4 
Liquid  and  Saccharated  Pepsins, 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(     Jan.  2,  1871. 
til  it  had  become  perfectly  clear,  filled  several  vials  with  it,  corked 
them  tight  and  sealed  them,  with  the  exception  of  one  which  was  only 
covered  with  paper,  and  set  them  aside.  When  after  about  six  weeks 
I  looked  after  them,  I  found  the  vial  only  tied  up  with  paper,  almost 
entirely  filled  with  a  fucoid  vegetation,  and  of  the  others  some  had 
mould  on  the  cork,  while  a  few  kept  entirely  clear  and  free  of  mould. 
Upon  these  results  I  thought  it  expedient  to  increase  the  quantity 
of  glycerin  in  the  preparation  to  50  per  cent.,  without  changing  the 
proportion  of  mucus  membrane  or  muriatic  acid.  The  resulting  prepa- 
ration stood  the  test  better  during  summer,  but  in  a  few  cases  a  little 
mould  was  also  noticed  on  the  cork,  although  never  in  the  liquid  itself. 
In  all  cases,  however,  care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  mucus  entirely 
removed  from  the  Liquid  Pepsin,  and  the  sooner  it  can  be  and  is  re- 
moved, the  better  the  product  will  be. 
Einding  it  not  as  easy  to  get  stomachs  in  summer  as  I  anticipated, 
and  particularly  to  get  a  preparation  of  Pepsin  free  of  acid,  as  in 
some  cases  the  physicians  wish  to  have,  I  endeavored  to  make  a  dry 
Pepsin,  which,  while  available  for  the  dispensing  in  the  form  of  pow- 
der, would  serve  for  the  preparation  of  (the  Liquid  Pepsin. 
Of  the  different  formulas  given  in  divers  books  treating  upon  organ- 
ic and  physiological  chemistry,  I  found  the  one  by  which  the  Pepsin 
is  precipitated  by  alcohol  the  least  suitable,  as  the  Pepsin  obtained 
in  this  way  had,  after  being  dried,  lost  its  solvent  power  on  albumen. 
After  having  precipitated  the  Pepsin  and  freed  it  of  water  as  much 
as  possible,  by  means  of  a  press,  it  is  mixed  in  the  damp  state  with  a 
weighed  portion  of  sugar  of  milk,  and  rubbed  in  a  mortar  until  it  has 
become  dry.  By  weighing  the  mixture  again  the  quantity  of  exsic- 
cated Pepsin  is  ascertained,  and  sufficient  milk-sugar  is  added  to 
reduce  to  such  strength,  that  one  grain  of  the  Saccharated  Pej^sirij 
as  I  call  it,  shall  dissolve  twelve  grains  of  coagulated  albumen.  This 
strength  seemed  to  me  the  most  suitable,  as  one  grain  is  equal  to  one 
teaspoonful  of  my  Liquid  Pepsin,  which  dose  is  found  by  Physicians 
sufficient  in  most  cases. 
The  Pepsin  dried  without  addition  of  an  inert  substance  could  not 
be  dispensed,  unless  it  be  in  solution,  as  in  that  state  it  cannot  be  made 
into  powder.  When  taken  out  of  the  press  and  dried  between  bibu- 
lous paper  it  is  a  very  tough  substance,  resembling  parchment  paper 
when  dried  in  thin  layers,  while  in  thick  pieces  it  looks  more 
like  sole  leather  ;  it  has  a  yellowish  or  grayish  brown  color.  In  water 
