Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  1886. 
Laboratory  Notes. 
LABORATORY  NOTES. 
(Abstracts  from  Theses.) 
537 
Officinal  extracts. — Francis  J.  Lammer,  Jr.,  prepared  the  following 
extracts  according  to  the  directions  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  and 
determined  the  percentage  yield  of  the  finished  products. 
Extr.  Aconiti....  12766  per  cent. 
"  Aloes  aquosum... 91*54  " 
"  Arnicas  radicis....  19*53  " 
"  Belladonnas  alcoh.3223 
"  Cannabis  indica3..16'56  " 
«  Cinch  onas  26*4  " 
"  Colchici  radicis  23*2  " 
u  Colchici  serninis*  9*63  " 
"  Colocynthidis  15*135 
"  '<  comp.f.95-77 
"  Conii  alcohol  10*73 
"  Digitalis  25*5 
"   Euonymi   18*31 
"  Gentianse  44*6 
li  Glycyrrhizas  pu- 
rum  25-32  " 
Extr.  Haematoxyli        5.3     per  cent. 
"  Hyoscyami  alcoh.l6*64  " 
"  Iridis   8*9  " 
"  Juglandis  16*82 
"  Kramerise   8*4  " 
"  Leptandrae  15*97 
*<  Malti  44*72 
"  Mezerei.   7*1 
"  Nucis  vomicae        6.17  " 
"  Opii  49*6 
"  Physostigmatis....  6*2  " 
"  Podophylli   8.31 
"  Quassise   2.24  « 
11  Rhei  25*66  " 
"  Stramonii  14*02 
Taraxaci  11.3  " 
Cerates  and  Ointments. — Jas.  E.  Buckley,  Ph.G.?  suggests  that  the 
composition  of  ointments  should  be  so  regulated,  that  their  fusing 
points  be  merely  a  little  higher  than  the  temperature  of  the  body, 
both  in  health  and  disease.  The  following  fusing  points  were  ascer- 
tained by  introducing  the  preparation  into  a  glass  tube  of  one-eighth- 
inch  bore,  suspending  this  with  a  thermometer  in  water,  and  apply- 
ing heat  until  the  plug  changed  its  position  in  the  tube;  and  by  heat- 
ing the  preparation  in  a  cup  placed  in  a  water-bath,  and  stirring  with 
a  thermometer  until  entirely  liquefied,  the  fluid  point  was  determined. 
The  preparations  were  all  made  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  U.  S. 
Pharmacopoeia  of  1880.  The  results  were  as  follows,  the  temperature 
being  given  in  degrees  Centigrade: 
*  Menstruum  same  as  for  the  corresponding  fluid  extract. 
i  Loss  in  powdering  4.23  per  cent. 
