2  Several  Official  Ointments.  \Ammj™\$trm' 
for  medicinal  use  through  pure  atmospheric  influence.  When  ben- 
zoinated  lard  is  mixed  with  substances  which  combine  with  or  destroy 
the  benzoic  acid,  the  resulting  ointment,  if  at  all  hydrous,  is  as  liable 
to  spoil  similar  to  aqueous  lard  without  benzoin. 
Benzoin  imparts  an  unpleasing  discoloration  to  fats.  Owing  to  its 
disposition  to  become  more  hardened  by  heating,  the  benzoin  is  not 
readily  extracted  by  the  melted  lard.  Furthermore,  suspended  parti- 
cles difficult  of  separation  are  likely  to  contaminate  the  product.  The 
writer  has  found  that  the  application  of  balsam  of  tolu  in  place  of 
benzoin  is  attended  by  superior  effects.  The  cinnamic  acid  which  is 
the  chief  active  constituent  of  the  balsam  is  a  more  powerful  antizy- 
motic  than  benzoic  acid.  In  consequence,  the  preservation  will  be 
more  thorough  and  lasting.  By  reason  of  the  ready  fusibility  of  the 
balsam,  its  contact  with  the  heated  lard  is  correspondingly  intimate. 
The  fused  fat  extracts  apparently  everything  from  it  of  a  desirable 
nature.  The  inert  residue  that  finally  remains  is  somewhat  less  fusi- 
ble than  the  original  balsam.  This  residuum  has  the  valuable  prop- 
erty of  gathering  up  all  floating  particles  contained  in  the  mixture, 
and  in  becoming  agglutinated  permits  the  complete  decantation  of  the 
clear  and  fluid  fat.  The  product,  when  cooled,  has  the  precise  odor 
of  benzoinated  lard. 
It  is  known  that  ordinary  resin- — usually  called  rosin — gives  dura- 
bility to  ointments  containing  it.  The  writer  believes  that  its  judicious 
employment  for  preserving  fats  would  give  desirable  results,  when 
added  in  no  larger  proportion  than  one  per  cent.  It  is  wholly  solu- 
ble in  fats,  is  scarcely  perceptible  by  its  odor,  and  imparts  no  color 
when  the  light  yellow  kind  is  used. 
In  contradistinction,  fats  impregnated  with  tolu  might  be  styled 
toluinated,  and  those  with  resin  resinated.  The  writer,  however,  is 
in  favor  of  generally  terming  fats  thus  treated  "  preserved  "  fats. 
Where  the  consistency  of  lard  is  not  of  the  requisite  firmness,  wax, 
spermaceti,  suet,  etc.,  are  added  in  proper  degree. 
Yellow  wax  appears  to  possess  preserving  powers.  White  wax  and 
spermaceti  are  much  less  efficient,  although  retarding  deterioration  to 
some  extent.  The  latter  two  are  sometimes  already  tainted  in  them- 
selves. In  these  compounds,  the  closer  texture  is  doubtless  the  main 
cause  of  their  greater  permanence.  The  combinations  between  sper- 
maceti and  lard  are  characterized  by  clearness  of  grain,  remarkable 
smoothness  and  ready  fusibility,  but  are  only  moderately  firm.  The 
