KAY’S LINSEED COMPOUND.

This compound is sold by an English provincial company in bottles, price, 9½d., 1s. 1½d., 2s. 9d., 4s. 6d., and 11s. per bottle; the 2s. 9d. size contained a little over 5½ fluid ounces.

This preparation is described on the label, wrapper, and in circulars, both as “Linseed Compound,” which is given as the registered trade mark, and as “Kay’s Compound Essence of Linseed, Aniseed, Senega, Squill, Tolu, etc.” On the label it is also stated that it

contains a preparation of chloroform and morphine, and it is, therefore, labelled Poison. It is Demulcent, Expectorant, Tonic, and Soothing for Colds, Coughs, Asthma, Hoarseness, Difficulty of Breathing, Consumption, and Simple Ailments of the Chest, Throat, and Lungs.

In a pamphlet enclosed in the package, this preparation is recommended to be taken for Cold, Influenza, Sore Throat and Quinsey, Pulmonary Catarrh, Bronchitis, Asthma, Consumption of the Lungs, Whooping Cough and Croup. In most of these, however, it is recommended as a “valuable aid” rather than a positive cure; other articles, such as ipecacuanha wine, muriate of ammonia, cod liver oil, and chemical food, as well as “Kay’s Linum Catharticum Pills,” are also recommended; while under Bronchitis we read:

In an acute attack, i.e., when the symptoms are inflammatory with much fever, etc., the family doctor should at once be called in.

The directions on the label are as follows:

Scale of Doses			To be modified according to the
Scale of Doses			age or debility of the Patient.
For over	21	years,	a teaspoonful in	water,	at bedtime.
”	12	”	half a teaspoonful	”	”
”	6	”	15 drops	”	”
”	4	”	10 ”	”	”
”	2	”	5 ”	”	”
Half Doses may be taken three or four times a day.
It is not intended for Infants.
For serious cases seek medical aid.

Analysis showed that 100 parts by measure contained 1·07 parts of chloroform and 4·3 parts of alcohol, both by measure, and 67 parts of solids; about 48 parts of the latter consisted of sugar, partly in the form of invert sugar, and the remaining 19 parts consisted principally of the mucilage of decoction of linseed; oil of aniseed was present, and evidence was obtained of small quantities of preparations of tolu and squill. Tho ipecacuanha alkaloids extracted amounted to 0·007 per cent., and the morphine to 0·021 per cent. If the ipecacuanha were present in the form of wine of the official strength, this represents:

Ipecacuanha wine	42	minims.
Morphine	¹/₇	grain.
Chloroform	5	minims.

in each fluid ounce.