OR IMPROVED MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS CONTAINING AN OXIDE OF IRON
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDWARD ANDREW PARNELL, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
Consulting Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
'NEW OR IMPROVED MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS CONTAINING AN OXIDE OF IRON "
to be as follows:-
61
My invention consists in a preparation for hygienic and medicinal use containing
iron in the form of what is known as black oxide of iron, maguetic oxide of iron, or
ferroso-ferric oxide.
The medicinal and hygienic value of the ferroso-ferric oxides is well known.
When these oxides, after having been precipitated in the usual way and washed,
are dried at a moderate heat, or even at ordinary temperatures, they assume a
dense aggregated form, by which aggregation as is also well known their medicinal
value has considerably diminished. Hence the practice has been common to
administer the oxide in the undried state in suspension in water with agitation, as
in the form known as "Mercer's magnetic oxide of iron" By my improvement'
I obtain a mixture of the oxide with other materials in the more convenient form
of lozenges, pastilles, pate de jujube, tablets or cakes, the oxide therein being in a
finely divided state similar to the moist precipitate To make such lozenges I first
prepare the ferroso-ferric oxide in the manner already well known, and mix the
washed precipitate, drained or filtered, but not dried, with a convenient proportion
of gummy gelatinous mucilaginous, saccharine or other material commonly used for
making medicated lozenges, jujubes, tablets or cakes. The lozenge material should
be in a liquid or viscous state when the moist oxide is added after thorough mixing
the evaporation drying and cutting or moulding are conducted in the usual manner.
For lozenges intended for hygienic use I prefer to take such a proportion of the
moist oxide that the lozenges in the dry or finished state contain in one hundred
parts about two or three parts of the dry oxide. For lozenges intended for
medicinal use, I prefer to take such proportions of the materials that one hundred
parts of the dry or finished lozenges shall contain from six to ten parts of the dry
oxide.

page_text: A variety of materials already in common use for preparing lozenges, jujubes,
tablets, or cakes, may be used for the purpose herein specified. For example
lichenin from Iceland moss, carrageen moss, gum, dextrin, gelatine, sugar and
glycerine may be employed, mixed according to the judgment of the operator all
these being harmless and without injurious action on the oxide. I do not however
confine myself to any particular material, the gist of the invention being the
absorption of the wet finely divided precipitate in a neutral edible material which
will form a solid with it substantially as described.

page_text: I, EDWARD ANDREW PARNELL, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
Consulting Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"NEW OR IMPROVED MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS CONTAINING AN OXIDE OF IRON,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in the making of preparations for medicinal and hygienic
use, containing iron in the form of what is known as black oxide of iron, artificial
magnetic oxide of iron, or ferroso ferric oxide, by which are understood com-
binations of ferric oxide with ferrous oxide. The two last named oxides are
capable of uniting together in various proportions, thus forming chemical
compounds all of which are black, and affected by the magnet. To all such
black oxides of iron, made in the humid way, my improvements herein described
relate.
The medicinal and hygienic value of these ferroso-ferric oxides is well known.
But an inconvenience attends the use of all such oxides as commonly prepared,
arising from their property of acquiring an aggregated or gritty form when (after
being precipitated and washed in the usual way) they are dried at a moderate heat
(as prescribed in the British Pharmacopoeia of 1867) or even when dried at
ordinary atmospheric temperature. It is well known that after these oxides have
been once dried, and have thus acquired the gritty form, their medicinal value is
considerably diminished. Hence has arisen the practice of avoiding the desiccation
of the oxide and of administering it in suspension.in water with agitation as in the
form known as "Mercer's Magnetic oxide of iron." By my improvements I obtain
a mixture of the oxide with solid or viscous materials, to serve the purpose of an
inert vehicle or basis, in the more convenient forin of pastilles, lozenges, tablets,
jujubes, or pills, all of which are so prepared that the oxide retains its finely
divided state similar to that of the undried precipitate.
To make such fixtures I first prepare the ferroso-ferric oxide by precipitation in
the manner already known. The precipitate is washed and drained or filtered, but
not allowed to become dry. The mixture of the oxide with the vehicle may be
made in various ways. If the object is to obtain a soft, pliable or elastic gelatinous
pastille the oxide may be mixed in the state of wet mud or moist-filter-pressed
cake with the material usually employed and well known for making such pastilles,
that is to say gelatine with glycerine glucose or similar substance the pastille
basis being in a fluid state, by heating when the wet oxide is added. After
thorough mixing the pastilles are finished in the usual inanner. The highly
divided state of the oxide is retained in the pastille, which is not the case if the
oxide is used in the dry state. For ordinary medicinal use, convenient proportions
are 8 parts of the pastille basis with a quantity of the wet oxide containing ! part
of dry oxide,

