Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
April,  1879.  J 
Tully's  Powder. 
SALICYLIC  ACID.— A  CORRECTION. 
By  J.  U.  Lloyd. 
Sometime  ago,  an  article  in  this  journal  (1875,  p.  343)  mentioned 
that  in  preparing  salicylic  acid  from  wintergreen  oil  on  oily  liquid  sep- 
arated, and  must  be  eliminated.  This  oily  substance  is  wanting  in  cases 
where  the  wintergreen  oil  is  pure  ;  therefore,  it  is  with  pleasure  I  offer 
this  criticism  of  a  formula  otherwise  effective.  The  article  alluded  to 
was  written  by  myself,  and  for  some  two  years  I  have  been  expecting 
to  note  the  above-mentioned  correction  from  the  pen  of  another.  It 
is  time  that  some  one  should  speak,  therefore  I  will  state  that  the 
remarks  alluded  to  were  based  upon  insufficient  data.  I  will  also  say 
that  at  present  pure  wintergreen  oil  can  easily  be  obtained. 
Note. — Oil  of  wintergreen  is  a  mixture  of  two  oils,  one  of  which, 
a  hydrocarbon,  boiling  near  200°C,  is  present  in  small  quantity  only. 
About  90  per  cent,  of  the  oil  consists  of  methyl-salicylic  acid,  which, 
with  potassa,  yields  salicylate  of  potassium  and  methylic  alcohol.  Oil  of 
wintergreen  is  not  unfrequently  adulterated  with  oil  of  sassafras,  which 
admixture  is  readily  detected  by  cold  nitric  acid. — Ed.  Am.  Jour.  Phar. 
TULLY'S  POWDER. 
Elmira,  N.  Y.,  March  19,  1879- 
Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
Dear  Sir — I  enclose  formulae  of  "  Tully's  Powder,"  with  the 
authority  for  each.  Your  readers  may  already  be  familiar  with  the 
several  recipes.  It  shows  how  uncertain  a  prescription  is  if  ordered  by 
its  popular  name. 
Formula  of  Dr.  H.  M.  Field,  Prof  of  Therapeutics,  Dartmouth  Medical  College. 
(1)  $     Pulv.  camphorae,  .  •  .'12 
"    glycyrrhizae,      .  .  .  '50 
Morphia;  sulphatis,  .  .  .    -015 — 007 
M. 
Formula  of  Dr.  C,  P.  Frost,  Prof  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  Dartmouth 
Medical  College} 
(2)  R     Cretae  preparatae  (Eng  ), 
Pulv.  camphorae, 
"    glycyrrhizae,  .  .  da  '32 
Morphiae  sulphatis,     .  .  .  015 
M. 
The  above  is  also  as  prepared  by  T.  Metcalf  &  Co.,  Boston. 
1  This  is  nearly  identical  with  the  formula  of  the  Mass.  Med.  Society.— Editor. 
