THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY, 
MARCH,  1864. 
PRACTICAL  AND  SCIENTIFIC  NOTES. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
Preservation  of  Gum  and  Starch  Paste.    The  paste  made  by 
gum  tragacanth  and  gum  arabic,  which  is  so  extensively  used 
by  the  apothecaries  in  this  country,  acquires,  particularly  during 
the  warm  season,  a  very  unpleasant  and  even  offensive  odor  in 
consequence  of  fermentation,  which  soon  commences  on  expo- 
sure to  the  air.    Oil  of  cloves,  alum  and  other  essential  oils 
and  salts  are  frequently  added  to  counteract  this  tendency,  with 
but  partial  success,  the  volatile  oils  merely  hiding  to  a  certain 
degree  the  offensive  odor  developed,  and  retarding  the  fermen- 
tation incompletely.    For  some  time  past  I  have  availed  my- 
self of  the  antiseptic  property  of  creasote,  which  may  be  added 
to  these  pastes  recently  made,  until  its  odor  is  faintly  apparent. 
The  result  is  their  perfect  preservation,  no  offensive  odor  being 
disengaged,  and  their  adhesiveness  is  not  impaired  by  keeping 
them  for  months. 
Fluid  extract  of  Colchicum  Seed.  Before  it  had  been  adopted 
for  the  present  Pharmacopoeia,  and  while  engaged  with  Dr.  E. 
R.  Squibb,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  I  have  made  considerable  quan- 
tities of  this  fluid  extract,  and  have  found  that  the  formula,  as 
it  now  stands,  is  the  best  in  its  results.  On  examining  the 
finished  preparation,  it  will  be  observed  that  it  is  turbid,  and 
it  cannot  be  obtained  clear  by  filtration  through  a  dry  or  moist- 
ened filter.    The  only  method  to  obtain  it  in  a  clear  state,  is  to 
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