April 23, 1871.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
817 
•after a percolated tincture of three pints is obtained, the 
directions read : “ Boil this for a few minutes, evaporate 
it by means of a water-bath to a pint, add six fluid 
ounces of boiling water and filter. Dissolve the sugar 
in the filtered liquid, and having heated the solution to 
the boiling-point, strain it while hot. Then dissolve 
ffhe tartrate of antimony and potash in the solution 
while still hot, and add sufficient boiling water through 
the strainer to make it measure three pints. Lastly, 
mix the whole thoroughly together.” 
In following these directions as strictly as possible, I 
have almost invariably found that a large amount of 
albuminous or “pectin-like” matter was deposited, and 
in fact this is the stated design of raising the liquid to 
the boiling-point. Here arises the chief difficulty, in 
my opinion; at any rate I have found it to be a great 
one, for in attempting to remove this deposit by filtration, 
•especially if a considerable quantity of liquid is prepared, 
the filter is soon clogged by the gummy matter, and the 
liquid filters very slowly. I have known filtration to 
eease towards the close of the operation. In such a 
•case, the best that can be done is to provide a new filter 
.and empty the old one into it, expressing it to avoid 
loss as much as possible. This is tedious and wasteful 
of the virtues of the drug. On one occasion I prepared 
•a quantity of the tincture, and such was the tardiness of 
filtration that several days were occupied in completing 
it. Towards the end I noticed a few patches of a mouldy 
growth that had formed on the surface of the albuminous 
matter in the filter, and by smelling it perceived that 
the liquid was spoiled before the syrup was made. The 
failure was suggestive; and I concluded that if a few 
days were enough to spoil the liquid, a few hours’ time 
might injure it, and, in fact, the germs of fermentation 
might begin to work as soon as the liquid was cold, 
-since the protective agency of alcohol was gone. 
Reasoning as above, I resorted to a method of filtra¬ 
tion often used when a difficult precipitate is to be re¬ 
moved, namely, rubbing the muddy liquid with mag¬ 
nesia. In this case it acted with the double advantage 
of mingling its particles with the albuminous matter, 
thus facilitating filtration and neutralizing any free acid 
that might be present from incipient fermentation. The 
result was very satisfactory. Filtration was greatly 
hastened, and the syrup produced was not muddy-looking 
nr translucent, as is generally the case, but was beauti¬ 
fully transparent. It was kept a year without fermenting, 
though almost daily in use. 
I have since tried the same method of filtration with 
syrup of ipecacuanha and syrup of seneka, with like 
■results. 
There is a point that may seem objectionable in using 
magnesia or its carbonate as above, and it has been duly 
considered before offering these suggestions. It is this : 
magnesia is alkaline in its reactions, and as the active 
principle of seneka is considered to be acid (polygalic), 
it would seem that they are incompatible, but as they 
are both feeble in their affinities and as filtration proceeds 
rapidly, there is practically no objection to mixing them. 
There is, it is true, a very slight escape of carbonic acid 
when the carbonate of magnesia is rubbed with the con¬ 
centrated liquid, but it may be due to a small amount of 
free acid of a different character, and even though a little 
polygalic acid should be removed by the magnesia the 
amount is so trivial as to be of no importance, and the 
.objection is more than counterbalanced by the complete 
removal of the albuminous and pectinous deposit which 
generates fermentation, and would soon decompose more 
polygalic acid than the magnesia removes. 
I therefore submit the following formula), adhering as 
closely to the U. S. Dispensatory as practicable, and would 
remark that the use of carbonate of magnesia is sanc¬ 
tioned by that authority in the case of the active principle 
of ipecacuanha, which the reader will see by referring to 
the method of preparing impure emetia, U. S. Dispen- 
.satory, under the article “Ipecacuanha:”— 
Syrupus Scilla Compositus . 
Take of Squill, in moderately coarse powder, 
Seneka, in moderately fine powder, each 4 
troy oz. 
Tartrate of Antimony and Potash, 48 grs. 
Sugar (refined) in coarse powder, 42 troy oz. 
Diluted Alcohol, 
Water, each a sufficient quantity ; 
Carbonate of Magnesia, 60 grs. 
Mix the squill and seneka, and having moistened the 
mixture with half a pint of diluted alcohol, allow it to 
stand for an hour. Then transfer it to a conical perco¬ 
lator and pour diluted alcohol upon it until three pints 
of tincture have passed. Boil this for a few minutes, 
evaporate it by means of a water-bath to a pint, add six 
fluid ounces of boiling water, rub the liquid with the 
carbonate of magnesia in a mortar until thoroughly 
mixed, filter, and add through the filter sufficient warm 
water to make the filtrate measure twenty-two fluid 
ounces. Dissolve the sugar in the filtered liquid, and 
having heated the solution to the boiling-point, strain it 
while hot. Then dissolve the tartrate of antimony and 
potash in the solution while still hot, and add sufficient 
boiling water through the strainer to make it measure 
three pints when cold. Lastly, mix the whole tho¬ 
roughly together. 
Syrupus Senega. 
Take of Senega, in moderately fine powder, 4 troy oz. 
Sugar (refined), in coarse powder, 15 troy oz. 
Diluted Alcohol, 2 pints, 
Water, a sufficient quantity, 
Carbonate of Magnesia, 30 grs. 
Moisten the seneka with two fluid ounces of the di¬ 
luted alcohol, then transfer it to a conical percolator and 
gradually pour upon it the remainder of the diluted 
alcohol. When the tincture has ceased to pass, evapo¬ 
rate it by means of a water-bath, at a temperature not 
exceeding 160°, to half a pint. Rub it with the carbonate 
of magnesia in a mortar till thoroughly mixed, filter and 
add sufficient warm water through the filter to make the 
filtrate measure half a pint, and having added the sugar, 
mix well together, and note accurately the measure of 
the mixture while cold; then dissolve the sugar with 
the aid of a gentle heat, strain the solution while hot, 
add sufficient warm water through the strainer to bring 
the syrup, when cold, to the previously noted measure¬ 
ment and mix them thoroughly. 
Syrupus Ipecacuanha. 
(Modified from former editions of the U. S. 
Pharmacopoeia.) 
Take of Ipecacuanha, in fine powder, 2 troy oz. 
Diluted Alcohol, 
Water, each, a sufficient quantity, 
Sugar (refined), in coarse powder, 29 troy oz. 
Carbonate of Magnesia, 45 grs. 
Moisten the ipecacuanha with one fluid ounce of the 
diluted alcohol, let it stand for twenty-four hours. Then 
transfer it to a conical percolator and gradually pour 
upon it diluted alcohol until one pint of tincture has 
passed. Evaporate this by means of a water-bath to 
six fluid ounces, add ten fluid ounces of warm water,^ 
and having rubbed it thoroughly with the carbonate of 
magnesia in a mortar, filter and add sufficient warm 
water through the filter to make the filtrate measure one 
pint; then add the sugar and dissolve it with the aid of 
a gentle heat, and having strained the hot syrup, add 
sufficient warm water through the strainer to make it 
measure two pints when cold. 
It will be seen that the chief point of difference be¬ 
tween the two first formula) above given and the U. 
Pharmacopoeia requirements is the filtration of the 
evaporated tinctures through carbonate of magnesia. 
