16  Revision  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.  {Amji°n%p9iarm* 
(118-4°  F.  to  125-6°  F.)  The  official  description  of  Jaborandi 
intended  to  cover  both  Rio  Janeiro  and  Pernambuco  Jaborandi  does 
not  agree  with  E.  M.  Holmes'  description  of  the  latter  variety.  The 
official  description  reads  "  4.  to  6  cm.  broad,  oval  or  ovate  oblong ; 
Holmes  (loc.  cit.)  writes  2%  to  5  cm.  broad,  narrowly  elliptical. 
The  description  should  also  describe  the  prominent  veinlets  on  the 
upper  surface. 
Two  pills,  namely,  Pilulae  Galbani  Compositae  and  Pilulae  Ferri 
Compositae  have  been  dismissed,  and  two,  namely,  Pilulae  Cathar- 
ticae  Vegetabilis  and  Pilulae  Ferri  Carbonatis  (Blaud's  pills)  have 
been  added  to  the  official  list. 
Castor  oil  is  directed  as  the  excipient  for  Compound  Pills  of  Anti- 
mony. In  Compound  Cathartic  Pills,  extract  of  jalap  is  again 
directed,  but  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  proportion  of  the  ingredients 
has  been  changed  so  that  now  the  official  pills  weigh  each  -185  gm. 
In  1880,  the  weight  was  -230  gm.,  and  in  1870  -231  gm. 
In  the  formula  for  Pills  of  Ferrous  Carbonate,  the  quantity  of 
potassium  carbonate  directed  is  insufficient  to  decompose  the  quan- 
tity of  ferrous  sulphate  directed  even  if  an  anhydrous  pure  carbonate 
of  potassium  is  used.  These  pills  should  have  been  directed  to  be 
coated  with  an  ethereal  solution  of  tolu,  as  a  protection  against  oxi- 
dation, and  then  the  requirement  that  they  should  be  freshly  pre- 
pared when  wanted  could  have  been  omitted. 
In  the  formula  for  Pills  of  Phosphorus  the  althea  and  acacia  have 
been  increased  so  that  each  pill,  when  finished,  will  weigh  -120  gm. 
(nearly  2  grains),  unnecessarily  large  for  a  pill  containing  only  -0006 
gm.,  yJj-g-  grain  phosphorus.  The  manufacturers  will  hardly  dare  to 
adopt  this  formula. 
Lead  Nitrate  is  so  little  used  that  it  might  have  been  dropped. 
Potassium  Carbonate  is  now  directed  to  be  anhydrous,  and  to 
contain  not  less  than  95  per  cent,  of  the  pure  salt.  This  excludes 
the  commercial  purified  carbonate  or  salt  of  tartar,  which  generally 
contains  18  per  cent,  of  water,  about  3  molecules.  Prune  should  be 
the  dried  fruit  of  Prunus  domestica,  L. 
In  Pulvis  Giycyrrhizae  Compositum,  the  substitution  of  oil  of  fen- 
nel for  the  pulverized  fruit  is  to  be  noted.  We  see  no  reason  for 
changing  this  formula  from  that  original  in  the  German  Pharmaco- 
poeia. 
In  the  description  of  Pyrethrum  it  should  have  been  noted  that 
