SPIRXTUS  JETHERJS  NITRXCI. 
303 
were  sold  as  the  products  of  three  manufactories,  two  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  one  of  New  York,  two  of  these  manufactories  are 
very  extensive,  and  probably  supply  a  very  large  proportion 
of  the  medicinal  preparations  that  are  manufactured  in  the 
United  States.  The  third  is  much  smaller,  and  represents  a 
pretty  numerous  class  of  manufacturers  of  special  preparations. 
Three  of  the  samples  are  alleged  to  be  from  the  largest  manu- 
facturers, two  from  the  second  in  extent,  and  one  from  the 
smaller.  One  of  these  manufacturers  makes  and  sells  five  differ- 
ent kinds  of  Sweet  Spirit  of  Nitre.  Only  two  of  these  were  ex- 
amined, however,  as  these  only,  called  "  3  F"  and  «  4  F"  were 
met  with  in  casually  purchasing  the  six  samples  as  a  fair  repre- 
sentation of  the  article  that  is  now  within  the  reach  of  general 
medical  practice. 
These  specimens,  then,  probably  represent  the. manufacture  and 
the  markets  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  in  this  preparation. 
They  were  carefully  examined  by  fractional  distillation  as  above 
mentioned,  and  are  placed  in  comparison  with  No.  7,  which  is  a 
strictly  officinal  U.  S.  P  preparation  16  months  old. 
No. 
Color. 
S.G. 
Keaction 
with  Litmus. 
Reaction 
with  Sol. 
Potassa  in 
15  minutes 
Etherial  layer 
separated  by 
water  from  1 
pint  of  spirit 
Estimated  per 
centage  of  dry- 
Ether  contained. 
1 
Good. 
.839 
Neutral. 
Yellow. 
50  rri. 
Below  1.7  p.  c. 
»     2.  " 
2 
Pale. 
.840 
a 
a 
1  f.^  scant. 
3 
Good. 
.839 
a 
it 
if.3 
a     2.  « 
4 
Good. 
.881 
Acid. 
Colorless 
1  f.J  scant 
«     2  il 
5* 
Colorless 
.911 
it 
Brown. 
None. 
a      L  u 
it  3  5>#» 
6 
Good. 
.851 
Slightly  acid. 
Yellow. 
l'f.g.35  ttl 
3.16  " 
7 
Good. 
.840 
Neutral. 
It 
H  f-3 
4.2 
It  would  appear  from  this  table  that  a  great  majority  of  the 
physicians,  whose  patients  obtain  their  Sweet  Spirit  of  Nitre 
from  ordinary  sources,  are  prescribing  a  preparation  that  is  con- 
siderably below  half  its  proper  strength ;  or  often  but  little  more 
than  dilute  alcohol.  It  is  not  surprising  that  little  or  no  medi- 
cinal effect  is  obtained  from  such  an  article  ;  or  that  when  given 
in  the  now  common  doubled  dose  it  produces  the  almost  opposite 
effect  of  so  much  alcohol. 
*  This  sample  was  opalescent  when  purchased,  and  ihls  !{ muddiness  "  wag 
ascribed  by  the  person  who  dispensed  it,  to  his  having  "rinsed  out  the  bottle 
with  water"  previous  to  putting  it  up.  In  standing  twersty-fours  hours  it  be- 
came clear  by  depositing  a  white  sediment. 
