362  Pharmacy  of  British  Pharmacopoeia.    |Al^ui°™*  \§™m' 
is  used  in  all  of  the  galenicals  in  which  these  drugs  were  formerly 
directed,  on  the  basis  of  the  average  content  of  0.5  per  cent,  of 
cantharidin  in  cantharides,  which  quite  likely  is  the  average  yield 
of  the  pure  active  principle.  This  change  has  necessitated  a  change 
in  titles  of  preparations  to  acetum  cantharidini,  emplastrum  can- 
tharidini, tinctura  cantharidini,  and  unguentum  cantharidini. 
Diluted  hydriodic  acid  is  admitted  for  the  purpose  of  making 
the  syrup,  which  is  likewise  on  the  list  of  admissions. 
Cassia  fructus,  cassia  fistula  pod,  is  admitted  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  a  formula  for  "  Cassia  pulpa,"  which  should  more  correctly  be 
entitled  an  extract. 
Senna  fructus,  the  senna  pod,  is  another  new  title.  Senna  pods 
are  official  in  several  of  the  European  pharmacopoeias,  and  their  use 
is  extending  likewise  in  the  United  States. 
Under  the  title  of  4>  Ipomea  radix  "  the  Orizaba  jalap  root  is 
admitted,  with  the  synonym  of  Mexican  scammony  root.  This  has 
been  done  to  permit  its  use  as  a  substitute  for  the  true  scammony 
root  for  the  preparation  of  scammony  resin. 
Scammony  resin  is  defined  "  as  a  mixture  of  resins  obtained  from 
scammony  root  or  from  Orizaba  jalap  root."  This  is  an  unfortunate 
exhibition  of  legalizing  a  specious  fraud  that  has  been  extensively 
carried  on  in  the  substitution  of  the  chemically  different  resin  of 
ipomea  for  that  of  scammony.  The  requirement  of  "  not  less  than 
75  per  cent,  soluble  in  ether  "  shows  how  deliberate  the  purpose. 
Cresol  is  one  of  the  additions  and  as  a  new  preparation  liquor 
cresol  saponatus  made  with  castor  oil  and  potassa  soap.  This  is  a 
good  preparation  with  which  we  are  not  unfamiliar. 
Formaldehyde  is  admitted,  and  liquor  formaldehydi  saponatus  is 
a  soft  soap  (from  olive  oil  and  potassium  hydroxide),  hydro-alco- 
holic solution  of  formaldehyde,  and  should  prove  a  useful  addition 
to  the  antiseptics. 
Among  ointments  and  ointment  bases  we  note  that  a  formula  for 
benzoinated  prepared  suet  has  been  introduced,  and  it  is  recommended 
that  in  India  this  should  be  employed  instead  of  benzoinated  lard  in 
the  making  of  ointments.  Unguentum  lanse  compositum,  a  mixture 
of  prepared  lard  40,  wool  fat  40,  paraffin  ointment  20,  is  a  recruit 
with  the  synonym  of  emollient  ointment.  A  veteran  in  American 
practice,  Goulard's  cerate,  with  a  modified  formula  with  camphor 
omitted,  is  admitted  under  the  title  of  unguentum  plumbi  subacetatis. 
The  list  of  deletions  is  a  formidable  one  of  168  titles.   A  number 
