Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
November,  1910.  J 
The  Netherlands  Pharmacopoeia, 
52i 
starch  the  position  of  the  nucleus  is  given  as  x/\~Yz,  meaning  that 
the  nucleus  is  either  central  or  Vz  the  distance  from  the  margin  to 
the  narrow  end  in  longitudinal  section. 
In  addition  to  the  detailed  descriptions  of  the  macroscopic  and 
microscopic  characters  of  the  drugs,  assay  methods  are  given  for 
many  of  the  potent  drugs  and  statements  giving  the  percentage  of 
ash,  amount  of  extractive,  and  also  other  special  tests  for  identity 
or  quality  in  certain  cases. 
Chemical  Substances  or  Medicinal  Chemicals. — In  most  cases 
the  formula  of  the  chemical  is  given  under  the  title.  A  purity  rubric 
is  not  given,  the  descriptions  and  tests  being  so  exact  as  to  establish 
a  high  purity  of  the  substance,  as  is  generally  the  case  with  foreign 
pharmacopoeias.  In  the  testing  of  chemicals  for  impurities,  unless 
a  special  procedure  is  given,  it  is  directed  that  three  drops  of  the 
reagent  shall  be  added  to  5  c.c.  of  a  solution  of  the  chemical.  Under 
olea  pinguia  are  given  a  number  of  general  tests  for  the  testing  of 
fixed  oils  and  fats,  together  with  exact  methods  of  procedure  in 
determining  the  iodine  number,  saponification  figure,  and  acid  equiv- 
alent. Under  olea  volatilia,  similarly,  a  general  procedure  is  given 
for  determining  the  presence  of  alcohol  or  fatty  oils.  In  some  cases, 
as  under  oleum  fceniculi,  the  optical  rotation  is  given,  and,  again,  as 
under  oleum  piperita,  a  method  is  given  for  determining  the  proxi- 
mate constituent,  menthol.  In  determining  the  melting  point  of  fats 
and  fatty  substances  capillary  tubes  are  used  in  which  the  fat  is  taken 
up  by  capillarity  after  it  is  melted,  and  then  allowed  to  stand  for 
twenty-four  hours,  when  the  melting  point  is  determined  by  using  a 
glycerin  bath.  Specific  gravities  are  determined  at  a  temperature 
of  150  C.  As  would  be  expected  0=  16  is  taken  as  the  basis  for 
atomic  weights,  hydrogen  being  equivalent  to  1.008. 
Pharmaceutical. — The  pharmaceutical  portion  of  the  book  is 
characterized  by  the  same  originality  and  thoroughness  as  char- 
acterizes the  parts  already  considered.  In  preparing  vegetable 
drugs  for  grinding  great  care  is  exercised  in  the  drying  of  the  drug, 
none  of  the  drugs  ever  being  dried  above  500  C,  and  those  contain- 
ing volatile  principles  not  above  400  C,  and  in  some  cases  over 
slaked  lime.  They  are  then  reduced  to  the  fineness  required  and 
kept  in  ground  glass-stoppered  bottles.  Two  kinds  of  sieves  are 
used,  one  for  coarse  powders  and  one  for  fine  powders.  In  the 
sieves  for  coarse  powders  the  meshes  are  round  and  are  respectively 
in  diameter  iy2,  3,  and  5  mm.    These  are  designated  as  Aly,  A8, 
