Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume Ii Part 161

To be useful, they should be well rubbed on the scalp, at least once daily, for several weeks, and the head should be occasionally washed with soap-and-water.

=Pommade, East India.= _Prep._ Take of suet, 3 lbs.; lard, 2 lbs.; beeswax (bright), 1/2 lb.; palm oil, 2 oz.; powdered gum benzoin, 3 oz.; musk (previously triturated with a little lump sugar), 20 gr.; digest the whole together in a covered vessel, by the heat of a water bath, for 2 hours, then decant the clear portion, and add, of essence of lemon, 1/2 oz.; oil of lavender, 1/4 oz.; oils of cloves, ca.s.sia, and verbena, of each 1/2 dr. A favourite pommade in the East Indies.

=Pommade for Freckles.= ('New York Druggists' Circular.') _Prep._ Citrine ointment and oil of almonds, of each 1 dr.; spermaceti ointment, 6 dr.; oil of roses, 3 drops. Mix well in a wedgwood mortar, using a wooden or bone knife.

=Pommade, Hard.= _Syn._ HARD POMATUM, ROLL P. _Prep._ 1. Take of beef suet, 2 lbs.; yellow wax, 1/4 lb.; spermaceti, 1 oz.; powdered benzoin, 1/4 oz.; melt them together, then add, of oil of lavender, 2 dr.; essence of ambergris, 1/2 dr. Before it concretes pour it into moulds of paper or tin foil.

2. Mutton suet and lard, of each 1 lb.; white wax, 6 oz.; melt, and add, of essence of lemon, 2 dr.; oil of ca.s.sia, 1/2 dr. Other perfumes may be employed at will.

Hard pomatums are used to gloss and set the hair. They act both as 'pommade' and 'fixateur.' See COSMETIQUE.

=Pommade, Maca.s.sar.= _Prep._ From castor oil, 5 oz.; white wax, 1 oz.; alkanet root, 1/2 dr.; heat them together until sufficiently coloured, then strain, and add, oil of origanum and oil of rosemary, of each 1 dr.; oil of nutmeg, 1/2 dr.; otto of roses, 10 drops. Said to be equal in efficacy to MACa.s.sAR OIL.

=Pommade, Marechal.= Plain pommade scented by digesting it with _poudre marechale_.

=Pommade, Marrow.= _Syn._ MARROW POMATUM. _Prep._ From prepared beef marrow, 1/2 lb.; beef suet, 1/4 lb.; palm oil, 1/4 oz.; melted together and scented at will.

=Pommade, Millefleur.= _Prep._ From plain pommade scented with a mixture of essence of lemon and essence of ambergris, each 4 parts; oil of lavender, 2 parts; oil of cloves and essence de pet.i.t grain, of each 1 part; or with other like perfumes so proportioned to each other that no one shall predominate. Much esteemed.

=Pommade, Roll.= See POMMADE, HARD.

=Pommade, Roman.= See _below_.

=Pommade, Rose.= _Syn._ ROSE POMATUM. This is plain pommade or hard lard, which has been well beaten with eau de rose, or, better still, scented with otto of roses. It is sometimes tinged with alkanet root.

=Pommade, Soft.= Plain pomatum scented at will.

=Pommade, Soubeiran's.= _Prep._ From beef marrow, 1-1/2 oz.; oil of almonds, 1/2 oz.; disulphate of quinine, 1 dr. Recommended for strengthening and restoring the hair.

=Pommade, Transparent.= _Prep._ Spermaceti, 2 oz.; castor oil, 5 oz.; alcohol, 5 oz.; oil of bergamot, 1/2 dr.; oil of Portugal, 1/2 dr.

=Pommade, Vanilla.= _Syn._ ROMAN POMMADE, POMMADE a LA VANILLE, POMMADE ROMAIN. From plain pommade and pommade a la rose, of each 12 lbs.; powdered vanilla, 1 lb.; heat them together in a water bath, stir constantly for 1 hour, let it settle for another hour, decant the clear, and add, oil a la rose, 2-1/2 lbs.; bergamot, 4 oz.

=POPPY.= _Syn._ WHITE POPPY; PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM, L. The capsules or fruit ("mature"--Ph. L.; "not quite ripe"--Ph. E.) form the poppies or poppy-heads of the shops (PAPAVERIS CAPSULae; PAPAVER--Ph. L., E., & D.).

