SUPPOSITORIES. 
223 
As  slow  to  rear,  as  obdurate  to  stand  ; 
And  as  the  ice  that  leaves  thy  crystal  mine 
Chills  the  fierce  alcohol  in  the  Creole's  wine, 
So  may  the  doctrines  of  thy  sober  school 
Keep  the  hot  theories  of  thy  neighbors  cool !" 
Portland,  Maine,  April,  1868. 
ON  SUPPOSITORIES. 
By  J.  B.  Moore. 
Suppositories  have,  within  the  last  few  years,  become  very  im- 
portant and  popular  therapeutic  agents  with  the  medical  pro- 
fession, and  I  am  only  surprised  that  they  are  not  more  exten- 
sively and  generally  prescribed,  considering  the  vast  number  of 
cases  to  which  they  would  be  applicable  and  so  highly  useful. 
The  demand  for  them,  however,  is  daily  increasing,  which  renders 
a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  subject  of  their  manufacture 
one  of  no  little  importance  to  the  .pharmacist  who  desires  to  keep 
pace  with  the  progress  of  improvements  constantly  going  on  in 
his  profession ;  and  as  I  have  given  the  matter  some  attention, 
I  have  therefore  concluded  to  give  my  views  and  experience  upon 
the  subject ;  and  if  the  hints  or  suggestions  which  I  shall  offer 
shall  prove  upon  practical  application  to  be  of  any  value  to  my 
brethren  in  the  profession,  in  enabling  them  to  surmount  any  of 
the  difficulties  heretofore  attending  their  manufacture,  I  shall 
feel  gratified. 
In  the  first  place  I  would  state  that  I  use  the  ordinary  metal 
mould.  Those  for  the  rectum  I  have  of  three  sizes,  holding  re- 
spectively fifteen,  twenty-five,  and  thirty-five  grains  each  of  the 
butter  of  cacao ;  the  smallest  size  for  children,  and  the  larger 
for  adults.  For  vaginal  suppositories  or  pessaries  I  use  but  one 
size,  which  is  of  two  drachms  capacity.  Preparatory  to  filling 
the  moulds,  I  coat  their  inner  surface  with  finely-dusted  arrow- 
root or  lycopodium,  which  effectually  prevents  the  suppositories, 
when  properly  chilled,  from  adhering  to  the  moulds,  which  they 
will  otherwise  do,  and  frequently  with  such  tenacity  as  to  render 
it  impossible  to  dislodge  them  without  warming  the  mould,  which 
often  destroys  the  beauty  of  the  suppositories,  and  leaves  the 
moulds  in  a  soiled  and  greasy  condition,  troublesome  to  clean. 
