Glycerin

glis'er-in, 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 steam. 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 obviate the objection to alcoholic medicines many remedies are compounded with glycerin. Since 1906 Ayer's Sarsaparilla, for instance, has been put up in a solution of glycerin instead of alcohol.