IH THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 



rust-resistant quality of the durum wheat with the berry of the bkie 

 stem ; the cold-resistant quality of the wild crab with the fruit of our 

 finer apples. The possibilities of such composite breeding have scarcely 

 been touched or appreciated. — (Abstract from Literary Digest.) 



A DIFFICULT PRESCRIPTION. 



Editor Ahiuini Journal: 



Dear Sir — Herewith I p-esent you a very interesting- prescription 

 which was handed to us for compounding some time ago ; you would 

 oblige me verv much and also the pharmaceutical profession if you 

 would criticise it in one of the next editions, also give some means 

 of overcoming the difficulties if there are any. 

 I> — Morphine sulfate gr. 1-20 

 Potass, cyanide gr. 1-16 

 Serpinhydrate gr. iiss (gr. 2^) 

 Tinctura belladonn?e m.V (m.V.) 

 Oleum eucalypti m.\' (m.\\) 



M. f. capsulas d. t. dos. No. XX D. S. One every 2 hours. 

 The prescription is, as I suppose, intended for affections of the 

 bronchial tubes. The doses are correct and the only difficulty I encoun- 

 tered was the preparation of a proper mass. As the solid substances of 

 the prescription are insoluble in the mixture of oil and tincture, and the 

 presence of potassium cyanide, especially endangering the filling of the 

 mixture in a semi-liquid form into capsules, some means of forming a 

 mass had to be employed. I therefore employed some calciner magnesia 

 to absorb the liquid, in which I succeeded after using a very large 

 quantity; however, I found it impossible to roll the mass out, as the oil 

 was squeezed out again. 



The addition of powdered acacia or extract of licorice did not help 

 very much, as the oil of eucalyptus and tincture were in excess. All 

 that was left for me to do was to weigh the quantity for each capsule 

 separately and to fill them in. (Caps. NoO.) 



Yours respectfully, "A Senior." 



Answer. — This is an incompatibility as far as massing is concerned. 

 The only way it can be put up in capsule form is to fill it in soft capsules. 

 First, thoroughly mix the solid substances and divide same into 20 equal 

 parts, put one part in each capsule, then mix your liquids, and likewise 

 put 1-20 of your total quantity in each capsule. Then seal your capsules 

 and let them stand for a few hours. Below you will find a reproduction 

 of an article which appeared in the Journal of April, 1903. 



