Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1919. 
Iodoglycerole. 
281 
in  a  container  that  will  retain  the  heat  developed  during  the  process 
of  solution.  It  is  well  that  the  container  should  not  be  any  larger 
than  is  necessary  to  hold  the  finished  product,  and  if  possible,  it 
should  be  a  deep  vessel  in  preference  to  a  shallow  one.  When  solu- 
tion has  taken  place,  the  oil  should  be  added,  followed  by  the  alcohol. 
The  mixture  should  then  be  stirred  with  occasional  intermittance 
until  saponification  has  taken  place,  which  takes  from  15-20  minutes, 
and  can  be  readily  recognized  by  the  mixture  assuming  the  nature 
of  a  thick  smooth  paste,  the  color  of  which  gradually  becomes 
clearer  on  stirring.  At  this  stage  the  rest  of  the  water  may  be  added 
with  possibly  an  occasional  stirring  until  it  is  all  absorbed  and  a  clear 
soap  results. 
That  one  should  have  to  stop  in  the  midst  of  the  process  in  order 
to  carry  out  an  assay,  is  most  troublesome  and  equally  unnecessary, 
for  the  pharmacopoeia  directs  that  the  percentage  strength  of  the 
potash  should  be  known  before  hand  and  the  amount  of  oil  re- 
quired should  be  calculated  accordingly.  Xow.  if  one  is  tolerably 
careful  in  weighing  out  these  materials,  how  can  there  be  any  doubt 
of  the  proper  outcome  with  regard  to  alkalinity  ? 
It  may  perhaps  be  pertinent  to  suggest  that  framers  of  formulas 
give  more  consideration  to  simplicity  in  technic  in  order  that  phar- 
macists may  be  encouraged  to  do  more  of  their  own  manufacturing, 
by  which  means  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  our  official  text  books 
would  be  gained  and  with  it  the  interest  in  them  stimulated.  Inci- 
dentally pharmacists  would  get  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  and  pleas- 
ure out  of  doing  just  such  work,  for  there  is  truly  much  in  pharmacy 
that  is  highly  interesting. 
IODOGLYCEROLE. 
By  E.  S.  Talbot.  M.D. 
CHICAGO,  ILL. 
This  preparation  was  first  used  in  the  treatment  of  so-called 
pyorrhea  alveolaris  in  1878  and  for  the  general  cleaning  of  the 
gums  and  mucous  membranes  before  operating  and  has  been  con- 
tinuously in  use  in  my  practice  since  that  date. 
It  was  found  that  when  the  official  tincture  of  iodine  was  used 
that  it  removed  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth.'  It  was  also 
