Am  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Sept  ,  1877.  ; 
Fractional  Notes. 
441 
of  water,  and  precipitated  by  a  mixture  of  seven  parts  calcined  mag- 
nesia and  120  water.  Shake  well  together  and  dispense.  In  arsenic 
poisoning,  certainly  no  objection  can  be  found  against  the  presence  of 
sulphate  of  magnesia. 
Copaiva  in  Pills. — The  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  makes  a  pill  mass  by 
adding  one  drachm  calcined  magnesia  to  two  troyounces  copaiva,  which 
mixture  after  several  hours  becomes  solid  enough  to  be  made  into  pills. 
Unhappily  these  pills  are  so  seldom  prescribed  that  few  apothecaries 
keep  them  ready  made,  and  have  to  make  them  when  called  for.  By 
using  as  much  calcined  magnesia  as  balsam  of  copaiva,  a  mass  will  be 
obtained  which  has  sufficient  consistence  to  enable  it  to  be  rolled  out 
at  once.  (The  addition  of  one  drop  of  water  to  each  drachm  of  balsam 
facilitates  the  solidification.)  If  it  is  found  desirable  to  prevent  these 
pills  from  becoming  stone-hard,  Hager  in  his  "  Praxis "  recommends 
the  addition  of  beeswax:  200  copaiva,  20  beeswax,  10  calcined  mag- 
nesia, 2  water.  Pills,  or  rather  boles,  of  copaiva  and  cubebs  are  often 
prescribed  by  the  German  physicians.  The  German  apothecaries  have 
for  many  years  kept  ready  on  hand  a  mixture  of  1  beeswax  and  2 
copaiva,  of  course  taking  a  corresponding  quantity  of  said  mass  (2 
balsam  =  3  mass)  to  make  the  boks. 
Speaking  of  balsam  of  copaiba,  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  that  I 
have  lately  had  to  make  suppositories,  each  to  contain  one  drachm  of  the 
balsam  (no  mistake  !).  By  melting  3  parts  of  beeswax  (in  summer  time) 
and  adding  1  part  of  copaiva  I  got  a  plastic  mass,  none  too  hard  ;  it  is 
true  each  suppository  was  about  two  inches  in  height  and  one  inch  broad 
at  the  base,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  the  (male)  patient  did  not  feel 
at  all  comfortable. 
Lycopodium  in  Mixtures. — In  order  to  make  lycopodium  miscible 
with  water  it  becomes  necessary  first  to  rub  it  dry  under  strong  pressure 
(to  powder  it,  as  it  were)  before  adding  the  water.  A  little  alcohol 
(1  :  16)  much  facilitates  the  rubbing,  and  dispenses  with  the  extra  pres- 
sure. The  lycopodium  has  to  be  rubbed  until  it  forms  a  granulous 
mass. 
Volatile  Liniment.— In  one  of  the  earlier  volumes  of  the  "  Phar- 
macist," R.  Rother  recommends  the  addition  of  a  little  oleic  acid  to 
the  liniment  of  the  Pharmacopoeia.  This  is  a  good  idea  ;  it  prevents 
the  separation,  so  familiar  to  all,  keeps  it  from  solidifying,  and  makes  it 
