Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
May  1, 1872.  J 
Suppositoria  Assafcetidce. 
201 
SUPPOSITORIA  ASSAF(ETID.E. 
By  Benjamin  T.  Fairchild. 
From  the  Author's  Inaugural  Essay. 
After  speaking  of  the  value  of  suppositories  as  medicinal  prepara- 
tions, and  advocating  the  use  of  cacao  butter  as  a  vehicle,  without  the 
addition  of  wax  §r  similar  substances,  the  author  dwells  on  the  dif- 
ficulty of  making  suppositories  containing  assafoetida,  and  suggests,  as 
reasons,  the  impurities  usually  present,  the  impossibility  of  obtaining 
and  keeping  assafoetida  in  the  state  of  powder  and  its  proximate  com- 
position, particularly  the  presence  of  gum  and  bassorin.  He  pro- 
poses  an  extract  free  from  the  impurities  and  the  gummy  constituents, 
for  which  he  proposes  the  following  formula  : 
1^.       Assafoetida,  selected  tears,   ^iij. 
Alcohol,  sp.  gr.  817  q.  s. 
Reduce  the  assafoetida  to  a  moderately  coarse  powder,  which  is  ac- 
complished by  first  subjecting  it  to  a  freezing  temperature ,  then  mix 
with  an  equal  bulk  of  sand  and  pack  it  moderately  in  a  glass  perco- 
lator. Pour  on  alcohol  until  it  has  equally  permeated  the  mixture 
and  appears  through  the  sponge  at  the  neck  of  the  percolator.  Then, 
having  corked  and  covered  tightly  to  prevent  evaporation,  allow  it  to 
macerate  for  several  days.  Displace  two  fluid  ounces,  and  set  this 
aside  ;  continue  the  percolation  until  the  drug  is  thoroughly  exhausted. 
Evaporate  spontaneously  the  last  obtained  tincture  until  the  alcohol 
has  been  entirely  driven  off.  Mix  the  product  with  the  percolate 
first  obtained,  and  evaporate  as  before  until  the  resulting  extract 
weighs  two  troy  ounces,  or  until  free  from  alcohol.  It  should  be  kept 
in  a  wide-mouth,  closely-stoppered  vial. 
Thus  obtained,  the  extract  has  a  thick,  semifluid  consistence,  a 
yellow  color,  and  consists  entirely  of  the  resins  and  volatile  oil.  It 
possesses  in  a  marked  degree  the  sensible  properties  of  the  drug. 
Two-thirds  of  a  grain  represents  about  one  grain  of  the  pure  gum 
resin. 
This  extract  possesses  many  advantages.  It  may  be  easily  pre- 
served, and  is  of  such  a  consistence  that  it  can  be  readily  manipu- 
lated, requiring  simply  to  be  mixed  with  the  excipient.  By  its  use 
suppositories  can  be  quickly  prepared,  elegant  in  appearance  and  sat- 
isfactory in  all  respects. 
My  attention  has  been  called  to  an  article  in  the  Sept.  No.  Amer. 
Jour.  Pharm.,  1868,  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Moore,  in  which  he  advocates  the 
