The second fortnight’s treatment consisted of “special tablets” and a liquid; these were accompanied by a further letter, a diet table, and a report form, to be filled in and returned after 10 days.

The three kinds of medicine were examined with results as follows:

The preliminary tablets.—There were 42 in the box, and the directions were to take one three times a day after meals.

They were sugar-coated and coloured red externally; after removal of the coating, they had an average weight of 4·7 grains. Analysis showed them to consist principally of substances of extract nature, together with an amount of liquorice fibre representing about 20 per cent. of powdered liquorice; iodine was present in organic combination, and a nitrogenous substance; the amount of nitrogen was 0·51 per cent., representing 3·2 per cent. of proteid; no tissue of thyroid gland was present, and the nitrogenous material was probably contained in an extract of this substance. The remainder possessed the general characters of extract of Fucus vesiculosus, and its identity was also indicated by analysis of the ash; some gum was also present, and some indication was obtained of another substance also, which, however, possessed no important characters, and was probably also of the nature of excipient. The formula indicated by the results was thus:

Extract of bladderwrack  2·5grains.
Proteid of thyroid gland0·15grain.
Powdered liquorice0·9”
Excipient and moisture, etc.  q.s.
In one tablet.

The “special” tablets.—There were 33 of these in a box; the directions were to take one after the mid-day and one after the evening meal. They were sugar-coated but not coloured. After removal of the coating, they had an average weight of 4·6 grains. Analysis showed their composition to agree qualitatively with that of the preliminary tablets, but the nitrogenous material and the liquorice were present in somewhat larger amounts. The following formula was indicated by the results:

Extract of bladderwrack  2·5grains.
Proteid of thyroid gland0·19grain.
Powdered liquorice1·4”
Excipient and moisture, etc.  q.s.
In one tablet.

The liquid.—Two fluid ounces were supplied, the directions being to take 30 drops in a wineglassful of cold water the last thing at night before retiring and on rising in the morning. Analysis showed this to contain alcohol, glycerine, nitrogenous matter, a little iodine in organic combination, and substances of extract nature; the character of the extract and the composition of the ash again pointed to its being derived from Fucus vesiculosus; the amount of nitrogen was determined and the equivalent amount of proteid matter calculated; the alcohol and glycerine were also determined quantitatively: the amount of extract of bladderwrack could only be arrived at by difference, supported by the probability that the alcohol was all, or nearly all, added in the form of the fluid extract of this drug, and the figure can therefore only be given with reservation; there were also indications of some small amount of flavouring and colouring matter having been added. The approximate formula appeared to be:

Proteid of thyroid gland0·3part.
Liquid extract of bladderwrack  32fluid parts.
Glycerine12”
In 100 fluid parts.

The amount of thyroid actually represented by the nitrogenous matter found in these three preparations was too uncertain for an estimate of the cost price to be of value.