488  Petrolatum  in  the  Officinal  Ointments.  {^'"btCisss*""'* 
could  be  readily  reached  and  would  be  essentially  practical.  After 
prolonged  consideration,  it  was  finally  decided  to  fix  the  melting  point 
but  slightly  above  that  of  the  best  form  of  the  commercial  article,  for 
experience  had  shown  that  excellent  results  had  been  obtained  thera- 
peutically from  a  petrolatum  having  a  melting  point  of  40°C.  (or 
104°F.),  and  a  firmer  petrolatum  could  be  readily  produced  by  incor- 
porating yellow  wax  with  it,  although  care  is  necessary  in  the  produc- 
tion of  this  firmer  ointment.  To  insure  a  homogeneous  compound  it 
must  be  stirred  thoroughly  and  continuously  after  it  has  commenced 
to  congeal,  whilst  upon  the  large  scale  mechanical  stirrers  are  recom- 
mended. At  the  present  time  petrolatum  can  be  had  of  excellent 
quality  and  fully  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  in 
large  quantities  cheaper  than  good  iard,  and  the  reduction  in  price  due 
to  competition  is  still  going  on,  and  thus  one  practical  obstacle  to  its 
general  employment  in  ointments  is  overcome.  It  is  not  the  intention 
of  this  paper  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  therapeutical  superiority 
of  petrolatum  as  a  base  for  ointments ;  its  very  extensive  use  in  this 
connection,  by  physicians,  compelled  the  Committee  of  Revision  to 
introduce  it  into  the  Pharmacopoeia;  and  if  at  the  time  of  the  decision 
an  adequate  su'pply,  made  by  different  manufacturers  and  not  proprie- 
tary in  its  character,  could  have  been  assured  it  would  have  probably 
been  directed  in  the  formulas  for  the  ointments.  The  next  revision 
will,  in  all  probability,  require  its  use  in  most  of  the  officinal  oint- 
ments. With  the  view  of  obtaining  some  experience  in  its  general 
use,  the  following  series  of  formulas  was  devised,  in  which  petrolatum 
is  substituted  for  lard  or  other  animal  fat  in  each  one  of  the  ofl&cinal 
cerates  and  ointments,  and  one-pound  samples  are  herewith  submitted 
to  the  Association  for  inspection ;  the  formulas  will  be  accompanied  by 
comments  when  deemed  necessary. 
Ceratum. —  Cerate. — Yellow  wax,  thirty  parts;  petrolatum,  seventy 
parts.  Melt  them  together  and  stir  constantly  until  cool.  The  cerate 
made  in  this  way  is  of  a  light  yellow  color  and,  of  course,  would  not 
be  recognized  as  officinal  simple  cerate ;  it  is  nevertheless  an  excellent 
dressing,  and  will  retain  its  properties  unimpaired  a  greater  length  of 
time  than  officinal  cerate. 
Ceratum  Camphors. —  Camphor  Cey^ate. — Camphor  liniment, 
three  parts ;  olive  oil,  twelve  parts ;  cerate  (made  with  petrolatum), 
eighty-five  parts.  Mix  the  camphor  liniment  and  the  olive  oil  and 
incorporate  with  the  cerate.    This  cerate  was  introduced  as  the  base  of 
