Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1895 — Citric Acid. [ARTICLE]

Citric Acid.

Enormous quantities of citric add are used in calico printing, in pharmacy, and in the preparation of artificial lemonade. About an ounce and a quartor(s7o grains) of pure citric acid dissolved in a pint of, water gives a solution which has the average acidity of good lemon juice. When diluted with several times its hulk of water, sweetened with sugar, and scented with a single dpop of esseof lemon, an artificial lemonade is cheaply produced, which is much used as a cooling drink in fever hospitals. It lias also been used in the navy as a substitute for fresh lemon juice in the -treatment or prevention of scurvy, hut has been found much less efficient, in fact, this artificial lemonade Is by no means equal to that made from pure lemon juice, whether used at table or for invalids. In rheumatism or rheumatic gout, the fresh juice of the lemon is preferred ou account of the bicitrate of potash which It Contains. Puce lemon juice is also a valuable remedy in sore throat and diphtlierla; eases have been recorded in which children have apparently been cured of tlds terrible disease by constantly sucking oranges or lemons. Pure citric acid possesses, like some oilier acids, the power of destroying the had effects of polluted water used for drinking, hut it is perhaps best to boil the water before adding a I ti e citric acid to it.