404     PREPARATIONS  OF  THE  IT.  S.  PHARMACOPOEIA,  1860. 
from  getting  into  lumps.  The  writer  ha3  often  spent  several 
hours  in  properly  moistening  a  mass  of  ingredients  for  twenty- 
five  pints  of  this  extract,  and  has  been  agreeably  surprised  at 
the  small  amount  of  menstruum  which  would  exhaust  them 
when  properly  prepared  for  percolation. 
Extractum  Sennce  Fluidum. — In  comparing  this  recipe  with 
that  of  1850  the  reader  is  at  once  struck  with  the  absence  of 
aromatics  from  the  new  fluid  extract.  The  manipulation  also 
is  quite  different.  By  reserving  the  first  pint  of  percolate  and 
evaporating  it  spontaneously  to  half  a  pint,  much  of  the  ac- 
tivity of  the  senna  is  removed  and  kept  from  the  injurious  ac- 
tion of  heat  in  evaporating.  The  second  liquid  is  directed  to 
be  mixed  with  the  sugar  and  evaporated  to  half  a  pint  on  a 
water  bath.  By  using  a  water  bath  still  the  alcohol  may  be 
recovered.  The  reasons  for  omitting  the  aromatics  are  :  1st. 
That  physicians  may  'suit  themselves  as  to  what  aromatics  they 
wish.  2d.  That  the  odor  of  the  senna  will  afford  an  index  of 
the  good  quality  of  the  preparation.  3d.  That  the  fluid  extract 
may  be  used  in  making  mixtures  of  senna  where  the  aromatics 
would  be  unnecessary. 
Ext.  Serpentarice  Fluidum.  This  fluid  extract  was  intro- 
duced by  Mr.  Taylor,  (see  this  Journal,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  206).  The 
officinal  process  is  like  that  for  fluid  extract  of  gentian. 
Extractum  Spigelian  Fluidum.  This  is  made  by  the  formula 
for  fluid  extract  of  senna,  and  it  is  chiefly  employed  to  make 
the  compound  fluid  extract  of  spigelia  and  senna.  The  simple 
fluid  extract  of  spigelia  affords  the  physician  an  admirable 
means  of  prescribing  this  excellent  vermifuge  in  mixtures,  but 
its  high  price  has  at  present  thrown  it  greatly  out  of  use. 
Ext.  Taraxaci  Fluidum  is  made  by  a  formula  published  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Association  for  1859,  by  the  writer  of  this, 
and  is  a  concentrated  tincture,  containing  but  25  per  cent,  of 
alcohol.    It  is  a  good  preparation. 
Ext.  Uvce  Ursi  Fluidum  contains  both  alcohol  and  sugar  as 
preservative  agents,  and  is  made  by  reserving  a  portion  of  the 
first  tincture,  evaporating  the  rest  with  the  addition  of  sugar 
and  mixing  them. 