page_text: Tablets and lozenges containing such oxide having chocolate for the vehicle, may
be made by simply adding the moist oxide to hot chocolate paste, flavoured and
sweetened as usual, and mixing intimately previous to running into moulds; but
I prefer before adding the oxide to the chocolate paste, to mix it in the moist state
with a hot solution of gelatino so as to form a thin mud; or with a mixture of
glycerine and gelatine as hereinafter described. The oxide may be added to the
chocolate vehicle in such proportion. that the finished tablet or lozengo contains
3 to 4 per cent of the dry oxide.
The method of incorporating the oxide with the vehicle or basis, which I
generally prefer, and particularly recommend for making harder and friable
preparations is the following. Instead of mixing the moist oxide directly with all
the vehicle or basis, I first make an intimate mixture of the oxide with glycerine
or with a mixture of glycerine with syrup glucose or similar material. The
advantage in the use of such substances is due to their being thoroughly miscible
with the wet oxide, and to their being liquid or viscous in their ordinary unmixed
state. For the glycerine mixture without syrup, a convenient proportion is 3 to 4
parts of glycerine to a quantity of the wet oxide, equivalent to 4 parts of the dry
oxide. These materials having been thoroughly incorporated the mixture may be
dried at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the moisture is thus expelled, the mixture
is in a plastic state, very convenient for mixing with other materials whether
liquid, viscous, or solid (that is, pulverulent). The glycerine serves to keep the
oxide in a state of minute division, precisely similar to that of the wet precipitated
oxide. This mixture with glycerine is very suitable for mixing with the ordinary
gelatinous, gummy, mucilaginous and saccharine materials, commonly used for
preparing jujubes, lozenges; pastilles; and tablets namely gelatine, glycerine, lichenin
from Iceland Moss, carrageen moss, gum, sugar, and glucose which may be used
according to the judgment of the operator all these being without injurious
action on the oxide. The glycerine oxide mixture above described may be used
in such proportion that the finished product will contain 5 to 10 per cent of the
dry oxide.
The mixture of glycerine and oxide is well adapted for making lozenges and
tablets with chocolate as the vehicle, for which purpose it is simply well mixed
with the hot chocolate paste previous to moulding, or preferably, the glycerine and
oxide may be first mixed with a little hot solution of gelatine before being
incorporated with the chocolate paste. A convenient proportion is 6 parts of the
above glycerine oxide mixture (dried at 212 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 parts of
chocolate paste).
If it is desired to have the finely divided oxide in the form of pills, I prefer
mixing the wet oxide first with glycerine and syrup or glucose. Convenient
proportions are 2 parts of glycerine, 1 part of syrup, with a quantity of wet oxide
containing 3 parts of dry oxide. The moisture is expelled by heating to about
212 degrees Fahrenheit. It is then well adapted for mixing with dry starch or
other amylaceous or farinaceous powder, suitable for making pills.
To obtain a convenient preparation containing the oxide easily miscible with
water I mix the glycerine-oxide mixture before described, containing 3 parts of
glycerine to 4 parts of the dry oxide, with powdered cane sugar, convenient
proportions are 1 of dried glycerine oxide mixture to 15 of sugar.
In conclusion I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to any
special proportions of the various materials herein mentioned as they admit of
modification to suit the convenience and object of the operator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.
1st. The manufacture of medicinal preparations in the form of pastilles or
jujubes consisting of a mixture of gelatine and glycerine or other inert material

page_text: such as herein mentioned, with any of those oxides of iron known as black oxides,
artificial magnetic oxides, or ferroso-ferric oxides, prepared in the wet way and
incorporated with a part or all of the said inert material before drying, substantially
as described.
2nd. The manufacture of lozenges and tablets, having a basis of gum, sugar or
chocolate, containing very finely divided ferroso-ferric oxide, formed in the wet
way and incorporated before drying in the manner described.
3rd. The manufacture of a mixture of ferroso-ferric oxide with glycerine with
or without the addition of syrup or glucose in the manner herein described, and
also the use of the said mixture in the subsequent preparation of pills, lozenges,
chocolate tablets, pastilles and other preparations by admixture with various inert
materials to serve as a vehicle for the finely divided oxide.
Dated this 15th day of April 1885.
WM P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
and 323, High Holborn, London,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.