526  Revision  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,   { Am^0°v.r Sarm 
We  should  have  an  official  Fluid  Extract  of  Wahoo  as  well  as  a 
solid  extract;  the  former  appears  to  be  more  used  than  the  latter. 
Extract  of  Jalap  is  reintroduced.  Although  dismissed  in  the  Phar- 
macopoeia of  1880,  its  use  was  never  discontinued  and,  even  in  the 
compound  cathartic  pill,  commercially  it  was  not  displaced.  Extract 
of  Juglans  is  now  directed  to  be  prepared  with  diluted  alcohol  and 
not  alcohol  as  heretofore.  Iu  should  have  been  dismissed  for  want 
of  use. 
Extract  of  Nux  Vomica  is  directed  to  be  made  by  extracting 
1,000  grms.  of  the  powdered  drug  with  a  mixture  of  alcohol  750 
cc,  water  250  cc,  acetic  acid  50  cc,  continuing  the  extraction  with 
a  menstruum  of  alcohol  3  to  water  1  by  volume,  until  the  nux 
vomica  is  extracted.  The  alcohol  is  recovered  by  distillation,  and 
the  product  evaporated  to  150  grms.,  transferred  to  a  bottle,  washing 
out  the  evaporating  dish  with  50  cc.  warm  water  and  add  to  the 
extract.  This  is  now  treated  repeatedly  with  ether  until  it  yields 
no  more  oil  to  the  solvent.  The  oil  recovered  by  the  evaporation 
of  the  ether  is  treated  with  acidulated  (acetic  acid)  water  to  recover 
any  alkaloid  extracted  by  the  ether.  This  aqueous  solution  is 
mixed  with  the  extract,  and  this  is  evaporated  to  200  grms.,  the 
moisture  and  percentage  of  alkaloid  determined  and  the  extract 
dried  and  powdered,  adding  sufficient  milk  sugar  to  make  the 
finished  product  contain  15  per  cent,  of  alkaloids.  The  process 
would  be  simplified  and  most  likely  cheapened  if  the  oil  were  first 
extracted  from  the  nux  vomica  by  the  use  of  benzin  before  extrac- 
tion with  alcohol.  Benzin  is  such  a  poor  solvent  for  alkaloids  that 
the  loss  would  hardly  be  appreciable,  but  if  desirable  to  recover 
dry  alkaloids  extracted,  the  benzin  residue  could  be  treated  with 
acidulated  water,  and  this  evaporated  incorporated  with  the  extract. 
Extract  of  Opium  is  likewise  made  in  the  most  extravagant  way. 
With  the  morphine  strength  of  opium  fixed  at  not  below  9  per  cent., 
and  that  in  commerce  frequently  10-5  to  13  per  cent.,  it  is  very  easy 
to  prepare  from  the  gum  opium  a  dry  and  powdered  extract  stand- 
ardized to  18  per  cent,  morphine.  Yet  the  Pharmacopoeia  directs 
powdered  opium.  I  doubt  if  any  practical  pharmacist  or  manufac- 
turer will  dry  his  opium  and  reduce  it  to  number  80  powder  before 
treating  same  for  extract. 
Extract  of  Uva  Ursi  is  a  new  addition,  and  we  presume  that  it 
must  be  used.    We  had  expected  to  find  both  a  solid  and  a  Fluid 
