PHARMACOPOEIA OF ROYAL COLLJ^GE OF PHYSICIANS. 331 
felt in getting down from the stilts, to afford the necessary 
minute directions: thus, you are desired to powder saffron, 
tragacanth, myrrh, hippo, scammony, colocynth, &c., although 
left without any direction in what manner to proceed; and 
when advice is vouchsafed with respect to the method of 
compounding, it is, in many instances, impracticable to be 
obeyed: thus, in the confection of rue, you are desired to 
powder gum sagapenum, a process of some difficulty, it must 
be confessed. Why have they so wantonly altered the pro- 
portions of tobacco enema, from one drachm in sixteen ounces, 
to a drachm in twenty; and in the infusion of digitalis, from 
a drachm in eight ounces, to a drachm in twenty ounces. No 
directions are given about the temperature at which turpentine 
enema should be made, so the compounder is perfectly at 
liberty to coagulate all the albumen of the egg, if he wishes. 
The old process for inspissated juices is preserved, without 
any regard to the late discoveries or improvements. Com- 
pound infusion of senna still retains its place, although it must 
be well known to the members of the College, that it is 
always prepared by decoction. How ridiculous, also, to direct 
the compound infusion of roses to be infused during six hours. 
These are preparations usually wanted for immediate use, and 
are not injured by a short decoction; on the contrary, much 
more of the active principle of senna is extracted by boiling, 
than by macerating. We have been amused by the manner, 
throughout the w^hole work, in which the specific name of 
the plant is substituted for the name of the drug; thus, in 
"confectio piperis nigri:" 
{t. Piperis Nigri, 
Inulae, singulorum Libram, 
Foeniculi Libras tres, 
Mellis, 
Sacchari, singulorum Libras duas. 
Can this be considered as a substitute for the old system of 
transubstantiation in the defunct Pharmacopoeia, where a 
