THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MAY,  1888. 
PHOTOXYLIN. 
By  Geo.  M.  Beeingee,  Ph.  G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  April  17th, 
Under  the  name  of  Photoxylin,  the  Russian  photographers  use  a 
pyroxylin  made  by  nitrating  wood  pulp.  Prof.  Wahl,  of  St.  Peters- 
burg, recommends  a  five  per  cent,  solution  of  this  pyroxylin  in  equal 
parts  of  ether  and  alcohol  as  a  substitute  for  collodion  in  surgical 
operations.  He  states  that  when  applied  to  the  skin  it  forms  an  im- 
pervious dressing  that  adheres  firmly  and  is  not  easily  rubbed  off  in 
washing.  In  small  operations  he  has  found  it  possible  to  dispense  en- 
tirely with  more  bulky  antiseptic  dressings  (see  Pharm.  Journal  and 
Trans.,  June,  1887,  page  1051.) 
The  name  "  Photoxylin''  has  likewise  been  applied  to  this  solution. 
There  being  some  demand  for  this  dressing  created  by  the  publica- 
tion of  the  statement  of  Dr.  Wahl  in  the  various  medical  and  pharma- 
ceutical journals,  the  writer  was  induced  to  try  some  experiments  on 
the  manufacture  of  the  same. 
The  wood  pulp  desired  was  kindly  furnished  by  a  manufacturer 
both  in  the  loose  fibrous  form  and  in  the  shape  of  sheets  rolled  under 
reduced  pressure  so  as  to  leave  the  resulting  sheets  thick  and  porous. 
These  samples  of  wood  pulp  were  carefully  dried. 
Several  processes  of  nitrating  were  tried  with  mixtures  of  nitric  and 
sulphuric  acids,  and  also  with  potassium  nitrate  and  sulphuric  acid. 
The  following  process,  a  modification  of  a  formula  used  for  collodion 
cotton,  gave  good  results  and  was  adopted : 
Nitrous  acid,  43°  Baume  3 J  R).  av. 
Sulphuric  acid  4^  lb.  av. 
Potassium  nitrate,  granular  8  oz.  av. 
Wood  pulp  4  oz.  av. 
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