Am.  Jour.  Piurm.  ) 
March  1,  1872.  / 
Pharmaceutical  Colleges,  etc. 
131 
constantly  and  largely  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  this  and  similar  medicines 
ordered  in  the  Pharmacopoeia,  would  give  the  Society  a  little  more  in  detail 
the  result  of  their  experiences  and  observations.  Tt  had  struck  him  (Professor 
Redwood)  that  there  were  two  points  in  connection  with  the  subject  which  it 
was  very  important  to  keep  separately  before  the  mind.  One  was  the  occur- 
rence of  decomposition,  and  the  other  was  the  evidence  of  a  decomposition.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  all  the  inferences  which  had  been  formed  with  reference  to 
the  tinctures  that  had  just  been  brought  under  their  notice  were  inferences 
founded  simply  upon  the  obvious  appearances  which  the  tinctures  presented 
to  the  eye  ;  and  in  cases  in  which  there  had  been  some  alteration  or  variation 
in  the  mode  of  operating,  such  as  au  alteration  in  the  strength  of  the  menstruum 
or  spirit,  it  seemed  to  have  been  inferred,  because  there  was  no  evidence  to  our 
senses  of  decomposition,  that  no  decomposition  had  taken  place.  He  thought 
that  that  was  too  violent  an  assumption.  He  was  not  at  all  clear  that  in  cases 
where,  in  consequence  of  the  use  of  a  stronger  spirit,  there  had  been  no  deposi- 
tion of  insoluble  matter,  there  had  been  no  decomposition.  The  decomposition 
might  have  taken  place,  though  the  deposit  had  not  been  formed.  That  was  a 
point  upon  which  they  required  proof  one  way  or  the  other.  It  was  quite  pos- 
sible that' the  spirit  had  held  in  solution  the  product  of  decomposition  which,  if 
a  weaker  spirit  had  been  used,  would  have  given  a  muddy  appearance  to  the 
tincture.  If  that  were  so,  then  there  naturally  arose  another  question, — Was 
there  in  such  a  case,  or  would  there  be,  an  advantage  in  the  substitution  of  the 
stronger  spirit  for  the  weaker?  He  should  be  inclined  to  say,  No.  He  would 
rather  continue  the  use  of  the  weaker  spirit,  and  for  this  simple  reason,  that 
they  wanted  the  tincture  to  be  used  in  a  definite  condition.  It  might  be  a  tinc- 
ture which  would  not  keep  for  more  than  a  certain  limited  period  ;  and  if  that 
were  so,  it  ought  to  be  used  within  that  period,  and  not  used  beyond  it.  If  it 
became  muddy  when  the  decomposition  took  place,  that  would  preclude  its  use  ; 
but  if  by  the  use  of  a  different  menstruum— a  stronger  spirit  -that  mnddy  char- 
acter was  prevented,  theti  there  was  an  inducement  to  go  on  using  the  tincture 
when  it  was  in  an  unfit  state.  In  fact,  it  appeared  to  him  that  the  case  was 
somewhat  analogous  to  that  of  oil  of  bitter  almonds.  Oil  of  bitter  almonds  in 
the  purified  state,  freed  from  hydrocyanic  acid,  underwent,  a  speedy  oxidation. 
He  would  not  say  that  this  oxidation  always  occurred,  for  Dr.  Tilden  had  shown 
them  that  if  the  oil  were  anhydrous,  it  might  be  kept  without  rapid  oxidation  ; 
but  in  its  ordinary  state,  when  purified  from  hydrocyanic  acid  it  would  oxidize 
quickly,  and  pass  into  the  state  of  benzoic  acid,  which  would  crystallize  in  it  ; 
and,  in  place  of  the  fluid  oil,  there  would  be  a  mass  of  crystals  nearly  filling  the 
bottle,  and  they  would  at  once  indicate  that  there  had  occurred  such  a  change 
as  would  preclude  the  use  of  the  oil.  or  at  least  of  the  altered  part  of  it.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  had  essence  of  bitter  almonds  instead  of  oil. — that  is  to 
say,  if  they  had  dissolved  the  oil  previously  in  a  certain  quantity  of  spirit, — 
there  was  no  longer  such  an  indication  as  that.  There  would  be  no  deposi- 
tion of  crystalline  matter,  because  there  was  present  a  menstruum  (the  spirit) 
which,  as  the  benzoic  acid  formed,  dissolved  it.  That  seemed  to  him  to  be  a 
somewhat  analogous  case  to  what  possibly  occurred  in  tincture  of  cinnamon. 
It  was  most  desirable  that  there  should  be  some  experiments  to  indicate 
whether  decomposition  took  place  when  external  evidences  of  it  were  absent. 
Mr.  Greenish  said  that  the  cinnamon  had  absolutely  gone  out  of  the  two 
preparations  he  had  mentioned,  or  scarcely  a  trace  of  it  was  left,  and.  therefore, 
in  the  decomposition  the  cinnamon  was  evidently  decomposed,  and  there  was  a 
very  copious  precipitate.  When  made  with  the  stronger  spirit,  the  compound 
tincture  of  cinnamon  and  the  simple  tincture  had  each  a  strong  smell  of  cinna- 
mon after  having  been  kept  for  about  two  years.  In  every  Pharmacopoeia 
which  he  had  consulted  on  the  subject,  except  that  of  the  Uuited  States,  a 
stronger  spirit  was  used — either  six  of  spirit  to  two  of  water  or  rectified  spirit. 
The  President  askeci  Professor  Redwood  what  method  he  would  propose  to 
be  adopted  for  ascertaining  at  what  time  chemical  change  eomrrienced  in  tinc- 
ture of  cinnamon,  and  to  what  extent? 
