— 110 — 



away with once and for all". If all the proceedings of the Committees 

 were always published immediately, criticism could make itself heard 

 before the publication of the Pharmacopoeia and would be able to cause 

 a great many things to be altered which are now immutably fixed for a 

 decade. It is to be hoped that such well-founded complaints will find 

 consideration in authoritative quarters. 



In his lecture Kobert also makes mention incidentally of methyl sali- 

 cylate, which has unfortunately been disregarded by the Pharmacopoeia 

 Council in Germany, and has not been made official, whereas elsewhere, 

 for instance in Britain, it is very popular. Methyl salicylate is suitable 

 both for internal administration (in capsules) and for external use; it is a 

 favourite antiseptic mouth -wash (in 1 to 5°/o alcoholic solution). As it 

 represents the pure ester, and is much cheaper than natural wintergreen 

 oil, as a constituent of which it was first discovered, Kobert regards it 

 as unpractical that many dentists should still continue to prescribe "Oleum 

 GauUherice", the natural oil, in lieu of the artificial preparation. 



On the chlorine test of benzaldehyde prescribed by the German Phar- 

 macopoeia V, see p. 119. 



Dutch Pharmacopoeia. 



A supplement to the 4 th Edition of the Dutch Pharmacopoeia 1 ), dated 

 July 1910, has made its appearance. In this Supplement newly-admitted 

 preparations are described and incorrect statements which have appeared 

 in the Pharmacopoeia itself are corrected. Among these corrections are 

 some which relate to essential oils, and these we quote below: — 



Lavender Oil: The maximum limit of value of the sp. gr. which 

 was previously 0,890, has been raised to 0,895. 



Rosemary Oil : The Pharmacopoeia requires rosemary oil not ta 

 rotate above +15° in a 2 dm.-tube. This error has now been removed, 

 the Supplement stating (which is correct), that the requirement applies 

 to a 1 dm.-tube. 



Turpentine Oil, purified: The prescription dealing with the pre- 

 paration of the oil has been revised in this respect that the pro- 

 portion of the oil used which must distil over is no longer fixed 

 exactly at 3 / 4 of the whole, but at "about" that figure. 

 The endeavour of the Pharmacopoeia Council to remove officially 

 any errors and mistakes contained in the Pharmacopoeia, which is finding 

 expression in the publication of such Supplements, deserves high commen- 

 dation. It would be desirable that very many Pharmacopoeia Councils 

 would follow the Dutch example. 



x ) Comp. the review in our Report of October 1906, 84. 



