388 
ON  SOME  PREPARATIONS  OF  ASSAFOETIDA. 
As  thus  prepared,  each  of  these  suppositories  contains,  when 
the  whole  process  has  been  carefully  and  skilfully  managed,  the 
entire  active  properties  of  fifteen  grains  of  assafoetida,  and  are 
beautiful  and  elegant  in  appearance.  Suppositories  of  almost 
any  desired  strength,  from  one  to  twenty  five  or  thirty  grains, 
can  be  made,  with  the  greatest  facility,  by  the  above  process. 
The  above,  however,  is  about  the  strength  usually  prescribed  by 
physicians  for  adults. 
The  use  of  liq.  potassse  in  the  foregoing  process  I  consider  en- 
tirely unobjectionable,  as  it  is  in  too  minute  a  quantity  to  pro- 
duce the  slightest  irritation,  and  being  wholly  saponified  ; 
if  not  entirely  so  by  the  resin  and  volatile  oil,  it  is  by  the 
fatty  acids  of  the  butter  of  cacao.  I  should  think  its  tendency 
would  be  beneficial,  rather  than  otherwise,  by  increasing  the 
solubility  of  the  resin,  and  rendering  it  more  easy  of  absorption; 
consequently  promoting  the  activity  of  the  drug. 
As  far  as  I  can  learn,  druggists  generally  who  have  a  demand 
for  suppositories  of  assafoetida  are  in  the  habit  of  preparing  them 
from  the  powdered  drug,  to  avoid  the  trouble  encountered  in 
using  the  fresh  tears.  Powdered  assafoetida  must  be  almost,  if 
not  entirely  inert,  when  administered  in  this  form,  being  nearly, 
if  not  quite  devoid  of  volatile  oil,  and  the  resin  in  a  state  unfa- 
vorable to  absorption. 
Mistura  Assafoetidce. — -Purified  assafoetida,  asabove  prepared, 
will  be  found  not  only  convenient  for  making  suppositories,  but 
also  for  preparing,  extemporaneously,  the  milk  of  assafoetida, 
which  can  be  made  of  any  desired  strength,  from  15  grains, 
U.  S.  P.,  to  30,  40,  or  even  as  much  as  120  grains  to  the  fluid- 
ounce,  with  it  in  a  few  minutes,  with  but  little  labor,  compared 
with  the  tedious  and  frequently  unsatisfactory  process  when  the 
crude  drug  is  used. 
Enema  Assafoetidce. — Assafoetida,  when  purified  as  directed 
above,  is  greatly  preferable  to  the  tincture  ordered  in  the  British 
formula  for  this  preparation.  By  its  use  the  objectionable  ad- 
mixture of  alcohol  is  avoided  in  the  preparation.  When  made 
with  it,  about  forty-one  or  forty-two  grains  should  be  substituted 
for  the  six  fluidrachms  of  the  tincture  ordered,  which  represents 
about  the  assafoetida  strength  of  the  latter.    In  preparing  the 
