516 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 24,1870. 
is not possible to prepare the prescription faithfully and pro¬ 
cure a clear mixture without filtering. Experiments hastily 
made in the course of business show that on the addition of 
the acid, phospli. dil. to the solution of ferri cit. quin., a 
deposit of ferri phosph. is the result, and on further adding 
the other ingredients there is a deposit of quinia. I have 
tried Mr. Harwood’s method of dispensing the prescription, 
and find that, as by any other method, a precipitate is slowly 
deposited. Such a mixture ought certainly not to be filtered. 
—“Ego.” 
[82.]—COLOURS FOR CARBOYS.—The following, like 
the green sent last week, do not contain more than a few 
grains of solid matter in the gallon:— 
BLUE. 
Liq. Fer. Perch. Fort. <Ax 
Potass. Prus. Flav. gr. x 
Acid. Oxalic. 5'j 
Aq. Cong, i, vel q.s. 
BED. 
Liq. Fer. Perch. Fort, -^x 
Potass. Sulphocyanid. gr. x 
Aq. Cong, i, vel q.s. 
H. P. Heaedee, Plymouth. 
CEIMSOX. 
Iodi, 
Potassii Iodidi, ana 5ss 
Acidi Hydrochlorici 5j 
Aqua) ad Cj. M. 
GEEEX. 
Cupri Sulph. 5j 
Potass. Bichrom. 5ss 
Liq. Amro. Fort, ^ij 
Aquae ad Cj. Misce. 
Tried and found good by T. W. C., Holbeach, 
BED. 
Liquid magenta dye q. s. 
This is a good colour, stands well, and can be easily deep¬ 
ened by the addition of a little more magenta.— Pestle akd 
Moetae. 
In answer to 31.’s inquiries as to the best way to prepare 
colours for bottles, I beg to say, if he wishes for a perfectly 
clear solution, his better plan is to use a weak spirit, say 30 
U.p., made by mixing two gallons of ordinary alcohol with 
three gallons of distilled water; but if this is too expensive, 
then use distilled water alone and filter. 
Crimson. —Make a strong decoction of red poppy petals, 
and with acid, sulph. dil. to the required shade. 
Blue. —Cupri sulph. 2 parts; acid, sulph. 1 part.—G. B. 
Claeice, Woburn. 
[93.]—OYER-PROOF SPIRIT.—The term proof spirit 
■was originally applied to a spirit of such a strength that 
"when gunpowder was wetted with it and the mixture lighted, 
the spirit, after it had burned away, fired the gunpowder,—if 
it failed to do this it was considered tinder proof. At the 
present time, however, the strength of spirit is known by tbe 
quantity of absolute alcohol it contains, as indicated by its 
specific gravity; the proof spirit now recognized by the 
Excise is of a sp. gr. -920 and contains 57 per cent, by volume 
of real alcohol. And when a spirit of a certain strength is 
named, such as 56 or 60 degrees over proof, it means that to 
every 100 parts of such spirit, 56 or 60 parts of water are to 
be added to reduce it to proof strength.—J. H. Baldock, 
S. Norwood. _ 
Proof spirit, sp. gr. 0 - 920 is the standard by which the 
strength ot spirit ot wine is regulated by law in this country; 
hence, it spirit ot wine be stronger and therefore lighter than 
proof spirit, it is said to bo so much per cent. “over- proof;” 
and if weaker and consequently heavier, so much per cent. 
“ tinder- proof.” 
The sense in which the Excise use the term per cent, is 
somewhat peculiar and is as follows, viz.:—100 gallons of 
spirit ot wine at 56 per cent, over-proof ( Spiritus rectifica- 
tus P. B. sp. gr. 0-8382 at 60° F.), contain as much alcohol 
as 156 gallons of proof spirit, i. e. 100 gallons require to be 
reduced with distilled water to 156 gallons to form proof 
spirit; 100 volumes of spirit of wine at 51 o.r. are diluted 
with distilled water to 151 volumes; and 100 volumes at 60 
o.p. are diluted to 160 volumes, to form proof spirit. 
