295 ]EDICR JRmA ] MEDICINAL OILS AND FATS. [SEPT. 4, 19I8 A brief report by Mr. R. F. Tobin, on the work done which should obviate uncertainty, and that this would in Ireland during 1917, is appended, togetlher with a best be effected by the suggestion of alternative prepara- tabular statement showing the number and nature of tions of definite formulae. The Pharmaceutical Society, acting in co-operation with a body of representative manu- experiments performed by each licensee. The number of facturers, and in consultation with the Home Offlce Com- experiments was 832, of which 720 were simple inocula- mittee,, undertook the necessary experiments, and have tions; and the inspector records hiis belief that the holders now constructed a set of war emergency formulae which of licences have obeyed the spirit as well as the letter of are published by the Society. (Codex Addendum, 1918.) tlle Act, and that experiments were not 5. The following suggestions are offe*led for the assist- unnecessarily ance of practitioners in prescribing, in view of the position inultiplied. as above described. 6. (a) Lard can no longer be dispensed either as such or THE NEED FOR MEDICAL ADVICE IN as an ingredient of a prescription. A base consisting of PARLIAM ENT. 5 per cent. wool fat, 10 per cent. hard paraffin, and 85 per WE are asked to state that Dr. Addison, Minister of cent. soft paraffin is on the market, and will, it is believed afford a suitable substitute for most cases in which lardl Reconstruction, will speak at a meeting of the medical would previously have been ordered. For somne cases the profession to be lheld at Steinway Hall, Wigmore Street, practitioner may find it advisable to modify the propor- London, W., on October lst, at 5.30, under the chairman- tions of the ingredients named. ship of Sir Henry Morris. The object of the meeting is (b) Ointments containing lard, or lard and suet, are now to secure the election of representative medical men to tlle allowed to be prepared with wool fat or paraffin, or mixtures of these in place of the lard or lard and suet which may no House of Commons so that expert adviie may be available longer be used. The base described above (named for on vital questions concerning the national health. All convenience Adeps factitius) has been found to afford a members of the medical profession are invited to attend. satisfactory substitute in the preparation of these oint- ments, and war emergency formulae containing it have THE London Gazette of September 10thl announces that been constructed. Practitioners will assist by ordering tlle King lhas appointed Sir Anderson Critchett, Bt., these formulae, except in special cases in which they thiak C.V.o., it advisable to modify the composition of the base. to be Surgeon Oculist in Ordinary, and Mr. Richard R. 7. (a) For olive oil, sesame oil or arachis oil may be Cruise, C.V.O., to be Surgeon Oculist Extraordinary to substituted, but none of these vegetable oils should be His Majesty. This notification is in substitution of tlhe ordered avoidably. When required for external purposes,, a announcement in the London Gazette of July 19tlh, 1918. specially prepared mineral oil derived from petroleum (known as parafflnum liquidum flavum) is niow obtain- able, and will in most cases be found to afford a satisfactory substitute. MEDICINAL OILS AND FATS. (b) Four liniments containing olive oil have ceased to be official. War emergency formulae, containing the specially WAR EMERGENCY MEASURES. prepared mineral oil above mentioned, have been devised; WE hiave received for publication the followina memo- liniments so prepared are on the market, and may be randum; addressed to the medical profession, on the substituted for the former official preparations. measures .8. (a) For castor oil it has been found, as the result of necessary to meet the existing slhortage, or a investigations by the Medical Research Committee, that possible discontinuance of the supply, of lard, olive oil, the neutralized seconds castor oil, now recognized by the and castor oil for medicinal purposes. Pharmacopoeia and readily obtainable, affords a satis- Memorandnm by the Home Office Committee. factory substitute for the flrst quality oil hitherto used. 1. The committee appointed by the Home Office, in (b) One preparation containing castor oil has been 'With- August, 1914,1 to deal with.questions of economy in the drawn-namely, liq. cresol saponatus. use of drugs during the war, desire to bring to the notice 9. For the preparations containing castor oil remaiting of the medical profession the plresent position as regards official-that is, collodium flexile, ]in. sinapis, and li4. supply, for medicinal purposes, of