318 
In  te  rn  ation  a  1  PJiarmacopceia. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July  1,1874 
those  of  cannabis,  of  hyoscyamus,  of  digitalis  and  of  colchicum  are 
one-fourth  weaker.  Lastly,  tincture  of  opium  and  the  camphorated 
tincture  are  made  weaker  than  the  British  preparations.* 
"  It  may  be  that  the  Americans  are  justified,  at  all  events  in 
some  cases,  in  not  following  our  authorities  in  this  matter  of  strength 
of  preparations  ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  that 
greater  uniformity  in  this  matter,  between  two  nations  speaking  the 
same  tongue  and  so  intimately  bound  together  by  social  and  commer- 
cial ties,  does  not  prevail. 
"To  British  medical  men  cast  abroad  in  America,  and  to  American 
physicians  landed  in  England,  it  must  be  vexatious,  and  at  times  a 
cause  of  injury  to  patients,  to  find  that  well-known  formulae,  common 
•*The  relation  in  the  strength  of  these  preparations  is  not  correctly  given  by 
the  Brit,  and  For.  Med.  Chirurg.  Review;  the  difference  in  the  officinal 
weights  and  measures  have  evidently  not  been  taken  into  account.  On  close 
examination  it  will  be  found  that  the  preparations  of  the  two  Pharmacopoeias 
agree  much  better  than  the  above  quotation  would  lead  us  to  believe,  in  fact, 
the  majority,  we  believe,  are  'practically  identical  in  strength,  like  tincture  of 
digitalis,  hyoscyamus,  etc. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  30  fluid  ounces  of  British  Pharmacopoeia  are 
equal  to  29  fluid  ounces  of  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  the  difference  being  only 
about  H  fluidrachms,  and  that  the  British  ounce  weighs  42  5  grains  less  than 
the  U.  S.  troy  ounce.  One  fluid  ounce  (imperial  and  U.  S.  measure)  of  the 
above  mentioned  preparations  contains  of  the  active  drug  the  following  num- 
ber of  troy  grains  : 
Brit.  Pharm. 
U.  S.  Pharm. 
In  fld.  oz.  imp.    In  fid.  oz.  wine  meas. 
Infusum  Calumbae, 
21-87 
145 
15 
(< 
Cascarillae, 
.  43-75 
29 
30 
«< 
Digitalis 
3 
7-25 
7-5 
(< 
Sennae, 
.  43-75 
29 
30 
Tinctura  Aconiti  rad., 
54  7 
174 
180 
Belladonnae, 
.  21-87 
58- 
60 
a 
Cannabis, 
21-87 
21-75 
22-5 
tt 
Cantharidis, 
.  5-47 
14 
15 
u 
Colchici, 
54-7 
58 
60 
u 
Digitalis,  . 
.  54-7 
58 
60 
tl 
Hyoscyami,  , 
54-7 
58 
60 
<< 
Nucis  vomicae,  . 
.  43-75 
116 
120 
u 
Opii,       .    .  . 
32  8 
3625 
37-5 
«( 
Opii  camphorata, 
.  2 
1-813 
1.875 
— Editor  Am.  Journ.  Pharm. 
