522 
The  Netherlands  Pharmacopoeia. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  November,  1910. 
and  A5.  For  fine  powders  a  sieve  of  silk  is  used,  the  meshes  being 
square,  there  being  10,  20,  30,  40  or  50  meshes  in  1  cm.  These 
meshes  are  indicated  as  follows :  B10,  B20,  B30,  B40,  and  B50.  If  in 
connection  with  an  article  no  fineness  is  given  for  the  powder,  it  is 
intended  that  the  pharmacist  shall  use  a  powder  of  the  general  degree 
of  fineness  designated  for  certain  drugs.  Again,  there  are  quite 
a  number  of  powders  which  are  directed  to  be  kept  protected  from 
light  and  these  are  indicated  by  an  asterisk  (*) .  The  physical 
factors  which  influence  the  quality  or  stability  of  drugs,  as  light, 
temperature,  moisture,  have  been  given  careful  consideration.  It 
is  directed  that  all  drugs  and  preparations  not  in  daily  use  shall 
be  stored  in  dark  rooms  and  in  this  connection  we  note  that  certain 
vegetable  drugs,  as  digitalis,  are  to  be  kept  in  tightly  closed  tin 
drums  in  which  are  placed  wide-mouthed  bottles  containing  burnt 
lime  and  covered  with  leather  or  parchment  provided  with  a  suitable 
number  of  perforations.  It  is  also  directed  that  hygroscopic  chem- 
icals shall  be  kept  in  containers  with  burnt  lime.  Volatile  sub- 
stances are  to  be  kept  in  tightly  closed  glass-stoppered  bottles. 
Chemicals  which  are  affected  by  the  light  are  required  to  be  kept 
in  black,  red,  or  yellowish-brown  bottles.  Extracts  and  ointments 
are  to  be  kept  in  jars  which  do  not  permit  the  entrance  of  light. 
The  commonly  used  terms  relating  to  temperature  in  pharmaceutical 
processes  and  manipulations  all  have  a  definite  meaning ;  thus,  when 
applied  to  water,  luke-warm  means  a  temperature  of  20°-40°  C. ; 
warm,  a  temperature  of  6o°-Jo°  C. ;  hot,  a  temperature  of  850- 
950  C.  Again,  the  temperatures  for  the  processes  of  maceration, 
digestion,  and  infusion  are  respectively,  i5°-25°  C,  35°-40°  C, 
and  90°-98°  C. 
Standard  measures  have  likewise  been  adopted.  A  teaspoonful 
is  defined  as  equivalent  to  3  c.c. ;  a  dessertspoonful  as  8  c.c. ;  and  a 
tablespoonful  as  15  c.c,  and  physicians  are  requested  to  adopt  the 
rule  of  using  cubic  centimetres  when  ordering  liquid  medicines. 
The  standard  dropper,  approved  by  the  Brussels  Conference,  has 
been  made  official,  the  dropper  having  a  bore  of  3  mm.  at  the  exit 
end  and  dropping  20  drops  of  distilled  water  at  15 0  C,  which  should 
weigh  1  Gm.  A  table  has  been  included  giving  the  number  of  drops 
in  a  gramme  of  various  liquid  preparations  and  solutions. 
In  the  weighing  of  drug  materials  three  different  grades  of 
scales  are  directed  to  be  used,  which  are  designated  as  A,  B,  B... 
Scale  A  is  used  in  weighing  amounts  of  substances  not  exceeding 
