December 9,1371.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
463 
Take of 
Rectified Spirit.12 measures. 
Sulphuric Acid.10 measures. 
Mix the acid and spirit together in a glass matrass 
capable of containing at least twice as much as the bulk 
of the ingredients introduced, and, not allowing the 
mixture to cool, connect the matrass by means of a bent 
glass tube with a Liebig’s condenser, and distil with a 
heat sufficient to maintain the liquid in brisk ebullition. 
As soon as the ethereal fluid begins to pass over, supply 
fresh spirit through a tube into the matrass in a con¬ 
tinuous stream, and in such quantity as to equal the 
volume of the fluid that distils over. For this purpose 
use a tube furnished with a stopcock to regulate the 
supply, connecting one end of the tube with a vessel 
containing the spirit raised above the level of the 
matrass, and passing the other end through a cork fitted 
into the matrass. When about 42 measures of liquid 
have distilled over, the process may be stopped. For 
the purification of this crude ether, mix it with a third 
of its volume of saturated solution of chloride of calcium 
and a little slaked lime (about a fourth part of the 
weight of the chloride of calcium solution), and, having 
shaken them together in a bottle, leave them at rest for 
ten minutes, then pour off the light supernatant fluid, 
and distil it with a gentle heat until a glass bead of spe¬ 
cific gravity of 0 - 735 placed in the receiver begins to 
float. The ether and spirit retained by the chloride of 
calcium and by the residue of each rectification may be 
recovered by distillation, and used in a subsequent 
operation. 
Among processes the descriptions of which would 
require to be modified much in the same way as the 
two last noticed are those for the preparation of the 
alkaloids. These are the most complicated pro¬ 
cesses we have, and if the use of proportional and 
relational numbers can he made available in describ¬ 
ing them, we may conclude that the method would 
not fail on account of the complicated nature of the 
instructions to be given. The process for digitalin 
may be taken as a test of the applicability of the 
method in such cases. It would be given as fol¬ 
lows :— 
Take of 
Digitalis Leaf, in coarse powder 
Rectified Spirit 
Distilled Water 
Diluted Acetic Acid 
Purified Animal Charcoal 
Solution of Ammonia 
Tannic Acid 
Oxide of Lead, in fine powder 
Pure Ether / 
Of each a suf¬ 
ficiency. 
Digest 100 parts of the digitalis with 400 measures 
of the spirit for 24 hours at a temperature of 120°, then 
put them into a percolator, and when the tincture has 
ceased to drop pour 400 measures of the spirit over the 
contents of the percolator, and allow it to slowly perco¬ 
late through. Distil off the greater part of the spirit 
from the tincture, and evaporate the remainder over a 
water-bath to the consistence of a soft extract. Mix 
this extract with 12 measures of diluted acetic acid, and 
digest the solution thus formed with 1 part of purified 
animal charcoal; then filter, and dilute the filtrate with 
distilled water until it amounts to 50 measures. Add 
solution of ammonia nearly to neutralization, and after¬ 
wards add 1 part of tannic acid dissolved in distilled 
water. Wash the precipitate that will be formed with 
a little distilled water; mix it with a small quantity of 
the spirit and 1 part of the oxide of lead, rubbing them 
together in a mortar. Put the mixture into a flask, and 
add to it 10 measures of the spirit. Raise the tempera¬ 
ture to 160°, and keep it at this heat for about an hour. 
Then add 1 part of purified animal charcoal. Put it on 
a filter, and from the filtrate carefully drive off the spirit 
by the heat of a water-bath. Lastly, wash the residue 
repeatedly with pure ether, and dry it. 
If, with reference to cases such as this, it should 
be said that the instructions would be more easily 
followed in carrying out the processes if the quanti¬ 
ties referred to were represented by specified weights 
and measures, the objection might be admitted with¬ 
out material detriment to the value of the proposed 
method; for these processes, the only ones in which 
such complicated instructions occur, are not given 
with a view to their being carried out by pharma¬ 
cists in general, nor should they be undertaken by 
any but those accustomed to silcli operations, and to 
whom the modified instructions would supply all 
the information required. 
Thus far, and in cases similar to those I have 
noticed, which constitute a great majority of the 
Pharmacopoeia processes, the application of the pro¬ 
posed method would not be attended with any diffi¬ 
culties that could not be overcome by such slight 
modifications as I have indicated; and in some of 
these and other cases it would, I think, facilitate 
improvement of the processes by causing a more uni¬ 
form relation and more simple proportions to be 
established than now exist among the ingredients of 
compound medicines. 
But I must now refer to cases in which more 
serious difficulties are presented. There are a con¬ 
siderable number of processes in the Pharmacopoeia 
in winch the ingredients do not bear a simple nume¬ 
rical relation to each other, and several of these, 
containing powerful medicines, are very important 
remedies. Thus, we have liquor arsenicalis, liquor 
arsenici hydrochloricus , liquor atropine , liquor atropine 
sulphatis, liquor morphine acetatis, liquor morphine 
hydrochloratis, liquor sodee arseniatis, and liquor 
strychnine , all containing 4 grains of the active ingre¬ 
dient in a fluid ounce of the solution, or 1 part in 
109‘375 measures. Now, in these cases and others 
of a similar description, as the proposed method is 
uot applicable to the existing processes, it would be 
necessary to make the processes applicable to the 
method by altering the proportions of the ingre¬ 
dients. In the event of such an alteration being 
made in the medicines named, it would probably be 
considered desirable to make them all contain 1 per 
cent, of the active ingredient. But a proposition to 
that effect, although much might be said in its 
favour,—and I should be disposed to advocate it,— 
would nevertheless raise some questions which 
ought not to be overlooked. The existing propor¬ 
tions have evidently been adopted to suit our system 
of weights and measures. Four grains in the fluid 
ounce, or half a grain in the fluid drachm, are con¬ 
venient proportions suited to the particular circum¬ 
stances under which we have been accustomed to 
prepare, dispense and administer the medicines. 
The proportions have been made to suit our com¬ 
pounding and dispensing appliances. If the propor¬ 
tions were altered to 1 in 100, we should simplify 
the numerical relation of the ingredients, but not the 
proportion of the active ingredients to the measures 
commonly used for dispensing and administering 
medicines, for a 1 per cent, solution would contain 
4'375 grains in a fluid ounce, or 0'5468 grain in a 
fluid drachm. 
If tliis method were adopted in preparing the 
