6o 
U.  S.  P.  1900  Menstrua. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(   February,  1914. 
Experiment  II. 
Pulse  Rate  . . . 
Blood-pressure 
F.  E.  Squill,  U.  S.  P.  ,  1900. 
Before.  After. 
. . .    102  I44 
F.  E.  Squill,  U.  S.  P.  ,1890. 
Before.  After. 
IOO  94 
52  50 
47  46 
Note. — In  both  cases  the  U.  S.  P.,  1900,  preparation  increased  the 
rate  and  lowered  the  pressure.  This  is  directly  opposite  in  effect 
from  the  characteristic  action  of  the  heart  tonics  in  general  and  from 
that  of  the  F.  E.  Squill,  U.  S.  P.,  1890,  from  the  same  drug. 
In  this  case  again  a  stronger  alcohol  is  better.  If  the  drug  is 
finely  ground  and  extracted  with  menstrua  containing  60  per  cent, 
or  less  of  alcohol,  it  swells  so  that  percolation  is  either  entirely  or 
almost  prevented.  It  becomes  necessary  either  to  cut  the  bulb  without 
grinding  or  toi  mix  with  sawdust  in  order  to  have  it  sufficiently  open 
to  percolate  properly.  An  additional  objection  is  in  the  large  amount 
of  gummy,  water-soluble  extractive  obtained  with  such  menstrua. 
A  fluid  extract  of  better  appearance,  better  keeping  quality  and  con- 
taining practically  all  the  available  activity  of  the  drug,  can  be 
obtained  by  the  use  of  80  per  cent,  alcohol.  Repeated  experiments 
have  shown  the  excellence  of  this  menstruum  over  that  of  the  7th  or 
8th  Revisions  of  the  U.  S.  P. 
III.  Fluid  Extract  Convallaria,  U.  S.  P.,  1900,  is  not  so  open 
to  criticism  as  the  others  but  the  menstruum  is  not  entirely  satis- 
factory. There  are  certain  advantages  to  be  gained  by  using  a 
stronger  alcoholic  menstruum  than  that  prescribed  in  the  8th  Revis- 
ion U.  S.  P.  While  these  advantages  are  more  apparent  when 
experiments  are  conducted  on  a  manufacturing  scale  than  when 
small  experimental  lots  of  fluid  extract  are  prepared,  even  in  the 
latter  case  the  advantages  are  very  real. 
Several  experiments  have  been  carried  out,  of  which  the  following 
is  used  as  an  example : 
A  small  lot  of  drug  was  divided  into  two  portions,  one  of  which 
was  extracted  as  prescribed  in  the  U.  S.  P. ;  namely,  with  62.7  per 
cent,  alcohol,  the  other  with  80  per  cent,  alcohol.  These  extracts  were 
carefully  concentrated  to  fluid  extract  volume  and  tested  for  activity 
by  the  method  previously  cited,  with  the  following  results : 
Menstruum. 
62  per  cent,  alcohol 
80  per  cent,  alcohol 
Per  cent.  Activity. 
IOO 
I20 
