47o 
Acetone  Collodions. 
{Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1906. 
derful  Oriental  tree,  and  which  revealed  the  fact,  on  analysis,  that 
the  basis  of  the  preparation  was  a  stearic  acid  soap,  and  that  it  could 
be  duplicated  for  less  than  10  cents  a  pound,  while  the  preparation 
with  its  high-sounding  title  and  extravagant  claims  was  sold  at  the 
price  of  50  cents  for  a  2-ounce  jar,  or  $4.00  a  pound — truly  a  hand- 
some margin  for  containers,  labels  and  profit. 
Rule  8,  which  requires  that  "  Every  article  should  have  a  name 
or  title  indicative  of  its  chemical  composition  or  pharmaceutic  char- 
acter, in  addition  to  its  trade  name,  where  such  trade  name  is  not 
sufficiently  descriptive,"  is  another  of  the  rules  in  which  the  phar- 
macist is  peculiarly  well  qualified  to  judge,  on  account  of  his  knowl- 
edge of  materials  and  processes. 
If  one-half  the  energy  which  is  now  devoted  to  the  making  of  a 
few  extra  cents  on  nostrums,  which  in  most  cases  are  objectionable 
or  dangerous,  could  be  applied  to  the  elimination  of  some  of  the 
evils  which  have  crept  into  the  profession  through  the  inefficiency 
and  unscrupulousness  of  a  small  minority,  it  would  result  in  the 
establishment  of  an  entente  cordiale  between  the  physician  and 
pharmacist  which  would  increase  public  confidence,  open  new  avenues 
of  legitimate  profit,  and  bring  about  a  condition  which  should  never 
have  been  interrupted  or  suffered  to  lapse  as  has  unfortunately  been 
the  case. 
ACETONE  COLLODIONS.1 
By  George  m.  beringer. 
In  a  paper  read  before  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  in 
February,  1892,  the  writer  called  attention  to  the  remarkable  sol- 
vent power  of  pure  acetone,  and  predicted  that  in  the  future  it  would 
be  found  a  useful  solvent  in  pharmacy  and  chemistry.  (American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1892,  fol.  147.)  This  prediction  is  fast  being 
realized,  and  in  the  Eighth  Decennial  Revision  of  theU.  S.  Pharma- 
copoeia it  has  been  officially  recognized  and  directed  to  be  used  as 
a  solvent  in  the  preparation  of  the  official  oleo-resins,  with  the 
exception  of  the  oleo-resin  of  cubeb.  Its  solvent  power  for  oils, 
resins,  waxes,  etc.,  has  likewise  greatly  extended  its  use  in  the  arts 
and  manufactures. 
1  Read  at  the  Meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  Sep- 
tember, 1906. 
