  mix  them  in  a  mortar 
by  trituration,  the  same  also  if  a  much  larger  proportion  of  oil 
be  used ;  but  combination  may  readily  be  effected  by  stirring,  or 
rather  "slicing,"  with  a  flexible  spatula.  The  pressure  of  the 
pestle  seems  to  squeeze  out  the  air  from  the  emulsion  as  soon  as 
formed.  This  is  on  a  par  with  what  I  and  doubtless  others  have 
remarked — viz.,  that  the  common  liniment  containing  vinegar, 
camphor  and  turpentine  emulsed  with  yolk  of  egg,  is  more  readily 
mixed  by  simple  agitation  in  a  bottle  than  by  working  it  in  a 
mortar.  The  yolk  must,  of  course,  be  thoroughly  broken  up, 
in  order  to  destroy  its  structure  and  render  it  miscible  with 
water. 
To  return  from  my  digression.  On  making  trial  of  the  usual 
gummy  substances,  such  as  acacia  and  tragacanth,  I  found  that 
this  class  of  compound  could  not  be  formed  by  their  aid ;  emul- 
sions of  the  ordinary  kind  might  be  made,  but  not  paste  emul- 
sions. The  natural  thing  to  do  in  such  case  was  to  separate  in  a 
pure  form  the  emulsive  principle  contained  in  the  mustard  seed, 
and  go  to  work  with  it ;  but  before  doing  so  I  tried  the  finely 
powdered  farina  of  other  oil  seeds,  such  as  linseed  and  almond, 
and  was  gratified  to  find  that  either  will  answer  the  purpose  as 
well  as  mustard.    I  have  no  doubt  that  all  the  oil  see.ds,  when 
