THE CODEX AND THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA. 
115 
pharmaceutist certain substances which might with satisfaction be powdered at 
home, even where there is no actual laboratory. At any rate, every apprentice 
should once in his life either powder or superintend the powdering of certain 
things, so that he may have a practical knowledge of the operation. 
The principal powders to be so prepared which I would mention are:—ipeca¬ 
cuanha, belladonna leaves, foxglove, saffron, cardamoms, aloes, ergot of rye. 
Speaking of ergot the Codex says, “ it should be powdered only just at the 
moment required,” but as this moment very often happens to be just in the 
middle of the night or very early morning, it becomes a very inconvenient 
moment. A small piece of camphor kept in the powder preserves it well, and a 
friend for whom I occasionally powder some, says that it keeps well in one- 
drachm packets wrapped in tinfoil in his pocket case, and he prefers adminis¬ 
tering the powder in some warm drink to any other form; to the rest, add 
castor, opium, and scammony. 
CHAPTER XXY. 
PULPS. 
The mode of preparing the following pulps is given, namely, hemlock, carrot, 
prunes, cassia, and tamarinds ; and it is quite within the range of possibility 
that almost anything may be ordered as a pulp. Pulps are described as soft 
medicaments, prepared with plants or parts thereof, they contain the whole of 
the substances excepting the woody portions which are separated by the sieve. 
Pulps generally should be prepared at the time required, as they do not keep 
well,—this refers to the pulps of fresh herbs and fruits, which are not evaporated 
down for keeping,—tamarind, cassia, and prune pulps may be kept a long time 
if well prepared. 
CHAPTER XXYI. 
VEGETABLE JUICES. 
The juices enumerated in this chapter are not many, that is, for the 
Codex. They are from chicory leaves, borage, cherries, lemons, quinces, pome¬ 
granates, gooseberries, raspberries, buckthorn berries, compound herbs, and 
antiscorbutic. These juices are prepared by bruising the leaves or fruits, press¬ 
ing with the hand or otherwise, straining, and after allowing the juice to 
ferment in the cellar for about twenty-four hours, the juice is to be strained 
bright through a suitable straining bag ; no spirit is added, and at best they 
must be very imperfect preparations, and not at all calculated to keep. Our 
juices are few in number, but they have the merit of keeping. In the Codex 
general observations upon juices it is stated that it is preferable to convert 
them at once into syrups; then why encumber the book with them ? as there 
is no lack of syrups. 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
OILS AND FATS. 
This chapter refers to the fixed oils of a vegetable character, not the essential 
oils, and the liquid and solid fats of animals. With but one exception there is 
nothing which is not familiar to English pharmaceutists : the exception re¬ 
ferred to is— 
269. Huile d’CEufs. 
Oleum e Vitellis Ovorum. Oil from the Yolks of Eggs. 
Evaporate yolks of fresh eggs in a silver or porcelain basin, by means of a 
water bath, stirring constantly but gently, until upon squeezing the matter 
between the fingers the oil is easily pressed out. Place the yolks thus prepared 
in a cloth bag, and subject to pressure between warmed iron plates, filter the 
oil thus obtained and fill with it jars to be hermetically stoppered. This oil is 
