IMPROVED  PROCESS  FOR  FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  BUCHU.  133 
And  this  without  estimating  apparatus,  labor,  time,  skill,  inte- 
rest, risk,  insurance,  or  anything  but  real  cost  of  material  used: 
and  of  this  material  the  alcohol  costs  twice  as  much  as  the  drug. 
As  one  way  of  remedying  the  disadvantages  complained  of, 
the  writer  would  suggest  to  the  next  Committee  of  Revision  the 
following  process :  § 
Take  of  Buchu,  in  very  fine  powder,  48  troyounces. 
Alcohol,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Divide  the  buchu  into  three  equal  portions.  Moisten  one 
portion  with  six  fluidounces  of  alcohol,  pack  it  moderately  in  a 
cylindrical  percolator,  and  pour  three  pints  of  alcohol  upon  it. 
When  the  last  of  the  alcohol  disappears  below  the  surface  of  the 
powder,  remove  the  disc  of  muslin  or  paper  from  the  surface,  and 
fill  up  the  percolator  with  water.  Then,  as  the  percolation 
slackens,  scrape  off  the  upper  softened  layer  of  the  exhausted 
powder,  and  mix  it  thoroughly  with  the  water  by  means  of  a 
square-ended  wooden  spatula.  This  scraping  off  of  the  softened 
portion  without  disturbing  the  hard  part  below  is  to  be  repeated 
at  intervals,  according  to  the  rate  of  percolation,  until  the  water 
becomes  thick  with  the  swollen  and  exhausted  powder.  It  is 
then  poured  off  and  replaced  with  fresh  water,  and  the  scraping 
continued  as  before ;  and  this  management,  is  repeated,  more 
cautiously  toward  the  close,  until  the  alcohol  is  all  pushed  through, 
and  water  appears  at  the  outlet  of  the  percolator. 
Receive  the  percolate  in  four  separate  -portions  of  twelve,  six, 
eight,  and  twenty-two  to  twenty-four  fluidounces,  and  set  aside 
the  first  portion  of  twelve  fluidounces  as  reserved  percolate. 
Moisten  a  second  portion  of  the  buchu  with  the  second  portion  • 
of  the  percolate  from  the  first  percolation  (the  six  fluidounces), 
pack  it  in  a  second  cylindrical  percolator  (or  the  first  one  re- 
adjusted), and  pour  upon  it  the  third  portion  of  the  percolate 
from  the  first  percolation.  When  this  has  all  been  absorbed  by 
the  powder,  add  the  remainder  of  the  percolate  from  the  first ; 
and  when  this  has  disappeared,  add  first  two  fluidounces  and  then 
four  fluidounces  of  alcohol ;  and  then  water,  managing  the  pro- 
cess precisely  as  in  the  first  percolation. 
Receive  the  percolate  in  four  separate  portions  of  sixteen,  six, 
eight,  and  ten  fluidounces,  and  set  aside  the  first  portion  of  six- 
teen fluidounces  as  reserved  percolate. 
