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BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
disappointment from the inactivity of a medicine which he believes to contain 
12 per cent, of Pharmacopceial hydrocyanic acid.” He then recommends two 
methods of palliating, if not remedying the evil. The first is, frequent distillation 
from fresh leaves, with the product standardized in the manner directed in the 
London Pharmacopoeia, for fixing the strength of its dilute hydrocyanic acid. 
The second is the manufacture of this water, by dissolving a fixed proportion of 
well-preserved oil of cherry-laurel in a given quantity of distilled water, and 
adding to it a due proportion of hydrocyanic acid. Mr. Draper concludes by 
saying, u From the facility with which this (the latter) water could be made, 
no valid excuse could be found for not throwing it away, when from any cause 
it had become deteriorated.” 
I would venture to add that this water may fairly be said to owe its medicinal 
power to the hydrocyanic acid contained in the essential oil; therefore, if, as it 
appears, there is of necessity, so great inconstancy in its strength, under the 
ever varying circumstances of its manufacture, would it not be wiser and safer, 
to recommend, if not to substitute, a solution of hydrocyanic acid, of the proper 
strength, to represent normal cherry-laurel water ? I leave the meeting to ex¬ 
press its opinion upon this subject. 
I have now only to bring before you evidence for or against the plan of add¬ 
ing spirit to the waters of the Pharmacopoeia, and I may be permitted to say, I 
have never entertained an opinion in favour of its use. I have not found it to 
possess any preservative power in the proportion allowed, and as these waters 
are usually prescribed in doses of an ounce or more, I could not think it safe to 
add a larger proportion. I also think the fact that it dissolves the surplus essen¬ 
tial oil, is an objection to its use, as not contemplated in the idea of a simple 
distilled water; and the introduction also of a potent element like alcohol as 
not reckoned upon by the prescriber. In an article in the Pharm. Journ. for 
1845, by George Warington, Esq., I find the following:—“In the course of 
other investigations, I found that when a small quantity of alcohol was added 
to distilled water, and the mixture kept exposed to the air for a length of time, 
the containing vessel being carefully covered with paper to exclude dust, it 
became gradually converted into acetic acid; and by analogy I was led to believe 
that the same effect would take place in the distilled waters. . . . Equal portions 
of the waters distilled with the oils of dill, caraway, pimento, spearmint, and 
cinnamon were taken, and to one portion of each, the quantity of spirit ordered 
by the London College was added, the other portions remaining in their original 
state; these were all loosely corked, marked, and placed aside. After remaining 
six months, they were examined, when the spearmint and caraway waters with 
the spirit were found to be distinctly acid, reddening litmus paper, and effer¬ 
vescing with carbonated alkalies ; all the others remained perfectly sound.” 
I think that although it is about twenty years since Mr. Warington wrote 
the foregoing, we can hardly ask more satisfactory evidence against the addition 
of a small quantity of spirit to waters, to preserve them. 
In conclusion, the name '''‘distilled waters” is not applicable to the whole of 
the waters of the Br. Ph. The term “ waters” would be so, and would be 
suffice. No one process is best adapted for the preparation of every water. In 
the case of dill, caraway, cinnamon, fennel, peppermint, spearmint, and pimento, 
a more uniform and stable product can be obtained by triturating the oil with 
precipitated chalk, than by distillation. For rose and elder-flower water, distil¬ 
lation from pickled flowers is the best in our climate. For camphor water, a 
more definite plan, embracing more minute division and longer maceration is 
desirable. For cherry-laurel water, frequent distillation and the product stan¬ 
dardized according to Mr. Draper’s suggestion, is the best when it is practicable, 
but in other cases, a solution of hydrocyanic acid of a suitable strength is pre¬ 
ferable to a deteriorated article. Lastly, the addition of spirit in small quan- 
