THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
juGusr,  1875. 
A  NEW  BURN-MIXTURE. 
BY   CHARLES  RICE. 
Among  the  many  applications  used  in  the  treatment  of  burns  or 
scalds,  only  a  limited  number  are  of  general  utility  or  are  employed  in 
legitimate  practice.  But  there  are  certain  disadvantages  connected 
with  all  of  them,  which,  in  some  cases,  may  prevent  the  use  of  the  one 
or  the  other.  The  chief  aim  of  the  surgeon,  in  the  external  treatment 
of  recent  burns  or  scalds,  is  a  perfect  exclusion  of  air  by  means  of  a 
rapidly  drying  coating,  as  bland  and  as  flexible  as  possible. 
Of  the  various  mixtures  and  applications  of  this  kind,  the  following 
have  best  stood  the  test  of  time  : 
Carron  Oil^  (Linimentum  Calcis,  U.  S.  P.). — This  old  and  very 
useful  mixture  is  most  universally  used  and  deservedly  popular.  Re- 
quiring very  little  preparation,  it  can  be  made  at  a  moment's 
notice  from  materials  obtainable  almost  everywhere.  It  is  gene- 
rally applied  by  means  of  cotton,  which  serves  to  soak  up  the  oil 
and  to  prevent  its  running  off.  But  its  defects  are,  that  it  dries  very 
slowly  and  that  the  dressing  is  very  apt  to  be  disarranged  by  motion, 
especially  in  children.  Moreover,  the  odor  arising  from  it,  after  pro- 
longed application,  is  exceedingly  offensive.  Nevertheless,  for  com- 
mon purposes,  when  nothing  better  can  be  obtained,  it  is  of  great 
value. 
Collodion. — This  can  only  be  used  upon  burns  or  scalds  of  small  ex- 
tent, as  the  pain  occasioned  by  its  application  produces  a  great  deal  of 
shock,  unless  the  patient  is  placed  under  the  influence  of  an  anaesthetic, 
which  is  not  practical  in  many  cases.  In  using  collodion,  the  flexible 
variety  alone  should  be  used,  to  which  may  be  added,  with  great  advan- 
tage, a  small  quantity  of  carbolic  acid,  which  acts  as  a  local  anaesthetic. 
The  proportion  which  I  have  generally  used  is  five  parts  of  carbolic 
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