Am  Jour.  T'luum. ) 
June,  1881.  J 
Practical  Notes. 
309 
Some  may  say  that  the  result  is  the  same,  but  I  think  if  any  one  will 
try  it  they  will  find  an  advantage  in  separate  treatment  of  the  drug, 
especially  in  such  as  the  compound  tincture  of  cardamom,  tincture  of 
serpentaria  and  tincture  of  cubebs,  the  active  ingredients  of  which  are 
more  soluble  in  alcohol  than  in  water.  In  preparing  such  tinctures, 
after  the  alcoholic  solution  is  filtered  oif,  after  maceration  during  24 
hours,  and  mixed  with  water,  precipitation  occurs.  I  contend,  hoAv- 
€ver,  that  when  this  takes  place  more  of  the  aromatic  or  active  prin- 
ciple is  retained  in  the  mixture  than  would  be  the  case  if  tlie  same 
ingredients  are  treated  with  the  dilute  alcoliol  in  the  ordinary  way. 
This  is  on  account  of  the  freer  solubilitv  of  these  substances  in  strong: 
alcohol  in  the  first  place,  and  on  account  of  the  extremely  fine  division  of 
the  essential  oils,  or  active  ingredients,  when  precipitated  by  the  addi- 
tion of  water,  favoring  greater  solubility,  on  the  same  principle  that 
the  extremely  fine  division  of  camphor  or  other  essential  oils  by  means 
of  magnesium  carbonate  renders  them  more  soluble  in  water.  The 
last-named  fact  appears  to  be  generally  accepted,  and  I  think,  upon 
reflection,  the  former  will  be  also.  It  leaves,  moreover,  the  article  thus 
treated  in  a  condition  better  suited  for  the  extraction  of  any  substance 
soluble  in  water  or  in  the  mixture  of  the  water  and  alcohol,  and  I 
think  a  trial  of  this  method  will  convince  any  one  making  it  of  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  it. 
Mending  Broken  Glassware. — AVhen  glass  funnels  are  cracked  or 
broken,  an  easy  and  expeditious  way  to  mend  them  will  be  be  found 
by  first  warming  the  article  broken  over  a  stove,  and  applying  strips 
of  sheet  gutta  percha  (about  an  inch  wide)  over  tlie  crack,  and  of  such  a 
length  that  they  will  cover  the  entire  length  of  the  split.  After  one 
piece  is  attached  to  the  glass  another  is  placed  on  this,  and  even  a 
third  or  fourth  layer  is  so  disposed,  in  order  to  form  a  firm  support  to 
the  broken  pieces  of  glass,  so  as  to  present  a  proper  continuity  of  sur- 
face, thereby  restoring  it  to  its  original  form.  The  glass  should  not 
be  heated  too  much,  but  only  to  a  degree  sufficient  to  render  the  gutta 
percha  applied  to  it  adliesive.  This  sticks  very  tenaciously  to  the 
glass.  I  have  mended  funnels  by  this  plan  that  have  been  broken  in 
four  or  five  pieces,  and  have  found  them  quite  as  useful  as  the 
unbroken  ones. 
The  ease  with  which  articles  can  be  thus  mended,  and  the  strength 
given  them  by  being  thus  supported  by  so  strong  a  substance,  will 
doubtless  commend  its  use  to  many  who,  like  myself,  make  much  u^e 
of  glassware. 
