Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
April,  1878.  J 
Compound  Cathartic  Pills. 
165 
dry.  The  resin  of  scammony,  on  account  of  its  high  price,  is  often 
adulterated.  I  have,  off  and  on,  heard  it  remarked  that,  by  its  entire 
omission  from,  it  was  most  conspicuous  in  some  of  the  compound 
extracts  of  the  market.  The  Pharmacopoeia  gives  tests  for  detection 
of  adulteration  in  the  resin.  Cardamom,  of  the  proper  degree  of 
fineness  and  purity,  and  a  fine  quality  of  powdered  white  soap,  can  be 
purchased  in  the  market.  Powdering  soap  is  very  disagreeable,  if  nose 
and  mouth  are  not  protected.  The  powder  ought  to  be  of  the  very 
finest  quality,  otherwise  small  specks  of  white  soap  are  discernible  in 
the  finished  extract. 
The  thorough  mixing  of  the  ingredients  is  accomplished  by  passing 
all  through  a  fine  sieve,  then  placing  the  powder  in  a  bottle  which  it 
will  fill  one-half  or  two-thirds,  and  shaking  for  a  minute  or  two.  The 
finished  extract  ought  to  be  kept  in  bottles,  sealed,  and  in  a  cool  place. 
If  in  warm  weather  it  is  kept  in  a  common  extract  jar,  it  shows  a  ten- 
dency to  cake.  It  turns  several  shades  darker  with  keeping.  It  is  infi- 
nitely superior  to  some  extracts  of  the  market,  which  often  have  the 
appearance  of  very  coarsely  ground  coffee,  and  sometimes  exhibit  a 
decidedly  burnt  odor.  To  make  a  quantity  of  pills  is  one  of  the  most 
tedious  operations.  You  may  commence  pounding  in  the  morning, 
and  continue  at  it  all  through  the  day,  and  if  you  have  a  smooth,  homo- 
geneous mass  by  evening  you  are  fortunate.  If  the  exertion  proves 
too  much  or  too  tedious,  a  pill  mass  is  the  result  filled  with  smaller  and 
larger  grains  of  extract,  which  do  not  become  pliable  by  any  amount  of 
subsequent  rolling  on  the  pill  machine  or  kneading  between  the 
fingers.1 
Following  is  a  table  showing  the  difference  of  price  between  pur- 
chased extract  and  that  of  own  matufacture  : 
One  pound  avoirdupois  (7,000  grains)  of  extract 
Ext.  Coloc.    Pulv.  Aloes.  Res.  Scammon.  Pulv.  Cardam.  Pulv.  Sapon. 
Contains  106519  3652  08  913  02  456'5i  9i3'02  grs.  =  6999-82  grs. 
Costing    $  7307        3392  1-565  -1141         -0773         =  $  2-8263 
At  the  market  price  of  $3.25,  this  leaves  in  favor  of  own  make 
1  No  difficulty  whatever  is  experienced  if  the  mass  is  made  in  a  hot  iron  mortar; 
'very  little  water  should  be  used,  and  the  mass  rolled  out  while  warm  5  or,  if  it  has 
become  cold  and  hard,  it  should  be  warmed  again  in  an  air-bath.  If  too  much 
water  is  used,  the  pills  will  flatten  on  keeping. — Editor. 
