ON THE PREPARATION OF TINCTURES. 
543 
piece sewn in at the bottom, and sufficiently long to reach nearly to the bottom 
of the vessel. The open end of the bag, wffiich is about equal in circumfer¬ 
ence to the ring (2), is to be passed up through the ring, and then turned 
over and secured with a piece of string. The capacity of the bag may be 
made to suit the substances to be put into it by turning more or less of 
it over at the top. 
Having introduced the materials, including the spirit, as shown in the draw¬ 
ing (1), the automatic process speedily commences ; the spirit in contact 
with the solid ingredients becoming charged with soluble matter, and heavier 
than the surrounding uncharged spirit, falls through the bag by its gravity, 
its place being taken by fresh portions of the lighter spirit. A constant 
circulation is thus kept up, and a percolating and displacing process is main¬ 
tained for the whole forty-eight hours, during which the Pharmacopoeia di¬ 
rects the maceration to be continued. At the end of this time the tincture 
is drawn off, and when the contents of the bag have been drained, the next 
part of the process is to be commenced. The cylinder (4), which is open 
at both ends, and loosely fits within the ring (2), so that it can be intro¬ 
duced when the bag is in its place, is pushed down between the bag and 
its contents, so as to prevent the escape of any liquid through the sides of 
the bag when placed over the solid mass. The remaining fourth of the 
spirit is now introduced, and this, percolating through, displaces the tincture 
held by capillary attraction in the solid ingredients, and the exhaustion of 
these ingredients is thus completed. When no more liquid passes, the cylinder 
may be withdrawn from the bag, and the bag removed from its place, sepa¬ 
rated from the metallic ring to which it is attached, squeezed with the hands 
so as to press out as much of the liquid as can be thus separated, and then 
put into the press-box of a small tincture-press for further expression. It 
will be found convenient to have a strong perforated cylindrical box, of tinned 
copper, into which the bag will fit, and which, being placed under the screw 
of an ordinary tincture-press, will admit of the application of this part of the 
process without removing the materials from the bag into which they were 
first put. 
I have found an advantage in having the ring made as shown at (5), and 
supporting it on three projecting studs attached to the inner surface of the 
copper vessel. There may then be a second set of studs two or three inches 
lower down, on which the ring may be placed if it be desired to operate 
with a smaller quantity of spirit, or if a short bag be used which would not 
take the whole length of the cylinder, and would therefore leave part of it 
projecting upwards.* 
The same arrangement may very readily be adapted to a wide-mouthed 
bottle or jar, by having the ring (3) supported on three wire legs, as shown in 
the following drawings. 
This method of preparing tinctures presents some important advantages. 
It is easily performed, and occupies but little time in its performance. In 
these respects it occupies a position intermediate betw r een those of percola¬ 
tion and maceration. Although it is not quite so simple a process as that of 
maceration, yet it requires less frequent attention, and is of much shorter 
duration. 
Its automatic character renders it independent of the operator during the 
first part of the process, and the result is not affected therefore by the amount 
* Mr. Coffey, the well-known Pharmaceutical Engineer, lias contrived a plan for making 
the lid fit air-tight, by means of an india-rubber band, which entirely prevents evaporation; 
and he is prepared to supply the complete apparatus in three sizes, for one, two, and four 
gallons of tincture. 
2 o 2 
