THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



103 



after damping, but in most cases, at least, the 

 author found it advisable to store for 24 hours 

 in a separate closed vessel, and to finally mix 

 well together, adding a little more menstruum if 

 really necessary before the final packing. The 

 percolator was generally advised to be of a coni- 

 cal shape, but operating on a large scale, with 

 a considerable amount of material, a vessel of 

 that form had the disadvantage of giving a 

 large surface to the upper layer of spirit, and 

 consequent liability to loss from evaporation. 

 Whatever form of percolator was adopted, it 

 was a distinct advantage to have the bottom 

 part of it tapering. For the author's own part 

 he preferred a tap, which could be closed or 

 opened to a simple tube; and showed a model of 

 a percolator which he had devised. This con- 

 sisted of an upright, somewhat narrow, metallic 

 vessel, with a funnel shaped bottom part pro- 

 vided with a tap having a thread-screw on the 

 outer part, so that tubes of various lengths 

 could be screwed on or off. The special feature 

 of the perculator being a band of metal around 

 the bottom part deep enough to enclose the tap 

 when the tubes were removed. By means of the 

 band the apparatus would stand erect on any 

 plane surface. In use the percolators were 

 arranged on a stout bench with diamond shaped 

 holes, through which the hand could be passed 

 to turn on or off the taps or fix the tubes. In 

 commenting on various tinctures, it was con- 

 sidered that with Tinct. Camph. Co., the opium 

 could advantageously be replaced by a corres- 

 ponding amount of Tinct. Opii. as advocated by 

 Squire. In the case of Tinct. Cardam. Co., the 

 author said he would venture to suggest that 

 the variety of raisins known as"sultanas" might 

 be used, as they contained no stones, As was 

 well-known, the B. P. instructions gave a pro. 

 duct of more than 80 ozs. without making up. 

 It was a tincture which could be prepared by 

 percolation if the various ingredients were well 

 mixed together. It had been suggested to pre- 

 pare Tinct. Cascarillae by means of a weaker 

 spirit, but Groves found that even with proof 

 spirit it was nothing like so good as when 

 the spirit was slightly stronger. Tinct. Guaiaci 

 ammon. would be better prepared with a 

 stronger menstruum, Wright's proportions of 

 18 ozs. S. V. R. and 2 ozs. Liq. Ammon. Fort 

 giving 82 grs. per oz. of solids as against 62 

 grains for the present spirit of ammonia. Tinct 

 Myrrhse was an example of a tincture which 

 could not be prepared by percolation without 

 previous maceration. Tinct. Podophylli should 

 not be fluorescent.- The author had recently 



seen a tincture that was strongly so ; and he had 

 pointed out some yearb ago that, that result was 

 due to the employment of resin precipitated in 

 alum water instead of by the B. P. method. 

 Heat was necessary in making Tinct. Quininse , 

 and the suggestion of Lunan as to the substitu- 

 tion of carbonate of ammonia for the hydrate 

 was worthy of the attention of the pharmaceuti- 

 cal authorities, since the product formed a clear 

 solution with 13 parts of distilled water, whereas 

 the present tincture required 26 parts. 



However made, tincture marcs retained a de- 

 cided amount of spirit. By pressure, a certain 

 proportion could be obtained ; but a relatively 

 large quantity was left behind. He had found, 

 for example, that a batch of 60 gals, of Tinct. 

 Opii. would leave something like 2 gals, in the 

 marc; and a similar amount of spirit would be 

 retained by marcs resulting from 16 gals, of 

 Tinct Cinchon.Co., Tinct. Hyoscyami and Tinct. 

 Sennae. In no case was it desirable to wash out 

 that spirit with water if it were intended to form 

 a part of the finished product. On the whole, 

 he preferred to percolate right through with the 

 proper menstruum till the full bulk was obtain- 

 ed, and to recover the spirit from the marc by 

 distillation in a large still, with sufficient water 

 to prevent the formation of clots of material. 

 To wash certain marcs with water took con- 

 siderable time, during which the mass was apt 

 to become mouldy or decompose. 



In reference to standardized tinctures, there 

 was a definite statement as to the alkaloidal 

 strength of both Tinct. Opii., and Tinct. Nuc 

 Vomicae in the Pharmacopoeia. Experience had 

 shown that the menstruum did not exhaust the 

 Opium, but by taking a tincture made with a 

 strong opium and one made with a B. P. drug, 

 the percentage required could be obtained by 

 mixing the two in the proportions indicated by 

 an assay. As to the method of assaying Tinct. 

 Opii , he would prefer to follow the B. P. method 

 as closely as possible rather than attempt wash- 

 ing out with acetic ether and chloroform. 

 Familiarity with Tinct. Nuc. Vomicae had not 

 strengthened the view that the use of extract 

 was the best method of preparing it. Similarly 

 the employment of extracts of other drugs was 

 not to be advocated. The subject had received 

 particular attention at the 1893 meeting of the 

 British Pharmaceutical Conference, and had 

 been condemned. A tincture was supposed to 

 contain the constituents of the drugs, as they 

 existed in the drugs themselves, unaltered by 

 heat. Gerrard's statement had not been con- 

 troverted, that with atropine, a solution boiled 



