Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1888. 
Reference  Table  of  Doses. 
343 
scale,  with  the  ordinary  minimum,  medium  and  maximum  doses,  and 
refusing  absohitely  to  allow  it  to  be  considered  as  a  fixed,  inviolable 
standard,  giving  it,  simply,  as  an  expression  of  the  ordinary  quantity 
administrable  at  a  single  dose  of  certain  drugs. 
The  accompanying  alphabetically  arranged  table  comprises  a  list  of 
over  500  of  the  more  important  officinal  and  unofficinal  pharmaceutical 
drugs  and  preparations,  which  have  found  employment  in  the  wards 
of  the  Philadelphia  Hospital,  and  is  the  table  of  reference  there  used 
by  the  Drug  Department. 
The  doses  are  given  in  apothecaries  measure,  and  are  graded  as 
minimum,  medium,  and  medio-maximum  doses,  followed  by  (in  the 
case  of  the  more  active  remedies)  the  approximate  maximum  limits; 
as  the  absolute  quantity  of  a  drug  in  a  given  case  to  effect  a  full 
physiological  action,  being  varied  by  so  many  conditions  on  the  part 
of  the  patient,  can  only  be  determined  in  each  instance  by  the  attend- 
ing physician.  The  doses  are  those  of  adults.  Those  for  an  age  of 
less  than  twenty  four  years  and  more  than  twelve  years  can  readily  be 
calculated  by  taking  the  number  of  the  age  as  the  numerator,  twenty- 
four  as  the  denominator  and  working  out  the  value  of  the  fraction. 
In  cases  of  less  than  twelve  years,  Young's  admirable  rule  of  making 
the  age  th(i  numerator,  and  the  age  plus  twelve  the  denominator  and 
working  out  the  value  of  the  fraction,  is  amply  sufficient  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes. 
The  doses  herein  given  are  understood  to  be  administered  by  the 
mouth.  In  administration  hypodermically,  the  general  rule  is  to 
make  the  dose  three  fourths  that  of  the  mouth  dose,  whilst,  rectally, 
the  method  followed,  is  to  make  the  dose  one  and  one-fourth  that  of 
the  mouth  dose. 
In  all  cases  where  the  dose  reaches  maximum  limits,  the  rule  ob- 
served by  us  (unless  the  dose  is  especially  marked  or  underscored,  and 
even  then  where  there  is  a  too  great  frequency  of  dose,)  is  to  have  a 
personal  interview  with  the  physician,  prior  to  compounding  the  pre- 
scription, so  that  he  shall  assume  full  responsibility.  It  is  understood, 
of  course,  that  where  officinal  preparations  are  named  the  standard  of 
strength  is  that  of  our  present  Pharmacopoeia.  (U.  S.  P.  1880). 
(To  be  concluded  in  the  next  number.) 
Liiniment  of  metbylal  is  recommended  to  be  made  of  methylal  15 
parts  and  expressed  almond  oil,  85  parts. — Amer.  Jour.  Med.  ScL,  April,  1888. 
