AlAUJ>S'  SK!™' }   Pharmacy  of  British  Pharmacopoeia.  363 
of  these  are  Oriental  drugs  that  probably  have  gone  out  of  use  be- 
cause of  the  change  of  medical  practice  in  the  colonies.  There  are, 
however,  in  this  category  a  number  of  titles  of  old  friends,  such  as 
camboge,  cimicifuga,  coca  leaves,  conium  fruit  and  leaves,  crocus, 
elaterium,  humulus,  jaborandi,  lupulin,  mezereum,  musk,  pareira, 
physostigma,  sarsaparilla,  and  sumbul. 
Among  the  preparations  dismissed,  we  note  a  number  of  de- 
coctions and  infusions  and  the  concentrated  liquors  introduced  in 
the  edition  of  1898  for  the  purpose  of  permitting  of  the  extempo- 
raneous preparation  of  decoctions  and  infusions.  It  would  seem  that 
the  "  Liquores  concentrati  "  met  with  little  favor,  and,  further,  that 
English  practice  is  gradually  being  weaned  away  from  the  copious 
draughts  of  infusions  and  decoctions  of  drugs. 
Our  British  brethren  have  shown  some  further  appreciation  of 
the  advantages  of  powdered  extracts  and  have  adopted  the  powdered 
form  for  a  few  additional  extracts,  notably  the  extracts  of  belladonna, 
hyoscyamus,  nux  vomica,  and  opium.  The  diluent  directed  in  the 
extracts  of  belladonna  and  hyoscyamus  is  the  powdered  respective 
drug  of  determined  alkaloidal  content.  In  the  extracts  of  nux  vomica 
and  opium,  calcium  phosphate  is  directed  as  the  diluent,  and  in  the 
extract  of  strophanthus,  milk  sugar.  The  degree  of  fineness  of  the 
powder  specified  under  extract  of  belladonna  is  a  No.  20  sieve.  This 
certainly  will  yield  a  rather  coarse  powder.  The  menstruum  directed 
for  extract  of  belladonna  and  hyoscyamus  is  70  per  cent,  alcohol. 
A  stronger  alcoholic  menstruum  is  necessary  to  obtain  a  powdered 
extract  of  proper  strength  and  permanent  fineness  of  powder.  Where 
formulas  are  given  for  both  the  liquid  and  the  dry  extracts  of  the 
same  drug,  the  word  "  Siccum  "  is  added  to  the  title  of  the  latter. 
It  would  seem  to  have  been  preferable  to  have  uniformly  used  this 
term  in  the  titles  of  all  such  dry  extracts. 
In  the  Latin  titles  38  changes  have  been  made.  Most  of  these 
are  of  a  minor  character  and  for  the  purpose  of  more  exactly  defining 
the  official  articles  or  preparations.  Aloe  now  covers  both  aloe 
barbadensis  and  aloe  socotrinse  of  the  previous  edition,  and  senna 
folia  includes  the  former  senna  Alexandrina  and  senna  Indica. 
Kino  eucalypti  replaces  the  less  appropriate  eucalypti  gummi,  and 
oleum  Chaulmoogrse  replaces  oleum  Gynocardise.  Among  prepara- 
tions, we  note  that  tinctura  iodi  fortis  replaces  liquor  iodi  fortis,  and 
tinctura  iodi  mitis  replaces  tinctura  iodi.  The  stronger  contains 
10  Gm.  of  iodine  and  6  Gm.  of  potassium  iodide  in  100  millilitres  and 
