350   Keeping  Qualities  of  Spiritus  Athens  NitrosL  {^"'•juiy^i^^'''^- 
ber  28,  when  it  was  found  to  give  off  6'12  vols,  of  nitric  oxide. 
The  shop  bottle,  being  tested  on  the  same  date,  was  found  to  give  off 
3-8  vols. 
On  December  28,  the  shop  bottle  was  filled  up  with  the  last  of  the 
half-gallon,  and  the  preparation  was  finally  tested  on  March  22, 1888, 
when  it  was  almost  sold  out,  there  being  only  2  ozs.  left,  and  it  was 
found  to  give  off  3*4  vols,  of  nitric  oxide. 
From  the  foregoing  results  it  appears  that  in  the  daily  sale  of  spiri- 
tus setheris  nitrosi,  B.P.,  there  is  a  gradual  loss  of  nitrous  ether  going 
on  ;  but  where  the  stock  bottle  is  well  stoppered  and  kept  in  a  cool 
dark  place,  the  decomposition  of  the  nitrous  ether  is  much  slower 
than  would  appear  from  the  statements  of  some  experimenters ;  for 
beginning  with  spiritus  setheris  nitrosi  giving  off  7  vols,  of  nitric  ox- 
ide on  March  10,  1887,  it  was  found  on  December  28  to  still  yield 
6*12  vols.,  which  showed  a  loss  of  only  0*88  vol.  in  10  months  and 
18  days. 
Again,  the  preparation  in  the  retail  bottle  gave  off  3'4  vols,  of 
nitric  oxide  on  March  22,  1888  ;  this  showed  a  loss  of  3'6  vols,  of 
nitric  oxide  after  it  had  been  in  daily  use  for  12  months  and  12  days. 
From  that  may  be  deduced  the  fact  that  provided  the  dispensing 
chemist  has  his  spiritus  setheris  nitrosi,  B.P.,  of  standard  strength  to 
begin  with,  and  does  not  keep  it  more  than  twelve  months,  it  will 
never  fall  so  low  in  nitrous  ether  as  to  give'  off  only  iq  vol.  to  1  vol. 
of  nitric  oxide,  the  quantity  stated  in  some  of  the  prosecution  cases 
under  the  Sale  of  Food  and  Drugs  Act. 
In  conclusion,  every  dispensing  chemist,  if  he  does  not  possess  an 
Allen's  nitrometer  should  test  his  spiritus  setheris  nitrosi  when  bought 
from  his  wholesale  house,  if  he  does  not  make  it  himself,  either  by 
Mr.  Proctor's  method,  as  described  in  the  Pharmaceutieal  Journal, 
(Feb.  19,  1887,  p.  699),  or  by  Mr.  Blunt's  syringe  nitrometer  {Pharm. 
Jour.,  March  19,  1887,  p.  763),  for  by  so  doing  he  could  easily  refuse 
to  retain  it  if  it  did  not  give  off  5  vols,  of  nitric  oxide. — Phar.  Jour, 
and  Trans.,  June  9,  1888,  p.  1027. 
Copaiba  in  Croup  is  recommended  by  Dr.  P.  H.  Thompson,  Bluffton,  Ga. 
{Med.  and  Surg.  Rep.),  wHo  uses  a  four  ounce  emulsion  of  copaiba  1  oz.,  contain- 
ing also  1  oz.  of  syrup  of  squill.  The  dose  is  a  teaspoonful  every  two  hours, 
or  less  frequently,  according  to  circumstances. 
