206 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
<  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      April,  1899. 
masking  the  odor  of  the  drug  but  being  less  agreeable  than  the  odor  developed 
in  alcoholic  extracts. 
In  discussing  this  subject,  Professor  Remington  said  that  it  was  one  in  which 
he  had  long  been  interested  and  that  his  early  views  in  regard  to  the  use  of 
acetic  acid  as  a  menstruum  were  incorporated  in  the  first  edition  of  his  "  Prac- 
tice of  Pharmacy."  Continuing,  he  said  that  we  have  long  been  suffering 
under  the  enormous  alcohol  tax  and  that  a  remedy  in  the  case  of  some  prepa- 
rations has  been  found  in  acetic  acid.  He  did  not  claim  that  all  of  our  alcoholic 
extracts  could  be  replaced  by  acetic  extracts,  but  was  satisfied  that  many  of 
them  could  be  so  replaced.  In  regard  to  the  permanency  of  acetic  extracts  he 
remarked  that  he  had  samples  in  his  cabinet  which  were  fifty  years  old  and 
still  in  good  condition.  In  regard  to  the  mellowing  of  the  fluid  extracts  to 
which  Mr.  Thompson  referred,  Professor  Remington  said  that  fluid  extracts 
were  stored  by  manufacturers  more  to  get  rid  of  the  precipitates  than  to  develop 
aroma.  He  said  that  the  acetic  extracts  also  have  an  aroma,  and  referred  in 
this  connection  to  the  development  of  ethyl  acetate  when  alcohol  and  acetic 
acid  are  used  together  as  a  menstruum.  The  odor  of  the  acetic  ether  is  not 
present  at  first,  but  develops  on  standing.  To  illustrate  this  he  alluded  to  the 
circumstance  that  Dr.  Squibb  introduced  a  compound  solution  of  opium,  the 
original  menstruum  being  alcohol,  water  and  a  little  acetic  acid.  The  odor  of 
ethyl  acetate  was  developed  by  age  and  he  found  that  physicians  wanted  the 
old  compound  solution  of  opium.  He  then  changed  the  formula  by  adding 
ethyl  acetate  to  the  solution  at  once  and  leaving  out  the  acetic  acid.  Professor 
Remington  said  that  he  was  glad  that  Mr.  Thompson  brought  up  the  subject  of 
aroma,  and  that  the  question  as  a  whole,  was  one  meriting  the  careful  consid- 
eration of  pharmacists. 
With  regard  to  the  name  "Acetracts,"  he  said  that  there  should  be  some  dis- 
tinctive title  to  distinguish  these  preparations;  the  difference  in  cost  is  great 
and  the  temptation  to  substitute  a  fluid  extract  (made  with  acetic  acid)  for  the 
official  preparation  difficult  to  resist ;  if  a  doctor  orders  a  fluid  extract  he 
should  get  only  the  U.S. P.  alcoholic  preparation  ;  if  the  doctor  orders  a  fluid 
acetract  he  can  only  mean  a  fluid  extract  made  with  acetic  acid. 
Mr.  J.  W.  England  thought  that  clinical  tests  would  be  necessary  to  estab- 
lish the  efficiency  of  the  acetic  acid  extracts.  He  referred  in  this  connection  to 
some  of  the  incompatibilities  which  would  be  encountered  as,  for  instance,  the 
development  of  ethyl  acetate  in  a  prescription  containing  alcohol  and  an  acetic 
extract,  and  also  the  chemical  incompatibility  of  a  prescription  calling  for 
acetic  extract  of  digitalis  and  ammonium  carbonate. 
Others  participating  in  the  discussion  of  this  paper  were  the  chairman,  Mr. 
Stedem,  and  Professors  Ryan  and  Moerk. 
Prof.  C.  B.  Lowe  presented  a  paper  on  H  The  United  States  and  British  Phar- 
macopoeias," which  embodied  some  interesting  comparisons.  One  of  the 
most  important  criticisms  which  he  made  was  that  in  reference  to  the  dis- 
similarity in  strength  of  many  corresponding  preparations  found  in  the  two 
books,  notable  examples  of  this  difference  being  furnished  by  the  two  classes, 
the  tinctures  and  the  acids. 
The  paper  will  appear  in  a  later  issue  of  this  Journal.  Professors  Rem- 
ington, Ryan  and  Messrs.  Beringer  and  Thompson  took  part  in  the  discussion 
of  this  paper. 
