450 
Soap  Liniment^  U.  S.  P. 
/Am,  Joxjk,  Pharm. 
(     Oct.  1, 1871. 
The  amount  of  chloroform  produced  by  decomposing  the  three  dif- 
ferent samples  of  chloral  hydrate  by  means  of  caustic  alkali,  was  as 
follows  : 
100  grs.  of  Liebreich's  produced  60  grs.  chloroform. 
"       "    Scheririg's  "     60    "  " 
"       "   De  Haen's  "     50    "  " 
It  will  be  seen  that  sulphide  of  ammonium  reacts  the  same  with 
chloral  hydrate  which  has  been  decomposed,  as  with  a  pure  article, 
consequently  cannot  be  a  test  for  the  purity  of  chloral  hydrate.  I 
may  remark  here  that  I  have  noticed  that  if  chloral  hydrate  becomes 
slightly  acid,  that  decomposition  goes  on  very  rapidly  afterward. 
Louisville,  Sept.  15th,  1871. 
SOAP  LINIMENT  U.  S.  P. 
By  J.  C.  Wharton. 
Although  this  preparation  is  not  to  be  ranked  among  the  difficult 
ones  of  the  pharmacopoeia,  yet  a  simpler  and  more  expeditious  ma- 
nipulation is  quite  possible.  The  officinal  process  is  not  the  most 
direct,  and  as  it  requires  the  heat  of  a  water-bath,  it  presents  at  least 
two  other  undesirable  features.  One  is  the  evaporation  of  the  alco- 
hol, and  the  other  is  the  danger  of  fire  from  its  inflammable  vapor  in 
careless  hands.  There  is  no  necessity  for  fire  to  be  used  at  all,  and, 
in  fact,  it  is  but  a  slow  method  of  arriving  at  a  result  which  a  little 
mechanical  eSbrt  will  reach  in  much  less  time,  besides  yielding  a  moie 
satisfactory  product.  What  is  meant  by  the  mechanic:il  effort  is 
simply  to  pound  the  soap  in  a  mortar,  gradually  adding  the  Avater 
first,  then  the  alcohol,  &c.,  as  given  in  the  formula  below.  By  the  first 
step  in  the  process  a  very  soft  mass  is  formed,  just  as  would  be  the  case 
if  in  making  soap  pills  a  little  too  much  water  should  be  added.  The 
succeeding  steps  consist  in  dissolving  the  soap,  camphor  and  oil  of  rose- 
mary in  the  alcohol — an  easy  process,  as  will  be  discovered  on  trial.  In 
beating  the  soap  and  water  together  it  is  best  not  to  mix  them  imme- 
diately, as  it  would  then  be  difficult  to  get  the  pestle  upon  the  lumps 
of  wet  soap ;  but  if  the  mortar  is  dry,  and  the  soap  is  introduced  dry, 
either  in  a  mass,  lumps  or  shavings,  it  maybe  easily  beaten,  and  if  it 
is  well  pounded  in  this  condition,  it  is  rendered  so  plastic  that  the 
water  may  then  be  readily  incorporated,  and  the  whole  preparation 
completed  in  a  short  w^hile.    I  think  it  no  trouble  to  commence  and 
