Fel Bovinum

The best excipient is a sufficiency of equal parts of tragacanth and acacia. The ox-gall may be bought in a dried and powdered state. In this condition it is very convenient, and forms an excellent mass with dec. aloes co. conc. Coat with keratin solution.

Ferri Bromidum

The Societe de Pharmacie de Paris recommends a hot strong solution of the bromide to be mixed in a dry warm porcelain mortar with liquorice-powder and gum arabic, in equal parts, sufficient to make a mass. The pills should be rolled in lycopodium or, better, coated with sugar, and preserved in a well-dried bottle.

Ferri Carbonas

The old-fashioned saccharated car-Donate of iron has now been largely displaced through the popularity of Blaud's pills. Five grains of the saccharated carbonate makes a good pill with 1 grain of theriacanth. The original Blaud's pill was made by heating together sulphate of iron and carbonate of potash in honey, then adding other ingredients, and evaporating to a pilular consistence. It is about thirty years since physicians in this country began to prescribe a similar combination of sulphate of iron with an alkaline carbonate or bicarbonate. To the dispenser it mattered much whether carbonate or bicarbonate was ordered. Thus, with sodium carbonate (dried) the reaction is according to the following equation:

FeSO4,7H2O + Na2CO3 = FeCO8 + Na2SO4 + 7H2O.

With sodium bicarbonate it is as follows:

FeSO4,7H2O + 2NaHCO3 = FeCO3 + Na2SO4 + CO2 + 8H2O.

In the latter case the freed carbonic-acid gas greatly affects the resulting mass. Either the salts must be allowed to lie until all the gas is expelled (whereby the ferrous salt is much oxidised by exposure) and then massed, or the mass may be made right off, the consequence being that the pills are much larger than they should be, owing to occluded gas. It is apparent also that, owing to the liberation of water of crystallisation, soft excipients are inapplicable. About 1887 the pill had become so popular that the British Pharmaceutical Conference devised a formula which comprised most of the good points brought forward by dozens of pharmacists from time to time, and in due course the formula was introduced into the British Pharmacopoeia. It was improved in the 1898 and 1914 editions. We append the B.P.C. original and the B.P. 1914 formulae. The first gives a pill in which ferrous sulphate and potassium carbonate exist as such with some ferrous carbonate; the second provides a pill of ferrous carbonate:

The B.P.C. directions were: Reduce the sulphate of iron to fine powder, add the sugar and tragacanth, and mix intimately. Finely powder the carbonate of potassium in another mortar, and thoroughly incorporate with it the glycerin. Transfer this to the mortar containing the sulphate of iron, beat thoroughly until the mass becomes green, add water sufficient to impart a soft pilular consistence, and divide into twenty-four pills.

The B.P. directions for making the pill are: Mix the ferrous sulphate with the glucose and water, add the sodium carbonate, mix, set aside for ten minutes to complete the reaction, and mass with the gums.