54         ON  THE  REVISION  OF  THE  U.  S.  PHARMACOPOEIA. 
paration  rather  more  thoroughly  by  means  of  a  saline  bath,  pro- 
curing a  nicer  as  well  as  a  practically  better  result.  The  drying 
is  then  continued  till  the  iodide  weighs  about  the  sum  of  its  con- 
stituents. Without  any  positive  knowledge  from  experiment 
upon  the  subject,  the  writer  thinks  that  the* decomposition  is 
always  the  greater,  the  farther  the  drying  is  carried. 
Liquor  Ferri  lodidi. 
Here,  again  the  writer  suggests  that  the  very  large  excess  of 
iron  be  reduced,  as  in  the  foregoing  formula.  When  the  com- 
bination is  so  rapid,  easy  and  complete,  as  between  these  two 
elements,  it  is  quite  useless  to  have  so  great  an  excess  of  iron. 
Another  objection  to  the  officinal  process  for  this  preparation 
is,  that  in  filtering  the  solution  of  the  iodide  into  the  sugar,  and 
then  shaking  them  till  the  sugar  is  dissolved,  a  bright  clear  so- 
lution is  rarely  obtained.  This  arises  from  the  circumstance 
that  almost  all  sugar  contains  particles  of  dust  and  insoluble 
matters,  and  from  the  practical  fact  that  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  make  a  bright  syrup  without  a  boiling  temperature,  or  a  most 
tedious  filtration.  Almost  all  sugar  within  ordinary  reach  con- 
tains something  that  renders  cold-made  syrups  more  or  less 
cloudy  and  very  difficult  to  filter. 
In  view  of  these  circumstances  the  writer  suggests  the  follow- 
ing formula.  It  has  now  stood  the  test  of  three  years  experi- 
ence, and  produces  a  preparation  of  which  those  present  can 
judge  in  some  measure  by  the  specimens  of  various  ages  pre- 
sented. A  specimen  made  exactly  in  accordance  with  the  offici- 
nal directions  is  also  presented  for  comparison.  Before  travel- 
ling with  it,  it  was  bright  and  clear  enough,  but  had  a  sediment 
at  the  bottom  from  which  the  others  are  free,  and  its  color  is 
not  so  good,  probably  for  reasons  to  be  noticed  farther  on. 
These  specimens  have  not  been  exposed  to  the  light. 
Take  of  Iodine  two  ounces. 
Iron  Wire  five  drachms. 
Distilled  Water,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Sugar  twelve  ounces.  - 
Dissolve  the  sugar,  by  means  of  heat,  in  eight  fluid-ounces  of 
boiling  distilled  water,  and  filter  the  syrup  through  paper  into  a 
tared  flask  of  the  capacity  of  twenty  fluid-ounces  or  more 
