500 
Equalization  of  Strencjth  of 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharnr^ 
\       Oct.,  1881. 
SwEDiAUE,  1803.  Pharm.  Gallica,  1818. 
PULV.  SUDOPvIFlCUS   (DOVERl).  PULVIS  EX  IPECACUANHA  ET  OPIO 
R    Nitratis  jiotassa?,  compositus,  dictus  Doveri. 
Sulf'atis  pota^sa?,  ana  iincias  qua-     R    Snlfatis  potassse,        .  .  4 
tiior.  Nitratis  potassaj,        .  .  4 
Simul  in  piilverem  teniiem  trita        Siiiiul  trita  conjiciantur  in  cruci- 
immitantur  in  crucibnlain,  ut  igne     buluni  ut  igne  liquentur.  Massse 
liquescant  ;  niassse  dein  in  morta-    dein  in  niortariuni  ferreum  eftiis^e 
riiini  ferreum  elfus?e  et  pene  refrige-     et  pene  refrigerate  adjice 
rata?  adjice  prinio  Extracti  ojyii  siccissimi  in  pulverem 
Ojyil  siccatl  2^ulv.  unciam  unam.  redacti  1. 
'   Dein  post  triturationem  adde  Plisque  simul  tritis  adde  demum 
Radieis  Psycothrise  emetics  pulv.  Radieis  ipecacuanh^e  (Ceplieelis 
luu-iam  unam.  emetica)  1. 
Tere  iu  puiverem  tenuissimum.  Giycyrrhizae  (Glycyrrliiza  glabra) 
1. 
Terantur  omnia  in  pulverem  teii- 
'  uissimum. 
The  foriiuila  having  been  copied  and  the  reference  given,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  account  for  this  alteration  of  one  of  the  most  important  ingre- 
dients, except  as  having  been  an  oversight.  Still,  it  may  be  asked 
whether  the  French  and  Belgians,  after  being  familiar  with  this 
s'.rength,  would  be  content  to  alter  it  to  one-half;  or  Avhether  in  other 
countries  the  Pharmacopoeia  authorities  would  of  their  own  accord 
double  the  strength  of  this  preparation.  In  similar  cases  of  large  dif- 
ferences in  the  strength  of  certain  preparations  the  same  difficulty 
would  present  itself,  more  especially  if  the  Pharmacopoeia  authorities 
of  individual  countries  should  take  the  same  view  as  those  of  the 
United  States  that  it  is  unwise  to  altei;  the  strength  of  their  highly 
active  medicines.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  very  many  of  the  tinctures- 
of  various  pharmacopoeias  are  made  of  the  strength  one  in  five,  and,, 
therefore,  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  in  the  majority  of  the  Phar- 
macopceias  some  of  the  tinctures  in  common  use  contain  the  same  pro- 
portion of  active  ingredient.  But  it  also  happens  that  some  tinctures 
wliich  are  one  in  five  according  to  some  Pharmacopoeias,  are  one  in  ten 
according  to  others,  and  the  reverse. 
Strictly  speaking,  to  have  uniformity,  not  only  should  the  propor- 
tions be  identical,  but  the  process  as  well  as  the  strength  of  the  spirit 
used  ought  to  be  the  same.  At  present  some  Pharmacopceias  direct 
maceration,  pressing  and  filtering;  others  direct  percolation,  and  mak- 
ing up  the  })roduct  with  spirit  to  the  original  volume ;  others  direct 
percolation  till  the  full  quantity  has  passed  through ;  others  again 
direct  making  up  the  ascertained  loss  during  maceration,  and  then 
pressing  and  filtering. 
As  regards  solutions  of  arsenic  and  the  alkaloids,  a  strength  of  1 
per  cent,  would  closely  accord  with  the  solutions  of  arsenic  now  in  use 
in  all  countries,  and  that  would  be  a  good  strength  for  solutions  of  the 
salts  of  atropia,  morphia  and  other  alkaloids,  if  it  should  be  deemed 
advisable  to  include  solutions  like  these  in  a  Pharmacopoeia.  Such 
solutions  are  constantly  prescribed  in  Great  Britain,  but  they  have  not 
found  much  favor  in  other  Pharmacopoeias. 
