AmMay?i906arm'}      Notes  on  the  Nezv  Pharmacopoeia.  213 
have  been  accustomed  to  make.  An  effort  has  been  made  to  make 
the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  conform  in  regard  to  the  strength  of  tine 
tures,  acids,  and  some  other  preparations  with  those  of  European 
countries.  This  desire  has  led  to  the  reducing  of  quite  a  number  of 
tinctures  from  35,  20,  and  15  per  cent,  to  10  per  cent  I  will  not 
enumerate  them  now,  because  you  cannot  remember  them  as  I  read 
them  to  you,  but  I  will  mention  a  few  that  should  be  memorized  in 
view  of  the  potency  of  the  drugs : — 
Tincture  of  aconite  formerly  35  per  cent,  is  now  10  per  cent. 
Tincture  of  veratrum  formerly  40  per  cent  is  now  10  per  cent. 
Tincture  of  nux  vomica  formerly  12%  per  cent,  is  now  8  per 
cent. 
Tincture  of  belladonna,  colchicum,  digitalis,  gelsemium,  hyoscya- 
mus  were  formerly  15  per  cent,  are  now  10  per  cent.  Three  potent 
tinctures  have  been  doubled  in  strength,  namely  cantharides,  cap- 
sicum, and  strophanthus,  which  were  formerly  5  per  cent,  and  are 
now  10  per  cent. 
A  welcome  change  in  weight  is  that  of  glycerin  suppositories 
from  6  grammes  to  3  grammes  each.  Another  change  in  strength 
is  that  of  syrup  of  iodide  of  iron  from  10  per  cent,  to  5  per  cent. 
In  regard  to  processes,  the  direction  which  was  given  by  the 
Pharmacopceial  Convention  to  adopt  general  formulas  as  far  as 
possible,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  carried  out  to  any  great  extent. 
As  a  consequence  56  pages  are  taken  up  with  processes  for  making 
fluid  extracts,  which  would  seem  to  be  about  50  pages  more  than 
was  really  necessary.  A  general  formula  for  preparing  a  few  of 
these  extracts  would  have  sufficed,  the  menstruum  to  be  employed 
in  the  making  of  the  remainder  is  all  that  need  have  been  given. 
Surely  pharmacists  in  these  days  know  how  to  make  these  prepara- 
tions uniformly  if  the  material  and  menstruum  be  given  to  them. 
In  regard  to  percolation,  the  changes  made  are  in  the  way  of 
improvement.  The  directions  about  sifting  the  drug  previous  to 
packing  in  the  percolator  are  too  often  overlooked.  The  rate  of 
flow  is  made  much  slower,  ranging  from  2  to  15  drops  a  minute 
according  to  circumstances. 
I  have  spoken  of  those  points  in  the  new  Pharmacopoeia  which 
seem  to  me  the  most  noteworthy  so  far  as  I  have  come  across 
them.  I  have  not  been  able  to  examine  the  work  thoroughly,  but 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  eighth  Revision  of  the  United 
