_To the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry_: Your subcommittee, to whom
was assigned Tyree’s Pulv. Antiseptic Comp., marketed by J. S. Tyree,
Washington, D. C., reports as follows:
The label on the package states: “This preparation is a scientific
combination of borate of sodium, alumen, carbolic acid, glycerin and the
crystallized principles of thyme, eucalyptus, gaultheria, and mentha, in
the form of a powder,” etc.
The statement that the powder contains the crystalline principles of
thyme, eucalyptus, gaultheria and mentha is vague and misleading, since
the chief medical constituents of eucalyptus and gaultheria are liquids,
but it tends to convey the impression that the powder contains the
essential constituents of these drugs, namely, thymol, oil of eucalyptus
or eucalyptol, oil of wintergreen, or methyl salicylate, and menthol.
The literature supplied to physicians claims its composition to be:
“Parts, sod. bor., 50; alumen, 50; ac. carbol., 5; glycerin, 5; the
cryst. principles of thyme, 5; eucalyptus, 5; gaultheria, 5, and mentha,
5.”
The composition, therefore, might be expressed as follows:—
Sodium borate (borax) 50 parts, or 38·46 per cent.
Alum 50 parts, or 38·46 per cent.
Phenol (carbolic acid) 5 parts, or 3·85 per cent.
Glycerin 5 parts, or 3·85 per cent.
Thymol 5 parts, or 3·85 per cent.
Oil of eucalyptus or eucalyptol 5 parts, or 3·85 per cent.
Oil of gaultheria (or menthyl salicylate) 5 parts, or 3·85 per cent.
Menthol 5 parts, or 3·85 per cent.
Analysis of specimens purchased from different sources in the open
market were made under our direction. The reports of the chemists show
that Tyree’s antiseptic powder contains no borax, or mere traces only,
and that it contains no alum, or mere traces only. Instead, the analyses
show that boric acid and zinc sulphate are the essential constituents.
The amounts of carbolic acid, thymol, menthol, etc., contained in the
powder, if present, were far below the quantities indicated by the
formula. The presence of glycerin could not be demonstrated, and if
present the amount must be very small.
Our chemist reports:—
The result of analysis shows that different samples differ slightly in
composition, but that the following indicates the average composition of
the product:—
Per cent.
Zinc sulphate, anhydrous 15.56.
Boric acid 81.26.
Volatile matter at 100 C. for four hours 0.45.
The undetermined portion consists of salicylic acid, carbolic acid,
menthol and eucalyptol; possibly other antiseptic agents may be present
in very minute quantities.
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