A^Aug.?i892arm'}  Commercial  Hy pop hosp kite  Preparations.  395 
Some  remarks  upon  these  samples  may  prove  interesting  read- 
ing: 
1  is  a  preparation  extensively  advertised  as  a  "  tasteless  prepara- 
tion of  cod  liver  oil  and  the  hypophosphites  ;"  in  appearance  and 
properties  it  forms  a  splendid  example  of  an  elixir,  the  taste  of 
which  is  not  rendered  unpleasant  by  homoeopathic  doses  of  hypo- 
phosphites,  nor  is  the  odor  affected  by  substituting  iodine  for  its 
equivalent  of  cod-liver  oil. 
2  is  a"  proprietary'*  and  has  been  "made"  such  a  success 
m  that  numerous  imitations  are  being  offered  to  the  trade  ;  of  these 
imitations  3  and  4  are  examples.  The  samples  so  far  (1-4  inclusive) 
probably  owe  more  of  their  medicinal  effect  to  the  alkaloids  than  to 
the  small  quantity  of  hypophosphites  5,  6,  7  and  8  are  samples  of 
the  official  syrup  of  the  hypophosphites ;  5  containing  free  H3P02  in 
place  of  citric  acid,  6  strictly  U.  S.  P.;  both  of  these  were  made  by  me ; 
7  (recently  made)  and  8  (in  stock  for  at  least  two  years,  during 
which  time  it  had  been  repeatedly  exposed  in  a  partly  filled  bottle 
to  direct  sun-light)  were  obtained  from  a  wholesale  house  ;  these 
samples  show  no  difference  in  quantity  of  hypophosphite,  although 
8  was  very  much  darker  in  color. 
9  (old)  and  10  (new)  are  Syrup  of  the  Hypophosphites  with 
Iron ;  they  are  not  made  according  to  the  U.  S.  P.  (which 
preparation  speedily  deposits  insoluble  ferric  hypophosphite 
produced  by  the  oxidation  of  ferrous  hypophosphite  when 
in  contact  with  air  and  in  presence  of  other  hypophosphites ; 
the  ferrous  hypophosphite  formed  by  double  decomposition  of 
the  ferrous  lactate  and  the  alkaline  hypophosphites),  but 
start  with  ferric  hypophosphite  and  retain  this  in  solution  by  the 
addition  of  some  free  hypophosphorous  acid. 
1 1,  Syrup.  Hypophosp.  Comp.  of  the  National  Formulary ;  in  this 
the  precipitation  of  ferric  hypophosphite  is  prevented  by  the  presence 
of  an  alkaline  citrate. 
12  to  17,  inclusive,  illustrate  the  great  army  of  special  preparations 
placed  upon  the  drug  store  shelves  through  the  conversion  of  the 
practitioners  by  free  samples,  etc.  As  the  results  show,  there  are  a 
number  of  these  preparations,  which  excite  suspicion  that  they  never 
contained  the  quantity  of  salts  which  the  labels  state  to  be  present. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  results  obtained  in  the  investigation  can  be 
used  by  pharmacists  in  convincing  the  physicians  of  their  acquaint- 
