November 5 , 1870 .] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
3G9 
Infusions of the Pharmacopoeia NOT prepared in accordance with the Time ordered. 
Infusion. 
Quantity of In¬ 
gredients to half 
a pint of Dis¬ 
tilled Water. 
Time of Infusion. 
Quantity evaporated. 
Specific 
Gravity . 
Weight of dried 
Extract obtained. 
Bearberry . 
Buchu . 
Cascarilla . 
Cinchona . 
Cusparia . 
Digitalis ... 
Dulcamara . 
| Gentian root .... 
Gentian < Orange peel . 
( Lemon peel. 
Hop. 
T . i ( Linseed. 
{ Liquorice root .... 
Rhatany. 
Rhubarb. 
Senega . 
Senna {. 
[ Ginger. 
Serpentaria . 
Valerian. 
J ounce .. | 
£ ounce .. 
1 ounce .. 
ounce .. 
£ ounce .. 
30 grains. . 
1 ounce .. 
60 grains .. \ 
60 grains. . •< 
i ounce .. J 
b ounce .. 
160 grains. . 1 
60 grains. . / 
I? ounce .. 
J ounce .. 
J ounce .. 
1 ounce .. ) 
30 grains. . / 
J ounce .. 
120 grains. . 
One hour .... 
Half an horn .. 
Half an hour .. 
Half an hour .. 
Half an hour .. 
One hour .... 
Fifteen minutes 
Half an hour .. 
a Made with 
* g bruised root. 
Made with 
sliced root. 
One hour .... 
Two hours .... 
Half an hour .. 
n 
» 
n 
r> 
Ten fluid ounces 
n 
n 
it 
u 
One pint . 
Ten fluid ounces 
} „ 
} .. 
ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 
ii 
1-215 
1-213 
1-213 
1-211 
1-210 
1-210 
1-208 
1-215 
1-216 
1-208 
1-213 
1*210 
1-210 
1-211 
1-213 
1-221 
1-209 
1-210 
Grammes. 
5-35 
2-82 
3-55 
2- 73 
1-96 
3- 06 
1- 07 
5-14 
2- 85 
2-16 
2-78 
1- 27 
2- 15 
2- 71 
3- 6 
8-9 
•7 
1-86 
In Grains. 
82-56 
43-51 
54- 78 
42- 12 
30-24 
47*22 
16-51 
79-32 
43- 98 
33-33 
42-9 
19-59 
33-17 
41-81 ] 
55- 55 
137*34 
10-08 
28-7 
Infusion of bearberry made in two hours gave 5-33 
grammes extract; that which had infused one hour 
yielded 5 - 35 grammes ; the infusion which had stood for 
half an hour gave 2'82 grammes ; the conclusion is, that 
the one-hour infusion is as good as that which stood two 
hours. 
Infusion of buchu, made to infuse half an hour, gave 
3'55 grammes of extract, and that which stood one hour 
3 -5 7 grammes ; there is no real difference. 
Cascarilla infusion, made in one hour, gave 2*74 
grammes of extract, and that which had stood half an 
hour 273 grammes. 
Infusion of cinchona bark, prepared in one hour, yielded 
within two centigrammes the same amount of extract 
as that which had been infused for two hours; practically 
they are identical. 
Infusion of cusparia (although the temperature of the 
distilled water is ordered to be at 120° F., and the time 
of infusion two hours) is equally strong when macerated 
for one hour only. 
Infusion of digitalis made in fifteen minutes gave 
exactly the same amount of extract as that which had 
stood one hour. 
That of dulcamara, infused for half an hour, yielded 
within one centigramme the same weight of extract as 
that which had infused one hour. 
Compound infusion of gentian, made in accordance 
with the time and manner ordered in the Pharmacopoeia, 
namely, one hour, and the root sliced, gave 2-26 grammes 
of extract; whilst when infused for half an hour, and 
the gentian root was bruised , the amount of extract ob¬ 
tained was 2-85 grammes; therefore there can be no 
doubt that it should be directed to be bruised instead of 
sliced. Of course, when gentian root is fresh, it is tole¬ 
rably soft and can be easily sliced as thin as you please, 
but it is seldom met with in that state. 
Infusion of linseed, which had stood for two hours, 
was within one centigramme as strong as the Pharma¬ 
copoeia infusion, which is directed to be infused for four 
hours. 
Infusion of hop, made in one hour, was also within 
one centigramme as strong as that which had stood two 
AOUl’S. 
Infusion of rhatany, made in half an hour, yielded 
2 15 grammes, whilst that which had infused one hour 
gave 2-16 grammes of extract. 
Senega infused for half an hour gave 3-6 grammes of 
extract, and that of the Pharmacopoeia, which stood one 
hour, 3-69 grammes. 
Infusion of senna, made in accordance with the time 
in the Pharmacopoeia, yielded the large amount of 9-08 
grammes, that prepared in half an hour gave 8'9 grammes 
of extract; therefore, this is not so good as that which had 
stood one hour, but by a slight increase in the quantity 
of senna, this infusion can be made in half an hour equally 
as strong as the Pharmacopoeia preparation. 
Infusion of serpentaria, which had stood for two hours, 
yielded '71 gramme of extract, whilst that made in half 
an hour, gave *7 gramme. 
That of valerian, made in one hour, gave 1-91 gramme 
of extract, and the infusion prepared in half an hour 
yielded 1-86 gramme. 
From these results, I draw the following conclusion: 
—namely, that infusions of bearberry, buchu, cascarilla, 
cinchona, cusparia, dulcamara, gentian, hop, linseed, 
rhatany, rhubarb, senega and valerian, can be prepared 
in half the time ordered by the Pharmacopoeia; those of 
digitalis and serpentaria in one-fourth the time directed 
for infusion; and this without resorting to any special 
manner of making. 
I trust the Pharmacopoeia Committee will take up this 
subject, examine it for themselves, and make the neces¬ 
sary abridgment of the time in the directions for making 
these infusions, and thereby facilitate their speedy pre¬ 
paration. 
The extracts obtained in this series of operations are 
of course perfectly dry, for the most part in a spongy 
condition, and can be easily reduced to powder. Extract 
of rhubarb, as all dispensers must know, is either very 
soft or tough, and, when in the latter condition, is diffi¬ 
cult to manage in pill making; the exsiccated extract 
on the other hand is exceedingly manageable, and can be 
at once without trouble reduced to fine powder. 
Dr. Attfield said Mr. Barnes seemed to have given 
his result in terms of the weight of extract, but he pre¬ 
sumed he also judged of the character of the infusions by 
the nose and palate. 
Mr. Barnes said he had done so. 
Dr. Attfield said it would have been interesting, in 
the case of the extract of cinchona, to ascertain whether 
there was the same proportion of the alkaloids in each 
