Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  > 
June  1,  1874.  J 
Mistura  Assafoetidce. 
267 
water,  to  remove  adhering  carbolic  acid  ;  by  the  odor  and  tase  it  was 
found  to  be  camphor. 
The  powder  operated  upon,  after  being  exhausted  with  water  and 
alcohol,  was  blue,  and,  upon  examination,  was  found  to  contain  indigo  ; 
this,  therefore,  accounts  for  the  green  color  of  the  original  powder, 
the  yellow  hydrastis  and  blue  indigo  producing  green. 
A  number  of  experiments  were  now  made,  by  which  it  was  found 
that  a  mixture  in  the  following  proportions  very  closely  resembled 
Dr.  Sage's  Catarrh  Remedy. 
1^        Hydrastis  canadensis,         .        .       gr.  v. 
Indigo,  gr.  ss. 
Camphorae  pulv., 
Acidi  carbolici,  aa  gr.  ij. 
Sodii  chloridi,     .       .       .       .       gr.  1. 
Powder  the  camphor  by  means  of  a  drop  of  alcohol  and  mix  with 
the  salt,  previously  reduced  to  a  moderately  fine  powder  ;  rub  the 
indigo  and  carbolic  acid  together,  mix  with  the  salt  and  camphor,  and 
lastly  add  the  powdered  hydrastis,  and  mix  intimately,  without  much 
pressure,  in  a  mortar. 
The  above  manipulations  I  found  necessary  to  follow  in  order  to 
obtain  the  powder  in  the  same  degree  of  fineness  as  the  commercial 
article. 
MTSTURA  ASSAFCETIDiE. 
By  David  Ackerman,  Jr.,  Gr.  P. 
Condensed  from  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
In  the  earlier  part  of  the  hot  summer  months  a  mixture  was  pre- 
pared  by  selecting  240  grains  of  fine  tears  of  assafoetida.  These 
were  rubbed  to  a  uniformly  fine  mass,  then  triturated  with  a  fluidounce 
of  glycerin  to  a  thick  paste,  a  fluidounce  of  water  added,  and  the 
whole  incorporated  thoroughly  by  being  well  triturated.    The  dis- 
solved portion  was  decanted,  and  the  residue  treated  in  like  manner 
with  the  same  quantity  of  glycerin  and  water,  and  mixed  with  the 
previous  portion. 
A  portion  of  this  was  diluted  to  the  officinal  standard,  which,  after 
standing  exposed  to  heat  and  light  for  a  few  days,  assumed  a  faint 
reddish  tint,  which  gradually  deepened,  on  standing  a  week,  to  a  deep 
red  color. 
A  similar  quantity  of  officinal  mixture  was  prepared,  of  similar 
