1824.] Pharmacopoeia Londinensis. 457 



which is too small by about three-fourths of a part; in mak- 

 ing the spiritus ammonias aromaticus, the proportions are 32 

 of muriate and 38*4 parts of subcarbonate, but as 48*75 of the 

 latter are requisite, it is evident that 6 - 8 parts of the former 

 escape decomposition, and are wasted. The spirit of the simple 

 preparation is rectified, whereas that of the aromatic spirit of 

 ammonia consists of two parts of rectified and one of water. 

 Now this quantity of water, although useless, would have been 

 of little consequence in the simple spirit, because in using it for 

 the spiritus ammonia? foetid us (the only purpose to which it is 

 applied), the water would remain in the retort ; but it is of 

 importance that the aromatic spirit should contain as little water 

 as possible that in preparing the tincture of guaiacum, the solu- 

 tion of the resin may not be prevented. 



With regard also to the proportion of ammonia in these pre- 

 parations, it will be seen that the difference is enormous : 24 

 fluid ounces of the simple spirit contain the carbonate of ammo- 

 nia obtained by decomposing nearly 32 drachms of the muriate, 

 while an equal quantity of the aromatic spirit contains the car- 

 bonate procured by decomposing rather less than 8 drachms of 

 the muriate of ammonia. It is indeed true that 10 drachms are 

 directed to be employed ; but by the obvious and unaccountable 

 inconsistency of using only 12 instead of 15 drachms of subcar- 

 bonate of potash, one-fifth of the muriate of ammonia, and even 

 rather more, escapes decomposition as already noticed. 



The method of preparing the spiritus ammonias fcetidus is 

 extremely wasteful, and more so even than lhat of spiritus ammo- 

 nias ; of the 28 parts of spirit employed in the latter preparation, 

 4 are wasted ; and in using the remaining 24 to prepare the fetid 

 spirit, 6 more are thrown away ; consequently out of the 28 parts 

 of rectified spirit originally made use of, only 18 are eventually 

 employed. 



In closing my remarks upon this work, it must be fairly 

 admitted, especially with respect to tartari/.ed antimony, calomel, 

 and some other preparations, that the College have removed 

 much of the objectionable matter of the Pharmacopoeia of 1809, 

 and of the editio altera which followed it ; but there is yet, for 

 the reasons which I have now stated, much that appears to re- 

 quire a correcting hand. I will only add, that it is greatly to be 

 lamented that a national Pharmacopoeia should not be formed 

 by the union of the Colleges, by which greater facilities would 

 be afforded to physicians in the. various parts of the kingdom, 

 in describing their modes of treating different diseases. 

 [Edit] 



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