THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 



"3 



inatic waters, on the ground of loss of 

 volatile oil, but practical experience will 

 show that this loss is more apparent than 

 real, that the amount of volatile oil lost 

 by volatilization is insignificant in com- 

 parison with the greatly increased amount 

 brought into solution — Through Amer. 

 Jour Phainn. 



Pharinaceutical Notes. — C. B. Lowe: 

 Terebenum or Terebene has come into 

 somewhat extensive use as a remedy for 

 chronic bronchitis, and it is frequently 

 an ingredient of cough mixtures, or is 

 prescribed by itself. 



On account of its slight solubilit}^ in 

 water, and its somewhat unpleasant taste, 

 it is best given in an emulsion. 



The emulsion should be made by the 

 addition of one drachm of powdered gum 

 aral)ic for each fluid drachm of terebene. 



The primary emulsion, consisting of 

 gum and water, should first be carefully 

 prepared, and then the terebene should 

 be slowly and carefully added. 



The emulsion will be found quite a 

 difficult one to make, the terebene being 

 easily thrown out of ."solution. 



Mustard Plasters. — The mustard plas- 

 ter is one of the most important remedies 

 kept in our pharmacies, and 5^et as far as 

 I know none of the manufacturers have 

 included in their directions that of wet- 

 ting t)ie plasters before using with only 

 tepid water. 



The acrid or volatile oils of mustard 

 do not pre-exist as such in the seed, but 

 are produced by the splitting up of the 

 glucosides sinalbin or sinigrin, by the 

 action upon them in the presence of 

 moisture of the ferment called myrosin. 



It is a fact that should be better known 

 that myrosin is coagulated by water of a 

 temperature of 140° F., and rendered in- 

 capable of action. 



I have found that many people are un- 

 der the impression that the plaster will 

 be made the more active by dipping it 



into hot water, but the reverse is the 

 case. 



Syrup of Acacia. — It seems strange 

 that the Pharmacopoeia should have con- 

 tinued unchanged the formula for Syrup 

 of Acacia. 



In the Pharmacopoeia of 1870 the syrup 

 was made directly from the gum, and we 

 had a fairly stable preparation. 



In the last two Pharmacopoeias it is 

 ordered to be prepaied from the mucilage, 

 which spoils quickly, and the syrup thus 

 made would ferment in a few hours, un- 

 less the mucilage was freshly prepared. 



The formula of Mucilage of Acacia can 

 be improved upon by the use of chloro- 

 form water of the strength given in the 

 British Pharmacopoeia, 



If the chloroform is objectionable from 

 a therapeutical standpoint, a few minutes' 

 exposure to heat will thoroughly dissi- 

 pate it. 



The most convenient way of dissolving 

 the gum is by means of a dialyser. 



Adulteratio7i of Belladonna Root. — This 

 last winter, on examining some bella- 

 donna, root, I was surprised to find 

 present a number of large pieces of poke 

 root. 



As the former root is indigenous to 

 Europe and the latter to the United 

 States, and as the structure of them is 

 entirely different, it could hardly have 

 been an accidental adulteration. 



The cork layer of the belladonna is of 

 a very light brown gray color while that 

 of the poke root is of a yellowish brown 

 gray and marked by very characteristic 

 transversely elongated corkey warts of a 

 lighter color. 



The transverse* section af the former 

 shows a fine black cambium line, and the 

 woodwedges, when present, are of a light 

 yellow color, radiallj' arranged ; in the 

 poke the wood tissue is whitish, and 

 shows a decidedly concentric arrange- 

 ment. 



