Am.  Jour,  Pharm. ) 
Dec,  1881.  J 
Practical  Notes. 
60S 
be  expected,  does  not  keep  very  long  before  it  spoils,  and  eventually 
spoils  the  remainder. 
By  observing  the  precaution  of  shaking  the  containers  when  cold 
the  watery  layer  will  mix  with  the  remainder,  and  thus  form  a  syrup 
of  normal  consistence  throughout. 
Milk. — Although  higlily  beneficial,  not  only  as  an  article  of  daily  food, 
but  also,  for  most  invalids,  physicians  are  debarred  in  many  instances 
from  its  help  through  the  patients'  inability  of  digesting  it.  Physi- 
cians pay  generally  too  little  attention  to  the  temperature  of  the  food 
which  their  patients  take;  if  milk  be  warmed,  Avitli  constant  stirring, 
to  95  to  100°F.,  it  is  surprisingly  quickly  assimilated. 
The  writer  knows,  from  his  own  experience,  that  one  pint  of  milk, 
of  the  ordinary  temperature,  taken  at  9  A.M.,  completely  spoils  his 
appetite  for  the  noonday  meal,  while,  when  the  milk  has  been  warmed 
to  about  the  temperature  of  the  blood,  he  gets  hungry  enough  at 
11  A.M.  • 
Quinia. — Amongst  all  the  different  vehicles  recommended  to  mask 
the  bitter  taste  of  quinia  none  is  better  than  our  old  acquaintance, 
licorice.  Although  the  usual  way  is  to  make  a  "  shake  well  mix- 
ture with  fluid  extract  of  licorice,  or  an  aromatic  elixir  of  the  same, 
it  is  once  in  a  while  prescribed  as  a  powder  mixed  with  powdered 
extract  of  licorice.  This  covers  the  taste  well  enough,  but  the  bitter- 
ness is  still  perceptible.  I  have  found  that  by  combining  aromatics 
with  it  the  bitter  taste  is  pleasantly  covered. 
I  have  for  some  time  kept  ready  a  Pulvis  glycyrrhizse  aromaticus : 
Pulv.  aromat.,  .  .  ,  .  ,  »  ^ii 
"     ext.  glycyrrhiz.,  .  .  .  ^vi 
Ammon.  carbon.,  ....    gr.  xv  Mix. 
which  is  mixed  with  quinia  in  the  proportion  of  four  times  its  weight 
(about  twice  or  thrice  its  bulk).  Patients  declare  themselves  very 
well  pleased,  and  children  take  it  readily.  Incidentally  I  may  remark 
that  there  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  powdered  extract  of  licorice  as 
found  in  the  market;  some  produce  no  more  impression  on  the  tongue 
than  a  mixture  of  about  equal  parts  of  gum  arable  and  licorice  would 
do. 
Pills  of  Carbonate  of  Iron. — Pills  made  from  protosulphate  of  iron, 
and  carbonate  of  potassium  (usually  equal  parts)  are  a  stumbling-block, 
to  not  a  few  pharmacists.  By  proceeding  according  to  Prof.  J.  M^ 
Maisch,  as  follows,  all  difficulties  vanish : 
