488 
Administration  of  Castor  Oil. 
\  Am.  Jouh.  Ph arm. 
I     Nov.  1,  1873. 
tea,  well  sweetened  and  flavored  with  any  agreeable  aromatic.  If  the 
oil  be  floated  on  this,  and  before  the  dose  is  taken,  the  lungs  be  tho- 
roughly exhausted,  so  that  the  whole  can  be  drunk  with  a  deep  inspi- 
ration, the  taste  is  very  little  noticed.  The  third  direction  in  which 
inventors  have  exercised  their  ingenuity  in  endeavoring  to  cover  up 
and  disguise  the  unwelcome  flavor  is  by  adding  various  ingredients  to 
the  oil,  and  by  making  it  into  an  emulsion.  Of  this  class  are  Cop- 
land's Sweet  Castor  Oil,  which  answers  admirably  for  children,  but 
for  adults  has  the  disadvantage  of  retaining  its  natural  appearance,, 
and  of  being  much  too  thick  and  clammy  for  reasonably  pleasant  use. 
Wilson's  Castor  Oil  Emulsion  has  the  taste  well  disguised,  and  has  a 
little  less  of  the  clamminess,  but  is  open  to  the  objection  of  being  too 
thick,  and  there  is  just  the  suspicion  in  my  mind  that  the  strength 
may  have  been  fortified  by  the  addition  of  some  more  powerful  pur- 
gative. 
In  the  May  number,  p.  357,  of  the  Journal  is*  an  article  by  Mr. 
Herbert  G.  Rogerson,*  in  which  he  gives  a  formula  adapted  to  emulsi- 
fy most  oils  and  balsams.  It  certainly  makes  a  very  nice  looking 
preparation,  having  a  white  pearly  lustre,  and  with  the  taste  and 
smell  of  the  active  ingredient  very  well  disguised.  But  it  is  too  thick 
and  must  be  gulphed  down. 
For  some  twelve  or  fourteen  years  past  I  have  used  the  following 
formula  for  a  Castor  Oil  draught  which  has  proved  very  acceptable  to 
adults  who  eould  not  get  down  the  pure  oil.    For  children  it  does  not 
answer  so  well,  the  dose  of  necessity  being  double  that  of  the  oil :. 
R.    01.  Ricini,  gj. 
Mucil.  Acaciae,  3ij. 
Shake  well  together,  then  add 
Syr.  Simp.  3ij. 
Shake  again,  then  flavor  with  Spts.  Menthae  Pip.,  or  according  to  tastey 
and  make  up  two  ounces  with  water.    This  mixture  can  scarcely  be 
called  an  emulsion,  but  it  mixes  well  on  vigorous  shaking.    The  taste 
is  well  disguised;  it  is  thin  enough  to  be  easily  taken  from  a  wine- 
glass, and  it  leaves  no  oil  sticking  round  the  mouth.    I  have  lately 
obtained  still  better  results  from  the  following  formula ; 
R.    01.  Ricini,  Jj. 
"  Anisi,  gtt  x. 
Chloroform,  gtt  x. 
*  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  April.  1873,  p.  174. 
