8  Acidum  Phosphoricum  Bilutum.  {AmjJa°nu,r-l8P7h7arm' 
"  Pharmacopoeia."  It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  say  that  in  looking  over 
our  pharmaceutical  literature,  quite  a  number  of  apothecaries  will  be 
observed  to  have  been  busily  engaged  in  providing  a  substitute  for  the 
magnesia  to  remedy  this  defect.  Various  recommendations  have  been 
made  from  time  to  time  as  improvements,  the  majority  of  which  are 
decisively  good  suggestions  of  the  substances  recommended  to  take  the 
place  of  magnesia.  I  would  enumerate  the  following  :  Animal  char- 
coal, silica,  pumice  stone,  glass,  kaolin,  chalk  and  paper  pulp  ;  then  it 
has  been  proposed  by  several  writers  to  dissolve  the  oils  in  boiling; 
water,  which  also  seems  to  answer  the  purpose  admirably  and  furnish 
satisfactory  products,  provided  the  oils  are  fresh  and  not  in  a  oxidized 
condition. 
My  object  here  is  to  exhibit  a  vial  of  cinnamon  water,  in  compli- 
ance with  a  request  at  our  last  meeting,  as  prepared  from  distillation 
with  the  oil,  not  that  I  advocate  that  process  altogether,  but  simply  to< 
show  what  can  be  done  by  distillation.  This  water,  upon  examination,, 
will  be  found  to  be  strongly  impregnated  with  the  odor,  and  I  believe 
by  diluting  with  an  equal  part  of  distilled  water,  an  article  far  superior 
in  odor  to  that  made  by  the  ordinary  process  will  be  obtained.  It  is 
almost  colorless,  whilst  that  made  with  magnesia  is  of  a  straw-yellow 
color.  When  medicated  waters  are  prepared  from  the  drug,  a  finer 
preparation  is  obtained  than  when  made  from  the  oil  ;  there  is  a  deli- 
cate fragrance  and  flavor  about  the  drug,  which  is  not  found  in  the  oils, 
even  in  the  freshest  possible  condition  in  which  they  can  be  obtained. 
Essential  oils  generally  do  not  keep  long  ;  they  soon  oxidize,  and  a 
foreign  substance  is  formed,  which  to  a  certain  degree  unfits  them  for 
medicated  waters,  although  if  great  care  is  taken  of  them  they  will 
answer  the  purpose  very  well,  and  will  please  the  most  particular  apoth- 
ecary. In  concluding  my  remarks,  I  would  say,  that  the  "  Pharmaco- 
poeia "  committee  should  be  reminded  of  the  necessary  and  absolute 
importance  of  making  a  change  in  the  preparations  of  medicated  waters, 
which  should  be  made  only  by  distillation  from  the  drug. 
Pot s<ville,  Pa. 
ACIDUM  PHOSPHORICUM  DILUTUM. 
By  Rich.  V.  Mattison,  Ph.G. 
[Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  December  igtb.) 
To  the  average  reader  it  seems  hardly  possible  that  anything  new 
can  be  said  on  this  subject,  so  thoroughly  has  it  been  discussed  n. 
