AMarchRi,^872.M'}  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals.  103 
Cundurango  Bark,  24  troy-ounces. 
Alcohol,  (95  per  ct.)  12  fluid  " 
Glycerin,  (Bower's  inodorous),       6    "  " 
Water,  6  " 
Reduce  the  bark  to  a  moderately  coarse  powder  (No.  40),  and 
dampen  with  four  fluid-ounces  of  menstruum.  Place  a  piece  of  coarse 
sponge,  previously  moistened,  in  the  bottom  of  the  percolator,  and  pro- 
ceed to  pack  the  dampened  powder  uniformly  and  moderately  tight. 
Place  a  paper  or  muslin  diaphragm  over  the  surface  of  the  drug  and 
pour  on  the  remainder  of  the  menstruum;  cover  over  percolator  and  allow 
to  macerate  four  days.  If  the  menstruum  should  begin  to  pass  through 
before  that  period,  check  it  by  placing  a  cork  in  the  neck  of  the  percola- 
tor. On  the  fifth  day  remove  the  cork  and  pour  on  24  fluid-ounces  of 
dilute  alcohol,  and  allow  to  percolate  until  22  fluid-ounces  are  obtained. 
Set  aside  and  continue  the  percolation  until  8  fluid-ounces  more  pass 
through.  Expose  this  in  a  shallow  vessel  in  a  warm  place  until  re- 
duced to  two  fluid-ounces,  then  mix  and  agitate  with  the  original  per- 
colate of  22  ounces,  when  the  result  will  be  a  fluid  extract  of  a  very 
dark  reddish  brown  color,  fully  representing  the  drug,  possessing  an 
acrid  taste,  yet  devoid  of  bitterness. 
I  have  also  deemed  it  interesting  to  itemize  the  amount  of  extrac- 
tive matter  contained  in  the  drug,  and  pursued  the  following  method 
for  obtaining  a  sufficiently  practical  result : 
24  fluid-ounces  of  menstruum  weighs         21 J  troy-ounces. 
24    "  "      fluid  extract,  when 
finished,  weighs  24|  troy-ounces. 
The  dregs  in  the  percolator  was  afterwards  entirely  exhausted  with 
dilute  alcohol,  (requiring  about  2  pints),  and  then  carefully  evaporated, 
yielding  an  extract  weighing  three  drachms,  thus  proving  that  24  troy- 
ounces  of  the  bark  contains  3 J  troy-ounces  of  soluble  extractive 
matter. 
Philadelphia,  January  22d,  1872. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  EUROPEAN  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editor. 
Oils  of  Peppermint  and  Alcohol, — Hager  substantiates  his  criticism 
of  Puscher's  method  for  the  detection  of  alcohol  in  volatile  oils  by 
means  of  fuchsin,  by  a  somewhat  oxidized  oil  of  peppermint,  which 
