PREPARATIONS  OF  THE  U.  S.  PHARMACOPEIA,  1860.  393 
brown  color,  and  the  same  quantity  of  water  moistens  it  more 
and  more  each  time  it  is  applied  as  the  solubility  increases. 
The  supposed  advantages  of  this  process  over  those  hitherto 
published  are  mainly,  simplicity  and  economy  of  material,  ap- 
paratus and  labor.  It  entirely  dispenses  with  the  use  of  the 
most  expensive  material,  namely  chlorate  of  potassa, — avoids 
the  crucible  operations  and  the  high  heat,  which  are  always 
difficult  and  troublesome, — avoids  the  use  of  acids,  and  at  the 
same  time  greatly  economizes  the  potassa  ;  and,  finally,  avoids 
the  risk  of  crystallizable  contaminating  salts. 
Among  its  prominent  disadvantages  are  its  slowness  and  the 
smallness  of  the  per  diem  yield,  since  one  man  could  probably 
make  but  two  portions  of,  say  four  pounds  each,  upon  one  fire 
in  a  day,  and  could  scarcely  attend  well  to  more  than  two  fires. 
Another  disadvantage  will  be  the  difficulty  of  teaching  ordinary 
assistants  to  manage  the  aspersions  properly,  without  special 
apparatus. 
Brooklyn,  August  20th,  1864. 
REMARKS  ON  THE  PREPARATIONS  OF  THE  U.  S.  PHAR- 
MACOPEIA, 1860. 
By  William  Procter,  Je. 
{Continued  from  page  306.) 
In  continuing  the  remarks  on  the  Pharmacopoeia,  the  subject 
next  in  order  is  that  of  the  solid  extracts.  The  changes  made 
in  the  revision  of  these  formulae  consist  in  altered  names,  modi- 
fied preparations  and  manipulation,  and  new  preparations.  The 
present  number  is  32,  against  28  in  the  old  edition;  of  these 
eight  are  new  preparations,  four  of  the  old  ones  being  dismissed. 
Mxtraetum  Aconiti  Alcoholicum. — Extract  of  Aconite  Leaves 
from  the  expressed  juice  has  been  dismissed,  and  the  formula  for 
the  alcoholic  extract  of  the  leaves  retained  in  a  form  modified  by 
the  use  first  of  alcohol,  and  then  of  diluted  alcohol ;  a  pint  of  the 
former  for  each  12  troy-ounces  of  the  leaves  ;  percolating  a  pint 
of  tincture  by  adding  diluted  alcohol,  and  concentrating  this  by 
spontaneous  evaporation  to  a  syrupy  consistence  to  be  mixed 
with  the  product  of  the  evaporation  of  the  liquors  obtained  by 
