382 
EDITORIAL. 
with  the  ether,  after  agitating  it  with  water,  to  remnve  the  fixed  oil,  and 
then  exhausting  the  residue  with  water,  by  digestion,  at  160°  F.,  heating 
the  liquor  to  212'%  straining  out  the  coagulum,  and  evaporating  the  liquor 
to  nine  fluidounces,  and  add  eight  fluidounces  of  alcohol,  and  filter.  Our 
own  process  is  greatly  superior  to  this,  and  more  ready  of  execution. 
Liquid  Extract  of  Opium  is  a  solution  of  an  ounce  of  extract  of  opium 
in  seventeen  ounces  of  water,  preserved  hy  the  addition  of  three  ounces 
of  alcohol.  Liquid  Extract  of  Pareira  is  made  wiih  water,  an  ounce  to  a 
fluidounce  in  strength,  and  preserved  with  three  fliiidounces  of  alcohol 
to  the  oint.    Fluid  Extract  of  S  irsap  irilla  is  nude  in  the  same  way. 
Connected  with  the  subject  of  extracts  we  oIFei  a  few  remarks  on — • 
Percolation  in  Great  Britain. — Since  the  publication  of  the  British 
Pharmacopoeia,  the  pharmaceutists  have  suddenly  awok j  to  the  importance 
of  this  process  of  solution.  Did  we  not  remember  how  it  was  in  this 
country,  about  twenty  years  ago,  when  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  1^40  was 
published,  we  might  almost  smile  at  some  of  the  remarks  that  are  made 
about  this  now  established  process.  In  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  it  has 
been  introduced  in  the  preparation  of  tinctures,  hut  in  such  an  imperfect 
manlier  as  to  detract  considerably  from  its  merit.  In  most  of  the  cases 
the  following  manipulation  is  directed  : — 
"  Tinc'w  d  Aconiii.    Tincture  of  Aconite. 
Take  of  Aconite  root,  in  fine  powder,  two  ounces  and  a  half, 
Rectified  spirit  a  pint  (twenty  fluidounoes), 
Macerate  the  aconite  root,  far  forty-eight  h  >urs,  with  fifteen  ounces  of  the 
spirit,  in  a  tdose  vessel,  agitating  occasion  illy  ;  then  transfer  to  a  perco- 
lator, and,  when  the  fluid  ceases  to  pass,  pour  into  the  percolator  the  re- 
maining five  ounces  of  the  spirit.  As  soon  as  the  percolation  is  com- 
pleted, subject  the  contents  of  the  percolator  to  pressure,  filter  the  pro- 
duct, mix  tne  liquids,  and  add  sufficient  rectified  spirit  to  make  one  pint," 
The  menstruum  varies  with  the  substance  and  the  proportion  of  ingredi- 
ents, but  the  state  of  division  is  sometimes  in  fine  powder,  sometimes 
"cut  and  bruised,"  and  often  in  coarse  powder.  The  previous  m  iceration 
and  the  use  of  the  press,  to  get  the  p  -rtion  of  tincture  absorbed,  show 
either  a  1  ick  of  confi  lence  in  the  process,  or  aims  at  saving  the  men- 
struum ;  nor  has  the  process  been  adopted  in  many  preparations,  except 
the  tinctures. 
Since  the  publication  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  Mr.  Iliselden,  Mr.  Sanger, 
Mr.  Deaneand  Prof.  Redwood  have  written  on  the  subject,  various  appa- 
ratus figured  in  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  and  Prof.  Redwood,  while 
stating  tiie  merits  of  percolation,  evidently  gives  what  he  calls  **  the  au- 
tomatic process,"  (the  method  known  here  as  circulatory  displacement, 
and  which  originated  with  Mr.  Alsop's  Infusion  mug  in  1832,  and  afterwards 
employed  tor  tinctures  by  Dr.  Burton,  of  England,  and  known  there  as 
Burton's  method),  the  preference,  Now,  the  difference  between  macer- 
ation at  the  ton  aud  bottom  of  the  liquid  is  a  very  important  one.  We 
