3. (Lagneau.) Opium (in fine powder), 1/2 dr.; yolk of 1 egg; mix, then
triturate it with simple cerate, 1 oz.
_Uses._ The above are applied to painful swellings, piles, and ulcers, and
in chronic ophthalmia, &c.
=Cerate, Phosphora'ted.= _Syn._ CERA'TUM PHOSPHO'RI, C. PHOSPHORA'TUM, L.
_Prep._ 1. Phosphorus, 6 gr.; simple cerate, 3 oz.; heat together in a
phial placed in a water bath, with frequent agitation for 2 hours; and
after repose for 10 minutes, pour off the clear portion, and stir it well
until cold.
2. (Foy.) Phosphorated ether, 5 parts; simple cerate, 24 parts.--_Uses._
Both of the above have been recommended as frictions in obstinate
cutaneous affections, and in rheumatism of the joints.
=Cerate, Pitch.= _Syn._ CERATUM PI'CIS BERGUNDI'CÆ, L. _Prep._ (Beral.)
White wax, 3 parts; suet, 4 parts; Bergundy pitch, 6 parts; melted
together. A mild stimulant and detergent dressing. See OINTMENTS.
=Cerate, Quin'ine.= _Syn._ CERA'TUM QUINIÆ, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphate of
quinine, 5 or 6 gr.; simple cerate, 1 dr. Applied to the denuded dermis
(endermically).
2. Sulphate of quinine and olive oil, of each 1 dr.; simple cerate, 6 dr.
As a friction. Both are used in intermittents.
=Cerate, Res'in.= _Syn._ BASIL'ICON, B. CERATE, B. OINTMENT, YELLOW B.,
CIT'RINE CERATE; CERA'TUM CITRI'NUM (Ph. L. 1788), C. RESI'NÆ FLA'VÆ (Ph.
L. 1745), C. RESI'NÆ (Ph. L. 1809 and since), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.)
Yellow resin and beeswax, of each 15 oz.; melt, add olive oil, 1 pint;
strain through a cloth, and stir the mixture until cold.
_Obs._ The above is the formula of the London College, but the basilicon
of the shops is seldom, if ever, made in this manner. The following forms
are those commonly used in trade, but the products are much inferior to
that made according to the directions in the Pharmacop[oe]ia.
2. (Commercial.)--_a._ Yellow resin, 10 lbs.; beeswax, 2 lbs.; linseed
oil, 7 lbs.; melt together, and stir until cold.
_b._ As the last, but using nut oil instead of linseed oil.
_c._ Nut oil, 1 gall.; beeswax, 5 lbs.; yellow resin, 14 lbs.
_d._ Lard (common) and linseed oil, of each 3 lbs.; yellow resin, 9 lbs.;
as before.
_Uses, &c._ This cerate is a mild stimulant, detergent, and digestive
application; and as such is employed to dress foul and indolent ulcers,
blistered surfaces, burns, &c. For the corresponding preparations of the
other colleges, see OINTMENTS.
3. (Compound; DESH'LER'S CERATE; CERA'TUM RESI'NÆ COMPOS'ITUM, L.) _Prep._
(Ph. U. S.) Resin, suet, and beeswax, of each 1 lb.; turpentine, 1/2 lb.;
flax-seed oil (linseed oil), 1/2 pint; as above. Rather more stimulating
than resin cerate, but used for the same purposes.
=Cerate, Rose.= _Syn._ LIP SALVE; CERA'TUM ROSA'TUM, L. _Prep._ (P. C.)
Oil of almonds, 16 parts; white wax, 8 parts; alkanet root, 1 part;
digest, with a gentle heat, until sufficiently coloured, then strain, and
for every ounce of the cerate, add otto of roses, 2 drops. See LIP SALVE.
=Cerate, Sav'ine.= _Syn._ CERA'TUM SABI'NÆ (Ph. E.; and Ph. L. 1836), L.
_Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.) Beeswax, 1 part; lard, 4 parts; fresh savin (leaves
bruised), 2 parts; boil together until the leaves become crisp, then
strain, with pressure, through a linen cloth.
2. (Ph. L. 1836.) Lard, 2 lbs.; savin leaves, 1 lb.; beeswax, 1/2 lb.; as
last.
3. (Ph. L. 1851.) In the B. P. this preparation is included among the
OINTMENTS (which _see_); in trade, however, the old name (Ph. L. 1836) is
still generally retained.
_Obs._ The preparation of this cerate requires caution, as the active
principle of the savin, being volatile, is injured by long boiling and a
high temperature. The leaves are usually boiled until they are crisp, but
as this takes some time, the essential oil, and consequently the odour, is
nearly all dissipated. A better plan is to express the juice from the
leaves, and to add it to the wax and oil melted together, and just
beginning to cool. As usually met with in the shops, this cerate has a
lively green colour, and the odour of the fresh plant; but neither of
these is derived from the leaves in the common process of making it. The
first is caused by the addition of powdered verdigris, and the last by
adding a little of the essential oil of savin to the compound when nearly
cold. The preparations of the British Colleges have only a very pale green
colour, and even that rapidly changes by exposure to the air. A uniform
green colour may therefore be regarded as a proof of adulteration; as the
unadulterated compound, however, skilfully prepared, is of a dingy green
colour, of little intensity; and after it has been made a short time, it
fades on the surface, and the under portion becomes streaky and mottled. A
greater quantity of colour is obtained from the leaves by long digestion
in the fat and wax in earthen vessels, at a moderate heat, than by hasty
boiling. In this way a lively green is sometimes produced, but it rapidly
changes in the manner just mentioned.
