326 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
prepared by their process was perfectly free from the objection attaching to 
purified oil of almonds in general, being permanent and inalterable for an in¬ 
definite period. As this was quite in opposition to the remarks made by myself 
and others at the meeting referred to, I was anxious to test their statement, it 
being an interesting point to determine whether it were indeed* possible to ren¬ 
der the almond essence less susceptible of oxidation. I accordingly procured a 
quantity of this essential oil. 
It was examined, first of all, for the evidence of change, for benzoic acid. It 
was found to be strongly acid to test-paper, although no crystallization was 
apparent except at the stopper. This circumstance, coupled with the limpidity 
of the liquid, and its sp. gr., which was as low as 1‘003 or thereabouts, led me 
to suspect the admixture of spirit of wine. On application of Dr. Eedwood’s 
test, fumin'g nitric acid, it gave, as anticipated, abundant evidence of alcohol by 
the violent evolution of nitrous fumes. Here also proof was obtained that the 
change effected in the liquid by the air was in an advanced stage, for on cool¬ 
ing, the mixture became nearly solid from the deposition of nitrobenzoic acid. 
Two other (pure) specimens, tried at the same time, remained fluid many days. 
Not content with the nitric acid test alone, I separated a quantity of the 
alcohol bodily by the following plan, which may equally well be applied to any 
other essential oil:—Six measures of the oil were agitated with six measures of 
water in a graduated tube ; on standing, 4f measures only of oil subsided ; the 
aqueous liquid was separated by a pipette and saturated with carbonate of 
potash ; on remaining at rest a few minutes, about one measure of alcohol 
separated as an oily stratum floating on the surface. It was recognised by the 
ordinary tests. I have examined other samples of commercial purified oil of 
almonds. They are certainly all equally liable to change, the permanence of 
those which are alleged to be inalterable being only in appearance, the benzoic 
acid, as formed, remaining in solution. The addition of alcohol would, moreover, 
tend, in my opinion, to facilitate rather than obstruct the absorption of oxygen. 
SOME OESEEVATIONS UPON THE EOEMUIlE EON THE 
DECOCTIONS OE THE BKITISH PHAEMACOPCEIA. 
BY ME. A. F. HASELDEN. 
Looking carefully through the forms given in the British Pharmacopoeia for 
the decoctions, it is almost next to impossible not to be struck with the apparent 
absence of uniformity and design in the arrangement and carrying out of this 
section, if it may be so styled, of the book. 
Taking as a starting-point that the imperial measure for liquids is to be em¬ 
ployed, it is only natural to expect that where possible, the gallon of eight pints, 
and the pint of twenty ounces, would be made use of, and that where a subdi¬ 
vision of the pint was required, it would be the half-pint of ten ounces or the 
quarter of five, and thus, as far as convenient, render the arrangement and cal¬ 
culation simple and facile. Take the waters, for instance ; the form for the pro¬ 
duction of a gallon is given in every case but one, aqua laurocerasi, but here, 
though the quantity is advisedly small, the imperial pint is adhered to. Again, 
in the infusions, the quantity of liquid emp)loyed is ten ounces, the imperial half¬ 
pint in every case with but one exception, viz. the infusion of kousso, the quan¬ 
tity of Avater being four ounces ; but why this deviation, seeing that the direc¬ 
tion given Avith some of the early packages of kousso which reached this country 
Avas half an ounce of kousso to a pint of water, and the Avhole to be swallowed, 
having previously fasted for some hours ? Once more, as a further example, 
look at the tinctures ; with but one solitary case, compound tincture of laAmnder, 
in which two pints are ordered, the form for onQ pint is given. Thus, in these 
