Nitrous Ether 4 x 32 = 128 min. approximately 2 fl. dr. Similar calcu- 

 lations may readily be made for any other prescription. It is customary to 

 round off the amounts to make even numbers in drachms or ounces if the 

 drugs be not very potent but if potent this practice should never be follow- 

 ed. The amount prescribed should suffice to fill a standard bottle. The 

 standard bottle sizes are K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 oz. 



PHARMACOPCEIAL NOMENCLATURE. The principles of the pharmaco- 

 pceial nomenclature are very simple. As far as possible the Latin names 

 are direct equivalents of the English names. . . . The names 01 acids 

 may be considered as direct translations of the English names. For ex- 

 ample ' 'Hydrochloric Acid, becomes "Acidum Hydrochloricum. " "Acid- 

 urn" is a neuter noun of the second declension with a genitive "Acidi." 

 "Hydrochloricum" is an adjective (termination -us, -a, -um) agreeing 

 with "Acidum" in gender, number and case. There may even, as in 

 English, be a second adjective in the title, for example ' 'Acidum Hydrochl- 

 oricum Dilutum," or "Acidum Aceticum Glaciale" ("Glacialis" is an 



adjective of the third declension nom. -is, -e, gen. -is.) 



The names of salts may again be looked upon as the Latin form of their 

 English names, though not their official English names, for example 

 "Potassium Bromide," "Bromide of Potassium," becomes " Potassii 

 Bromidum." Bromidum the name of the acid constituent is a noun of 

 the second declension as is Potassium but the latter appears in the parti- 

 tive genitive in the official name. . . . All salts whose names end 

 in -"ide" have names in Latin ending -idum. The names of salts ending 

 in "-ate" have Latin names in a "-as" (gen. -atis) and are masculine 

 nouns of the third declension, example ' ' Sodium Citrate " is ' ' Sodii Citras." 

 Those salt names ending in "-ite" have Latin names masculine and of the 

 third declension in "-is" (gen. -itis), example "Sodium Sulphite, Sodii 

 Sulphis. " 



The names of alkaloids become in Latin feminine substantives of the 

 first declension with a termination "-ina" (gen. -inae), example Strychnina. 

 Those of glucosides, bitters and neutral principles are neuter substantitives 

 of the second declension with a termination "-inum" (gen. -ini), example 

 Aloin, Aloinum. 



The names of parts of plants may be looked upon also as direct trans- 

 lations, example ' ' Belladonna Leaves, Leaves of Belladonna, Belladonna 

 Folia," Folia being a neuter noun in the plural (nom. sing, folium gen. 

 folii pi. folia, gen. foliorum). ' ' Belladonnse" is the genitive of the feminine 

 noun of the first declension, "Belladonna." 



The names of preparations are again similarly formed "Tincture of 

 Opium, Tinctura Opii " ; Tinctura " is a feminine noun of the first declension 

 1 ' Opii " the genitive of the neuter noun of the second declension ' ' Opium. " 



Some of the cases where the student may find it difficult to understand 

 the Pharmacopceial nomenclature are noted in this paragraph : Liquor 



119 



