436 
Fluid  Extract  of  Cimicifuga. 
(  A.m.Jour.  Pharm, 
\      Sept.,  1878. 
Cost. — If  the  percolation  had  been  arrested  when  the  first  fluidounce 
passed,  it  would  have  represented  one  and  four-tenths  troyounces  of 
cimicifuga.  To  obtain  this  we  used  7,680  grains  of  cimicifuga,  the 
alcohol  absorbed  (twenty-four  fluidounces),  and  the  alcohol  in  the 
percolate.  Calculating  the  sixteen  troyounces  of  powdered  cimicifuga 
at  twenty  cents,  and  alcohol  at  $2. 24  per  gollon,  we  have  451V0  cents 
as  the  actual  cost  of  one  standard  fluidounce  of  fluid  extract,  provid- 
ing the  operation  were  now  suspended.  Each  following  fluidounce 
decreased  in  price  until  the  fifteenth  was  reached,  which  cost 
9i2o5o  cents,  after  which  there  is  a  steady  increase  in  cost.  The 
twenty-fourth,  costing  9  8080,  is  almost  exactly  that  of  the  tenth. 
This  increase  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  alcohol  in  the  percolate,  after 
the  fifteenth  ounce,  is  worth  more  than  the  extractive  contained. 
Consequently,  from  a  pecuniary  view  the  point  to  suspend  the  opera- 
tion in  this  case  was  the  fifteenth  ounce.  Had  this  been  done  without 
any  evaporation,  each  fluidounce  would  have  cost  912050  cents,  while 
each  fluidounce  of  the  finished  extract,  U.  S.  P.,  after  reserving  four- 
teen fluidounces  and  evaporating  the  ten  following  to  two,  and  adding, 
to  reserve  percolate,  cost  9j8080  cents. 
If  the  operation  had  been  suspended  at  the  fourteenth  ounce,  each 
ounce  would  have  cost  9^  cents  and  contained  forty-six  and  five- 
tenths  grains  extractive  matter,  and,  without  evaporation,  would  have 
represented  more  cimicifuga  to  each  ounce,  at  a  less  price,  than  the 
sixteen  ounces  of  extract  prepared  from  twenty-four  ounces  of  perco- 
late by  the  aid  of  heat. 
Rate  of  Exhaustion. — The  first  fluidounce  of  percolate  contains 
ninety  eight  and  three-tenths  grains  of  extract,  representing  one  and 
four-tenths  ounces  of  the  cimicifuga.  The  second  fluidounce  con- 
tained eighty-two  and  sixty-six  hundredths  grains  ;  less  in  amount  than 
the  preceding,  but  still  more  than  was  necessary  to  represent  four 
hundred  and  eighty  grains  of  cimicifuga.  The  two  ounces  of  the 
percolate  represent  two  and  fifty-eight  hundredths  ounces  of  cimicifuga. 
Following  the  column  downward,  we  find  the  amount  of  extractive 
matter  constantly  decreases,  until  the  sum  of  the  extractive  at  the  sixth 
fluidounce  of  percolate  represents  six  and  five  hundredths  grains  of 
cimicifuga,  almost  exactly  troyounce  to  fluidounce.  Consequently^ 
had  the  operation  been  suspended  at  this  point,  we  would  have 
obtained,  without  the  use  of  heat,  six  ounces  of  fluid  extract,  repre* 
