Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
Jan.,  1886.  J 
Several  Official  Ointments. 
7 
all  through  the  sieve.  Melt  the  wax  and  spermaceti  with  half  an 
ounce  of  the  lard,  and  then  gradually  add  the  remaining  lard.  Now 
add  the  balsam  to  the  fused  fat  and  apply  heat  for  15  to  20  minutes, 
not  exceeding  60°C  of  temperature,  and  then  decant  the  fluid  portion. 
Pour  this  gradually  upon  the  zinc  oxide  mixture,  stirring  it  well 
meanwhile,  and  when  all  the  fused  medium  has  been  incorporated, 
stir  the  mixture  occasionally  until  the  ointment  stiffens. 
With  the  use  of  stearic  acid  the  balsam  can  be  omitted,  and  the 
proportions  will  be:  Zinc  oxide  4  troy  ounces,  starch  J  troy  ounce, 
stearic  acid  1  troy  ounce,  and  lard  14J  troy  ounces.  The  manipula- 
tion is  essentially  like  that  of  the  preceding  process. 
With  white  petrolatum  a  magnificent  ointment  is  produced ;  but, 
owing  to  the  relatively  greater  cost  of  the  fatty  medium,  the  ointment 
becomes  too  expensive  for  general  sale. 
With  the  facilities  at  the  disposal  of  pharmacists,  it  is  impossible 
to  prepare  a  proper  mercurial  ointment.  This  work  of  the  pharma- 
cist is  also  wholly  unnecessary,  since  the  ointment  has  been  correctly 
prepared  by  means  of  machinery  for  many  decades.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  official  process  has  become  decidedly  superannuated. 
It  might  have  been,  however,  necessary  to  have  an  official  standard 
of  its  composition.  But  in  this  respect  no  progress  has  resulted.  By 
reason  of  the  fatty  medium,  as  ordinarily  employed,  forming  an 
ointment  of  excessive  firmness,  almost  unfit  for  general  use,  it  has 
become  a  very  prevalent  custom  to  reduce  its  strength.  In  order  to 
secure  a  suitable  consistency,  the  ointment  is  habitually  mitigated  fifty 
per  cent.  Since  the  preparation  containing  25  per  cent,  of  mercury  is 
that  usually  vended,  it  appears  that  such  a  form,  with  appropriate 
consistency,  should  be  officially  recognized  in  place  of  the  50  per  cent, 
article.  The  Pharmacopoeia  now  adds  tincture  of  benzoin,  for  some 
particular  reason.  It  is  difficult  to  infer  what  office  benzoin  fills  in 
this  connection.  If  intended  as  a  perfume  to  conceal  the  ill  odor  of 
the  ointment,  it  fails  to  accomplish  it.  The  powerful  natural  odor  of 
suet  cannot  thus  be  overcome.  Suet  should  properly  be  omitted  from 
this  ointment,  and  replaced  by  some  less  hard  and  less  odorous  fat. 
An  excellent  ointment  is  now  found  in  the  market  which  appears  to 
contain  petrolatum  as  a  medium — at  least  in  part.  This  new  ointment 
is  sold  as  a  50  per  cent,  article.  It  has  all  the  desirable  properties, 
and  hence  does  not,  in  so  far,  warrant  reduction. 
Red  oxide  of  mercury  is  not  decomposed  by  petrolatum,  but — as 
