216  Note  on  Sulphuric  Acid,  U.  S.  P.  {^5^1,18™' 
addition  of  a  drachm  of  potassic  citrate  to  each  bottle,  and  I  had 
quite  well  succeeded. 
I  cannot  deprecate  too  severely  the  sale  of  Epsom  salt,  disguised 
and  called  "  Citrate  of  Magnesia,"  although  it  is  a  "trick  of  trade"" 
entirely  too  common  everywhere — even  our  own  city,  the  cradle  of 
American  pharmacy,  is  not  exempt. 
Philadelphia,  April,  1874. 
Note  by  the  Editor. — We  do  not  agree  with  Dr.  Polk  that  the- 
practical  point  at  issue  in  the  above  question  is  whether  the  citrate 
of  magnesium  of  the  strength  given  in  his  formula  is  sufficiently  ac- 
tive for  most  persons  ;  but  whether  an  article,  containing  only  three- 
fifths  (which  is  not  much  over  one-half)  of  the  officinal  quantity,, 
should  be  sold  under  the  officinal  name.  The  fact  that  it  meets  with 
a  satisfactory  sale  at  one  Philadelphia  drug  store  does  not  remove  the 
objection  ;  but  we  should  like  to  inquire  about  this  apothecary,  who 
adheres  so  conscientiously  to  the  Pharmacopoeia  that  he  offers  to  his- 
customers  an  article  forty  per  cent,  less  in  strength  than  the  officinal, 
whether  he  requires  of  them  also  (bottle  excluded)  forty  per  cent,  less- 
money  than  his  neighbor  must  demand  who  follows  the  officinal  direc- 
tions ?  Dr.  Polk's  excellent  arguments  are  for  the  Pharmacopoeia. 
Committee  to  determine,  whether  the  strength  of  the  solution  should 
be  reduced  ;  but  not  for  the  apothecary  to  decide  this  question,  even 
though  recommended  by  a  score  of  physicians.  If  twelve  ounces  of 
the  officinal  solution  is  too  large  a  dose,  it  would  be  better  to  intro- 
duce again  bottles  of  one-half  or  two-thirds  of  that  size. 
We  have  heard  it  repeatedly  charged  that  Epsom  salt  is  frequently 
sold  as  citrate  of  magnesium,  yet  ever  since  the  introduction  of  this 
solution  in  this  country  we  remember  but  one  positive  proof,  and  that 
was  furnished  in  a  paper  by  Prof.  G.  E.  H.  Markoe,  published  in 
the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  1871r 
p.  532—538. 
NOTE  ON  SULPHURIC  ACID,  U.  S.  P. 
By  W.  H.  Pile,  M.  D. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  April  21st. 
This  acid,  according  to  the  present  and  previous  Pharmacopoeias, 
should  be  of  specific  gravity  1*843.  As  remarked  by  Dr.  Squibb* 
several  years  ago  and  repeated  at  the  late  meeting  of  the  American 
