LINIMENTUM SAPONIS. 
179 
instructions, is inapplicable for the purposes for which it 
is intended, the pharmaceutist has no alternative but to de- 
viate from the instructions to such an extent as to fulfil the 
intentions of the prescribers. He is thus forced to break 
through what ought to be a rule of uniform obligation, 
namely, that all medicines used in dispensing, should be 
prepared faithfully according to the PharmacopoBia. 
With the view of ascertaining what is the least amount 
of deviation from the prescribed formula by which a fluid 
opodeldoc may be obtained, 1 made two or three, experi- 
ments, of which the following are the results ; — 
1. In the first place, I prepared a specimen of soap liniment 
exactly according to the Pharmacopoeia. The soap used in 
the process was the best white Marseilles soap, and to be 
satisfied that this agreed with the definition of " Sapo" in 
the Pharmacopoeia, part of the specimen used has been 
subsequently examined, and found to be a pure soap made 
form oil and soda. The formula of the Pharmacopoeia is as 
follows : — 
" Take of Soap, ^iij. 
Camphor, ^j. 
Spirit of Rosemary, f^xvj. 
Dissolve the camphor in the spirit ; afterwards add the soap, 
and macerate with a gentle heat until it is dissolved. 
The product obtained is a firm jelly, which cannot be 
poured out of a bottle without melting it by heat. A speci- 
men of it, labelled No. 1, is placed on the table for compa- 
rison with other specimens of it about to be described. 
2. The specimen No. 2 has been prepared by dissolving 
as much oil of rosemary as would be contained in spirit of 
rosemary made by distillation according "to the Pharmaco- 
poeia, in thirteen ounces of rectified spirit, and to this one 
ounce of camphor was added. Then three ounces of soap, 
previously scraped, was melted in three ounces of water by 
the aid of a gentle heat, and mixed with the alcoholic solu- 
tion. The only material deviation in this process consists 
