564  Syruf  of  Iodide  of  Iron,  {^"•fc\?£>''"' 
THE   RESTORATION   OF   DISCOLORED    SYRUP  OF 
IODIDE  OF  IRON. 
By  Thomas  B.  Groves,  F.C.S. 
Numberless  articles  by  accredited  writers  in   the  "  Pharmaceutical 
Journal"  and  elsewhere  have  shown  that  the  preparation  of  a  nearly 
colorless  syrup  of  iodide  of  iron  is  not  a  difficult  matter,  and  there  has 
been  a  pretty  general  concurrence  in  the  belief  that  the  process  of  the 
British  Pharmacopoeia  leaves  little  to  be  desired.    As  to  its  keeping 
properties,  there  has  been  and  probably  there  still  is  a  good  deal  of 
difference  of  opinion  ;  some  going  so  far  as  to  say  that  it  keeps  per- 
fectly well,  and  needs  no  special  precaution  for  its  preservation,  whilst 
others  have  devised  elaborate  ways  of  bottling  and  storing  or  chemical 
treatment  intended  to  enable  the  pharmacist  to  dispense  a  creditable 
article  when  called  upon  by  the  prescriber.     It  is  doubtless  true  that 
when  made  with  pure  sugar,  a   substance  by-the-bye  difficult  at  all 
times  to  procure,  the  syrup,  when  in  reasonable  demand,  does  keep 
fairly  well,  so  well  in  fact  that  well  accustomed  dispensing  establish- 
ments fail  to  see  any  difficulty  in  the  matter.     Such,  however,  is  not 
the  case  with  those  who  perhaps  are  not  called  upon  to  dispense  the 
article  once  in  a  month,  or  even  less  frequently.     Then  on  searching 
the  cupboard  it  is  often  found  that  the  syrup  without  some  treatment  is 
not  presentable,  and  frequently  it  happens  that  for  want  of  knowing 
what  to  do  in  the  case  the  syrup  is  sacrificed  and  the  patient  incom- 
moded.   With  the  view  of  assisting  my  brother  pharmacists  when  in 
this  dilemma  I  venture  to  offer  a  few  observations.    I  must,  however,, 
confess  that   instances  have   to   my  knowledge  occurred  where  the 
pharmacist  has  not  been  too  scrupulous,  and  ignoring  the  refinements 
of  pharmacy  has  not  hesitated  to  supply  his  customer  with  a  discolored 
syrup.      I  have  myself  been  hauled  over  the  coals  for  supplying  a 
colorless  and  comparatively  flavorless  article,  ''apparently  not  so  strong 
as  Mr.  Dash's      in  fact  have  suffered  for  a  time,  as  did  George  the 
first's  cooks,  who  supplied  his  majesty's  table  with  fresh  oysters,  "  not 
so  'igh  in  flavor"  as  those  to  which  his  Hanoverian  Highness  had  been 
accustomed. 
The  discoloration  of  syrup  of  iodide  of  iron  is  doubtless  due  mainly 
to  the  presence  of  free  iodine  \  when  turbidity  is  present  there  is  proba- 
bly also  a  basic  persalt  of  iron  in  suspension  which  adds  to  the  effect- 
To  get  rid  of  both  of  these  it  is  only  necessary  to  dilute  the  syrup  with 
say  a  third  of  its  volume  of  water,  to  boil  briskly  for  a  few  minutes,. 
