"^mS  mstT'}  Syrups  of  Squills,  Seneka  and  Ipecac.  101 
is  coagulated  by  borax  and  perchloride  or  sulphate  of  iron.  When  an 
alkaline  carbonate  is  dissolved  in  clear  mucilage,  in  mixtures,  it  causes 
cloudiness  and  gradually  precipitates  the  lime  as  carbonate,  and  when 
borax  or  chloride  or  persulphate  of  iron  are  mixed  with  mucilage  it 
must  be  dilute  to  prevent  coagulation  by  these  salts.  Also  when  the 
emollient  qualities  of  mucilage  are  needed  in  union  with  a  lead  salt, 
the  neutral  acetate  and  not  the  subacetate  should  be  employed. 
Finally,  it  should  be  remembered  that  among  the  class  are  always 
individuals  whose  opportunities  for  practice  are  very  limited,  and  who, 
by  merely  seeing  a  plaster  spread,  a  suppository  moulded,  or  an  emul- 
sion made,  would  be  far  more  permanently  benefitted,  than  if  merely 
told  how  to  do  these  simple  but  important  operations. 
COMPOUND  SYRUP  OF  SQUILLS,  SYRUP   OF  SENEKA  AND 
SYRUP  OF  IPECACUANHA. 
By  J.  C.  Wharton. 
The  tendency  of  some  officinal  syrups  to  ferment  is  strikingly 
manifested  by  the  three  above  named,  and,  although  the  present  for- 
mulae for  their  preparation  are  improvements  upon  older  ones,  there 
are  still  serious  difficulties  in  following  implicitly  the  directions  laid 
down  in  the  U.  S.  Dispensatory.  As  a  consequence,  there  are  various 
inequalities  in  the  resulting  syrups,  and,  as  I  believe,  fermentation 
is  sometimes  actually  promoted  by  the  tedious  and  lengthy  proceed- 
ings required. 
It  will  be  sufficient  to  offer  as  an  instance  the  compound  syrup  of 
squill.  As  it  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  formula  in  detailed  pro- 
portions, the  reader  is  referred  to  the  U.  S.  Dispensatory,  where  it 
will  be  seen  that  after  a  percolated  tincture  of  three  pints  is  obtained 
the  directions  read  :  Boil  this  for  a  few  minutes^  evaporate  it  hy 
means  of  a  water-hath  to  a  pint,  add  six  fiuidounces  of  boiling  water, 
and  filter.  Dissolve  the  sugar  in  the  filtered  liquid,  and,  having 
heated  the  solution  to  the  boiling  point,  strain  it  while  hot.  Then  dis- 
solve the  tartrate  of  antimony  and  jjotassa  in  the  solution  while  still 
hot,  and  add  [sufficieiit  boiling  water  tltrough  the  strainer  to  make  it 
measure  three  pints.    Lastly,  mix  the  whole  thoroughly  together.'' 
In  following  these  directions  as  strictly  as  possible  I  have  almost 
invariably  found  that  a  large  amount  of  albuminous  or  pectin-like  " 
matter  was  deposited,  and  in  fact  this  is  the  stated  design  of  raising 
