Aw'/a°ii!yi£6arm'}         Preparations  of  Ipecacuanha,  27 
of  lime  being  added  after  reduction  by  evaporation  to  a  low  bulk.  In 
working  the  process,  the  volume  operated  upon  ought  not  to  be  less 
than  400  c.c.  of  the  wine  and  vinegar,  and  20  to  40  c.c.  of  the  fluid 
extract.  It  is  also  imperative  that  the  solutions  to  be  titrated,  repre- 
senting as  they  do  approximate  amounts  of  alkaloid,  should  be  made 
up  to  the  same  measure. 
In  tabulating  the  average  results  obtained,  it  may  be  interesting  to 
include  the  percentage  numbers,  which  were  furnished  by  the  titration 
of  the  simple  residues  left  behind  on  the  evaporation  of  the  three  pre- 
parations. Not  only  do  they  well  illustrate  the  disturbing  effect  of  the 
organic  matter  present,  but  they  also  supply  the  chief  reason  for  select- 
ing, the  process  of  assay  which  has  been  adopted. 
FROM  PORTION  OF  SAMPLE  IPECAC.  IN  NO.  60  POWDER. 
Alkaloid 
Bark  equivalent 
No  c.c.  equivalent        to  100  grams 
taken.  in  grams.  of  bark. 
Vinum  ipecac   400  20  0756 
A cetum  ipecac   400  20  0-836 
Ext.  ipecac,  fluid   40  40  0720 
FROM  PORTION  OF  SAMPLE  IPECAC.  "  BRUISED." 
Alkaloid 
Bark  equivalent 
No  c.c.  equivalent        to  100  errams 
taken.  in  grams.  of  bark. 
Vinum  ipecac   400  20  0"604 
A  cetum  ipecac   400  20  0756 
.  FROM  SIMPLE  RESIDUES. 
Sample  in  No  60  powder.  Sample  "  bruised," 
Alkaloid  Alkaloid 
equivalent  to  100  equivalent  to  100 
grams  of  bark.  grams  of  bark. 
Vinum ipecac   3;3Q  226 
Acetum  ipecac   2*45  2-00 
Percentage  of  Alkaloid  in  Sample  Ipecac.  1*09. 
So  far  as  emetine  may  be  taken  as  representing  the  therapeutic  value 
of  ipecacuanha,  the  inference  to  be  drawn  from  these  figures  is  obvious. 
First,  that  of  the  three  preparations  which  were  made  and  examined, 
the  vinegar  was  the  strongest;  secondly,  that  the  alcohol  and  acetic 
acid  employed  in  the  extraction  of  the  medicinal  properties  exerted  a 
greater  solvent  power  when  the  drug  was  in  fine  powder  than  when  it 
was  simply  bruised.  The  possibility  that  these  results  might  be  ser- 
viceably  applied  towards  the  production  of  a  stable  and  active  vinum 
ipecacuanha},  suggests  an  inquiry  foreign  to  the  objects  of  this  note.— 
Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  December  12,  1885. 
