THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
AUGUST,  1889. 
ON  THE  DISPENSING  OF  POWDERS  FOR  PRESCRIP- 
TIONS. 
By  Thos.  S.  Wiegand. 
In  some  of  the  recent  issues  of  the  drug  journals  the  dispensing  of 
medicines  in  powders  has  been  made  a  subject  of  remark.  While  this 
form  of  exhibiting  medicines  is  one  of  the  simplest,  it  still  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  as  frequently  done,  even  in  stores  of  good  reputation,  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  inaccuracy  in  the  performance.  In  the  preparation  of 
the  materials  which,  when  compounded,  form  the  remedy,  the  exact  and 
thorough  mixture  of  all  the  components  frequently  is  not  effected. 
Where  morphine,  arsenious  acid,  or  corrosive  sublimate  are  ordered, 
the  division  of  any  of  these  is  secured  by  the  use  of  a  triturate  of  the 
active  remedy  with  sugar  of  milk,  using  eight  grains  of  the  triturate 
to  represent  one  grain  of  the  remedy ;  these  triturates  are  fre- 
quently kept  on  hand,  thus  making  the  diffusion  eight  times  more 
certain. 
The  order  in  which  the  materials  are  put  into  the  mortar  is  quite 
important,  and  the  kind  of  mortar  used  is  also  to  be  regarded  ;  a 
close-grained  porcelain  mortar  free  from  any  uneven  places,  or  little 
flaws  or  holes,  should  always  be  selected  for  the  purpose. 
A  small  portion  of  sugar  of  milk  or  the  mildest  ingredient  is 
triturated  in  the  mortar  to  prevent  the  active  ingredient  from  adher- 
ing to  the  surface ;  after  this  the  most  active  remedy  is  added  and 
rubbed  with  that  already  in  the  mortar  until  thoroughly  mixed, 
when  the  other  active  ingredients  are  to  be  added,  each  being  well 
mixed  with  the  others,  and,  lastly,  the  remainder  of  the  least  active 
material  is  added  and  thoroughly  mixed. 
The  proper  division  of  the  powder  into  the  number  of  papers 
directed  is  next  to  be  accomplished.    Very  ingenious  apparatus  have 
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