They are anodyne and narcotic, similar to opium, but in only a very slight degree. The seeds (MAW SEED), which are sweet, oleaginous, and nutritious, are used as a subst.i.tute for almonds in confectionery and mixtures, and are pressed for their oil. See EXTRACT, OPIUM, and SYRUP.

=Poppy, Red.= _Syn._ CORN POPPY, CORN ROSE; PAPAVER RHAS, L. The fresh petals or flowers (RHADOS PETALA; RHAS--Ph. L., E., & D.) are reputed pectoral, but are chiefly employed on account of their rich colour. See SYRUP.

=POP'ULIN.= _Syn._ POPULINUM, L. A peculiar neutral, crystallisable substance, formerly supposed to be an alkaloid, found, a.s.sociated with SALICIN, in the root-bark of the _Populus tremula_ (Linn.), or aspen.

_Prep._ Concentrate the decoction by a gentle heat, and set it aside in a cool situation to crystallise; dissolve the crystals which are deposited in rectified spirit, decolour them by digestion with animal charcoal, filter, and again crystallise. To render them still purer they may be redissolved and crystallised a second and a third time, if necessary.

_Prop., &c._ It resembles salicin in appearance and solubility, but, unlike that substance, has a penetrating sweet taste. Dilute acids convert it into benzoic acid, grape sugar, and saliretin; and with a mixture of sulphuric acid and b.i.+.c.hromate of pota.s.sa it yields a large quant.i.ty of salicylous acid. It appears to be tonic, stomachic, and febrifuge.

=POR'CELAIN.= See POTTERY.

=PORK.= The value of pork as an article of diet is well known. That from the young and properly fed animal is savoury, easy of digestion, and, when only occasionally employed, highly wholesome; but it is apt to disagree with some stomachs, and should, in such cases, be avoided. To render it proper for food, it should be thoroughly but not overcooked. When salted it is less digestible. The frequent use of pork is said to favour obesity, and to occasion disorders of the skin, especially in the sedentary. See MEAT.

=POR'PHYRIZED, PORPHORIZA'TION.= Words coined by recent pharmaceutical writers, and possessing similar meanings to LEVIGATED and LEVIGATION.

=PORPHY'ROXIN.= A neutral crystallisable substance discovered by Merck in opium. It is soluble in both alcohol and ether, insoluble in water, and is characterised by a.s.suming a purplish-red colour when heated in dilute hydrochloric acid.

=PORRI'GO.= See RINGWORM.

=POR'TER.= This well-known beverage, now the common drink of the inhabitants of London, by whom it is generally termed 'beer,' originated with a brewer named Harwood, in 1722. Previously to this date, 'ale,'

'beer,' and 'twopenny,' const.i.tuted the stock in trade of the London publican, and were drunk, either singly or together, under the names of 'half-and-half' or 'three threads,' for which the vendor was compelled to have recourse to two or three different casks, as the case might demand.

The inconvenience and trouble thus incurred led Mr Harwood to endeavour to produce a beer which should possess the flavour of the mixed liquors. In this he succeeded so well that his new beverage rapidly superseded the mixtures then in use, and obtained a general preference among the lower cla.s.ses of the people. At first this liquor was called 'entire' or 'entire b.u.t.t,' on account of it being drawn from one cask only, but it afterwards acquired, at first in derision, the now familiar name of 'porter,' in consequence of its general consumption among porters and labourers. The word 'entire' is still, however, frequently met with on the signboards of taverns about the metropolis.

The characteristics of pure and wholesome porter are its transparency, lively dark brown colour, and its peculiar bitter and slightly burnt taste. Originally, these qualities were derived from the 'high-dried malt,' with which alone it was brewed. It is now generally, if not entirely, made from 'pale' or 'amber malt,' mixed with a sufficient quant.i.ty of 'patent' or 'roasted malt' to impart the necessary flavour and colour. Formerly, this liquor was 'vatted' and 'stored' for some time before being sent out to the retailer, but the change in the taste of the public during the last quarter of a century in favour of the mild or new porter has rendered this unnecessary. The best 'draught porter,' at the time of its consumption, is now only a few weeks old. In this state only would it be tolerated by the modern beer-drinker. The old and acid beverage that was formerly sold under the name of porter would be rejected at the present day as 'hard' and unpleasant, even by the most thirsty votaries of malt liquor.

