AmFe°bu?i877.rm}  The  Metrical  System  in  Prescriptions.  55 
the  entire  continent  of  South  America,  there  is  no  officially  published 
"  Pharmacopoeia,"  but  that  those  of  various  European  nationalities  are 
used.  Since  Portugal  and  Spain  employ  metric  weights  only  in  the 
preparation  and  dispensing  of  medicines,  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  these 
are  employed  almost  to  the  entire  exclusion  of  measures. 
Cuba  naturally  follows  the  mother-country,  Spain,  and  with  the 
pharmaceutical  journal,  "La  Emulacion,"  as  far  back  as  1863,  before 
us,  we  learn  that  the  metric  weights  have  been  in  use  there  at  that 
time.  The  following  formulas,  taken  from  that  journal  of  January, 
1864,  and  June,  1865,  will  show  this  : 
Colodion  morfinizada  (Collodion  with  morphia.) 
R.    Colodion  elastico  (flexible  collodion),        .  .  30  gramos 
Hydroclorato  de  morfina  (muriate  of  morphia),        .    1  gramo 
H.  s.  a.  (Mix  according  to  art). 
Electuario  antiblenorragica  (Antiblennorrhagic  Electuary). 
R.    Tanato  manganico  (tannate  of  manganese),       .    25  centigramos 
Polvos  de  cubeba  (powdered  cubebs),  .  .    30  gramos 
Balsamo  de  copaiba  (copaiva),  .  .    30  gramos 
M.  Mix. 
Pocion  contra  la  metrorragia  (Potion  against  metrorrhagia). 
R.    Cocimiento  de  salep  (decoction  of  salep),  .    200  gramos 
Acido  phosphorico  (phosphoric  acid),      .  .        5  idem 
Jarabe  de  frambruesas  (syrup  of  raspberry),      1       .      20  idem 
Una  cucharada  cada  media  hora  (a  spoonful  every  half  an  hour). 
As  far  as  the  writer  is  informed,  besides  the  United  States  "  Phar- 
macopoeia," there  has  been  only  one  national  "Pharmacopoeia"  issued 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  latest  edition  of  that  work  being  the 
"  Nueva  Farmacopea  Mexicana,"  published  in  Mexico  in  1874.  As 
might  have  been  expected,  this  work  leans  on  the  similar  issues  of 
southwestern  Europe,  and  is  a  production  very  creditable  to  the  phar- 
maceutical society  by  which  it  was  issued.  That  there,  also,  weights 
alone  are  employed,  to  the  exclusion  of  measures,  will  be  seen  from 
the  following  formulas  copied  from  the  "  Farmacopea,"  to  which,  as 
in  the  preceding  case,  the  English  translations  are  added  : 
Alcoholato  de  Canela  (Alcoholatum  corticis  Cinnamoni). 
Canela  de  Ceylan  (Ceylon  cinnamon),  .  .    quinientos  gram.  500 
Alcohol  de  8o°  (80  per  cent,  alcohol),  .  .    cuatro-mil  gram.  4000 
Hagase  macerar  la  canela  en  el  alcohol  por  cuatro  dias  y  destilese  en  B.  M.  hasta 
obtener  toda  la  parte  espirituosa  (Macerate  the  cinnamon  in  the  alcohol  for  four 
days,  and  distil,  by  means  of  a  water-bath,  until  the  whole  of  the  spirituous  por- 
tion has  been  obtained). 
