4 
TJnguentum  Zinci  Oxidi. 
K  Am.  Joto.  Pharm. 
X     Jan.  1,  1873. 
UNGrUENTUM  ZINCI  OXIDI. 
By  Alfred  H.  Bolton. 
In  making  oxide  of  zinc  ointmont  by  the  officinal  process  I  have 
experienced  great  difficulty  in  making  a  smooth  ointment,  which  diffi- 
culty prompted  me  to  resort  to  some  other  method  of  manipulation. 
The  idea  of  using  the  paint-mill  suggested  itself  to  me.  Now  as 
paints  are  brought  to  a  fine  and  smooth  condition  by  the  use  of  the 
mill,  I  thought  why  could  not  the  oxide  of  zinc  ointment  be  manipulated 
in  the  same  way  ?  In  the  way  of  experiment  a  paint-mill  was  ob- 
tained, and  the  result  of  my  trial  was  a  success  ;  the  ointment  thus 
made  is  perfection  in  every  respect.    I  proceeded  as  follows : 
Placed  the  lard  in  a  capsule  and  applied  heat  until  fluid;  then  added 
the  oxide  of  zinc  ;  removed  from  the  fire  and  stirred  it  occasionally 
until  it  acquired  a  semi-fluid  consistence  ;  then  benzoinated  it  with 
tincture  of  benzoin,  (made  in  the  proportion  of  three  troy-ounces  to 
eight  fluid-ounces  of  alcohol),  using  four  fluid-drachms  to  every  troy 
pound  of  the  ointment,  which  preserves  it  from  rancidity.  I  intro- 
duced the  lard  and  zinc  thus  prepared  into  the  mill,  previously 
warmed,  and  passed  it  through,  regulating  the  mill  by  the  use  of  a 
thumb-screw  attached  to  the  same,  and  keeping  the  ingredients  at  the 
same  consistence  by  the  use  of  a  spirit  lamp  placed  underneath  the 
mill.  The  use  of  a  spirit  lamp  is  superfluous  in  summer,  and  in  a 
warm  room  in  winter.  The  oxide  of  zinc  ointment,  which  most  phar- 
macists experience  so  much  trouble  with,  can  be  made  in  this  way 
perfectly  smooth,  and  with  a  great  deal  less  labor  than  rubbing  it  on 
the  ointment  slab  as  some  do.  The  cost  of  a  mill  may  be  an  objection 
to  some,  but  for  those  who  prepare  large  quantities  of  zinc  ointment, 
I  think  it  worth  the  price  of  a  mill. 
A  perfect  ointment  is  always  admired  by  the  pharmacist,  the  phy- 
sician and  the  patient  who  uses  it.  This  ointment  is  used  largely  by 
every  practitioner  of  medicine,  and  deserves  to  be  prepared  in  the 
best  possible  manner.  In  summer  time  the  addition  of  two  troy 
ounces  of  white  wax  to  a  troy  pound  of  the  ointment  gives  it  a  better 
consistence.  The  ointments  of  carbonate  of  zinc,  carbonate  of  lead 
and  others,  might  be  prepared  in  a  similar  manner. 
Philadelphia,  December,  1872, 
