458 
Tincture  of  Strophantus. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm-. 
Sept.,  1889. 
evaporating  this  benzin  solution  31*54  per  cent,  of  oil  was  obtained. 
This  oil  treated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  did  not  yield  a  bitter  solu- 
tion and  the  acid  liquid  when  boiled  and  tested  with  Fehling's  solution 
showed  no  reduction.  The  powder  was  then  dried  and  percolated  as 
was  the  first  portion.  The  resulting  tincture  was  of  a  pale  green 
color,  miscible  with  water,  had  a  sp.  gr.  of  '85372  and  a  fluidounce 
yielded  on  evaporation  a  residue  of  3*13  grains. 
As  a  result  of  the  above  experiments,  I  would  suggest  the  following 
formula  for  the  consideration  of  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia  : 
TINCTURA  STROPHANTHI  (TINCTURE  OF  STROPHANTHUS). 
Take  of 
Strophanthus  seeds,  ground  to  a  number  40  powder  and  dried  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  110  to  120°  F  one  troy  ounce. 
Benzin, 
Alcohol, 
Water ;  of  each  a  sufficient  quantity  to  make  twenty  fluidounces. 
Pack  the  ground  drug  tightly  in  a  cylindrical  percolator  and  pour  on 
benzin  until  the  powder  is  saturated  and  the  liquid  begins  to  drop  from 
the  percolator,  close  the  lower  orifice  and  leaving  a  layer  of  an  inch  or 
more  of  the  liquid  above  the  powder,  tightly  cover  the  percolator  and 
allow  to  macerate  for  twenty-four  hours ;  then  slowly  percolate  with 
the  benzin  until  a  few  drops  of  the  percolate  evaporated  from  a  watch- 
glass  leave  no  oily  residue.  Then  remove  from  the  percolator,  dry 
and,  if  necessary,  again  reduce  to  powder,  moisten  with  a  small  portion 
of  a  menstruum  of  seven  volumes  of  alcohol  and  one  volume  of  water,, 
repack  lightly  in  the  percolator  and  pour  on  menstruum,  leaving  an 
inch  or  two  of  supernatant  liquid  ;  cover  the  percolator  and  close  the 
lower  orifice  and  allow  it  to  macerate  for  forty-eight  hours,  then  perco- 
late slowly,  adding  gradually  menstruum  of  the  above  composition  un- 
til twenty  fluidounces  are  obtained. 
If  it  be  thought  desirable  to  maintain  the  present  system  of  per- 
centage strength  for  tinctures,  the  amount  of  finished  product  would 
be  altered  to  twenty  troy  ounces. 
Acetanilid  is  considered  by  Dr.A.  H.  Newtb  a  valuable  adjunct  to 
mercurials  and  other  topical  remedies.  It  was  usually  combined  with 
lanolin  or  soft  paraffin  in  the  proportion  of  twenty  grains  to  one  ounce. — 
The  Lancet. 
