232 
Minutes  of  Pharmaceutical  Meetings.  { 
kuj,.  Jour.  Phaem> 
May  1,  1871. 
tatiog  the  hjdrated  oxide  with  ammonia,  on  account  of  the  great  facility  of 
washing  out  the  verj  soluble  muriate  of  ammonia  from  the  magma. 
Prof.  Maisch  expressed  his  preference  for  the  cinchona  alkaloids  in  making 
this  elixir,  and  stated  his  conviction  that  few,  if  any,  of  the  principal  manufac- 
turers used  the  bark  itself,  or  even  the  alkaloids,  in  sufficient  proportion  to  im- 
part much  of  the  tonic  property  of  cinchona;  he  stated  the  proportion  of  his 
elixir  as  follows,  using  a  chinoidin,  which  contains  much  quinia  and  quinidia,  90 
grains  to  Oviiiss  ;  9|-  grains  of  pyrophosphate  are  contained  in  each  fluid  ounce. 
A  general  discussion  grew  up  as  to  the  propriety  of  preparing  elixirs  to  meet 
the  popular  demand,  or  to  till  the  prescriptions  of  physicians.  Prof.  Maisch's 
custom  is  to  make  all  such  as  are  required  in  the  course  of  his  business,  and  to 
decline  prescriptions  which  call  for  special  proprietary  preparations.  Prof. 
Procter  prefers  sending  to  the  physician  for  the  formula  in  all  cases  in  which 
there  is  uncertainty  as  to  the  composition  designed,  and  dispensing  such  as  are 
well  known.  Prof.  Parrish's  practice  is  to  originate  a  formula  in  any  case  in 
which  there  is  none  published,  taking  into  account  the  proper  doses  and  phar- 
maceutical requireinents  of  the  ingredients,  but  in  no  case  selling  one  of  his 
own  where  another  is  evidently  intended  to  be  prescribed. 
Mr.  Gailard  exhibited  a  specimen  of  Whitman's  Cacao  Butter,  of  line  qua- 
lity, used  by  him  in  making  suppositories. 
Prof.  Maisch  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  fusing  point  of  this  oil  is- 
generally  stated  to  be  at  about  90°  F.,*  while  common  experience  shows  that 
suppositories  made  with  it,  without  admixture,  will  retain  their  shape  reason- 
ably well  throughout  our  hot  summers. 
The  preparation  of  suppositories  being  under  discussion,  the  method  of  pre- 
paring them  without  fusion  was  adverted  to. 
Prof.  Procter  stated  that  he  had  practiced  that  method  on  their  first  intro- 
duction, but  noticed  a  difference  in  the  facility  of  manipulating  them  according 
to  the  temperature  of  the  hands  of  different  persons — while  some  could  form  a- 
suppository  without  inconvenient  fusion,  others  would  have  the  mass  become 
too  soft  to  handle. 
Prof.  Procter  exhibited  the  remains  of  the  retort,  the  explosion  of  which 
killed  our  late  fellow-alumnus  Ferris  Bringhnrst,  together  with  the  curved 
piece  of  iron  taken  from  his  brain,  measuring  about  inches  in  length  by 
about  1  inch  in  width  by  I  inch  in  thickness. 
Prof.  Maisch  gave  the  result  of  his  analysis  of  several  samples  of  assafoetida 
taken  by  the  Drug  Inspector  of  this  port  from  different  cases  and  from  different 
parts  of  the  mass,  with  the  following  result : 
No.  1. 
Oleoresin,        .  .  34-25 
Alcoholic  resin,  .  2-23 
No.  2. 
41-47 
2-42 
No.  11. 
61-80 
1-13 
No.  18. 
37-86 
1  62 
No.  20. 
28-88 
1-20 
Total  resin  &  vol.  oil,  36-48 
Impurities,        .  .  57-.50 
Gum  moisture  and  loss,  6*02 
43-  89 
44-  01 
12-10 
62-93 
15-20 
21-87 
39-48 
51-70 
8-82 
30-08 
62  09 
7-83 
100  00 
100  00 
100-00 
100-00 
lOO-OO 
*  Wa  t's  Dictionary  (  f  Chemistry  gives  30°  C.  (86°  F.) 
