AmseJp°tu"*Xh8!rm }         Syrups  vs.  Cold  Percolation.  447 
on  the  other  hand,  is  as  follows  :  Take  of  orange-peel  ^xvi,  macer- 
ate for  3  or  4  days  with  one  pint  diluted  alcohol,  then  place  in  a  per- 
colator and  add  sufficient  dilute  alcohol  to  obtain  two  pints  of  tincture. 
Take  2  ounces  of  this  concentrated  tincture  to  14  fluidounces  of  sim- 
ple syrup  made  by  heat,  and  you  have  a  syrup  which  is  of  officinal 
strength.  This  syrup  has  lost  none  of  its  fragrant  volatile  principle,  and 
stands  without  a  peer.  It  is  claimed  that,  according  to  this  formula, 
this  syrup  will  become  turbid.  I  must  say  that  I  have  had  this  syrup 
for  a  period  of  three  months  already,  and  I  never  noticed  any  turbidity. 
It  is  also  claimed  that  the  magnesia  used  in  the  other  formula  dis- 
solves the  resinous  matter  and  makes  a  clear  syrup.  To  this  I  will 
say  that  by  dissolving  this  resinous  matter  you  are  changing  the  char- 
acter of  the  syrup,  for  this  resinous  matter  is  the  bitter  tonic  principle 
for  which  the  syrup  is  occasionally  prescribed.  On  the  other  hand, 
by  using  magnesia  you  cannot  have  all  the  volatile  principle  in  the 
syrup,  for  it  is  a  known  fact  that  all  volatile  principles  are  taken  up  to 
some  extent  by  the  magnesium  carbonate. 
In  order  to  improve  the  appearance  of  the  syrup  of  rhubarb,  it  has 
been  suggested  to  add  20  grains  of  carbonate  of  potassium  to  the  fluid 
extract  before  adding  the  simple  syrup  made  by  the  cold  process.  It  is 
claimed  that  the  potassa  will  dissolve  the  resinous  matter  of  the  extract, 
and  the  syrup  will  be  a  clear  and  highly-colored  syrup.  By  doing  this, 
you  must  call  this  syrup  a  compound  syrup  of  rhubarb,  because  the  addi- 
tion of  this  alkali  will  change  the  character  of  the  syrup  and  neutral- 
ize the  chrysophanic  acid  of  the  rhubarb,  which  is  not  desirable  in 
every  instance  where  rhubarb  is  prescribed  ;  for  the  physician  may  not 
want  an  alkali,  and  certainly  everyone  must  admit  that  the  druggist  has 
no  means  of  knowing  whether  he  can  add  an  alkali  or  not  without 
directions  by  the  physician. 
There  are  other  minor  points  which  speak  against  the  cold  process, 
but  even  the  officinal  process  in  some  syrups  is  inferior,  and  therefore 
we  ought  to  have  some  changes  in  the  officinal  syrups,  be  it  either  by 
heat,  cold  percolation  or  any  other  mode  of  procedure,  with  the  excep- 
tion that  if  the  cold  process  is  adopted  as  officinal,  it  must  be  radically 
changed  from  its  present  mode,  as  advocated  by  its  friends  and  sup- 
porters. 
