552  Inorganic  Chemistry  of  the  U.S. P.  {^S^t 
given  in  which  the  barium  dioxide  was  used.  Few  pharmacists 
attempted  to  make  their  own  hydrogen  dioxide,  for,  though  explicit 
directions  were  given  in  the  U.S. P.,  no  little  skill  is  required  in  its 
preparation,  and  being  marketed  so  cheaply  it  was  found  more 
advantageous  to  buy  than  to  make  it.  Hence  the  Committee  of 
Revision  saw  fit  to  omit  a  process  for  the  manufacture  of  hydrogen 
dioxide  and  in  consequence  to  dismiss  barium  dioxide. 
Ferri  Valerianas  has  many  friends  and  is  very  frequently  pre- 
scribed.   There  seems  to  be  no  valid  reason  for  its  dismissal. 
Hydrargyri  Subsulphas  Flavus. — Turpeth  mineral  has  been  official 
in  the  U.S. P.  for  over  half  a  century.  It  has  been  used  principally 
as  an  emetic  in  croup,  and  the  promptness  and  certainty  of  its  action 
in  this  disease  has  been  the  means  of  saving  many  an  infant's  life. 
It  is  still  frequently  prescribed  and  highly  esteemed  by  many  prac- 
titioners, and  therefore  might  have  been  retained. 
Liquor  Ferri  Acetatis,  Liquor  Ferri  Citratis,  and  Liquor  Ferri 
Nitratis. — The  second  of  these  was  formerly  employed  for  making 
Ferri  citras  and  Ferri  et  ammonii  citras,  according  to  the  U.S.P. 
of  1890.  These  salts,  as  well  as  other  scale  salts  of  iron,  were  rarely 
made  by  the  pharmacist,  and  therefore  it  was  considered  unnecessary 
to  retain  methods  for  their  preparation ;  hence  no  further  use  for 
Liquor  ferri  citratis. 
The  other  two  liquors  were  not  of  sufficient  use  to  warrant  their 
retention. 
Potassa  Sulphwata  is  still  largely  used  in  various  skin  diseases  in 
the  form  of  lotions,  ointments  and  baths.  It  would  seem,  therefore, 
that  this  might  better  have  been  retained,  especially  because  of  its 
unstable  nature  and  the  possibility  that  its  dismissal  with  the  conse- 
quent withdrawal  of  an  official  limitation  of  impurities,  would  lead 
to  the  production  of  a  poor  commercial  article.  Whether  the  dis- 
missal of  sodium  carbonate  and  exsiccated  sodium  carbonate  and 
the  introduction  of  the  almost  unknown  monohydrated  sodium 
carbonate  was  a  wise  step  or  not,  will  be  left  for  the  future  to  decide. 
The  change  seems  an  uncalled  for  one. 
CHANGES  IN  LATIN  TITLES. 
Regarding  the  changes  of  official  Latin  titles  of  the  inorganic 
substances,  it  must  be  admitted  that  every  one  of  them  gives  the 
more  correct  name  and,  according  to  modern  chemical  nomencla- 
