24 
An  hnproved  Pestle. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1894. 
For  Tincture  of  Rhubarb,  a  menstruum  containing  60  per  cent, 
of  alcohol  by  volume  and  io  per  cent,  of  glycerin,  has  been  adopted, 
and  percolation  completed  with  alcohol  60  volumes,  water  30  vol- 
umes. For  Aromatic  Tincture  of  Rhubarb  and  for  Sweet  Tincture 
of  Rhubarb  the  menstruum  contains  50  per  cent,  by  volume  of 
alcohol  and  10  per  cent,  of  glycerin,  and  percolation  is  continued 
with  diluted  alcohol.  The  amount  of  glycerin  is  excessive,  and 
we  see  no  reason  why  the  same  menstruum  should  not  have  been 
adopted  for  all  three,  especially  as  the  former  contains  less  aromatic 
material. 
The  introduction  of  acetic  acid  in  preparing  Tincture  of  Sanguin- 
aria  is  good.  Acetic  acid  appears  to  be  peculiarly  adapted  for 
extracting  this  drug. 
The  menstruum  from  Tincture  of  Squill  now  becomes  the  same  as 
that  for  the  fluid  extract,  being  3  vols,  alcohol,  I  vol.  water. 
Tincture  of  Strophanthus  is  one  of  the  newer  remedies  that  has 
merited  recognition  by  the  Pharmacopoeia.  It  is  regretted  that  in 
the  official  formula  no  instructions  are  given  for  removing  the  oil 
from  the  powdered  seed  before  percolation.  This  oil  of  an  exceed- 
ingly disagreeable  character,  will  average  30  per  cent,  of  the  weight 
of  the  seed  and  is  easily  removed  by  ether  or  purified  benzin  or 
even  largely  removed  as  directed  in  the  German  Pharmacopoeia  by 
expression.  By  the  use  of  a  weaker  alcoholic  menstruum  than  that 
originally  proposed  for  this  preparation,  the  Pharmacopoeia  evidently 
aims  to  diminish  the  amount  of  oil  extracted.  The  alcoholic 
strength  of  the  menstruum  adopted,  65  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  U.  S.  P., 
by  volume  corresponds  closely  to  the  diluted  alcohol  adopted  in 
the  German  Pharmacopoeia  (68  per  cent,  by  vol.  Ph.  G.) 
Tincture  of  Sumbul  remains  10  per  cent,  sumbul,  while  the 
alcoholic  strength  of  menstruum  is  reduced.  This  tincture  is  too 
weak  to  be  very  active.  It  should  contain  at  least  25  per  cent,  of  the 
drug  or  be  entirely  dismissed  and  a  fluid  extract  of  sumbul  intro- 
duced. 
AN  IMPROVED  PESTLE. 
By  I.  J.  White,  Ph.G.  — 
The  annoyance  and  inconvenience  druggists  have  had  for  many 
years  in  the  use  of  the  old  style  wax-jointed  pestle  has  been  over- 
come by  the  use  of  a  pestle  made  as  below  described.    In  this  the 
