250 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
is  that  it  would  be  preferred  by  physicians ;  and  it  certainly 
would  be  a  much  more  profitable  preparation  to  the  pharmaceu- 
tist. The  darker  color  of  the  officinal  tincture  is  owing  to  the 
greater  solubility  of  the  coloring  matter  in  alcohol  than  in  water, 
and  consequently  it  is  not  all  taken  from  the  opium  when  water 
only  is  used  as  a  menstruum.* 
Tinctura  Opii  Qamphorata. 
My  attention  was  first  directed  to  this  preparation  by  the  fre- 
quent complaints  of  physicians,  and  other  customers,  about  its 
cloudy  appearance  in  cold  weather,  in  consequence  of  the  dimin- 
ished solven!  power  of  diluted  alcohol  for  oil  of  anise  and  camphor 
at  a  low  temperature. 
As  the  design  of  paregoric  as  a  remedial  agent  precluded  the 
use  of  strong  alcohol,  I  deemed  it  unadvisable  to  employ  a  strong- 
er menstruum.  Oij.  of  the  tincture  were  prepared  with  the  in- 
gredients directed  by  the  U.  S.  P.,  and  to  insure  the  complete 
solution  of  the  oil  of  anise,  I  rubbed  it  up  with  finely  powdered 
pumice  stone,  then  added  the  camphor  and  benzoic  acid.  After 
thoroughly  mixing  the  whole  together  it  was  filtered.  When 
prepared  in  this  manner  it  contained  much  more  oil  of  anise,  but 
a  reduced  temperature  affected  it  the  same  as  when  prepared  in 
the  usual  manner. 
I  then  varied  the  process  by  mixing  all  the  water  and  half  the 
alcohol  together  with  all  the  ingredients  excepting  the  camphor 
and  oil,  which  were  rubbed  up  with  powdered  pumice  stone,  as 
before,  and  then  mixed  with  the  menstruum,  as  before  stated. 
After  filtration, , one-fourth  part  of  the  remaining  alcohol  was 
poured  upon  the  filter,  and  the  remaining  three  fourths  added  to 
the  filtered  tincture,  which  rendered  it  perfectly  clear. 
[*  Laudanum  prepared  in  this  way  was  recommended  as  early  as  1846 
by  the  late  Aug.  Duhamel,  with  the  alcoholic  strength  of  the  U.  S.  P., 
and  subsequently  by  Mr.  Dupuy,  of  New  York,  of  the  strength  indicated 
above,  (see  U.  S.  Disp.  Note  to  Tr.  Opii).  We  object  to  the  use  of  boil- 
ing water  on  account  of  the  bassorin-like  matter  of  the  opium  being  taken 
up.  Laudanum  prepared  in  this  way  does  not  represent  officinal  lauda- 
num. Those  who  may  want  to  avoid  the  ingredients  dissolved  by  alcohol 
have  the  deodorized  tincture  of  the  Pharmacopoeia.  In  any  case  we  be- 
lieve this  should  not  be  substituted  for  the  officinal  laudanum  without 
notice. — Ed.  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.] 
