Description, A softish, bright yellow, opaque solid, resinous but tough, with the odour of American turpentine. True Frankincense, the natural exudation from Abies excelsa, is not at present imported into this country.

Prop. & Comp. Chemically American frankincense is not known to differ from common resin; it may, however, contain more or less volatile oil.

Off. Prep. Contained in Emplastrum Picis.

Pix Burgundica. Burgundy Pitch. A resinous exudation from the stem of the Abies excelsa. Spruce Fir (Pinus abies), melted and strained; imported from Switzerland.

[Pix Canadensis. The prepared concrete juice of Abies canadensis. U. S.]

Description. Hard and brittle, yet gradually taking the form of the vessel in which it is kept; opaque, varying in colour, but generally dull reddish brown; of a peculiar somewhat empyreu-matic perfumed odour and aromatic taste. Without bitterness, free from vesicles; gives off no water when it is heated.

Prop. & Comp. Burgundy pitch consists chiefly of resin, but a little volatile oil is present, imparting to it chief of its odour. The resin probably contains the same or similar acids to those found in American frankincense, or common resin obtained from turpentine.

Off. Prep. Emplastrum Picis. Pitch Plaster. (Burgundy pitch, twenty-six ounces; common frankincense, thirteen ounces; resin, four ounces and a half; yellow wax, four ounces and a half; expressed oil of nutmeg, one ounce; olive oil, two fluid ounces; water, two fluid ounces.)

[Emplastrum Picis Burgundica. Burgundy pitch, seventy-two troy ounces; yellow wax, six troy ounces. U. S.]

[Emplastrum Picis Canadensis. Hemlock Pitch Plaster. Canada pitch, seventy-two troy ounces; yellow wax, six troy ounces. U. S.]

[Emplastrum Picis cum Cantharide. Plaster of pitch with cantharides. Burgundy pitch, forty-eight troy ounces; cerate of cantharides, four troy ounces. U. S.]

Therapeutics. Burgundy pitch acts externally as a slight stimulant to the skin.

Adulteration. A fictitious Burgundy pitch is often sold, made of common resin, coloured, and made opaque with yellow ochre, palm oil, water, etc.

Pix Liquida. Tar. A liquid bitumen prepared from the wood of Pinus sylvestris and other pines by destructive distillation.

Description. Tar is a reddish-black, treacle-like liquid, with a peculiar odour; water agitated with it acquires a bale brown colour, sharp empyreumatic taste and acid reaction.

Prop. & Comp. Tar is very complex in composition; having a sp. gr. about 1.040, it contains altered resin, or colophonic acid and an empyreumatic oil, in which numerous substances, such as creosote, paraffine, picamar, kapnomor, eupione, etc, have been discovered. When shaken with water in the proportion of about one part of tar to four parts of water, tar-water is produced, from the solution of the soluble matter of the tar in that fluid.

Pitch is the altered resin, resulting from the distillation of tar.

Therapeutics. Tar is a slight external stimulant, useful in certain chronic skin diseases, as lepra, psoriasis and ichthyosis. The vapour of tar has been found useful in chronic bronchitis, and it has been given internally in the above-mentioned skin diseases, and in phthisis, etc.

Dose. Of the tar, 20 min. to 1 drm., and upwards, made into pills with flour, or given as tar-water in doses of 1 fl. oz. to 4 fl. oz.

[Juniperus. Juniper. The fruit of juniperus communis. U. S.]

Juniperi Oleum. English Oil of Juniper. The oil distilled in England from the unripe fruit of Juniperus communis, or common Juniper; Lin. Syst., Dioecia monadelphia; growing in Northern Europe, etc.

Description. The oil of juniper is colourless or pale yellow, having in a high degree the odour and warm aromatic taste of the fruit.

The fruit or berries are about the size of black currants, of a dark purple colour, with a bloom upon the surface, filled with a brownish-yellow pulp; the odour is agreeable, but slightly tere-binthinate.

