Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1888. 
Extr actum  Rubi  Fluidum. 
227 
EXTRACTUM  RUBI  FLUIDUM. 
By  Charles  Born  Evans,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
Fluid  extract  of  blackberry^  as  made  by  the  formula  authorized  by 
the  Pharmacop(eia,  is  a  preparation  which  decomposes  quite  rapidly, 
and  upon  standing  for  a  short  time  becomes  very  unsightly.  I  have 
been  experimenting  for  some  time  in  order  to  ascertain,  whether  a 
menstruum  could  not  be  found  that  would  prevent  this  decomposition, 
and  yet  extract  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  drug,  and  have  suc- 
ceeded in  making  some  preparations  which  have  stood  very  well  for  a 
month  or  two. 
It  was  found  impossible  to  prevent  a  slight  precipitation  when  the 
reserve  portion  and  the  evaporated  soft  extract  were  brought  together, 
but  in  some  cases  this  residue  was  quite  inert. 
Six  different  preparations  were  made,  using  the  bark  in  all  cases  in 
No.  60  powder. 
For  No.  1  the  menstruum  was  alcohol  9  parts,  water  7  parts, 
with  20  per  cent,  of  glycerin.  The  drug  was  moistened,  packed  and 
macerated  according  to  the  rule  specified  for  the  making  of  fluid  ex- 
tracts. After  the  portion  to  be  reserved  was  obtained,  the  drug  was 
exhausted  with  a  mixture  of  alcohol  and  water,  in  the  proportion  of  9 
parts  of  alcohol  to  7  parts  of  water. 
Different  menstrua  were  used  in  the  other  preparations,  but  the 
pharmacopoeial  rule  of  manipulation  was  followed  for  all,  and  in  each 
case  the  menstruum  remained  unchanged,  except  that  the  glycerin  was 
omitted  for  the  percolation  of  the  last  portions  of  tincture.  The  men- 
struum consisted  for  No.  2,  of  alcohol  2  parts,  water  1  part,  and  20 
per  cent,  of  glycerin  ;  for  'No.  3,  alcohol  3  parts,  water  1  part,  with 
20  per  cent,  of  glycerin ;  for  No.  4,  alcohol  4  parts,  water  1  part, 
with  20  per  cent,  of  glycerin  ;  for  No.  5,  alcohol  3  parts,  water  1 
part,  glycerin,  30  per  cent.,  and  for  No.  6,  alcohol  4  parts,  water  1 
part,  with  30  per  cent,  of  glycerin. 
Shortly  after  the  liquid  commenced  to  drop  from  Nos.  1  and  2, 
there  was  a  slight  sediment  deposited  upon  the  bottom  of  the  bottle  ; 
and  as  the  liquid  rose  in  the  bottle  there  was  more  or  less  of  a  deposit 
upon  the  sides,  the  deposit  being  larger  in  No.  1  than  in  No.  2.  By 
the  time  the  drug  was  exhausted,  the  bottles  which  received  the  weak 
percolates  were  entirely  coated  with  a  grayish  deposit,  while  there  was 
