Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
Nov.,  1886.  J 
Liquor  Magnesii  Bromidi. 
531 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Southwark  Dispensary,  and 
active  in  many  good  and  charitable  works.  For  twenty  years  he  was 
Rector's  Warden  of  Trinity  P.  E.  Church,  Southwark,  and  one  of 
its  corporate  members.  The  consistent  Christian  life  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson extended  beyond  the  period  usually  allotted  to  man.  Ven- 
erable in  years,  and  in  the  duties  of  a  long  life,  his  record  will  remain 
with  us  as  an  enduring  monument  to  his  memory. 
LIQUOR  MAGNESII  BROMIDI. 
By  Joseph  W.  England,  Ph.G. 
(Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  October  19th.) 
Under  this  name  an  aqueous  solution  of  magnesium  bromide  has 
originated,  and  been  employed  in  the  Philadelphia  Hospital,  more 
particularly  in  the  insane  department  of  that  institution,  with  such 
success  as  to  warrant  its  more  general  trial  and  employment.  Drs. 
Henry,  DaCosta  and  Brooke,  of  this  city,  have  each  employed  it  in 
insane  practice,  and  found  it  to  be  a  decided  sedative  in  its  action 
upon  the  nervous  system,  having  no  unpleasant  after  effects  and 
evincing,  in  a  number  of  instances,  a  cathartic  action.  As  the  subject 
may  be  a  matter  of  pharmaceutical  interest  and  inquiry  in  the  future, 
I  desire  to  communicate  to  you  the  formula  I  originated,  which  is  as 
follows : — 
Take  of 
Acid.  Hydrobromic  Dibit.  (U.  S.  P.,  1880),  1  pint. 
Magnes.  Carb.  9.5,  to  neutralize  (or  about  one  troy-ounce). 
Filter. 
Each  teaspoonful  contains  7  (exactly  6.97)  grains  of  anhydrous 
magnesium  bromide.    Dose  :    One  to  two  fluidrachms. 
A  sample  of  the  solution  as  thus  prepared,  is  here  presented. 
You  will  observe  that  it  is  a  clear,  transparent,  light-yellowish 
liquid;  odorless,  bitter,  and  brackish  in  taste.  Specific  gravity  1*122, 
miscible  with  alcohol  in  equal  volumes  without  precipitation,  and  re- 
maining unaltered  upon  exposure  to  air.  One  fluidounce  of  the  solu- 
tion, precipitated  with  a  slight  excess  of  sodium  carbonate,  and  then 
ignited,  should  yield  not  less  than  12  grains  of  magnesium  oxide  (cor- 
responding to  at  least  55*76  grains  of  magnesium  bromide). 
The  chemical  reaction  upon  which  this  process  is  based,  is  as  follows  : 
