Am-og^8Sarm  }    British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  525 
Cotton  Seed  Oil  in  Lard. — Messrs.  Fairley  and  Cooke  suggested  a  method  for 
detecting  the  presence  of  cotton-seed  oil  in  lard  based  upon  a  slight  difference 
in  the  specific  gravity. 
Mr.  Fairley  also  read  a  note  giving  the  results  of  an  analysis  of  bile. 
Mr.  William  Kirkby  brought  under  the  notice  of  the  Conference  a  sample  of 
adulterated  saffron.  The  sophistication  consisted  of  fibres  apparently  derived 
from  a  species  of  sedge,  which  were  present  to  the  extent  of  41  per  cent.  The 
paper  was  accompanied  by  drawings  showing  the  figure  of  the  fibre  and  its 
histological  structure. 
Menstrua  for  Tinctures. — In  a  paper  illustrated  by  several  tables,  Mr.  R. 
Wright  reported  upon  the  solvent  action  of  alcohol  of  different  degrees  of  strength 
on  some  of  the  drugs  used  in  making  pharmacopceial  tinctures.  The  menstrua 
experimented  with  in  the  case  of  the  tinctures  for  which  rectified  spirit  is  officially 
ordered  were  of  four  degrees  of  strength,  namely,  rectified  spirit,  rectified  spirit 
four  volumes  and  water  one  volume,  rectified  spirit  three  volumes  and  water  one 
and  proof  spirit.  For  the  proof  spirit  tinctures  were  used  proof  spirit,  rectified 
spirit,  rectified  spirit  three  volumes  and  water  one  volume,  and  rectified  spirit 
and  water  equal  volumes.  The  process  adopted  was  maceration  of  the  pow- 
dered drug  for  ten  days,  at  the  end  of  which  the  clear  liquor  was  poured  off, 
the  marc  strained  and  pressed  and  the  united  liquors  filtered.  Altogether, 
forty-eight  of  the  official  tinctures  were  made  and  the  results  were  given  in 
two  tables,  one  showing  the  amount  of  extract  yielded  by  a  fluid  ounce  of  the 
tincture,  and  the  other  showing  the  amount  of  alkaloid  yielded  by  a  fluid 
ounce  of  the  alkaloidal  tinctures.  It  is  considered  that  the  general  results 
show  that  some  at  least  of  the  menstrua  for  the  official  tinctures  might  be 
modified  with  advantage,  and  that  several  of  them  might  be  made  with  men- 
strua of  slightly  less  alcoholic  strength. 
Mr.  B.  H.  Farr,  also,  in  some  practical  notes  on  certain  alkaloidal  tinctures, 
described  some  experiments  undertaken  with  a  view  to  discover  whether  the 
official  alcoholic  menstrua,  or  some  others,  are  those  best  suited  to  extract  the 
medicinal  properties  from  the  drugs  operated  upon.  In  making  the  tinctures, 
menstrua  containing  a  known  number  of  volumes  of  absolute  alcohol  in  ten 
volumes  of  the  liquid  were  employed,  and  the  drugs  in  powder  were  macerated 
and  percolated,  the  last  portions  being  displaced  by  more  menstruum  until 
the  desired  volume  was  obtained.  The  tinctures  were  examined  as  to  their 
contents  in  alkaloid  and  in  extractive,  their  miscibility  with  water  and  with 
alcohol,  and  their  appearance  after  having  been  kept  a  few  months.  The  best 
results  were  obtained  by  using  for  each  of  the  following  tinctures  a  menstruum 
containing  the  specified  number  of  volumes  of  absolute  alcohol  in  ten  vol- 
umes :  aconite,  7  ;  belladonna,  9  ;  henbane,  7  ;  stramonium,  7  ;  colchicum,  5  ; 
gelsemium,  7  and  9  equal  ;  jaborandi,  3  ;  veratrum,  5  ;  cinchona,  7  ;  conium, 
probably  5  ;  and  digitalis,  7.  For  opium,  proof  spirit  and  menstrua  containing 
4,  3  and  2  volumes  of  absolute  alcohol  in  10  were  used,  but  in  no  case  was  the 
opium  thoroughly  exhausted,  but  the  tinctures  made  with  the  lower  strength 
menstrua  were  on  the  whole  richer  in  morphine. 
Extract  of  malt  was  the  subject  of  the  next  two  papers.  In  the  first,  Mr.  J. 
C.  tTmney  commenced  by  commenting  upon  the  want  of  uniformity  in  malt 
extracts,  especially  in  respect  to  consistence  and  diastasic  power.    The  latter 
