412  The  Adminiftration  of  Phosphor  us.     { sip"';  ^875!'"' ' 
into  pills  than  the  preceding  preparations,  these  pills  pass  through  the 
digestive  organs  without  modification  or  sensible  loss  of  weight. 
With  respect  to  the  use  of  amorphous  phosphorus,  as  suggested  by 
Mr.  Postans  f  the  author  remarks  that  the  action  of  amorphous,  free 
from  all  trace  of  crystaU'i'zahle  phosphorus^  is  much  disputed.  If  it  were 
not  excluded  through  inertness,  red  phosphorus  could  be  manipulated 
in  the  pilular  form  as  well  as  any  other  powder  upon  which  the  air  ex- 
ercises no  sensible  action. 
Mr.  J.  Williams  has  proposed  the  use  of  a  solution  of  twelve  grains 
ot  phosphorus  in  nine  fluidounces  of  glycerin  and  nine  fluidounces  of 
alcohol  ;  \  the  solution  would  consequently  contain  one-twelfth  of  a 
grain  of  phosphorus  to  the  fluidrachm.  By  dissolving  the  phosphorus 
in  the  glycerin,  moderately  heated,  and  then  adding  the  alcohol  heated 
to  the  same  temperature,  Mr.  Williams  obtains  a  solution  which  is  free 
from  the  strong  acidity  always  present  in  an  alcoholic  solution  neces- 
sarily prepared  at  a  much  higher  temperature,  and  due  to  the  conver- 
sion of  the  phosphorus  into  oxygen  compounds.  But  Dr.  M^hu  points 
out  that  as,  according  to  Mr.  William's  own  admission,  this  solution  of 
phosphorus  in  alcohol  and  glycerin  deposits  after  a  time  a  part  of  its 
phosphorus,  it  has  the  fault  common  to  all  supersaturated  solutions,  such 
as  the  2  per  cent,  phosphorated  oil  of  the  Codex,  namely,  that  it  cannot 
be  kept  of  uniform  strength,  its  richness  in  phosphorus  varying  with 
time  and  temperature.  The  alcohol  has  a  tendency  to  evaporate  and 
the  glycerin  to  absorb  atmospheric  moisture,  and  these  two  effects  hasten 
the  precipitation  of  the  phosphorus.  Further,  the  addition  of  this  solu- 
tion to  an  aqueous  liquid  causes  the  immediate  precipitation  of  the  solid 
phosphorus. 
Referring  to  Mr.  William's  plan  of  estimating  the  phosphorus  in 
solution  by  means  of  a  solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury.  Dr.  M^hu 
remarks  that  the  property  possessed  by  phosphorus  of  converting  this 
salt  into  protochloride  of  mercury,  is  also  enjoyed  by  hypophosphorous 
acid  and  other  oxidized  products  of  phosphorus. 
The  author  states  that  Dr.  Routh  has  proposed  phosphoretted  sperm- 
aceti as  a  preparation  suitable  for  the  administration  of  phosphorus,  but 
without  publishing  any  experience  to  justify  his  recommendation.  Dr. 
Mehu  finds  that  it  is  easy  to  dissolve  in  spermaceti,  melted  at  about 
t  "  Pharm.  Journ."  [3],  vol.  v,  p.  363.   "  Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.,"  1874,  p.  586. 
Pharm.  Journ."  [3],  vol.  v,  p.  210.     See  also  "  Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.,"  1874, 
p.  150  and  308. 
