Am.  jour,  pharm.  |  Changes  in  Formulas  of  Galenicals. 
January,   1917.  J 
is 
of  Oleoresin  of  Cubeb,  are  again  directed  to  be  made  with  ether  as  a 
solvent  instead  of  acetone.  In  the  Eighth  Revision,  acetone  was  di- 
rected in  place  of  ether,  because  at  that  time  the  former  was  cheaper. 
As  it  is  now  permissible  to  use  denatured  alcohol  in  the  manufacture 
of  ether,  that  solvent  is  made  so  cheaply  that  it  is  again  advantage- 
ous to  use  it  in  place  of  acetone. 
One  of  the  most  noteworthy  advances  in  the  present  revision 
has  been  the  adoption  of  introductory  chapters  and  the  classifications 
and  type  processes  given  under  Fluidextracts  and  Tinctures,  thus 
saving  a  number  of  pages  in  the  book  and  avoiding  the  unnecessary 
repetition  of  instructions.  It  is  hoped  that  this  attempt  at  condens- 
ing formulas  will  prove  satisfactory  and  may  be  still  further  ex- 
tended in  future  revisions. 
The  popularity  and  extensive  use  of  powdered  extracts  required 
pharmacopceial  recognition  of  a  number  of  the  extracts  in  this  form. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Powdered  Extracts  of  Aconite, 
Belladonna  Leaves,  Colchicum  Corm,  Gelsemium,  Hydrastis,  Rhu- 
barb, Stramonium  and  Viburnum  Prunifolium.  In  addition,  Puri- 
fied Oxgall  is  now  official  in  the  form  of  a  powdered  extract,  and 
this  class  of  powdered  extracts  will  probably  be  added  to  in  the 
future  revisions. 
The  subcommittee  recommended  that  a  distinct  class  of  Pulv- 
extracta  should  be  made  so  as  to  distinguish  these  from  the  pilular 
extracts.  The  conservatism  of  the  General  Committee  of  Revision, 
however,  decided  that  the  pilular  or  solid  extracts  and  the  powdered 
extracts  should  not  be  separated  but  all  retained  under  the  one  class 
of  Extracta  and  that  in  the  monographs  where  both  forms  were 
recognized,  the  formula  for  the  pilular  extract  should  precede  that 
for  the  powdered  extract. 
The  preparation  of  powdered  extracts  presented  some  worri- 
some problems  for  the  consideration  of  the  subcommittee.  In  order 
to  obtain  a  concentrated  extract  freed  as  far  as  possible  from  muci- 
laginous and  gummy  extractives,  so  as  to  permit  of  powdering  and 
dilution  in  the  form  of  a  permanent  powder,  higher  alcoholic  men- 
struums  had  to  be  adopted  than  were  required,  as  a  rule,  for  the 
pilular  extracts.  Where  the  drug  contained  any  appreciable  amount 
of  oil  or  fat,  it  was  found  that  this  had  to  be  removed  before  a  satis- 
factory powdered  extract  could  be  produced.  Hence,  in  the  Pow- 
dered Extracts  of  Aconite  Root,  Colchicum  Corm,  Nux  Vomica  and 
Physostigma,  purified  petroleum  benzin  extractions  had  to  be  made 
