224  German  Pharmacopoeia  Requirements.  { ^""May  ^wi*^* 
No.  I  is  Beringer's  Formula,  substituting  or  better  replacing 
paraffin  with  ceresin. 
In  No.  2  I  increased  ceresin  to  40  (from  30)  and  decreased 
Oleic  Acid  to  27  (from  35)  and  Liquid  Petrolatum  to  20  (from 
22). 
Its  harder  consistency  makes  it  better  adapted  for  use  during 
the  hot  weather. 
In  No.  3,  I  have  employed  what  I  consider  an  ideal  hard  oint- 
ment base,  namely  Ung.  Paraffini  or  durum  of  the  D.  A.  B.  V. 
(ceresin  4,  liquid  petrolatum  5,  and  wool-fat  i  part). 
No  special  precautions  were  taken  with  any  of  these  samples, 
excepting  melting  on  water-bath  of  ceresin,  liquid  petrolatum  and 
oleic  acid,  the  addition  of  the  other  ingredients  and  cooling  without 
stirring. 
In  my  opinion  the  description  of  Solid  Petrox  in  N.  F.,  IV, 
should  state  something'  like  the  following : 
A  yellowish  ointment,  capable  of  absorbing  at  least  two  parts 
of  water." 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  19,  191 1. 
THE  GENERAL  REQUIREMENTS  OF  THE  GERMAN 
PHARMACOPCEIA  (V)* 
By  G.  a.  Menge. 
To  make  exhaustive  and  critical  comment  upon  all  of  the  general 
requirements  of  the  new  German  Pharmacopoeia  would  require 
more  time,  and  tax  your  patience  to  a  greater  degree,  than  should 
be  tolerated  in  a  minor  detail  of  your  program.  Therefore,  except 
for  some  very  general  features  to  which  it  seems  to  me  your 
attention  should  be  directed  at  this  time,  I  shall  limit  my  specific 
discussion  to  those  general  requirements  which  apply  to  the  de- 
termination of  melting  points,  freezing  points  and  boiling  points. 
You  are  doubtless  familiar  with  the  practice,  as  applied  in  the 
old  edition  of  the  German  Pharmacopoeia,  of  incorporating  in  the 
introductory  part  more  or  less  specific  directions  covering  general 
♦Read  at  the  March  meeting  of  the  Washington  branch  of  the  A. Ph. A. 
