312 
Editorial. 
Am.  Jour.  Phaim. 
June,  18f8. 
drugs.  These  are  in  the  nature  of  concentrated  tinctures  and  infusions,  the 
latter  containing  sufficient  alcohol  to  preserve  them. 
{g)  There  is  a  marked  change  in  the  strength  of  some  well-known  prepa- 
rations, in  order,  it  is  said,  to  establish,  at  least  in  some  cases,  more  uniformity 
in  doses.  Tinctura  Aconiti,  Aqua  Chloroformi  and  Suppositoria  Morphinae 
are  reduced  to  about  one-half  the  strength  of  those  in  the  1885  Pharmacopoeia. 
Tinctura  Nucis  Vomicae  and  Tinctura  Podophylli  are  doubled  in  strength,  and 
Tinctura  Chloroformi  et  Morphinae  Composita  is  four  times  as  strong  as  the 
same  of  the  previous  edition. 
(/z)  Many  of  the  articles  and  preparations  have  suffered  some  change  in 
orthography,  as  Creosotum  for  Creasotum,  Asafetida  for  Asafoetida,  Aloinum,  for 
Aloin,  etc. 
Hi  In  the  chemistry  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  are  numerous  changes,  notably 
in  nomenclature.  The  "  ide  "  termination  of  the  salts  of  the  alkaloids  has 
been  adopted,  as  Apomorphinae  hydrochloridum  for  A.  hydrochloras,  etc.  "  In 
defining  substances,"  according  to  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transac- 
tions, 1898,  p.  394,  "corrected  data  are  given  for  many  of  the  physical  charac- 
ters, and  the  nomenclature  now  used  by  chemists  to  indicate  constitution  has 
been  adopted  in  some  instances.  Thus,  the  alkalies  and  analogous  substances 
are  now  termed  hydroxides;  alcohol  is  named  ethyl  hydroxide;  but  the  prin- 
ciple is  not  extended  to  ammonia  or  carbolic  acid,  which  is  now  distinguished 
by  the  name  phenol,  or  to  water,  for  which  the  familiar  name  is  retained  with- 
out any  reference  to  its  chemical  constitution.  The  acids  are  now  described  as 
hydrogen  salts,  and  in  some  instances  the  constitution  is  illustrated  by  form- 
ulae, the  other  salts  of  particular  acid  radicles  being  distinguished  according  to 
the  metal  or  base  they  contain,  as  sodium  acetate,  calcium  acetate,  atropine  sul- 
phate, and  so  on.  These  innovations  apply  only  to  the  vernacular  names,  and 
not  to  the  Latin  titles,  of  which  the  new  names  are  synonyms  rather  than 
translations." 
III.  In  regard  to  the  botany  and  pharmacognosy  we  understand  that  there 
are  marked  evidences  of  progress,  but  that  there  are  no  very  marked  changes 
in  nomenclature.  The  Pharmaceiitical  Journal  and  Transactions,  1898, 
p.  390,  says  :  "  The  botanical  names  of  plants  yielding  drugs  in  the  1898  Phar- 
macopoeia have,  with  a  few  exceptions,  been  brought  into  accordance  with  the 
f  Index  Kewensis,'  and  many  of  the  illustrations  referred  to  have  been  selected 
from  more  readily  accessible  works  than  hitherto.  In  some  cases  alterations  of 
the  official  name  have  been  made,  for  which  there  is  no  evident  reason,  such  as 
Ipecacuanhas  Radix  for  Ipecacuanha, Cascarilla  for  Cascarillae  Cortex,and  Linum 
for  Lini  Semina.  The  wording  of  the  descriptions  and  of  the  characters  and 
tests  has,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  been  modified,  so  as  to  more  carefully  limit 
the  quality  of  drugs  to  be  used.  Details  concerning  the  more  important  mi- 
croscopical characters  of  drugs  have  been  added,  and  in  over  twenty  in- 
stances the  limit  of  ash  has  been  given,  apparently  with  the  view  of  assisting 
in  the  detection  of  the  adulteration  of  powdered  drugs."  We  also  observe  the 
statement  by  F.  H.  Alcock  {Ibid.,  p.  422),  that  "  the  introduction  of  the  pro- 
cess of  sterilization  seems  to  be  the  first  step  towards  the  complete  study  of 
bacteriology." 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  British  Pharmacopoeia,  1898,  contains  many  novel 
features,  some  of  which  at  least,  if  not  all,  are  in  accord  with  the  modern 
