FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  WILD  CIIERRY  BARK. 
107 
fat.  To  accomplish  this  end,  I  first  triturate  the  metal  with 
about  one  third  of  the  fat  and  after  this  has  been  well  mixed, 
add  the  remaining  two  thirds,  but  I  have  found  it  necessary  to 
use  a  fat  of  greater  consistence  than  the  mixture  prescribed  by 
the  Pharmacopoeia.  1  have  used  6  oz.  of  suet,  melted  together 
with  2  oz.  of  lard,  and  while  still  warm,  pressed  the  mercury 
through  chamois  leather,  sprinkling  it  over  the  surface  of  the  fat 
and  immediately  incorporating  it  by  trituration.  After  this  por- 
tion is  well  mixed,  some  more  mercury  must  be  sprinkled  over  the 
fat,  and  trituration  and  addition  of  mercury  alternately  continued 
until  the  24  oz.  of  the  last  are  used  ;  then  the  ointment  is  of  a  soft, 
nearly  semi-fluid  consistence,  and  may  be  easily  mixed  with  the 
remaining  16  oz.  of  lard  without  application  of  heat.  If  two 
persons  can  be  employed  at  the  same  time,  the  process  will  be 
still  shortened,  one  may  constantly  press  the  mercury  through 
leather  while  the  other  is  incorporating  it  with  fat  by  tritura- 
tion. 
Mercurial  ointment  thus  prepared  is  of  a  fine  grayish  blue 
color,  and  contains  the  mercury  in  a  totally  unaltered  state,  and 
free  of  any  irritating  admixture.  On  keeping,  however,  for  some 
time,  it  darkens  somewhat,  doubtless  from  the  oxidation  of  a  part 
of  the  mercury  to  protoxide,  Another  advantage  of  preparing 
this  ointment  in  the  above  manner  consists  in  the  separation  of 
the  oxides  of  the  foreign  metals,  which  more  or  less  are  present 
in  all  commercial  mercury  ;  they  do  not  penetrate  the  pores  of 
the  leather,  and  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  process  a  dark 
powder  on  the  inside  of  the  leather ;  if  advisable,  its  equivalent 
weight  in  mercury  may  be  added  to  the  ointment,  to  make  it  of 
the  required  strength. 
New  York,  January,  1856. 
FURTHER  REMARKS  ON  FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  WILD  CHERRY 
BARK,  AND  ON  THE  ALCOHOLIC  EXTRACT  AND  WINE  OF 
WILD  CIIERRY  BARK. 
By  William  Procter,  Jr. 
In  the  last  number  of  this  Journal  (page  22,)  a  preparation  was 
brought  to  the  notice  of  the  profession  under  the  name  of  "Fluid 
Extract  of  Wild  Cherry  Bark."    Sugar  of  milk  or  lactine  was 
