THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
JUNE,  1879. 
GLYCERIN — ITS  EARLY  MANUFACTURE  IN  THIS 
COUNTRY. 
By    Robert  Shoemaker. 
I  have  thought  it  might  be  interesting  to  the  readers — especially 
the  younger  portion — of  the  "  Journal,"  to  be  told  something  of  the 
introduction  of  this  manufacture  in  the  United  States. 
I  claim  to  have  made  the  first  glycerin,  produced  for  sale,  or  as  an 
article  of  commerce,  in  this  country,  and  it  came  about  in  this  wise. 
In  the  year  1837  I  commenced,  in  this  city,  the  preparation  of  the 
plasters  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  and  sold  them  (chiefly  in  rolls  of 
half  a  pound)  to  the  druggists  in  this  city,  first,  and  afterward  through- 
out the  country.  Machine  spread  plasters  (except  adhesive,  on  cloth) 
came  later,  and  I  may  have  something  to  say  of  these  in  a  future 
paper. 
The  base  of  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  these  plasters  was  emp.  plumbi,  of 
which  I  manufactured  large  quantities. 
About  the  time  my  late  much-esteemed  friend,  Wm.  Procter,  Jr., 
was  preparing  the  matter  for  his  "  Mohr,  Redwood  and  Procter's  Phar- 
macy," he  asked  permission  to  examine  my  apparatus  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  lead  plaster,  with  a  view  of  writing  an  article  for  his  forthcom- 
ing book.  This  request  I  freely  granted,  and  the  result  of  his  visit  to 
my  laboratory  may  be  found  on  page  420,  etc.,  of  that  book,  edition 
of  1849.  At  the  time  of  the  visit  of  Mr.  Procter  we  were  busily 
engaged  in  dipping  out  the  newly  made  emp.  diach,,  and  cooling  it  by 
kneading  and  pulling  in  cold  water.  This  water,  when  it  became 
warm,  was  allowed  to  run  to  waste,  carrying  with  it  what  glycerin  it 
had  extracted  from  the  plaster. 
Mr.  Procter  asked  me  if  I  could  not  make  him  some  glycerin,  "at 
least  enough  for  a  specimen  for  the  class,"  adding,  "here  is  a  great 
waste."    I  had  often  tasted  the  water  sweetened  by  the  glycerin,  but 
J9 
