^'/uiy'iSr'"1'}     Standardization  of  Solid  Extracts.  369 
Extract  of  belladonna  leaves  (alcoholic)  represents  about  five 
times  its  weight  of  the  drug  and  contains  about  2-00  per  cent,  of 
alkaloid,  estimated  gravimetrically. 
Cinchona  contains  about  25  per  cent,  of  extractive  matter,  and 
should,  therefore,  assay  about  20  per  cent,  of  total  alkaloids,  one- 
half  of  which  should  be  quinine. 
Colchicum  root  yields  about  25  percent,  of  extract,  which  should 
assay  about  2-00  per  cent,  of  alkaloid. 
Conium  fruit  yields  nearly  30  per  cent,  of  extract,  which  should 
contain  about  175  per  cent,  alkaloid. 
Hyoscyamus  contains  about  20  per  cent,  of  extract,  which  should 
yield  about  0-90  per  cent,  of  alkaloid,  estimated  gravimetrically. 
Physostigma  yields  but  5  per  cent,  of  extractive  matter,  which 
corresponds  to  4-00  per  cent,  of  ether-soluble  alkaloid. 
Stramonium  seed  contains  about  20  per  cent,  of  extractive  matter, 
corresponding  to  about  1-75  per  cent,  of  alkaloid. 
The  author  has  obtained  very  favorable  results  in  practice,  with 
the  above  data,  in  the  cases  of  several  of  the  drugs  just  enumer- 
ated. 
In  the  Bulletin  of  Pharmacy ',  1895,  Page  2°2»  Professor  J.  B. 
Nagelvoort  published  an  excellent  article,  in  which  he  considered 
the  subject  of  standardization  from  a  business  standpoint.  In  this 
paper,  Prof.  Nagelvoort  objects  to  the  use  of  glucose  in  solid  extracts, 
and  suggests  the  use  of  extract  of  taraxacum  as  a  diluent  for  those 
extracts  which  are  considerably  over  the  standard  in  strength,  and 
he  also  gives  several  examples  of  practical  results  working  with 
belladonna  leaves  of  varying  quality.  Extract  of  licorice  and 
extract  of  gentian  have  also  been  mentioned  for  use  in  diluting, 
being  of  comparatively  low  cost,  and  practically  inert.  The  use  of 
gentian  might  be  objected  to  upon  the  ground  of  its  strong,  bitter 
taste,  which  would  mask  the  characteristic  taste  of  most  drugs,  and 
render  identification  difficult.  Another  method,  which  the  author 
would  like  to  suggest  for  further  experimenting  on  this  subject,  is 
as  follows : 
Percolate  a  portion  of  the  drug  with  a  menstruum  about  5  or  10 
per  cent,  lower  in  alcoholic  strength.  This  will  in  most  cases  ensure 
a  larger  yield  of  extract,  of  correspondingly  lower  strength.  This 
preparation  could  be  kept  on  hand  and  used  as  required  in  cases 
where  dilution  becomes  necessary.    By  this  method  no  principles 
