410 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
The  unpared  cucumbers,  after  being  washed,  are  reduced  to  a  pulp 
by  grating,  and  the  juice  expressed  and  strained.  The  suet  is  cut 
in  small  pieces,  and  heated  over  a  salt  water  bath  until  the  fat  is 
fused  out  from  the  membranes;  the  lard  is  then  added,  and  when  lique- 
fied is  strained  through  muslin  into  a  wide-mouthed  earthen  vessel 
capable  of  holding  a  gallon,  and  stirred  until  it  commences  to 
thicken,  when  one  third  of  the  cucumber  juice  is  added,  and  beaten 
with  the  ointment  by  means  of  a  wooden  spatula  until  its  odor  has 
been  almost  wholly  extracted.  The  part  that  separates  by  stand- 
ing is  decanted,  and  the  other  two  thirds  consecutively  incorporated 
and  decanted  in  the  same  manner.  The  jar  is  then  closely  covered 
and  placed  in  a  water  bath  until  the  fatty  matter  entirely  separates 
from  the  exhausted  juice.  The  green  albuminous  coagulum  which 
floats  on  the  surface  is  then  skimmed  off,  and  the  jar  put  aside  in 
a  cool  place  that  the  ointment  may  solidify.  The  crude  ointment 
is  then  separated  from  the  watery  liquid  on  which  it  floats,  melted, 
and  strained  ;  a  part  into  a  jar  and  closely  sealed  for  keep- 
ing, the  remainder  into  a  mortar,  and  triturated  with  a  little  rose- 
water  until  it  is  very  white  and  creamy,  for  present  use.  It  is 
usual  to  keep  this  ointment  in  glass  jars  covered  with  rosewater,  to 
prevent  access  of  the  air. 
FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  HYOSCYAMUS. 
The  following  formula  was  communicated  by  Mr.  Charles  Au- 
gustus Smith,  of  Cincinnati,  who  states  that  the  preparation  it 
affords  has  been  much  used  and  liked  in  that  city.  When  made 
from  carefully  dried  and  good  hyoscyamus,  it  must  be  a  fair  repre- 
sentative of  the  plant. 
Take  of  Hyoscyamus  leaves,  (garbled,)  eight  ounces  (Troy.) 
Diluted  alcohol,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Sugar,    -  eight  ounces  (Troy.) 
Reduce  the  hyoscyamus  to  a  uniform  coarse  powder ;  pour  over  it 
a  pint  of  diluted  alcohol ;  allow  it  to  macerate  twenty-four  hours; 
put  it  into  a  suitable  percolator,  and,  when  carefully  packed,  pour 
gradually  on  it  diluted  alcohol,  until  three  pints  of  tincture  has 
passed.  The  flow  should  be  very  slow,  that  thorough  exhaustion 
of  the  leaves  shall  take  place.  The  tincture  is  then  evaporated 
to  ten  fluid  ounces — the  sugar  dissolved  in  it  while  hot,  and  when 
cold  two  fluid  ounces  of  alcohol  (.835  sp.  gr.,  or  as  much  as  is 
