EXTEMPORANEOUS  PHARMACEUTICAL  PREPARATIONS.  203 
Suppositories  made  in  these  moulds,  of  butter  of  cocoa,  weigh 
twenty-five  grains  each,  and  can  be  medicated  in  any  manner 
the  physician  may  direct. 
I  will  only  add  that  they  have  been  used  by  several  physicians, 
who  express  themselves  much  pleased  with  them. 
ON  SEVERAL  EXTEMPORANEOUS  PHARMACEUTICAL 
PREPARATIONS. 
By  William  H.  II.  Githens. 
(An  Inaugural  Essay  presented  to  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy.) 
INTRODUCTION. 
Having  observed  a  great  want  of  stability  in  the  mixtures  of 
extract  of  cannabis  indica,  resin  of  guaiacum  and  balsam  of 
tolu,  as  called  for  by  the  usual  extemporaneous  prescriptions  of 
physicians,  it  occurred  to  me  that  much  more  elegant  prepara- 
tions might  be  introduced  to  take  the  place  of  some  of  those  now 
in  use.  And  also,  having  experienced  difficulty  in  compounding 
certain  substances,  so  as  to  produce  a  mass  with  satisfactory 
pilular  consistence,  I  instituted  a  series  of  experiments  upon 
these  subjects,  some  of  which  were  quite  successful. 
ON  THE  BEST    METHOD   OF   SUSPENDING  EXTRACT   OF  CANNABIS 
INDICA  IN  AQUEOUS  MIXTURES. 
Experiment  1st  One  grain  of  extract  of  Indian  hemp  was 
softened  by  trituration  with  a  few  drops  of  ether,  and  then 
mixed  with  two  fluid  drachms  of  glycerine.  This  mixture  was 
agitated  until  entirely  deprived  of  ethereal  odor.  It  formed  a 
transparent  solution  of  the  extract ;  but  upon  the  addition  of  an 
equal  bulk  of  water,  the  extract  was  entirely  precipitated. 
Exp.  2d  Two  grains  of  extract  of  cannabis  were  triturated 
with  one  fluid-drachm  of  olive  oil,  forming,  without  difficulty,  a 
transparent  solution.  This  was  mixed  with  two  and  a  half  fluid- 
drachms  of  mucilage  of  gum  arabic,  and  then  with  sufficient 
water  to  make  the  mixture  measure  one  fluid-ounce.  This  pre- 
paration is  entirely  permanent. 
Exp.  3d  Thirty  grains  of  Indian  hemp  were  dissolved,  as 
before,  in  one  fluid-drachm  of  olive  oil,  also  forming  a  transpa- 
rent solution.    With  two  drachms  of  gum  arabic  and  a  sufficient 
