520 
PHARMACY  OF  THE  CINCHONAS. 
similar  quantity  of  weaker  percolate  may  be  obtained  in  the 
same  manner  from  two  parts  of  the  powder. 
This  Fluid  Extract  is  a  dense  mobile  liquid  of  a  brownish, 
almost  black  color  in  mass,  but  deep  brownish  yellow  in  thin 
strata  by  transmitted  light.  It  has  an  intense  but  not  disagree- 
able aromatic  bitter  taste,  and  the  agreeable  aroma  of  the  in- 
gredients with  the  Saffron  predominant.  It  is  almost  wholly 
soluble  in  water,  but  does  not  give  a  transparent  solution.  An 
accurately-measured  pint  weighs,  at  76°  F.,  6,700  grains,  the 
same  measure  of  the  Alcohol  from  which  it  was  made  weighing 
at  the  same  temperature  6,050  grains.  Each  minim  represents 
three-fourths  of  a  grain  of  Bitter  Orange  Peel,  three  sixteenths 
of  a  grain  of  Serpentaria,  and  one-sixteenth  of  a  grain  of 
Saffron  or  thereabouts. 
As  the  acceptability  of  medicines  to  the  stomach  sometimes 
depends  very  much  on  the  aromatics  with  which  they  are  asso- 
ciated, and  as  the  aromatics  themselves  are  thoroughly  medicinal, 
it  is  important  that  they  should  be  of  good  quality.  Bitter 
Orange  Peel  is  rarely  of  fine  quality,  and  is  generally  very 
poor,  from  being  mouldy,  and  containing  a  disproportionate 
amount  of  spongy  white  pulp.  The  true  officinal  variety  is 
thin,  from  small  fruit,  and  very  bitter  and  aromatic.  Of  late 
years  it  appears  to  be  quite  impossible  to  get  true  Saffron  un- 
adulterated ;  yet  an  article  can  always  be  had  at  from  $18  to 
§20  per  pound,  which  is  mainly  true  Saffron,  and  commonly  well 
prepared  and  kept.  Such  only  should  be  used  in  this  prepara- 
tion, and  of  such  the  cost  is  so  great  as  to  render  it  questionable 
whether  the  Pharmacopoeia  should  not  abandon  it  in  favor  of 
better  aromatics,  and  those  which  are  indigenous  if  possible. 
The  solid  ingredients  of  this  preparation  are  better  and  easier 
powdered  together. 
The  peculiar  mode  of  managing  this  percolation,  in  principle 
of  application,  dates  back  to  the  earliest  experiments  made  on 
this  subject,  but  appears  to  have  fallen  into  disuse  from  the 
complexity  of  detail,  and  for  want  of  proper  discrimination  in 
the  substances  to  which  it  was  applied.  The  experience  of  many 
years,  with  much  attention  to  the  subject,  have  led  the  writer  to 
the  conclusion  that  no  general  plan  or  general  rules  for  percola- 