A spirit of wine stated to be 10 per cent, “under- proof” 
signifies that 100 volumes contain as much alcohol as 90 
volumes of proof spirit, and 100 volumes of spirit of wine at 
30 per cent. “ tinder-pvooi ” contain the same quantity of 
alcohol as 70 volumes of proof spirit and so on. 
In making Spiritus tenuior, P.B., by mixing five pints of 
rectified spirit with three pints of distilled water and well 
stirring the mixture, eight pints of proof spirit is not pro¬ 
duced, owing to the evolution of heat and contraction of thfr 
fluid. 
This deficiency—of about 4oz. in the gallon—is usually 
made up with distilled water, and must be borne in mind in 
preparing tinctures, etc., containing proof spirit. Spiritus 
tenuior should be kept ready prepared and the specific gravity 
always carefully tested.—J. Saundees Seamax. 
[99.]—SHEET LIGHTNING.— “Pestle and 3Iortar” 
(Dorking) wishes for a recipe for making sheet lightning. 
[100.]—TOOTHACHE TINCTURE.— “A Beech ” would 
be gl id of a recipe for a good toothache tincture. 
[101.]—CHERRY TOOTH-PASTE.— W. L. G. (St. 
Austell) would feel obliged if some correspondent would give 
him a recipe for a good cherry tooth-paste. 
[102.]—CIVET, AMBERGRIS AND CASTOR.— F. C. 
is desirous of knowing w-hence w-e derive our supplies of civet, 
ambergris and castor, and the quantities imported during 
1869. 
[103.]—SEA-SICKNESS.— P. Q. would feel obliged for 
a formula of a reliable remedy for sea-sickness, not chloral 
hydrate. 
[104.]—COUGH PILLS.— “ Pendennis” wishes for a 
good recipe for cough pills. 
[105.]—BLACK MIXTURE.—Will any of your readers 
supply me with a formula for black mixture for scour in 
cattle ?— Pendennis. 
[106.]— 31. P. S. would be glad to know if chloral, hyd. 
anti chloralis anhydr. are the same, and w-hether both names 
are used. 
[107.]—ADDRESS.— R. PE. wishes for the address of Dr. 
Natali, an Italian physician, living at Twickenham in the 
beginning of the year 1869. 
[108.]—SUKKAR-UL-AUSHAR.—“ This is the name of 
the Manna or saccharine substance produced by Calotropis 
procera, or some other species allied to it, in Arabia and 
Persia, which was formerly imported into India; but it is. 
not found at all now in any bazaar, nor is it ever produced 
here, as far as my knowledge extends, by any species of 
Calotropis.” So says the ‘ Supplement to the Indian Phar¬ 
macopoeia,’ but can any correspondent, at home or abroad, 
vouch for the existence of such a substance at all, from per¬ 
sonal experience, and not from books ? Has any one ever seen 
sugar or manna, or any saccharine substance, obtained from 
any species of Calotropis or believed to have been obtained 
from such a source ? If so, what is it like? w-hence procurable? 
and is it any other than the nidus of an insect ( Coleoptera ) 
which frequents the Calotropis 1 —C. 
[109.]—TAMARISK MANNA.—Many a time and oft it 
has been asserted in books that a species of Tamarix yields 
manna. It is said to be accurately described by Diodorus 
Siculus. Some say it is produced by an insect and is found 
near Sinai. Others allude to Persia, and others that it is ob¬ 
tained plentifully near Jhang, in the Punjab. Can any cor¬ 
respondent affirm, upon his own knowledge, that there is such 
a substance at all as Tamarisk manna ? because I begin to 
doubt w-hether there is not some mistake, and whether any 
manna is produced on Tamarisks.—C. 
[110.]—PATENT MEDICINES.—A table was published 
some years ago in one of the scientific journals, giving a com¬ 
parison of the composition of various well-known medicines, 
protected by letters-patent, as obtained by actual analysis ot 
a sample, with the composition as given by the inventor in 
his specification. I am desirous of finding this table.—R. B. P- 
