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TINCTURE OF QUININE AND TINCTURE OF BARK. 
in the question to a most able paper by Dr. Herapath, published in the Phar¬ 
maceutical Journal, vol. iv. second series, in which he proves the almost 
universal contamination of commercial trisnitrate of bismuth with arsenic, and 
gives a method for its purification, which is not the Pharmacopoeia method ; 
and also to page 160 of Dr. Attfield’s recent book, in which occurs the follow¬ 
ing passage :—“ Native bismuth commonly contains arsenic, most of which is 
removed by roasting and fusing with nitre, or, finally, by converting the 
metal into subnitrate, and reducing it with charcoal at a high temperature.” 
In conclusion, I cannot help remarking, that Mr. Wood himself appears to be 
by no means content with the Pharmacopoeia process, for very nearly one-half 
of his paper is devoted to the introduction and recommendation of two other 
processes which he considers better. 
• 
[Mr. Sehacht appears to have overlooked the fact that the presence of copper 
in the purified bismuth of the Pharmacopoeia is precluded by the tests to which 
it is required to answer ; and we think his statement respecting the nitric acid, 
although unimportant, is an exaggeration and calculated to convey an erroneous 
impression ; while the arsenic and antimony proved to be myths. Mr. Schacht 
is entitled to much credit for having introduced a very elegant and efficient pre¬ 
paration of bismuth, and we believe that his liquor bismuthi, which bears a 
different name, and is slightly different in composition from the Pharmacopoeia 
preparation, is made with great care and attention to its purity. We have no 
doubt that some of the liquor made from the Pharmacopoeia process is not as 
pure as it should be: but that it may be, ought to be, and generally is, wheu 
made according to this process, as good and pure as any other, we have also no 
doubt.— Ed. Pharm. Journ.] 
TINCTURE OP QUININE AND TINCTURE OF BARK. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
Sir,— On reading the paper in this month’s Journal by Mr. A. Norman Tate 
on tincture of quinine, I was at once reminded of the precipitate I have often 
met with in tinctura cinchonse. Being desirous of ascertaining if the tinctura 
cinchonse flavse would behave the same as tincture of quinine when placed in 
similar circumstances, I made the following experiments, and I find the results 
obtained by me coincide remarkably with those obtained by Mr. A. N. Tate. I 
keep my tinctura cinchonas in an ordinary stoppered bottle, and on reaching it 
down for examination, 1 found it contained the usual deposit; I shook the 
bottle, and then poured out 2 drs. of the tincture into a test-tube, and applied 
the heat of a gas flame, when the tincture became perfectly bright and clear, 
the whole of the precipitate being dissolved. The deposit separated again as 
the tincture cooled, and in about twenty minutes was as copious as before. I 
afterwards added to the 2 drs. of tinctura cinchonse, 1 dr. of acid, sulph. dil., and 
allowed it to stand four hours, but the precipitate still remained undissolved. I 
have been in the habit of filtering the tincture when I perceived the deposit in 
it, but without success, as I invariably find the precipitate accumulate again in 
a few days afterwards. 
I am, dear Sir, yours truly, 
J. Adams. 
Loughborough, Feb. 26th, 1868. 
