THE IODINE CASE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 116, 10 February 1919, Page 6

THE IODINE CASE

Sir,—As the newspaper reports in connection with the above are apt to 'be rather misleading, and may cause a cer--1 tain amount of .misconception in the mind o£ the general public in regard to the sale made by me on September 2 last of tincture of iodine, I would like to make a brief explanation in reference thereto. In the first place the strength of the preparation supplied by me was never in question, the point being the use of methylated spirits, in lieu of rectified spirits in its manufacture. As is well known, tincture of iodine is used universally as an outward applica-. tion. and in all my experience I have never known it to be asked for or sold in its simple state as an article for internal use, and certainly no medical practitioner would order it in such a form; in fact, it.is only on rare occasion's that it is'prescribed at then only as an ingredient in the preparation of a "mixture," when, of. course, the rectified article would be used. Any physician or chemist would bear out these statements. In the formula of several of tho largest London hospitals methylated spirits is used in the iodino preparations. ' I would also like to point out that under the regulations of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act of New Zealand that the use of methylated spirits in place of rectified spirits is sanctioned for. making the principle spirituous liniments of the British pharniocopocia, and these preparations are not deemed to be adulterated according to the Act.-I am, etc w ... f CHAS. A. FLETCHER Wellington, February 8.