THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
 —  f^*^ 
SEPTEMBER,  1802.  \      SfcP   £  3^92 
ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  GLYCERIN  SUPPOSITORIES. 
By  Professor  Joseph  P.  Remington,  Ph.M. 
From  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  July  16. 
Glycerin  suppositories  are  now  very  largely  manufactured  and,  as 
is  well  known,  they  are  used  for  producing  a  gentle  laxative  effect 
upon  the  bowels.  The  problem  which  has  confronted  the  pharmacist 
has  been  to  combine  a  comparatively  large  quantity  of  glycerin  with 
an  inert  body,  capable  of  giving  the  requisite  solidity  to  the  mass,  and 
at  the  same  time  be  soft  enough  to  liquefy  in  the  rectum.  Very 
many  formulas  have  been  in  existence,  but  in  the  writer's  opinion, 
none  give  as  much  satisfaction  as  the  following  : 
GLYCERIN  SUPPOSITORIES. 
Sodium  carbonate,   40  gr. 
Stearic  acid,   80  " 
Glycerin,   1,080  " 
Dissolve,  the  sodium  carbonate  in  the  glycerin,  add  the  stearic 
acid,  heat  carefully  (preferably  by  the  use  of  a  water-bath)  until 
effervescence  ceases ;  the  solution  is  then  poured  into  a  suppository 
mould  to  make  twelve  suppositories.  There  is  no  necessity  for  cool- 
ing the  moulds  with  ice,  although  there  is  no  objection  to  this  in 
warm  weather.  As  each  suppository  contains  about  ninety  per  cent, 
of  glycerin,  they  must  be  protected  from  the  action  of  moist  air, 
which  has  a  tendency  to  liquefy  them.  Several  expedients  are 
resorted  to.  Each  one  may  be  wrapped  in  tin-foil,  or  quickly  dipped 
in  melted  paraffin  ;  or  each  one  enclosed  in  a  small  glass  vial  with- 
out a  shoulder  and  made  for  the  purpose  of  holding  one  suppository. 
(457) 
