378         Phosphate  of  Iron,  Quinine  and  Strychnine.  {A^uJg0^9rt.l8w!:m• 
ELIXIR   OF  PHOSPHATE   OF  IRON,  QUININE  AND 
STRYCHNINE.— 
By  Charges  T.  Heifer,  Ph.G. 
Read  before  the  Minnesota  Pharmaceutical  Association,  June  12,  1894. 
In  reading  the  Pharmaceutical  Journals  of  the  last  few  years,  one 
is  struck  with  the  frequency  in  which  the  editors  are  asked  :  What  is 
the  matter  with  this  or  that  formula?  In  March  last  the  American 
Druggist  asked  its  readers,  who  had  experimented  with  this  elixir, 
to  give  a  general  account  of  the  process  they  employed.  Several 
answered  the  request,  but  in  the  writer's  opinion  the  working  of 
some  of  the  formulas  was  too  complicated,  and  others  failed  to  be 
satisfactory  in  not  mixing  clear  with  water,  making  such  an  unsightly 
mixture  that  it  nauseates  the  patient. 
The  formula  which  I  have  used  for  the  past  three  years  has 
always  given  entire  satisfaction  ;  the  elixir  is  easily  made,  miscible 
with  water,  and  cost  twenty- eight  cents  per  pint — but  a  few  cents  more 
per  pint  than  that  made  from  the  sulphates.  If  time  were  counted 
in  cost,  my  formula  would  be  the  cheaper.  Each  fluid  drachm  con- 
tains two  grains  phosphate  of  iron,  one-half  grain  quinine  and  one 
hundredth  of  a  grain  of  strychnine. 
The  formula  is  as  follows : 
Phosphate  of  Iron,  U.  S.  P.,   256  grs. 
Quinine  (alkaloid),   64  " 
Strychnine,  ".    iX  " 
Alcohol,   2  fl.  oz. 
Water,   2  " 
Syrup,   2  " 
Aromatic  Elixir,  q.  s.  ad.,   16  " 
Dissolve  the  phosphate  of  iron  in  the  water,  quinine  and  strychnine  in  the 
alcohol,  mix  the  two  solutions,  shake,  add  the  syrup  and  lastly  the  aromatic 
elixir.    Set  aside  a  short  time,  and  filter  if  necessary. 
There  is  one  point  in  making  the  elixir  I  wish  to  call  attention 
to ;  in  adding  the  iron  solution  to  the  solution  of  the  alkaloids,  a 
thick  curdy  precipitate  occurs ;  do  not  be  alarmed  at  this,  but  con- 
tinue as  directed.  Set  the  elixir  aside  and  it  will  clear  up  in  from 
a  half  hour  to  an  hour. 
I  have  made  the  elixir,  when  it  has,  for  some  unknown  reason  to 
me,  taken  three  or  four  hours  to  clear,  but  the  usual  time  is  from 
one-half  to  one  hour. 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  June,  1894. 
