PHARMACY. 
Eraplastrura sapoiiis, Dubl. emplastnmi 
saponaceuni, Loud. Edin. plaster of soap. 
Emplastrum thuris coinpositum, Loud, 
plaster of frankincense, compound. 
Emplastrum liydrargyri, Edin. plaster of 
quicksilver. 
Emplastrum ammoniaci cum hydrargyro, 
Loud, plaster of gum ammoniac with quick- 
silver. 
Emplastrum lithargyri cum hydrargyro, 
Lond. plaster of litharge with qiiicksirver. 
Emplastrum oxidi feiri ruhri, Edin. plas- 
ter of red oxide of iron. 
We shall close this article by observing, 
that the adult dose of the ditferent prepa- 
rations, and materials of which they are 
composed, will for the most part be found 
in the article Materia Medica. 
Since wilting the above we have receiv- 
ed a copy of a specimen just printed, and 
limitedly circulated by the London College 
of Physicians, as the ground- work of a new 
Pharmacopoeia which it is their intention to 
bring forward as soon as they may be able 
to avail themselves of the various hints and 
suggestions which it is probable will result 
from a circulation of their present pamphlet. 
As this is a work of high consequence to 
the medical world, and of curiosity to those 
who have not had an opportunity of seeing 
the specimen before ns, anclmore especially 
as we are persuaded that the Royal College, 
with its usual liberality, will receive with 
thanks any important information upon the 
subject in question, from whatever quarter 
it may proceed ; we shall endeavour as con- 
cisely as possible to sketch an outline of 
the valuable labours in which they are en- 
gaged, from the specimen bei'ore us : which 
we cannot better commence than in the 
words of the Committee, to whom the Col- 
lege has chiefly submitted the undertaking. 
In the progression of human knowledge, 
pharmacy cannot remain stationary, and 
the College have accordingly accommodat- 
ed it to existing circumstances, at suitable 
intervals, and thereby regidated and im- 
proved the practice of medicine in this 
country. Such a revision tliey have felt 
themselves called upon to make, at the 
present time, by tbe vast improvement in 
the several branches of science, with which 
pharmacy is more especially connected, 
since the year 1787’, and they think it pro- 
per to state generally the principles upon 
which various alterations liave been adopted 
in the present instance. 
, These alterations qre referable to the 
several heads of nonienclature, weights and 
measures, arrangement, processes, the omis- 
Sion of former articles, and the introduction 
of new ones. 
To eacli of these it will apply as a gene- 
ral observation, that practical application 
and convenience have been assumed as 
fundamental points, which the Committee 
have endeavoured constantly to keep in view. 
Nomenclature, At the time of tlie 
publication of the last Pharmacopoeia, mo- 
dern chemistry was in its infancy, its lan- 
guage, (which professed to describe, and 
not merely to designate 3 substance by its 
name) was new in principle, and the appli- 
cation of it not generally received. Various 
teims, tlierefore, of that Pharmacopoeia 
differ essentially from those which have 
since been established in the science, and 
it has been incumbent upon the Committee 
to consider in ttie present instance whether 
the nomenclature of chemistry might be 
still further and more minutely adopted. 
As far as arbitrary names (to which com- 
mon consent lias affi-xed precise ideas) go, 
and also in compounds consisting of two 
ingredients only, or where different pro- 
portions of the same constituent parts are 
to be expressed, it has been thought proper 
to receive tliose terms wliich general che- 
mistry employs ; but as a large proportion 
of pharmaceutical preparations consist, 
strictly speaking, of more complex combi- 
nations, w'liich cannot be expressed cor- 
rectly without periphrasis and inconve- 
nience, and are therefore but ill suited to 
the purposes of prescription, tiie Committee 
liave judged it sufficient to designate these, 
without attempting at the same time to de- 
scribe their composition ; and whether the 
name has been drawn from some ■circum- 
stance of preparation, or quality, they have 
cautiously endeavoured to make such dis- 
tinctions as may be least liable to error in 
the ordinary method of practice, and may 
not contradict the received chemical doc- 
trines, or mislead in their application. 
The names of vegetables have also been 
accommodated to the latest systems of bo- 
tany, so that they may not hereafter con- 
tradict the terms of that science, or deceive 
tile practitioner in his references thereto. 
Many names of medicinal plants were in the 
earlier periods of botany drawn from those 
ot families to which modern system does 
not admit them to belong,* but have been 
retained in pharmacy, tliough wholly at 
* Cicuta, Helleborns albus. 
