Am.  Jour.  Pharru. 
March,  1901. 
Why  do  Syrups  Spoil? 
119 
changes  its  consistency  but  slightly  in  various  temperatures,  and 
never  loses  its  grateful  odor  and  elegant  appearance.  This  quality 
was  certainly  imparted  by  the  use  of  the  mineral  oil,  and  the  thought 
naturally  suggested  itself  to  use  this  oil  also  in  other  ointments  with 
the  view  of  making  them  more  stable  and  uniform.  I  intended  to 
make  a  series  of  experiments  in  this  direction,  but  lack  of  time 
during  the  last  two  years  prevented  me  from  carrying  out  my  in- 
tention. I  can  only  submit  to  you  two  samples,  one  of  simple  cerate 
in  which  100  parts  of  lard  have  been  replaced  by  the  same  quantity 
of  mineral  oil,  and  one  of  camphor  cerate,  in  which  the  cotton-seed 
oil  has  been  replaced  by  mineral  oil.  The  former  one,  the  simple 
cerate,  prepared  last  July,  has  stood  for  a  long  time  in  direct  sun- 
light without  showing  signs  of  granulation  or  decomposition.  I 
trust  that  these  few  remarks  may  encourage  others  to  take  up  this 
work,  which  seems  to  promise  good  results. 
WHY  DO  SYRUPS  SPOIL? 
By  Alfred  I.  Cohn,  Ph.Gr.,  New  York. 
The  reason  why  the  syrups  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  so  fre- 
quently spoil  is  a  question  that  has  engaged  the  attention  of  many 
investigators.  The  spoiling  has  been  ascribed  to  various  causes,  and 
almost  as  many  means  have  been  proposed  for  its  avoidance  ;  in 
fact,  a  search  through  the  literature  of  pharmacy  of  the  past  decade 
or  two  will  bring  to  light  a  striking  variety  of  expedients  adopted 
for  preventing  or  retarding  decomposition  in  Pharmacopceial  syrups, 
not  only  individually,  but  collectively  as  well. 
Among  the  causes  which  are  prone  to  occasion  deterioration  in 
syrups,  the  following  are  the  most  prominent  : 
(1)  Thinness  of  syrup,  i.  e.,  insufficient  sugar  has  been  used, 
whereby  the  syrup  obtained  is  not  sufficiently  dense. 
(2)  Constant  or  prolonged  exposure  to  too  high  a  temperature, 
as  in  a  room  heated  too  warmly;  proximity  to  a  heater,  etc. 
(3)  The  presence  of  substances  prone  to  ferment,  such  as  acacia, 
albumin,  gelatin,  pectinous  matter,  etc. 
(4)  Exposure  to  light,  as  in  the  case  of  syrups  containing  ferric 
salts. 
