178 
LINIMENTCJM SAPONIS. 
this acid of being volatilized from aqueous or alcoholic 
solutions with the vapours of these liquids. The occurrence 
of ammonia, observed by Puyen, in the vapours collected 
by him at Monte Rotundo, in Tuscany, where native bora- 
cic acid occurs in such abundance, greatly favours the view 
that the boracic acid of the lagoons is formed in the man- 
ner above indicated. — Chem. Gaz.from Liebig'sAnnalen- 
ART. XXXVIL— ON LINIMENTUM SAPONIS. 
By Mr. W. A. Hallows. 
When recently making liniment um saponis, I could not 
help feeling surprised that the Pharmacopoeia should for so 
many years have contained a formula for this preparation 
from which it cannot be made in the state in which it is 
required for use. Soap liniment or opodeldoc is always 
prescribed by medical men, under the impression of its 
being a liquid; and the public are so accustomed to use it 
in this form, that if it were offered them in the solid state, 
it would be rejected as useless, or inconvenient for applica- 
tion. Yet, when made according to the instructions of the 
Pharmacopoeia, it becomes solid, and retains that condition 
in all states of the atmosphere. This fact has been noticed 
by some of the commentators on the Pharmacopoeia, and 
has been alluded on more than one occasion in the Phar- 
maceutical Journal. In bringing the subject before this 
meeting on the present occasion, my principal object has 
been to cail the attention of the College of Physicians, who 
are said to be now engaged in preparing a new Pharmaco- 
poeia, to the defects in the formula alluded to. It is much 
to be regretted that any formula should be admitted into 
the Pharmacopoeia without being previously tested by com- 
petent judges, for in a case like that under notice, when 
the product obtained in accordance with the prescribed 
