332 
EDITORIAL. 
The New York Journal of Pharmacy. — The Editor of the New York 
Journal of Pharmacy deems it an unusual course on our part to notice, 
under the head of " Pharmaceutical Notices," a series of articles of the same 
general character which appeared in that Journal, with comments. We 
disclaim all intention of discourtesy or unfairness in thus remarking on the 
articles in question, our only reason for abridging them being to comprise 
them within a reasonable space. It is due to Messrs. Coggeshall and 
Dupuy that their explanations and reclamations should be presented to our 
readers, and we give them below. 
Comments on " Comments." — The American Journal of Pharmacy, (Phila- 
delphia) for July, contains " Pharmaceutical notices, being extracts from various 
articles in the New York Journal of Pharmacy, with comments by the editor," 
in which our friend Procter, criticises, rather severely, some of the pharmaceuti- 
cal formulae and suggestions that have been offered in this Journal. With full 
respect for the great acquirements and high character, as a practical pharma- 
ceutist, to which my friend Procter is justly entitled, I should have been glad if 
the articles, upon which he comments, had met his approval ; and I know of no 
one that I would rather should set me right, if anything that I have offered does 
not find acceptance with him. With the greater part of his comments, I do not 
think there is occasion for controversy, — matters of fact readers can judge for 
themselves, and it certainly is of little consequence, who may be found in error, 
compared with the elucidation of truth. 
In respect to the consistence of Syrup of Gum Arabic, he is probably nearer 
right, (during this hot weather, at any rate,) than I was, and still, I think he is 
not right. My experience with the present officinal formula, had been in the 
cold season, when I found the syrup decidedly too thick for convenient use, es- 
pecially by itself; a large proportion of it crystallized in the temperature of the 
shop, and the mcruth and neck of the bottle choked up with candied syrup every 
two or three times it was used. I had found the former syrup to answer very 
well in regard to consistence and flavor, though, it certainly could not be con- 
s dered permanent ; it had to be made in small quantities and frequently; indeed, 
I do not suppose that any liquid combination of gum, sugar and water only, can 
be made of a permanent character. Since reading Mr. Procter's comments, I 
have made this syrup again by the present formula, and it does keep decidedly 
better at this season, than that made in the other proportions, yet not perfectly ; 
and there is considerable crystallization, even in the very hot weather we have 
had lately. I infer that syrup which crystallizes at this season, has an excess 
of sugar in it, the crystals formed tending further to reduce the remaining syrup 
and thus sooner promote acidity than if a proportion of sugar had been used 
w T hich could remain in solution. Perhaps, a medium between the two formulae 
could be hit upon, in which the proper balance might be better attained. 
In the formula offered for Compound Syrup of Squill, in our Journal for April, 
there is an error of four ounces in the quantity of honey, which should have been 
twenty-two ounces. Whether it was made by the printer or not cannot be ascer- 
tained, as " the copy has been destroyed." I had not noticed it until my atten- 
tion was called to it by Mr. Procter's comments. The quantity of sugar used 
by me in making this syrup was, for convenience, one pound avoirdupois weight; 
that of honey, one pound and a half, same weight. In transcribing the formula 
for a medical journal, I thoaght I must, per custom, render it in troy weights ; 
so as 15 oz. troy are 200 grs. more than one pound av., I set down 15 oz., and 
intended to set down 22 oz. of honey, as being only 60 grs. more than one pound 
and a half av. I think this addition of 4 oz. of honey will make the whole come 
up to Mr. Procter's measure of "56 fluid ounces before the ebullition," &c, and a 
little over. The boiling can be continued only for a few minutes. I was for- 
merly in the practice of boiling to three pints, and adding 48 grs. tartar emetic, 
but finding that I had to evaporate more than half a pint, and judging that the 
strength of the resulting preparation was rather lessened than increased thereby, 
