AmAugust,Pi906rm' j    Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association.  373 
machine,  or  a  bread  mixer,  or  some  mechanical  device  for  thoroughly- 
stirring  it,  as  it  becomes  very  tough,  and  requires  considerable 
power  to  mix  it  in  large  quantities.  For  filling  the  tubes,  a  sausage 
stuffer  has  been  found  most  advantageous. 
Simple  Elixir  as  a  Vehicle  in  Children's  Prescriptions. 
By  Edgar  F.  Heffner. 
The  author  suggests  that  in  many  instances  physicians  are  either 
not  aware,  or  do  not  realize  the  amount  of  alcohol  which  is  present 
in  simple  elixir,  and  in  prescriptions  for  children,  several  of  which 
were  submitted  as  having  been  taken  from  the  author's  files.  The 
amount  of  alcohol  sometimes  reaches  a  proportion  which  would  not 
be  given  were  the  physician  made  aware  of  the  condition  of  affairs. 
He  also  gave  an  example  of  a  prescription  containing  sodium  bro- 
mide, chloral  hydrate,  and  simple  elixir,  in  which  a  layer  of  chloral 
alcoholate  separated  out  sometime  after  dispensing,  which,  if  un- 
noticed, would  allow  the  patient  to  take  all  of  the  chloral  in  the 
first  dose,  as  the  chloral  alcoholate  is  the  lighter  of  the  two  liquids 
and  forms  the  top  layer.  He  suggests  the  use  of  an  aromatic  water 
as  a  vehicle  in  all  of  these  types  of  prescriptions  as  being  certain  to 
obviate  any  danger.  The  value  of  these  suggestions  was  readily 
understood,  and  the  secretary  of  the  Association  was  directed  to 
have  100  copies  of  the  paper  prepared,  one  of  which  was  to  be  sent 
to  each  medical  journal  in  the  United  States. 
Tinctures  from  Fluid  Extracts. 
By  Isaac  M.  Weills. 
The  author  takes  the  view  that  the  using  of  standardized  fluid 
extract  for  making  tinctures  of  powerful  drugs  would  lead  to  greater 
uniformity  than  the  present  method  of  preparation  where  the  phar- 
macist may,  possibly,  have  a  drug  which  is  much  higher  than  the 
allowable  standard,  and  thus  make  a  preparation  which  is  more 
powerful  than  a  similar  preparation  made  from  a  different  lot  of  the 
drug.  He  also  comments  on  the  lack  of  care  in  collecting  drugs  at 
the  proper  season  in  order  to  get  their  greatest  efficiency. 
Some  Improved  Formulas. 
By  P.  Henry  Ute'ch. 
The  author  suggests  that  in  the  official  spirit  of  peppermint,  a 
much  more  satisfactory  preparation  can  be  made  by  allowing  the 
