ju^iyj^'im*'^™  }  F^fih  Revision  German  Pharmacopoeia.  329 
of  such  chemicals  as  the  nitrate,  subgallate,  subnitrate  and  subsaUcy- 
late  of  bismuth,  calcium  phosphate,  iron  and  quinine  citrate,  quinine 
tannate,  etc.,  seems  strange  to  us  in  the  light  of  present-day  experi- 
ence and  economic  conditions.  Modern  division  of  labor  has  ren- 
dered such  manufacture  unprofitable  for  the  pharmacist,  even  if  he 
should  be  equipped  with  the  facilities  to  undertake  it. 
A  very  commendable  feature  of  this  revision  is  the  introductory 
chapter  devoted  to  official  methods  to  be  followed  in  the  making 
of  such  determinations,  as  melting  point,  congealing  point,  boiling 
point,  ash,  acid  number,  saponification  value,  ester  value,  iodine 
absorption,  etc. 
Specific  gravity,  unless  otherwise  stated  for  special  reasons,  is 
taken  at  15°  C.  compared  with  distilled  water  at  15°  C.  The  U.S. P. 
VIII  has  not  been  followed  by  a  single  pharmacopoeia  nor  by  the 
U.  S.  Government  departments  in  the  adoption  of  25°  C.  as  the 
temperature  for  such  determinations  and  the  writer  personally 
doubts  if  we  really  assumed  "  an  advanced  "  position  in  adopting 
25°  C.  or  if  we  are  now  justified  in  retaining  it  alone  against  all 
pharmacopceial  and  other  scientific  authorities. 
Polariscope  readings  are  by  sodium  light  at  a  temperature  of 
20°  C.  unless  otherwise  stated.  In  essential  oils  the  figures  are 
for  reading  with  100  mm.  tube. 
Microscopic  measurements  are  stated  in  microns  the  11  being 
equal  to  i/iooo  mm. 
The  degree  of  fineness  of  drugs  is  indicated  by  a  scale  of  num- 
bers varying  from  No.  i  to  No.  6,  No.  i  being  coarsely  comminuted 
drugs  passing  through  a  sieve  whose  meshes  are  4  mm.  apart,  and 
No.  6  being  finely  pulverized  drugs  passing  through  a  sieve  whose 
meshes  are  about  0.15  mm.  apart. 
For  counting  drops  the  normal  drop  counter  of  the  Brussels  Con- 
ference is  adopted,  and  the  method  of  stating  doses  is  retained  as 
in  the  previous  revision,  namely,  the  largest  single  dose  and  the 
largest  daily  dose. 
Possibly  the  greatest  advance  is  shown  in  the  monographs  treat- 
ing of  the  organic  drugs.  Here  we  note  first  the  innovation  of  giv- 
ing the  botanical  authorities  for  the  plant  names,  and  these  are  quite 
generally  the  more  recently  accepted  authorities.  Secondly,  and 
most  praiseworthy,  is  the  microscopic  descriptions  so'  generally  in- 
cluded. These  evidence  the  great  advances  made  in  the  science  of 
pharmacognosy  since  the  last  revision.    Another  commendable  feat- 
