PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
209 
This  formula  is  taken  from  that  of  Baume*.  Dose  1  to  8  drops 
in  a  bitter  infusion,  for  flatulent  colics." 
The  spirit  of  wormwood  is  directed  by  the  same  authority  to 
be  made  by  distilling  together  1000  parts  of  leaves  and  tops  of 
wormwood,  1000  parts  of  infusion  of  wormwood,  and  3000  parts 
of  alcohol,  80  per  cent.,  until  2500  parts  of  distillate  is  obtained. 
The  preparation,  as  made  by  Mr.  Hubbell,  is  a  light  brown 
tincture  ;  hence,  if  the  alcoholic  extract  of  wormwood  and  alco- 
hol is  substituted  for  the  spirit,  as  has  been  directed  by  one  physi- 
cian, a  different  preparation  is  obtained.  A  much  nearer 
approach  would  be  to  use  a  spirit  of  wormwood  made  by  dissolv- 
ing good  oil  of  wormwood  in  alcohol  in  the  proportion  of  20 
drops  to  the  fluidounce  of  alcohol. 
Uxtractum  Kramerice,  U.  S.  P — Having  recently  had  occa- 
sion to  prepare  a  small  lot  of  this  extract,  it  was  deemed  best 
to  use  the  root  in  fine  powder  in  a  conical  glass  percolator.  The 
powder  was  prepared  by  one  of  the  best  reputed  powderers,  and 
was  moistened  with  eight  fluidounces  for  each  pound  of  the 
powder,  and  packed  firmly  on  a  diaphragm  of  lint  first,  and  then 
sand.  The  first  five  pints  of  percolate  were  reserved  and  evapo- 
rated very  carefully.  The  remainder,  which  amounted  to  several 
gallons  was  concentrated  by  itself,  each  till  of  a  thick  honey- 
like consistence,  when  they  were  mixed  and  reduced  to  a  nearly 
dry  extract.  The  heat  employed  was  below  150°,  and  gene- 
rally below  120Q,  and  the  product  obtained  lOf  ounces  or  9*14 
per  cent. 
This  result  corroborates  one  made  several  years  ago,  and 
sustains  the  belief  that  the  Peruvian  Krameria  of  latter  years 
does  not  yield  as  much  aqueous  extract  as  that  found  in  our 
market  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago.  The  proportion  of  wood 
is  much  greater,  and  of  cortical  matter  less  than  was  then  com- 
mon, and  it  is  quite  unusual  now  to  find  pieces  comparatively 
straight,  that  were,  when  fresh,  evidently  quite  succulent,  with 
a  thick  cortical  portion. 
Emplastrum  Ammoniaci,  U.  S.  P. — This  preparation  is  a 
sort  of  acetic  extract  of  ammoniac.  It  should  be  prepared  with- 
out contact  with  iron,  either  in  the  form  of  spatula  or  evapora- 
ting vessel,  if  the  operator  would  avoid  the  strong  colorizing 
14 