The 'beer' or 'porter' of the metropolitan brewers is essentially a weak mild ale, coloured and flavoured with roasted malt. Its richness in sugar and alcohol, on which its stimulating and nutritive properties depend, is hence less than that of an uncoloured mild ale brewed from a like original quant.i.ty of malt. For pale malt is a.s.sumed to yield 80 to 84 lbs. of saccharine per quarter; whereas the torrefied malt employed by the porter brewers only yields 18 to 24 lbs. per quarter, and much of even this small quant.i.ty is altered in its properties, and is incapable of undergoing the vinous fermentation. In the manufacture of porter there is a waste of malt which does not occur in brewing ale; and the consumer must, therefore, either pay a higher price for it or be content with a weaker liquor.

The hygienic properties of porter, for the most part, resemble those of other malt liquors. Some members of the faculty conceive that it is better suited to persons with delicate stomachs and weak digestion than either ale or beer. That there may be some reason for this preference, in such cases, we are not prepared to deny, but undoubtedly, when the intention is to stimulate and nourish the system, ale is preferable. Certain it is, however, that the dark colour and strong taste of porter render its adulteration easier than that of ale, whilst such adulteration is more difficult of detection than in the paler varieties of malt liquors. "For medical purposes, 'bottled porter' (CEREVISIA LAGENARIA) is usually preferred to 'draught porter.' It is useful as a restorative in the latter stages of fever, and to support the powers of the system after surgical operations, severe accidents, &c." (Pereira, ii, 982.) When 'out of condition' or adulterated, porter, more than perhaps any other malt liquor, is totally unfit for use as a beverage, even for the healthy; and when taken by the invalid, the consequences must necessarily be serious.

Dr Ure says that pure porter, "when drank in moderation, is a far wholesomer beverage for the people than the thin acidulous wines of France and Germany."

The manufacture of porter has been described in our article on BREWING, and is also referred to above. It presents no difficulty or peculiarity beyond the choice of the proper materials. A mixture of 'brown' and 'black malt' is thought to yield a finer flavour and colour to the pale malt that gives the body to the liquor than when 'black' or 'roasted malt' is employed alone. The proportion of the former to the latter commonly varies from 1-6th to 1-4th. When 'black malt' is alone used, the proportion varies from the 1-10th to 1-15th. 1 lb. of 'roasted malt,' mashed with about 79 lbs. of pale malt, is said to be capable of imparting to the liquor the flavour and colour of porter. The following formulae were formerly commonly employed in London:--

1. (DRAUGHT PORTER.) From pale malt, 3-1/2 q. s.; amber malt, 3 q. s.; brown malt, 1-1/2 q.; mash at twice with 28 and 24 barrels of water, boil with brown Kent hops, 56 lbs., and set with yeast, 40 lbs. _Prod._ 28 barrels, or 3-1/2 times the malt, besides 20 barrels of table-beer from a third mas.h.i.+ng.

2. (BOTTLING PORTER; BROWN STOUT.) From pale malt, 2 q. s.; amber and brown malt, of each 1-1/2 qr.; mash at 3 times with 12, 7, and 6 barrels of water, boil with hops, 50 lbs., and set with yeast, 26 lbs. _Prod._ 17 barrels, or 1-1/2 times the malt.

The purity and quality of porter, as well as of other malt liquors, may be inferred in the manner noticed under BEER; but can only be positively determined by a chemical examination. For this purpose several distinct operations are required:--

1. _Richness in_ ALCOHOL. This may be correctly found by the method of M.

Gay-Lussac; or from the boiling point. (See ALCOHOLOMETRY and EBULLIOSCOPE.) The method with anhydrous carbonate of pota.s.sa will also give results sufficiently near to the truth for ordinary purposes, when strong or old beer is operated on. The quant.i.ty of the liquor tested should be 3600 water grains measure; and it should be well agitated, with free exposure to the air, after weighing it, but before testing it for its alcohol. The weight of alcohol found, multiplied by 18587, gives its equivalent in sugar. This may be converted into 'brewer's pounds' or density per barrel, as below.

2. _Richness in_ SACCHARINE or EXTRACTIVE MATTER. A like quant.i.ty of the liquor under examination, after being boiled for some time to dissipate its alcohol, is made up with distilled water, so as to be again exactly equal to 3600 water-grains measure. The sp. gr. of the resulting liquid is then taken, and this is reduced to 'brewers' pounds' per barrel, by multiplying its excess of density above that of water (or 1000) by 360, and pointing off the three right-hand figures as decimals.