The following forms are those commonly adopted by the wholesale druggists
for the manufacture of this cerate:--
4. Lard and suet, of each 6 lbs.; yellow wax, 2 lbs.; melt them together
in an earthen vessel; add 2 oz. of distilled verdigris (previously rubbed
down smooth in a mortar with an equal weight of sweet oil); strain, whilst
hot, into a large earthen pot, and when the whole has cooled a little, add
of oil of savin, 1 oz., and stir until cold.
5. Savin leaves, 4 lbs.; yellow wax, 2 lbs.; lard, 8 lbs.; boil until the
leaves become crisp; then strain, and add, of green ointment (lively
coloured), 5 lbs.; when cooled a little, further add, of oil of savin, 3
dr., and stir briskly until cold. _Prod._, 13-1/2 lbs.
_Uses, &c._ Savin cerate and ointment are chiefly employed to keep up the
discharge from blisters (perpetual blisters), for which purpose it is
preferable to preparations of cantharides. The practice of colouring this
cerate with verdigris, which is general in trade, cannot be too severely
censured, as its therapeutic action is thereby altered. The copper may be
detected by burning down a little in a platinum or Hessian crucible,
washing out the ashes with a little dilute nitric acid, placing the liquor
in a glass tube, and applying the usual tests. See COPPER and OINTMENTS.
=Cerate, Sim'ple.= _Syn._ CERA'TUM SIM'PLEX, L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.)
Spermaceti, 1 part; white wax, 3 parts; olive oil, 6 parts; melt by a
gentle heat, and stir until cold. This preparation is similar to SIMPLE
OINTMENT (_Unguentum Simplex_), B. P. (which _see_).
=Cerate of Snails.= White wax, 3 parts; spermaceti, 3 parts; oil of
almonds, 32 parts; mucilage of snails, 24 parts; otto of rose, sufficient
to scent it.
=Cerate, Soap.= _Syn._ COMPOUND SOAP CERATE; CERA'TUM SAPO'NIS (Ph. L.
1836), C. SAPONIS COMPOS'ITUM (Ph. L. 1851), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Boil
litharge, 15 oz., in distilled vinegar, 1 gall., until dissolved, stirring
continually; then add of Castile soap, 10 oz.; again boil until all the
moisture is evaporated; then add, gradually, beeswax, 12-1/2 oz., and
olive oil, 1 pint, previously melted together, and stir until nearly cold.
Similar to SOAP CERATE PLASTER (_Emplastrum Cerati Saponis_), B. P. (which
_see_).
2. (Wholesale.) Distilled vinegar, 6 galls.; litharge, 5 lbs.; soap, 3-3/4
lbs.; yellow wax, 4-1/2 lbs.; olive oil, 6 pints. Mix as above. Good nut
or poppy oil may be used instead of olive oil.
_Obs._ Unless the instructions contained in the above formulæ are followed
in every particular, the process is apt to miscarry. When this is the
case, the cerate, on cooling, separates into two portions, and is commonly
full of hard, gritty particles. To prevent this, care should be taken to
use soap of the best quality. This mishap cannot be got over by long
boiling and stirring, as is generally supposed. The only remedy is the
addition of a little more soap, previously melted with some water, and
again evaporating to a proper consistence. A small quantity of solution of
potassa has a similar effect.
The colour and consistence of soap cerate chiefly depends on the length of
time it is kept heated after the addition of the oil and wax. As
evaporation proceeds, so the colour and consistence increase. Its usual
colour is that of a lively, pale chocolate-brown, but occasionally it is
much paler. This arises from its containing an undue quantity of moisture.
When it has been kept heated for a period beyond that usually adopted, it
attains greater hardness, and is then frequently called hard soap cerate
(CERA'TUM SAPONIS DURUM); but by over-boiling it is apt to become gritty.
_Uses, &c._ Soap cerate is resolvent, cooling, and desiccative, and is
chiefly employed as a cooling dressing for scrofulous swellings, &c. It
may be spread on linen and applied like a plaster. It is sometimes used as
a support for fractured limbs, and forms an excellent dressing for soft
corns.
=Cerate, Spermace'ti.= _Syn._ WHITE CERATE, WHITE LIP SALVE, SIMPLE C.;
CERATUM SIM'PLEX (Ph. E.), C. ALBUM (Ph. L. 1745), C. SPERMA'TIS CE'TI
(Ph. L. 1788), C. CETA'CEI (Ph. L. 1809, and since), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph.
L.) Spermaceti, 2 oz.; white wax, 8 oz.; melt by a gentle heat; add, olive
oil (warm), 1 pint, and stir with a spatula until they cool.