8 
THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
is a great improvement Tlie naming of the alkaloids has been altered, and 
brought into harmony with other Pharmacopoeias. Ex. gr. quinia is now 
quinina ; atropia is now atropina. With regard to the other changes before 
mentioned an example will suffice. Sodii arsenias instead of sodse arsenias, 
sodium arseniate being the term now used by chemists, instead of the arseniate 
of soda, which was really incorrect. Parts by weight and fluid parts are now 
given where practicable, and evidently as a preparation for the future 
adoption of this method, a system which has been for a long time in use in 
France and other countries. A great improvement will be gladly recognised in 
the way in which a certain definiteness is given to the degree of commination 
necessary for the preparation of solid ingredients for tinctures and other 
compounds this method was first adopted in the United States, I think — sieves 
with 20 and 60 meshes to the linear inch. It is probable that the inconvenient and 
now little used Fahrenheit thermometer will in the next Pharmacopoeia be displaced 
altogether by the centigrade, which is generally used by scientific men. In 1867 
those who remembered the days of old Pharmacopoeias (when we had to know the 
1 .L. Ph. E. Pharmacopoeia Dublinensis) hailed with delight the introduction of an 
Imperial Pharmacopoeia. Twenty years has shown us a success, and, notwithstanding 
some and singular shortcomings, I do not think that we ought to be chary of our 
commendation of those illustrious physicians and surgeons and pharmacists of the 
three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, who have overcome so many 
difficulties and given us a national Pharmacopoeia, thus abolishing the three confusing 
and differing Pharmacopoeias. 
I must not detain you, but now proceed to notice, as briefly as possible, the 
additions, omissions, and alterations made in the new B.P. A list of these is 
gn en, and will enable you to at once find out the more important changes ; 
but there are minor alterations, verbal and otherwise, which would require 
careful comparison, and I may say that a critical examination of this work 
has occupied me for many hours, and I must crave your indulgence if even 
now the results of my labours are imperfect. 
Of the additions there are ... ... 114 
,, omissions }9 t 22 
„ substitutions Jf # 5 
» alterations in composition „ ... ... 16 
„ changes of names „ ... ##> 190 
,, alterations of strength ,, ... g 
Among the additions we observe many important and much-used preparations, 
sueh as boric acid, chromic acid, hydrobromic acid, oleic acid, salicylic acid, 
apomorphia, discovered by Mattieson in 1866. Cocaine hydrocMoras, cascara 
sagrada, jaborandi, gelsemium, oleum eucalypti, pilocarpine, oleum santali, 
dialysed iron, and calamina restored. Among the omissions we gladly 
notice that ancient, nauseous, and useless drug castoreum, the indefinite 
and dangerous digitalinum, the useless magnetic oxide of iron, the drastic 
succus and syrupus rhamni, and others, now known to be of little 
value, or unnecessary. It is curious to observe how many of the— 
at times much-vaunted— medicines are ignored by the Medical Council. 
It is a pity that aq. lauro-cer was not discarded. Of the 
substitutions all agree that they are improvements. Cinchona rubra for cinchona 
ilava and pallida; ung. glycerina plumbi subacetatis for uug. plumbi 
subaeetatis Co. The alteration in the composition of sulphurous acid is 
right, lor practically . all pharmacists must have discovered long ago that the 
former strength was impossible to maintain, and unnecessary. The new method 
