METHODS  OF  MAKING  MEDICINES  AGREEABLE,  ETC.  521 
has  come  into  general  use,  I  believe,  in  some  of  the  Eastern  cities, 
particularly  Philadelphia  ;  it  is  used  in  consumption  and  dyspep- 
sia, and  from  its  elegant  appearance  and  pleasant  taste  seems  to 
be  an  eligible  preparation. 
A  tincture  formed  by  macerating  the  bark  of  Prunus  virgini- 
ana  in  rum,  is  an  agreeable  addition  in  the  way  of  flavor  to  our 
officinal  concentrated  syrup  of  sarsaparilla.  The  U.  S.  syrup  of 
Prunus  virginiana  I  have  found  to  be  one  of  the  most  delightful 
of  adjuvants  to  cough  mixtures ;  it  is  also  an  elegant  vehicle  for 
the  administration  of  the  most  powerful  anodynes,  etc.,  used  in 
pulmonary  complaints ;  prussic  acid  only  serves  to  give  increased 
flavor  of  the  cherry  to  this  syrup  when  given  in  it. 
I  have  found  a  syrup  of  roasted  coffee  excellent  in  covering 
the  taste  of  quinia,  morphia,  etc.  An  infusion  of  roasted  coffee 
is  valuable  in  covering  the  taste  of  Epsom  salts,  senna,  and  of 
many  bitter  infusions. 
In  many  extemporaneous  mixtures,  a  syrup  prepared  from  the 
essential  oil  and  peel  of  the  sweet  orange,  is  agreeable  as  an 
adjuvant. 
If  pharmaceutists  would  generally  prepare  their  syrup  of 
ginger  and  tolu  after  the  method  of  Mr.  Finley,  as  published 
in  the  23d  vol.  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  I  think  they 
would  not  have  cause  to  regret  the  change  from  the  turbid,  inele- 
gant ones  of  the  U.  S.  P.,  to  the  beautifully  transparent  and 
strong  ones  prepared  by  his  method. 
Strong  fruit  syrups,  prepared  by  dissolving  with  as  little  heat  as 
possible,  2  lbs.  troy  of  refined  sugar  in  the  expressed  juice  of  any 
fruit  or  berry,  make  delightful  adjuvants  to  numberless  ex- 
temporaneous prescriptions  of  the  physician  ;  they  are  agreeable 
additions  to  effervescent  draughts,  and  are  best  for  flavoring 
mineral  water  syrups. 
Syrups  of  Iceland  moss,  Irish  moss,  marsh-mallow,  hore- 
houncl,  acacia,  liquorice,  liverwort,  etc.,  are  favorites  in  certain 
localities  as  cough  remedies;  infusions  of  the  same  with  gum  and 
sugar  are  formed  into  pastes,  similar  to  jujube,  and  meet  with 
ready  sale. 
Confections,  though  considered  in  their  ordinary  forms  as 
agreeable  methods  by  which  to  administer  medicines,  are  im- 
proved by  introducing  the  proper  dose  of  any  one  of  them  into 
figs  or  dates,  and  prunes  freed  from  their  stones. 
