634 
LECTURES ON THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA. 
above preparation is universally known, not one single grain of that uncertain, 
expensive, and empirical medicine, James’s powder, will ever again be sold. My 
great wish is to see the above formula introduced into the London Pharmaco¬ 
poeia.” Had Tyson lived, he would have seen his wish more than fulfilled. 
Pulyis Aromaticus. —This aromatic powder closely resembles the Confectio 
Aromatica of the London Pharmacopoeia, only that it is without chalk, and 
therefore is more truly an aromatic mixture, the old aromatic confection now 
having the more correct name Pulvis Cretan Aromaticus. These two powders 
wiil therefore now replace the Confectio Aromatica of London and Dublin, the 
JPulvis Aromaticus of Edinburgh and Dublin, the JPulvis Cinnamomi Compo¬ 
situs of London, and the JPulvis Cretce Compositus of London, Edinburgh, and 
Dublin. The cinnamom, nutmeg, saffron, cloves, cardamoms, and sugar of 
JPulvis Aromaticus are to be reduced separately to fine powder, mixed thoroughly, 
passed through a fine sieve, and kept in a stoppered bottle. Stocken (Pharm. 
Journ. 2nd ser. vol. i. p. 356) thought the saffron ought to be infused, the 
liquid evaporated to a syrup, and then mixed with the powders. Undoubtedly 
a powder of much brighter colour is thus obtained, and perhaps it would have 
been desirable to include that modification of manufacture in the British Phar¬ 
macopoeia, for wholesale manufacturers will probably adhere to the instructions 
now laid clown as little as they did to those formerly given, and thus aromatic 
powder be as variable in appearance as the aromatic confection was. It is the 
opinion of many that saffron might be altogether omitted from these pre¬ 
parations. 
JPulvis Cretce Aromaticus cum Opio replaces the JPulvis Cretce Compositus cum 
Opio of the London, and the Pulvis Cretce Opiatus of the Edinburgh and Dublin 
Pharmacopoeias. 
Pulvis Scammonii Compositus. —The old Dublin form for this powder was 
tolerably strong of scammony, the Edinburgh was stronger, and the London 
strongest; the British is a little stronger still. 
Quinine Sulphas. —As a test of the purity of sulphate of quinia we are told 
in the Materia Medica division of the British Pharmacopoeia that ten grains 
are perfectly dissolved by a half a fluid ounce of water containing ten minims of 
diluted sulphuric acid; and that ammonia throws down from this solution a 
precipitate which redissolves on agitating the whole with half a fluid ounce of 
“ pure” ether. If any cinchonia were present it would remain undissolved. 
Now “ pure” ether must not be used in this operation, or some of the quinia 
itself will remain undissolved. For Roger has shown (Chem. News, vol. v. 
p. 259) that the quinia which is precipitated from ten grains of sulphate of 
quinia is not dissolved by less than 250 grains of “pure” ether, whereas the 
half fluid ounce of pure ether ordered in the Pharmacopoeia weighs only 158 
grains (at 55° ; sp. gr. being 724). It is true that the test given will generally 
be found to be satisfactory, but that is because “ pure” ether is not likely to be 
used. Roger showed, indeed, that the quinia from ten grains of sulphate was 
perfectly dissolved by so little as 100 grains of ether, if that ether contained at 
least two per cent, of alcohol. Inasmuch then as most samples of ether contain 
alcohol, the test will only occasionally fail; but this renders the matter still 
more unfortunate, for experience will perhaps have produced confidence in the 
test, and the correctness of fallacious results be only the more strongly insisted 
on, and unpleasantness therefore be the more likely to arise between buyer and 
seller. Had the word “pure” been left out, the account of the test would 
have been quite correct, for we should have considered that the officinal ether, 
which contains alcohol, was intended to be used; in this ether the precipitated 
quinia dissolves readily. 
Rheum. —One or two tests are given for the purity of rhubarb in mass, but 
in the powder we are told that adulterations are detected with difficulty. 
