596  Note  on  Cocaine  Hydrochlorate.        { ^™  DeTisss ™' 
and  while  it  is  objectionable  for  some  purposes^  the  writer  does  not 
wish  to  condemn  its  employment  in  many  instances,  as  it  is  very  well 
used  in  connection  with  small  doses  of  quinine,  morphine  and  the  alka- 
loids ;  when  these,  however,  are  to  be  used  in  large  sized  pills,  the 
quantity  required  is  objectionable,  and  it  may  be  replaced  with  advan- 
tage by  glucose. 
The  frequent  use  of  phosphorus  in  pillular  form  of  late  years 
makes  it  desirable  to  present  a  formula  which  will  enable  the  dis- 
penser to  compound  almost  any  of  the  prescriptions  in  which  it  is 
ordered.  This  is  readily  accomplished  by  keeping  a  mixture  of  phos- 
phorus in  butter  of  cacao,  in  the  proportion  of  1  grain  to  15  of  butter 
of  cacao.  The  best  method  of  preparing  this  is  to  put  the  phosphorus 
in  a  test-tube,  cover  it  with  a  small  quantity  of  the  butter  of  cacao, 
and  melt  it  and  the  fat  by  dipping  the  tube  in  hot  water,  when  the 
remainder  of  the  butter  is  added  and  well  mixed.  Of  course  in  using 
this  the  mass  is  best  kept  surrounded  with  a  vapor  of  chloroform,  to 
prevent  oxidation.  AYhen  finished,  the  pills  are  to  be  coated  with  an 
ethereal  solution  of  tolu. 
In  concluding  these  notes  the  writer  hopes  to  show  the  results  of 
some  of  these  formulas,  which  want  of  time  has  prevented  him  from 
exhibiting  to  the  meeting. 
ADDITIONAL  NOTE  ON  COCAINE  HYDROCHLOKATE. 
By  a.  B.  Lyoxs,  M.D. 
In  a  recent  article  on  the  salts  of  cocaine,  the  writer  expressed  the 
opinion  that  cocaine  hydrochlorate  formed  crystals,  even  from  an  aque- 
ous solution,  which  were  anhydrous  (see  page  469).  Subsequent 
experiment  hris  shown  that  this  is  not  the  case.  The  crystals  which 
foi-m  in  an  aqueous  solution  contain  in  fact  two  molecules,  or  9*6  per 
cent,  of  water  of  crystallization.  Such  crystals  are  now  met  with  in 
commerce,  commanding  a  higher  price  than  the  smaller  anhydrous 
crystals,  which  have,  of  course,  greater  intrinsic  value. 
Small  crystals,  also,  are  now  met  with,  or  a  salt  having  only  an 
indistinctly  crystalline  character,  which  contains  either  water  of  crys- 
tallization or  hygroscopic  moisture,  to  the  amount  of  6  or  8  per  cent, 
of  its  weight.  It  is  highly  desirable  that  in  any  official  description  of 
the  salt  the  quantity  of  water  of  crystallization  admissible  be  distinctly 