Prop. & Comp. The oil of juniper (C20 H16) has sp. gr. 0.855. Some resin from the oxidation of the oil, which quickly becomes altered, sugar, wax, etc, are found in the fruit in addition to the oil.

Off. Prep. Spiritus Juniperi. Spirit of Juniper. (English oil of juniper, one fluid ounce; rectified spirit, nine fluid ounces.) This spirit contains about ninety-five times as much oil of juniper as spiritus juniperi, Lond. [Not officinal in U. S. P.]

[Spiritus Juniperi Compositus. Compound Spirits of Juniper. Oil of juniper, one fluid drachm and a half; oil of caraway, oil of fennel, each ten minims; diluted alcohol, eight pints. U. S.]

Therapeutics. Oil of juniper is a powerful stimulant, especially to the kidneys. It is used in medicine chiefly on account of its diuretic action; and has been found valuable in different forms of dropsies, either given alone, or combined with other diuretics. It is contained in Hollands.

Dose. Of the oil, 2 min. to 10 min.; of the spirit of juniper, 20 min. to 1 1/2 fl. drm.

Oleum Cadinum. Oil of Cade. [Not officinal in U. S. P.] (Huile de Cade.) An oil obtained in Germany and France, from the dry distillation of the wood of Juniperus oxycedrus. It occurs as a slightly thick black liquid, with a tarry odour. It has long been employed in veterinary medicine; and recently introduced as an external remedy in the treatment of chronic cutaneous diseases, as lepra, psoriasis, eczema, favus, etc. in short, in the same affections for which ordinary tar has been found effectual. It may be employed either in the form of an ointment, made with equal parts of the oil and fatty matters, or made into a soap, or diluted with spirit as a lotion. The composition of this oil is probably almost identical with that of common tar oil.

Sabina. Savine. The fresh and dried tops of Juniperus Sabina; Lin. Syst., Dioecia monadelphia; collected in the spring from plants cultivated in Britain.

Sabinae Oleum. English Oil of Savin. The oil distilled in England from the fresh tops.

Description. The fresh tops consist of the young branches enveloped in minute imbricated appressed leaves, in four rows, of a dark green colour, strong and peculiar disagreeable odour and taste. The tops can be detected when in coarse powder, by means of the microscope, as the woody fibres exhibit the circular pores which characterize the gymnosperins.

The Oil is colourless or light yellow, with the odour and taste of the tops.

Prop. & Comp. The tops owe their activity to the volatile oil, oleum sabinae (C20 H16), sp. gr. 0.915; besides which, a resin, gallic acid, and the ordinary ingredients of young tops are present.

. Off. Prep. Of Savin Tops. Tinctura Sabinae. (Tincture of Savin. [Not officinal in U. S. P.] Savin, dried and bruised, two ounces and a half; proof spirit, one pint. Prepared by maceration and percolation.)

Unguentum Sabinae. Ointment of Savin. (Fresh savin, bruised, eight ounces; white wax, three ounces; prepared lard, sixteen ounces.) [Ceratum Sabinae. U. S. Savine, in fine powder, three troy ounces; resin cerate, twelve troy ounces; ether, a sufficient quantity. A percolate is procured by ether, which is evaporated to the consistence of syrup, and then mixed with the cerate, softened by heat.]

Therapeutics. Savine acts as an irritant both internally and externally; it also appears to possess much power as an emme-nagogue. It is used externally to keep up the discharge from blistered surfaces; internally in deficient menstruation, unattended with congestion of the pelvic organs. In large doses it causes abortion, and its administration is attended with much danger in pregnancy.

Dose. Of dried tops, 3 gr. upwards; of the oil of savin, 1 min. to 5 min. (suspended); of tincture of savin, 20 min. to 1 fl. drm.

Terebinthina Veneta, Venice Turpentine, is occasionally employed as a remedial agent; it is the liquid resinous exudation of Abies larix, and has the same composition and medicinal properties as the other turpentines. It is often much adulterated.