State of Pharmacy in France. 245 



preparing caustic soda as in preparing caustic potash, whereas 

 the relative quantities required are to each other only as 1 to 2. 



We proceed now to metaux et oxides metalliques. Of these 

 I shall only notice the more important. It is to be observed 

 that the metallic preparations are not arranged under one head, 

 but are scattered about under the forms of oxides, muriates, 

 sulphates, S^c, an arrangement, if arrangement it can be called, 

 which is extremely inconvenient. The first preparation which 

 I shall notice is the very useless and expensive one of" mercure 

 revivifie du sulfure de mercure rouge." The object of this is 

 of course to obtain pure mercury for other preparations ; as, 

 however, sulphuret of mercury is a preparation ordered in the 

 pharmacopcfiia, and as it is of as great importance to use pure 

 mercury in its preparation, as in most other instances, I turned 

 to it to learn how this is managed, and the directions are to use 

 mercure pur. How is this mercure pur to be obtained ? this 

 we are not informed. We are scarcely to form sulphuret from 

 pure mercury, and then decompose the sulphuret, that pure 

 mercury may be procured from it. Indeed on looking at the 

 preparations of mercury, it would appear as if mercury was to be 

 employed in different states and in different degrees of purity ; 

 thus in preparing calomel we are to use simply " mercure ;" for 

 the sulphurets of mercury, " mercure pur ;" for the subsulphate, 

 it is to be " mercure tres pur ;" for the nitrate " mercure pur ;" 

 and the liquid nitrate, " mercure purifie selon I'art ;" protoxides 

 of mercury, " mercure pur ;" peroxide, " mercure revivifie du 

 cinabre ;" whilst another protoxide is to be prepared with " mer- 

 cure purifie ;" to which is added a character before unnoticed, 

 that it is to be " liquide." 



It will be understood from what I have just stated, that the 

 preparations of mercury are numerous, and indeed much more 

 so than they need to be. I shall notice them under one head, 

 and not as they are placed in the pharmacopoeia. 



Protoxide of mercury is obtained by decomposing the crystal- 

 lized nitrate by means of potash, and this is perhaps the best 

 mode of preparing a bad medicine: the next preparation is 

 termed " oxide noir de mercure, precipite par rammoniaque du 



