102         The  Keeping  and  Dispensing  of  Extracts.  {Am£"-I37h7arm 
THE  KEEPING  AND  DISPENSING  OF  EXTRACTS. 
By  J.  C.  Wharton. 
Among  the  disagreeable  things- connected  with  pharmacy,  scarcely 
any  give  more  annoyance  than  solid  extracts,  and  it  is  with  a  view  of 
lessening  the  unpleasant  features  of  this  large  class  of  our  preparations 
that  I  offer  the  following  suggestions.  I  cannot  claim  that  the  method 
herewith  presented  will  be  always  practicable,  but  from  sufficient 
experience  can  confidently  recommend  it  as  worth  a  trial.  Before 
stating  the  proposition,  however,  I  would  prefer  to  give  a  passing 
notice  of  some  of  the  defects  in  the  manufacturers'  part  in  putting  up 
their  extracts  for  general  sale. 
A  very  common  fault  is  in  the  consistency.  Solid  extracts  when  first 
opened  are  not  often  too  hard  unless  old,  but  quite  frequently  they  are 
entirely  too  soft.  Some,  indeed,  with  a  little  more  dilution  would 
make  passably  good  fluid  extracts.  To  such  an  extent  is  this  true  that 
oftentimes  a  newly  purchased  lot  of  extracts  will  be  received  in  such 
condition  externally  that  the  label  is  defaced  and  almost  if  not  alto- 
gether illegible  from  the  running  out  of  the  extract  at  the  imperfectly 
covered  top  of  the  jar.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  some  manufacturers 
resort  to  a  plan  which  dispensers,  I  am  sure,  would  pronounce  very 
objectionable  in  more  than  one  respect,  should  their  opinion  be  asked 
about  it.  The  plan  alluded  to  is  that  of  placing  tin-foil  over  the  tops 
of  the  jars,  between  the  cover  and  the  extract.  If  the  tin-foil  were 
pure  tin,  one  objection  to  this  plan  could  not  be  urged  ;  but  as  it 
usually  contains  a  considerable  proportion  of  lead,  it  must  be  objec- 
tionable on  that  account,  if  not  dangerous  to  use  for  the  purpose. 
However,  even  if  harmless,  it  is  a  source  of  inconvenience  and  also 
loss  to  the  dispenser,  as  it  often  gets  so  badly  mixed  with  the  contents 
of  the  jar  as  to  be  not  easily  removed,  and  if  removed  at  all,  occasions 
loss  from  adhering  extract.  Some  manufacturers  place  a  circular  piece 
of  bladder,  or  some  sort  of  animal  tissue,  over  the  extracts,  with  much 
better  judgment,  it  seems  to  me. 
But  to  briefly  state  the  point  had  in  mind  at  the  outset :  I  have 
found  that  a  number  of  solid  extracts  can  be  kept  in  very  good  condi- 
tion, and  more  conveniently  for  dispensing  than  in  any  other  way  I 
know  of  or  have  yet  heard  of,  by  simply  making  pills  of  certain  sizes,, 
\  grains,  I,  2,  3,  5,  10,  20  grains,  or  any  suitable  weights,  accurately 
