280 
Extract  of  Vanilla. 
(  Am.. Tour.  Pharm. 
\      June,  1882. 
with  other  bay  rums  will  at  once  show  the  difference,  the  former  being 
much  stronger  and  liner  in  odor,  so  that  a  small  quantity  of  it  has  not 
merely  the  same  strength  as  a  larger  (quantity  of  the  others,  but  its 
odor  will  be  found  to  be  much  more  lasting  and  agreeable. 
Bay  spirit  is  used  as  a  wash  for  the  face,  the  hands,  and  the  whole 
body,  refreshing  and  invigorating  the  skin,  and  is  highly  valued  for 
soothing  the  soreness  after  shaving,  when  diluted  with  water.  A  bath 
to  which  about  a  quarter  of  a  bottle  of  bay  spirit  is  added  strengthens 
the  flesh,  takes  away  the  heat  and  dryness  of  the  skin,  gives  softness 
and  strength  to  the  tired  limbs,  destroys  all  smell  of  perspiration,  and 
produces  a  feeling  of  invigoration.  In  the  sickroom  it  is  invaluable, 
as  well  for  the  sick  person  as  for  those  around  him ;  it  purifies  and 
refreshes  the  air  in  a  remarkable  degree.  It  is  inestimable  to  travelers, 
especially  in  hot  climates  or  in  summer  in  the  North,  quickly  relieving 
the  feelings  of  lassitude  of  voyages.  In  fact,  its  uses  are  numberless, 
and,  while  other  perfumes  quickly  sicken  many  persons  with  excess  of 
fragrance  and  the  pungency  of  t^lieir  aroma,  the  consumer  Avill  never 
get  tired  of  using  a  good  bay  spirit.  i 
St.  Thomas,  D.  W.  I.,  February,  1882. 
EXTKACT  OF  VANILLA. 
By  George  W.  Kennedy,  Ph.G. 
The  object  of  the  writer  is  to  present  to  the  numerous  readers  of 
this  journal  a  reliable  formula,  Avhich  has,  in  his  hands,  proved  very 
satisfactory  during  the  past  eight  or  ten  years  that  it  has  been  used. 
Prior  to  that  time  I  had  experimented  considerably  with  menstruums 
of  various  alcoholic  strength,  and  also  with  mixtures  containing  gly- 
cerin. I  obtained  good  results  from  some,  but  the  formula  I  have 
adopted  I  prefer  to  all  others,  and  am  satisfied  that  even  the  inexpe- 
rienced can  manufacture  a  good  preparation,  provided  they  use  a  good 
quality  of  bean  and  carry  out  the  manipulation  })roperly.  The  formula 
does  not  differ  materially  from  the  many  in  general  use,  both  as  to 
alcoholic  strength  and  the  quantity  of  bean  used,  although  some  phar- 
macists use  less  than  one  ounce  to  the  pint ;  but  to  insure  uniformity 
throughout  the  country,  I  think  that  the  strength  indicated  should  be 
generally  adoj^ted. 
For  exhausting  the  vanilla,  various  writers  have  suggested  simple 
percolation,  repercolation,  digestion  —  both  with  a  cold  and  warm 