lard, olive oil (ahd epispasticus-the neutralized seconds oil will be usedby ctrtaih similar vegetable oils), and castor oil; to invite the manufacturer or chemist in place of the oil previously; their co-operation in effecting economies necessary in the official. national interest; and to submit suggestions for their Alternative Formnulae. assistance in this regard. The Codex Addendum 1918, referred to in the above 2. As members of the profession may be already aware, memorandum, gives alternative formulae for the medicinal the prior claims, partly of the food supply and partly of preparations containing lard or vegetable oils wlhich have arnnition production, have for some months compelled been officially withdrawn as an emergency measure from restriction or even discontinuance of the use of the sub- the Briti8h Pharnmacopoeia 1914, or are now modifed stances above named for medicinal purposes, and the therein. It was published in full in the Pharmaceutical prevent position is that: (i), Lard is no longer released for Journal of August 31st. iedicinal use; (ii) the, amount tthat can be set free for such use of olive oil (and of the possible substitutes sesanme The four liniments containing olive oil which have ceased and arachis oils) is uncertain; and (iii) little, if any, of the to be official are linimentum camphorae, linimentum chloro- of oil formi, linimentum hydrargyri, linimentum terebinthinae quality castor hitherto reqtuired for conformity with aceticum, and alternative war formulae for them are given in the Pharmacopoeial standard can be used. the Codex Addetndum. The war emergency formula for liqitor 3. To obviate the difficulties that might have arisen cresol saponatuts contains linseed oil in place of castor oil. With through the fact that these substances are ingredients of regard to ointments, lard substitute (adeps factitius) is con- miany,pfficial preparations, the General Medical Council, sidered suitable for use in place of. prepared lard in after consultation with the Home Office Committee, making adeps benzoatus and the following unguenta: Aconii- (lirected, in an alteration and amendment of the British tini, atropint, cocaini, iodoformi, and lanae comnpositum. Benzo- Pharmacopoeia, 1914 (published in ated lard made from lard substitute is suitable for use in the the London Gazette of following official un$uenta: Cantharidini, iallae, hydrargyri March, 1918), that certain preparations be withdrawn amnmnoniati, hydrargyrs iodidi rutbri, hydrargyrs oleati, hydrargyri from the British Pharmacopoeia until further notice, subchloridi, myrobalani, plumbi iodidi, potassii iodidi, staphi. while in the case of other preparations containing oils and sagriae, sulphuris, and zinci. No alternative formula is sug- fats, the use of various substitutes 'was sanctioned. gested for unguenttim hydrarqyri nitratis. Lard substitute is 4. By these alterations of the Pharmacopoeia consider- further Droposed to be employed in the preparation of the able latitude was accorded in the dispensing of prescrip- following unguenta: Belladonnae, capsici, hydrargyri, hydrargyri tions that contained the official preparations affected. It combpositum, iodi. The substituted formula for unguentuom picis therefore appeared desirable that some understanding liqtsidunm is identical with that of the official preparation except should be established between that yellow soft paraffin takes the place of prepared lard. In prescribers and dispensers unguentumn resinae lard substitute may be used instead of the mixture of yellow beeswax, olive and of 1 The present members of the committee are as follows: Dr. J. oil, prepared lard the Smith Whitaker, of the National Health Insurance Commission Pharmacopoeial ointment. Lastly, the Codex Addendum gives (chairman); Sir Thomas Barlow, Bt., K.C.V.O., ex-Presiden*R.C.P., the characters and tests of the mixture of liquid hydrocarbons Consulting Physician, University College Hospital; Dr. Alfred Cox. known in the war emergency formulae as para4jinum liquidumt O.B.E., Medical Secretary of the British Medical Association; Dr. E. flavum. Rowland Fothergill, Member of the Council of the British Medical Association; Dr. B. A. Richmond. Secretary of the London Panel Com- The Addendum iss published under the direction and by mittee; Dr. F. J. Smith, Physician. -Lo don Hospital; Dr. W. Hale the authority bf the Pharmaceutical Society, which alone White, Physician, Guy's Hospital. -The secretary is Dr E. W. Adams, Medical Officer of the National Health Insurance Commission, late Lecturer in Pharmacology. University of Sheffiela isresponsiblethem in or throughforthetheformulaePharmtaceuticalandforthe*Jou$rnal.publication:of.