New London Pharmacopaia. 355 
sulphate, perfectly useless, is still retained ; and of he hydriodate, 
of which many practitioners think very highly, not a word is said. 
In respect to the salts of soda we observe the same impropriety 
of nomenclature in distinguishing the carbonates which has been 
noticed of the carbonates of potash. The sod@ carbonas is however, 
as it commonly o¢curs, a compound of an atom of carbonate and 
one of bi-carbonate, with four of water, and therefore may be called 
a Sesqui-carbonate of Soda. Mr. Phillips found the native carbo- 
nate of soda from Africa to be an analogous compound. The fore 
mula for sulphate of soda is quite unnecessary, as it is always pre 
pared by the wholesale manufacturer. ( 
Among the earths we observe that lime is directed to be obtained 
by the calcination of marble, and of shells, the use of the latter 
being by no means obvious; and although marble duly heated fur- 
nishes very good lime, that which may be had wholesale is as fit for 
the preparation of lime-water. 
Proceeding to the metals and their salts, we have to congratulate 
the College upon the improvement in their formula for that most 
important compound tartarized antimony, which is now prepared by 
boiling finely-levigated glass of antimony with tartar in a due pro- 
portion of water. The exact composition of emetic tartar is not 
very easily determined, nor has our author given us any thing ori« 
ginal respecting it. The hydro-sulphuretted oxide of antimony is 
still retained under the improper title of Precipitated Sulphuret of 
Antimony ; and the very uncertain formula for the preparation of 
antimonial powder remains nearly as it was. 
The more we consider the antimonial remedies of the Pharma 
copia, the more we are convinced that emetic tartar is the only 
certain and definite remedy of that class; that it may be used in 
various mixtures as a substitute for the other preparations, and that 
it is the only compound of the metal which ought to be retained in 
a pharmacopeia compiled upon sound principles. 
The exceeding absurdity of calling certain solutions wines which 
contain no wine, occurs first under this head, where 20 grains of 
tartarized antimony dissolved in 8 ounces of water, and 2 ounces of 
rectified spirit, is foolishly termed Vinum Antimonii tartarzati. We 
are not generally inclined to be very sceptical upon the subject of 
pharmaceutical nomenclature, but this capricious innovation we 
cannot leave unnoticed. In the last Pharmacopaia the term liquor 
was learnedly applied toa real vinous solution ; and now, the term 
vinum is applied to that which contains no wine. But the alteration 
is otherwise mischievous. Antimonial wine and steel wine are do- 
mestic remedies, with which every body is acquainted, and no 
vender of medicines who wished to retain his customer would think 
of sending out the wines of the present Pharmacopeia under that 
name. ‘The apothecary therefore is obliged to hamper his shelves 
with both solutions, and this merely to gratify a whimsical propen~ 
