Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
November,  190S.  j 
Fluidgly 'cerates. 
S29 
article  from  the  Chemist  and  Druggist/  which  I  had  not  seen  before, 
entitled  "  Glycetracta  or  Glycetracts,"  by  W.  Harrison  Martindale, 
Ph.  D.  That  gentleman  admits  that  he  has  "  adopted  "  my  sugges- 
tion and  refers  to  the  initiatory  paper  before  the  New  Jersey  Phar- 
maceutical Association  "  on  a  method  of  preparing  '  fluidglycerates/ 
representing  the  fluidextracta  of  the  U.  S.  P. ;  notably,  the  fluid- 
glycerate  of  krameria  being  described.''  He  further  states,  "  I  have 
elaborated  and  extended  the  idea  to  other  drugs."  His  entrance 
into  this  promising  field  of  experimentation  is  welcomed  and  his 
results  in  many  points  confirm  my  Own.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  how- 
ever, that  he  should  ignore  the  writer's  suggestion  for  the  title  for 
this  distinct  class  of  preparations  and  add  further  confusion  by  sug- 
gesting another  coined  modification. 
The  fluidglycerates  as  a  class  possess  many  advantages  that  should 
appeal  to  physicians  and  also  to  the  retail  druggists.  To  the  former 
they  fill  a  want  for  a  concentrated  infusion  and  many  of  the  drugs 
should  be  administered  in  that  form.  The  simple  dilution  of  the 
fluidglycerate  with  cold  or  hot  water  as  may  be  desired  will  supply 
a  satisfactory  substitute  for  infusion  of  such  drugs  as  Apocynum, 
Chimaphila.  Eupatorium,  Pareira,  Pilocarpus,  Rhus  Glabra,  Sco- 
parius,  Spigelia,  Triticum  and  Uva  Ursi  all  of  which  are  preferably 
administered  in  that  form  and  all  of  which  yield  good  fluidglycerates. 
Again,  alcohol  is  frequently  therapeutically  contraindicated  and 
the  alcohol  content  has  been  considered  detrimental  to  the  action 
of  the  tinctures  and  fluidextracts  of  such  drugs  as  Cimicifuga,  Cypri- 
pedium,  Sumbul,  Valerian,  Veratrum  and  Viburnum,  and  it  is 
noticeable  that  these  all  likewise  yield  to  glycerin  their  active  con- 
stituents. With  many  patients  predisposed  to  the  alcohol  habit  the 
use  of  alcoholic  medicines  should  be  avoided,  and  here  again  it  is 
noteworthy  that  glycerin  extracts  the  aromatic  principles  and  the 
bitter  tonics,  and  that  fluidglycerates  of  such  drugs  as  Marrubium, 
'Salvia,  Orange  Peel,  Gentian  and  Chirata  all  appear  to  be  satisfac- 
tory preparations,  thus  enabling  the  medical  practitioner  to  direct 
aromatics  and  bitter  tonics  without  the  use  of  alcohol,  and  this  alone 
should  merit  medical  attention.  Their  miscibility  as  a  class  with 
syrup  and  water  also  aid  in  the  elimination  of  alcohol. 
To  the  retail  druggist  the}-  should  appeal  as  a  class  that  he  can 
3  Chemist  and  Druggist,  488  (March,  1908). 
