Moschus. Musk. The inspissated secretion deposited in the follicles of the prepuce of Moschus moschiferus; native of Thibet and other parts of central Asia.

Description. Musk is contained in a sac situated midway between the umbilicus and the prepuce; the sack is oval and hairy, opening externally by a narrow orifice, small and hairy at its anterior part; internally, lined by a smooth membrane, secreting the musk. There are two chief varieties, the Chinese and the Russian. The sacs are about two inches in diameter, hairy on one side, destitute of hairs on the other, with the hairs concentrically arranged around the opening; the Chinese sacs are the smallest, and the colour of the hairs darker than in the Russian variety. From 100 to 200 grains of musk are contained in each sac.

Prop. & Comp. Musk occurs in irregular, reddish-black, rather unctuous grains concreted together, soft to the touch; the odour is very strong, and diffuses itself over a great space; it contains ammonia, stearine, oleine, cholesterine, various salts, and small quantities of animal matter, with a volatile oil, thought by some to be in combination with ammonia; the proportion of these substances varies in different specimens; the active ingredients are soluble in alcohol and ether. Potash evolves ammonia, and increases the peculiar odour.

Therapeutics. Musk is stimulant and antispasmodic, resembling castor in its action, and is useful in the same class of cases.

Dose. 5 gr. and upwards.

Adulteration. On account of the high price of this drug, it is very liable to be adulterated; the sac containing the musk is often emptied of its contents, and filled up with a mixture of dried blood, with a greater or less proportion of true musk, and the sac carefully closed again; traces of the opening should be sought for. Sacs are manufactured from the scrotum or skin of the animal, and filled with a spurious mixture of musk, sand, and dried blood. The form and character of the bag should be noted, to see whether it differs from that described as genuine; the bag, if made from any other portion of the skin, may be recognized by the peculiar arrangement and microscopic character of the hairs; those of the true sac exhibit distinct, regular colour-cells, not found in the hairs of spurious pods.

Sevum Praeparatum. [Sevum. U. S.] Prepared suet. The internal fat of the abdomen of Ovis Aries, The Sheep; purified by melting and straining.

Description. Suet is the fat of the sheep chiefly obtained from the region of the kidney. It is prepared by melting at a gentle heat, and straining. Suet is white, soft, smooth, almost scentless, fusible at 103°; it is soluble in ether and boiling alcohol; it consists principally of stearine and oleine. Stearine forms the chief portion of suet; it may be obtained crystallized from an etherial solution, and then appears in small white plates of a shining character; fuses at 143° Fah., and when it solidifies, becomes opaque, and loses its crystalline character; it is soluble in alcohol and boiling ether, but insoluble in cold ether; its formula is (C114 H110 O12); by saponification it is converted into stearic acid (HO, C36 H35 O3), and glycerine (C6 H8 O6); stearine has lately been artificially produced by heating under pressure stearic acid and glycerine. Oleine is the more liquid constituent of fat; it forms an oily fluid varying in quantity in the different varieties of fat, and generally holds in solution more or less of the solid constituents, from which it is separated completely with some difficulty. It exists in large quantity in the vegetable oils. The exact composition of oleine is doubtful; it is more soluble in alcohol than either stearine or margarine; by treatment with an alkali it is resolved into oleic acid (HO, C36 H33 O3) and glycerine.

Therapeutics. Suet is emollient, and is used in the preparation of certain ointments and plasters, sometimes also as an addition to poultice..

Cornu. The horn of Cervus Elephas. Hartshorn. (Not of-cinal.)

Goran Ustum. Burnt Horn. Phosphate of lime, prepared from horn by fire. (Not officinal.)

Description. Hartshorn is met with in the form of fine shavings, of a yellowish colour, without odour. Cornu ustum occurs as a white powder, obtained by the calcination of the horn.

Prop. & Comp. Hartshorn yields about 27 per cent. of gelatin, and 75.5 of phosphate of lime. By destructive distillation, the shavings yield an impure solution of carbonate of ammonia, formerly known as spirits of hartshorn. Phosphate of lime as prepared from the horn occurs in the form of a whitish powder; it consists of phosphate of lime (3 Ca O, Po5), but often contains some lime not in the state of phosphate; this phosphate is identical with bone-earth.

Therapeutics. The gelatine flavoured to suit the taste may be used as an article of diet. Cornu ustum has been recommended in rickets and mollitus ossium.