316  Bichloride  of  Mercury  Tablets.  {^mSI'jSSl^ 
It  is  to  be  noted  that  most  of  the  foreign  pharmacopoeias  have 
simply  followed  in  their  titles  that  proposed  by  Angerer,  and  desig- 
nate these  tablets  as  pastilles.  In  the  same  pharmacopoeias  the  title 
pastilli  is  frequently  applied  to  mild  remedial  agents  dispensed  in 
the  form  of  confections  or  lozenges.  It  is  certainly  an  unfortunate 
designation  and  a  dangerous  classification  that  would  include  such 
a  toxic  form  along  with  worm  lozenges,  cough  troches,  peppermint 
drops,  etc.  It  is  still  more  to  be  regretted  that  it  has  been  proposed 
to  adopt  this  same  title  in  the  U.  S.  P.  IX.  The  use  of  the  word 
"  pastille  "  in  this  connection  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  English 
usage  of  this  word.  As  defined  in  the  dictionaries  the  word 
"pastille  "  refers  to  several  forms  of  substances  of  an  entirely  differ- 
ent character  and  dissimilar  use. 
The  Century  Dictionary  defines  pastille  or  pastil : 
"  I — A  small  roll  of  aromatic  paste,  composed  of  gum  benzoin, 
sandalwood,  spices,  charcoal  powder,  etc.,  designed  to  be  burned  as 
a  fumigator. 
"  2 — A  kind  of  sugared  confection,  usually  of  a  strong  flavor,  of 
a  round  flat  shape,  like  peppermint  drops. 
"3 — In  art:  (a)  a  thin,  round  cake  of  water  color;  (b)  the 
method  of  painting  with  water  colors  prepared  as  pastils  or  a  draw- 
ing produced  by  them. 
"  4 — In  pyrotechny  a  paper  case  filled  with  a  burning  composition, 
intended  to  cause  rotation  of  a  wheel." 
Neither  of  these  definitions  would  cover  a  mercuric  chloride 
tablet  of  the  shape  described  and  the  intended  use.  In  medicine 
and  pharmacy  this  title  had  already  been  preempted  and  used  to  a 
considerable  extent  for  medicated  confections,  and  its  adoption  for 
such  a  toxic  official  preparation  is  an  exceedingly  dangerous  experi- 
ment. It  was  probably  for  this  reason  that  the  Pharmacopoeia 
Helvetica  adopted  as  its  title  "  Hydrargyrum  bichloratum  com- 
pressum,"  and  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Codex  "  Solvellse."  The 
"  Solvellse  "  of  the  Codex  are  compressed  tablets  or  discs  intended 
to  be  dissolved  in  water  for  external  or  local  use.  The  attempt  at 
classification  here  made  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  The  title 
coined,  however,  does  not  indicate  the  toxic  character  and,  more- 
over, is  subject  to  the  criticism  that  it  has  the  appearance  of  an 
attempt  to  imitate  the  trade-marked  name  of  a  certain  brand  of 
tablets  extensively  used  in  England. 
The  necessity  is  for  a  distinct  title  that  will  clearly  differentiate 
