ON THE PREPARATION OF KERMES MINERAL. 233 
aciciilar crystals, which can be weighed. This method, 
which it is true is somewhat tedious, is successful with mix- 
tures containing only 2 per cent. I obtained very satisfactory 
and closely approximative results. — Journ. de Pharm. 
ART.XLVIIL— ONTHE PREPARATION OF KERMES MINERAL. 
By M. Liance, Pharmaceutist, Paris. 
It is very usual in this country to consider kermes mine- 
ral and precipitated sulphuret of antimony, as synonymous 
names, and hence it is generally the case that a physician 
who prescribes the former, gets the latter or officinal oxy- 
sulphuret of antimony. In France, the form of kermes 
mineral is preferred, and it is'usually made by the process 
of Cluzel, which is extremely simple, though not very pro- 
ductive, when the amount of liquid operated with is con- 
sidered. In fact, the preparation of kermes in such a man- 
ner as always to have a beautiful and uniformly active pro- 
duct, has not been generally understood, and M. Liance 
has long been the manufacturer of an article specially es- 
teemed. This gentleman, in a communication to the So- 
ciety of Pharmacy at Paris, has given to the world his 
processes, which are explained in the following report of 
M. Dublanc to the Society, viz : 
" Gentlemen, — In order to report on the note that M. 
Liance has addressed to you on the preparation of kermes, 
I will not write the history of this medicine. It has been the 
object of so many researches, experiments, and theories, 
that I found myself entangled in tedious developments and 
lengthy discussions, without deriving any advantage in 
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