Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
April,  1885.  j" 
Syru'pus  Pruni  Virginiance. 
169 
and  has  of  late  years  become  very  much  in  demand  for  fixtures  in 
many  pharmacies.  The  most  beautiful  portion  commonly  used  is  that 
where  the  branches  begin.  The  bark  is  of  a  pleasant  aromatic  bitter, 
leaving,  when  chewed,  an  agreeable  taste  in  the  mouth. 
The  U.  S.  P.  process  for  preparing  syrup  of  wild  cherry  is  unsatis- 
factory on  account  of  the  unstability  of  the  production  and  its  liability 
to  undergo  fermentation.  The  remedy  which  suggested  itself  to  me 
was  the  use  of  a  quantity  of  either  alcohol  or  glycerin.  The  object  of 
my  experiments  has  been  to  obtain  a  syrup  that  will  remain  perma- 
nent, under  ordinary  circumstances,  with  the  smallest  amount  of  these 
preservatives.  To  make  a  just  comparison  I  first  made  a  syrup  accord- 
ing to  the  pharmacopoeial  formula.  This  syrup  was  made  March  1st, 
1884;  it  had  a  rich  brownish  red  color,  the  characteristic  odor  of 
hydrocyanic  acid,  aud  a  slightly  bitter,  astringent  taste.  Placed  on  a 
shelf  where  it  was  subjected  to  the  ordinary  conditions  of  light  and 
heat  of  the  store,  after  eight  weeks  a  slight  cloudiness  was  formed,  fol- 
lowed by  a  noticeable  amount  of  precipitate,  and  fermentation  soon 
began.  With  this  change  the  syrup  began  to  lose  its  color,  and  after 
nine  months  had  lost  all  resemblance  to  a  good  syrup  in  color  and 
odor,  and  it  also  had  a  thick  fungous  growth  at  the  top. 
Three  syrups  were  next  made  in  which  the  glycerin  was  replaced  by 
alcohol  in  different  proportions,  and  three  in  which  the  quantity  of 
glycerin  was  increased  in  different  amounts.  Those  made  with  alcohol 
show  the  following  results :  Number  one,  with  four  drachms  of  alcohol 
to  the  pint,  kept  almost  perfectly  for  three  months,  then  a  slight 
precipitate  began  to  form,  which,  after  nine  months'  standing,  is  quite 
noticeable;  odor  and  color  remain  unchanged.  Number  two,  made 
with  one  ounce  of  alcohol,  remained  unchanged  somewhat  longer,  but 
a  precipitate  has  formed.  The  color  remains  unchanged  and  the  odor 
is  slightly  alcoholic.  Number  three,  made  with  one  and  a  half  ounces 
of  alcohol,  remained  permanent  for  a  still  longer  time,  color  unchanged 
and  a  stronger  alcoholic  odor.  The  result  of  these  three  experiments 
with  alcohol  as  a  preservative  show  that  this  menstruum  in  prac- 
ticable amounts  is  not  satisfactory.  The  syrups  made  with  increased 
quantities  of  glycerin  showed  the  following  results :  Number  four, 
with  two  ounces  of  glycerin  to  the  pint,  a  bright  syrup  of  beautiful 
color,  and  after  standing  nine  months  still  remains  unchanged.  Num- 
ber five,  with  two  and  a  half  ounces,  and  number  six  with  three  ounces 
