Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
February. 1897.  J 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
119 
versa.  But  when  we  enter  the  field  of  manufacturing  tinctures  and  some  other 
preparations  from  the  respective  fluid  extracts,  debatable  ground  is  invaded. ' ' 
Before  taking  up  this  question  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  state  that  if  the 
position  were  taken  that  a  U.S. P.  preparation  was  U.S. P.  only  when  made 
strictly  according  to  the  directions  therein  laid  down,  and  could  not  be  made 
in  any  other  way,  there  was  only  a  single  answer  to  the  question. 
Some  of  the  faulty  and  imperfect  tests  and  methods  of  the  Pharmacopoeia 
were  referred  to,  as  well  as  some  of  the  duplicate  processes  sanctioned  by  it, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  processes  for  the  manufacture  of  fluid  extracts,  and  thus 
the  Pharmacopoeia  itself  was  considered  to  justify,  in  a  measure,  the  applica- 
tion of  processes  which  seemed  best  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  case. 
Standardized  preparations  and  the  manufacture  of  other  preparations  from 
them  then  claimed  the  speaker's  attention.  He  said  that  the  1890  Pharma- 
copoeia had  incorporated  methods  for  assaying  the  crude  drugs  cinchona,  nux 
vomica  and  opium,  as  well  as  some  of  their  preparations  ;  and  that  the  next 
revision  would,  undoubtedly,  be  enriched  by  methods  for  assaying  a  number  of 
other  drugs  and  their  preparations.'  The  assay  processes  already  authorized 
had  been  introduced  on  account  of  the  great  variability  of  the  drugs  to  which 
they  were  applied.  Then  referring  to  his  analytical  records  the  speaker  said 
that  these  showed  that  there  were  other  drugs  equally  variable  in  character  ; 
for  instance,  one  bale  of  aconite  root  assayed  0*4  per  cent,  total  alkaloids,  and 
another  it 4  per  cent.,  or  one  root  was  nearly  three  times  as  potent  as  the 
other.  It  was  evident  that  tinctures  and  fluid  extracts,  made  according  to  the 
Pharmacopoeia  from  these  roots,  would  vary  accordingly.  In  other  words,  the 
tincture  made  from  the  root  containing  the  high  percentage  of  alkaloids  would 
be  as  powerful  as  the  fluid  extract  made  from  the  lower  assaying  root.  This 
was  not  an  isolated  case,  but  similar  data  could  be  furnished  for  other  drugs. 
The  problem  of  extracting  the  active  principles  from  the  drugs  completely 
was  next  considered,  and  the  speaker  said  that  again  and  again  cases  had  come 
to  his  notice  where  only  one-half,  three-fifths,  two-thirds  or  three-fourths  of 
these  principles  had  been  extracted  from  the  drug  operated  upon.  The  fore- 
man of  the  fluid-extract  department  of  a  large  wholesale  house  was  quoted  as 
saying :  "  The  manufacture  of  unassayed  preparations  and  of  standardized 
preparations  are  two  different  things.  Before  assaying  was  adopted,  appear- 
ance was  the  only  requirement,  whether  one-half  or  one-third  of  the  active 
principles  was  extracted." 
Then,  summarizing  his  opinions,  with  reference  to  the  foregoing  statements, 
the  speaker  said  :  "In  view  of  the  variableness  of  the  drugs,  and  the  element 
of  uncertainty  introduced  in  manufacturing  the  various  preparations,  which  is 
the  most  rational  course  to  pursue  :  to  make  tinctures,  varying  in  strength 
from  a  very  small  potency  to  the  strength  of  fluid  extracts,  and  fluid  extracts, 
solid  extracts,  etc.,  varying  in  the  same  degree  ;  or  to  make  preparations  that 
are  uniform  in  strength  ?"  In  his  mind  there  was  only  one  answer.  And  again  : 
' '  What  tinctures,  for  example,  will  possess  the  greater  degree  of  uniformity — 
those  made  from  crude  drugs  varying  extremely  in  potency,  or  those  prepared 
from  standardized  fluid  extracts,  etc.?" 
It  was  stated  that,  in  preparing  tinctures  from  their  respective  fluid  extracts, 
the  menstrua  directed  to  be  used  were  usually  of  such  a  strength  that  precipita- 
tion was  obviated.    In  some  cases,  a  small  precipitate  settled  out  on  standing  ; 
