Glycerin is a transparent, colorless liquid with
the sweet taste and appearance of a sirup. Specific gravity 1.27. It is
obtained from beef and other fats, notably palm oil, by the action of
super-heated stearn. Commercially it is a by-product in the manufacture
of stearin candles. It consists of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which,
it may be remembered, is also the composition of alcohol. It mixes well
with water and cannot be fermented. It freezes, but not readily, into
white crystals. It is used in medicine to soften and soothe a sore
throat, for instance. Glycerin salves, soaps, and cosmetics are
excellent toilet articles, especially for chapped hands, rough face, or
sores. As a salve it is particularly excellent. The reason is a simple
one. Instead of drying up, glycerin attracts moisture from the air.
Like alcohol and sirup, glycerin is fatal to the growth of bacteria, and
may be used as a preservative for animal and plant substances. It is an
important part of the explosive nitroglycerin. It is also used in the
preparation of mucilage, in sizing paper, and in many manufactures.
Glycerin
is used as a remedy for nervous diseases and neuralgia. In order to
obvíate the objection to alcoholic medicines many remedies are
compounded with glycerin.
