PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
121 
administered in doses much larger than half a drachm each, 
two fluid ounces of it containing the activity of one ounce of the 
root. 
It may be observed that in the selection of serpentaria for this 
or indeed, any preparation, care should be taken to have it free 
from ginseng or any of the other accidental foreign matter, so fre- 
quently found in the bales of the commercial article. 
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
By R. H. Stabler, Alexandria, Va. 
Believing the result of some observations made -while engaged 
in the daily duties of a practical pharmaceutist might be accept- 
able to the readers of the Journal, and in hopes that they may 
elicit similar communications from others engaged in the profes- 
sion, is my excuse for penning the following essay. 
Powdered Drugs. The facility of adulterating powdered drugs 
so as to escape detection, is a strong temptation to many -whole- 
sale dealers and drug grinders to furnish inferior articles at a 
less price than the pure articles can be obtained for ; for this 
reason many retailers and dispensers prefer selecting drugs in 
their crude state, and powdering them when wanting ; thus 
avoiding the liability to deception. Being in this practice, 1 
have observed an easy method of obtaining powdered squill root. 
This drug can be powdered to better advantage in cold weather ; 
if kept in a dry atmosphere of about 90° F. for three days, it be- 
comes brittle, dry, and easy to reduce to the requisite degree of 
fineness. My method has usually been to run it through Swift's 
drug mill first, sift it, then finish in the mortar and spring pestal; 
lastly, bottle in perfectly dry and warm bottles, cork and her- 
metically seal them, then cover with blue paper to prevent the 
injurious action of light. 
Powdered Opium, is seldom prepared from the best gum, and 
I believe it is more difficult than any article in the materia 
medica to obtain ready powdered of the wholesale dealer, of 
good quality. The custom with a great many, is to select the 
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