518 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
the filter in a state of extremely minute division, and the washing water re¬ 
mained opalescent for several days before the oxide of antimony was pure. 
Although the “ antimonial powder” was an improvement, yet it was, and always 
would be, uncertain, and therefore a dangerous medicine. He was strongly 
impressed with the conviction that in some cases it met with acid in the 
stomach, and was so converted into a poisonous salt, which often caused, even 
in small doses, very dangerous catarrhs. There was a question he should like 
to ask Dr. Redwood with regard to chloroform. It had been said that an ar¬ 
ticle might be prepared from methylated spirit which was as pure as that made 
from ordinary alcohol. He should like to ask Dr. Redwood whether he had 
ever met with such a specimen. He (Mr. Bland) confessed that for his own 
part he had not. It was quite true the disagreeable smell derived from methy¬ 
lated spirit was not easily detected, but, if it be dissolved in a sufficient quan¬ 
tity of spirit to be miscible with water, and then a small quantity of alkali 
added, it became perceptible ; and if that be so, he would suggest whether it 
should be confined to use for outward application. With respect to sulphate of 
copper, the same remarks applied as he had made with reference to antimony. 
He had never met with it quite free from iron. He did not refer to what was 
commonly called agricultural sulphate, which was purposely mixed with iron; 
but the sulphate of copper sold as pure, which contained an appreciable quan¬ 
tity of iron. That was the case with regard to that which was made at the 
Mint, where it was produced in large quantities. He did not understand how 
the iron got in there, but he had never yet found it without more than a trace 
of iron in it. With regard to the preparations of colocynth,—the compound 
extract and the colocynth pill,—he had found these a source of very consider¬ 
able perplexity ; and it very often happened that a prescription might come 
into their hands respecting which they were in doubt whether the writer of it 
belonged to the old regime or the new. In fact, a short time since he had a 
conversation with a physician, with whom he had the honour of being on terms 
of familiarity such as would entitle him to ask a question of the sort, and he 
asked him wbat he meant when he ordered colocynth. Of course, he replied, 
the British Pharmacopoeia preparation. Then he (Mr. Bland) said, u Suppose 
you have got a box of pills which have been made from your prescription, if it 
smelt strong of oil of cloves it would be all right?” “ No,” he said, “ it would 
be nothing of the kind.” It was easy to see how this had arisen. They had now 
in the British Pharmacopoeia an extract of colocynth and colocynth pill, which 
were very likely to be confounded ; and he was certain that a large number of 
medical men were not aware of the difference between the two preparations. 
Now, with respect to the subject of quinine, if the fifteenth section of the 
Pharmacy Act was to be strictly carried out, he feared that there was not a 
gentleman in that room who would not be subject to a penalty of £5. He was 
quite aware that the British Pharmacopoeia said that sulphate of quinine might 
he prepared by following the process given ; he was also aware that in the pre¬ 
face still more distinct permission was given to use chemical substances which, 
although not prepared according to the formulae of the Pharmacopoeia, would 
answer to the tests ; but if he turned to the fifteenth section of the Pharmacy 
Act, which would override the Pharmacopoeia, its preface, and the Medical 
Council altogether, he found there that “ any person who shall compound any me¬ 
dicine of the British Pharmacopoeia otherwise than according to the formularies 
of the Pharmacopoeia should be liable to a penalty of £5.” He hoped that 
would not be enforced. He was guilty himself every day of his life of using 
sulphate of quinine which he was sure was not made according to the Pharma¬ 
copoeia process. Some time ago he made a number of experiments for the pur¬ 
pose of devising a cold process for making sulphate of quinine, and he was sorry 
to say that the conclusion to which he came was, that it was not possible to do 
