72 PHARMACY 



Examples : The resins of Burgundy pitch and podo- 

 phyllum. 



Balsamum, pi. 5a?sama.— Balsams are oleo-resins with 

 the addition of either cinnamic or benzoic acids, Or both. 

 They are solids or liquids. 



Examples : Balsam of Peru, balsam of Tolu. 



Gummus, Tpl.Oummi* — Gums are solid exudations from 

 plants. They are generally soluble in water, and their solu- 

 tions are precipitated by alcohol. 



Example : Gum acacia. 



Gum Eesina, pi. Gum-Resince, are solid exudations from 

 plants consisting of a mixture of a gum and a resin. 



Pharmaceutical Processes. 



Many of the technical methods are those employed in 

 chemistry, but of those more especially used in pharmacy 

 are the following : 



PBOCESSES OF MECHANICAL DIVISION. 



Slicing. — This prepares the drug for further reduction, 

 and is the first of all pharmaceutical processes. 



Bruising or (7ontosion. ^Consists in breaking the drug 

 by force, and is usually performed with an iron mortar and 

 pestle. 



Hasping or Filing. — For those drugs not easily reduced 

 by the former processes, as guaiac wood. 



Trituration. — Performed with mortar and pestle. The 

 effect produced where there is a circular niotion, accom- 

 panied by pressure. ■ 



Grinding and Sifting. — In order to exhaust drugs some 

 must be ground and sifted to a finer powder than others. 

 To accomplish this, after grinding, we use sieves of differ- 

 ent degrees of fineness, designated by numbers 20, 40, 60, 

 80, 100. These have reference to the number of meshes 

 contained to the square inch. Therefore, when a 60 powder 

 is directed to be used, it is that which will pass through 

 a sieve containing 60 meshes to the square inch. 



* Gummi (indeclinable noun), often used for gum or gums. 



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