3. ACETIC ACID or VINEGAR. This is determined by any of the common methods of ACIDIMETRY (which _see_; see also ACETIMETRY). Each grain of anhydrous acetic acid so found represents 16765 gr. of sugar.

4. _Gravity of_ ORIGINAL WORT. This is obtained by the addition of the respective quant.i.ties of saccharine matter found in Nos. 1, 2, and 3 (_above_). These results are always slightly under the true original density of the wort, as cane sugar appears to have been taken by the Excise as the basis of their calculations. More correctly, 12% of proof spirit is equivalent to 19 lbs. of saccharine per barrel. 10-1/2 lbs. of saccharine are equiv. to 1 gall. of proof spirit.

5. _Detection of_ NARCOTICS. This may be effected either by the method described under ALKALOID, or by one or other of the following processes:--

_a._ Half a gallon of the beer under examination is evaporated to dryness in a water bath; the resulting extract is boiled for 30 or 40 minutes in a covered vessel with 10 or 12 fl. oz. of alcohol or strong rectified spirit, the mixture being occasionally stirred with a gla.s.s rod, to promote the action of the menstruum; the alcoholic solution is next filtered, treated with a sufficient quant.i.ty of solution of diacetate of lead to precipitate colouring matter, and again filtered; the filtrate is treated with a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid, again filtered, and then evaporated to dryness; it may then be tested with any of the usual reagents, either in the solid state, or after being dissolved in distilled water. Or the extract, obtained as above, may be boiled as directed with rectified spirit, the solution filtered, the spirit distilled off, and a small quant.i.ty of pure liquor of pota.s.sa added to the aqueous residue, which is then to be shaken up with about 1 fl. oz. of ether; lastly, the ethereal solution, which separates and floats on the surface, is decanted, evaporated, and the residuum tested, as before. The alkaline liquid, from which the ether has been decanted, is then separated from any precipitate which may have formed, and both of these separately tested for alkaloids.

_b._ From 2 to 3 oz. of purified animal charcoal are diffused through 1/2 gall. of the beer, and is digested in it, with frequent agitation, for from 8 to 12 hours; the liquor is next filtered, and the charcoal collected on the filter is boiled with about 1/2 pint of rectified spirit; the resulting alcoholic solution is then further treated as above, and tested. This answers well for the detection of strychnia or nux vomica.

6. PICRIC ACID. This substance, which was formerly employed to impart bitterness to London porter in lieu of hops, may be detected as follows:--

_a._ A portion of the liquor agitated with a little solution of diacetate of lead loses its bitter flavour if it depends on hops, but retains it if it depends on picric acid.

_b._ Pure beer is decoloured and deodorised by animal charcoal; but beer containing picric acid, when thus treated, retains a lemon-yellow colour and the odour.

_c._ Unbleached sheep's wool, boiled for six or ten minutes, and then washed, takes a canary-yellow colour if picric acid be present. The test is so delicate that 1 grain of the adulterant in 150,000 gr. of beer is readily detected.

_d._ (Vitate.[117]) The author agitates 10 c.c. of the suspected beer in a test tube with half its volume of pure amylic alcohol. If the mixture is left to settle, the amylic stratum separates entirely, and is drawn off with a pipette, evaporated to dryness at a convenient temperature in a porcelain capsule, and the residue is finally taken up in a little distilled water with the aid of heat. The aqueous solution is divided into portions, and submitted to the following reagents. One portion is treated with a solution of ammonio-sulphate of copper, which, in dilute solutions of picric acid, instantly produces a turbidity, due to the formation of very minute crystals of the ammonio-picrate of copper, of a greenish colour. Another portion may be treated with a concentrated solution of cyanide of pota.s.sium, which produces a blood-red colour, more or less intense, according to the quant.i.ty of picric acid present, in consequence of the formation of iso-purpuric acid. A third portion may be submitted to the action of sulphide of ammonium, rendered still more alkaline by the addition of a few drops of ammonia. Here also a blood-red colour is produced, which becomes more intense on the application of heat, and is due to the formation of picramic acid.

[Footnote 117: 'Chemical News,' vol. x.x.xv, p. 75.]