Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
March.  1905.  J 
Camphor  Snow. 
129 
tive  agent  for  external  application.  But  even  glycerin  is  not  a 
specific,  and  with  many  individuals  is  more  irritating  than  soothing, 
particularly  when  undiluted. 
To  obviate  the  greasy  nature  of  the  one  or  the  irritating,  even 
caustic,  action  of  the  other,  innumerable  suggestions  and  recipes 
have  been  published  from  time  to  time.  Among  the  more  practi- 
cable of  these  suggestions  we  may  mention  the  reduction  of  the 
relative  amount  of  the  grease  or  oil  in  the  case  of  cold  cream,  and 
the  addition  of  non-objectionable  diluents  to  the  glycerin.  As  an 
example  of  a  dilute  mixture  of  an  oil  with  water,  the  following 
saponaceous  mixture,  provisionally  called  "  camphor  snow,"  may  be 
tried : 
Agar-agar   3  grammes 
Water   150 
Stearic  acid   15 
Sodium  carbonate   10 
Oil  of  theobroma   15 
Water  100 
Alcohol   10 
Camphor   5 
The  necessary  apparatus  consists  of  a  so-called  farina  boiler,  or  a 
suitable  water-bath,  and  an  egg-beater.  The  process  of  mixing  is 
simple,  though  the  following  directions  may  appear  to  be  somewhat 
complicated. 
Dissolve  the  agar-agar  in  150  c.c.  of  water  and  strain.  To  100  c.c. 
of  water  in  a  farina  boiler,  or  any  suitable  dish  on  a  water-bath,  add 
the  stearic  acid  and  the  sodium  carbonate ;  after  the  carbon  dioxide 
has  been  driven  off,  add  the  oil  of  theobroma  and  the  solution  of 
agar-agar;  mix  thoroughly  by  means  of  the  egg-beater;  then  re- 
move  the  container  from  the  water-bath,  or  source  of  heat,  and  con- 
tinue beating  or  agitating  the  mixture  until  a  uniformly  smooth 
lather,  measuring  about  three  times  the  volume  of  the  contained 
liquids,  results. 
When  nearly  cold  add  the  camphor,  dissolved  in  the  alcohol.  A 
preparation  of  this  kind  can,  of  course,  be  varied  by  the  substitution 
of  any  desirable  perfume  or  odor  for  the  camphor,  or  by  the  sub- 
stitution of  any  other  desirable  fatty  oil  for  the  oil  of  theobroma,  or 
by  the  substitution  of  Irish  moss  or  casein  for  the  agar-agar. 
Another  rather  interesting  possibility,  as  a  toilet  article,  is  a 
cream-like  emulsion  of  fatty  oil.    This,  to  prevent  its  being  con- 
