^^■oc^yiSs^^""*}    American  Pha7'maceutical  Association.  527 
soluble  in  water,  but  very  soluble  in  ether  or  chloroform,  while  the  salts  are  in- 
soluble in  the  latter  liquids,  but  freely  soluble  in  water.  Strong  nitric  acid 
colors  the  alkaloid  green  ;  and  potassa  saponifies  it,  producing  a  crystallizable 
alkaloid  and  a  strong  sweet  odor  resembling  ylang-ylang.  The  bark,  leaves  and 
flowers  of  calycanthus  contain  essential  oil,  but  the  seed  is  free  from  it. 
Quinine  mash — L.  F.  Stevens,  after  making  over  one  hundred  test  experi- 
ments for  masking  the  taste  of  quinine,  succeeded  in  making  an  efficient  prep- 
aration, which  was  admitted  into  the  National  Formulary  under  the  name 
Aromatic  Elixir  ofyerba  santa. — It  is  made  by  agitating  together  8  fluidounces 
each  of  compound  elixir  of  taraxacum  and  syrup  with  240  grains  of  powdered 
pumice,  then  adding  1  fluidounce  of  fluid  extract  of  yerba  santa ;  after  a  few 
hours  decant  and  filter  through  cotton ;  agitate  the  filtrate  with  80  grains  of 
magnesium  carbonate,  and  after  several  hours  filter.  A  fluid  drachm  of  this  elixir, 
mixed  by  agitation  with  5  grains  of  quinine  sulphate,  completely  covers  the  taste 
of  the  latter.  The  elixir,  as  well  as  its  mixture  with  quinine,  improves  with 
keeping. 
In  the  discussion  following  the  reading  of  this  paper  it  was  stated  that  the 
compound  elixir  of  taraxacum  of  the  National  Formulary  covered  the  taste  of 
quinine  completely,  but  that  its  taste  was  not  very  agreeable. 
Peppermint  Oil. — Prof.  A,  B.  Stevens  found  the  polarizing  power  of  menthol, 
both  Japanese  and  American,  to  be  from — 95°  to — 100°;  the  dementholized  oil 
of  peppermint  has  a  polarizing  power  lower  than  that  of  the  oil  from  which  it 
was  obtained.  The  volatile  oils  of  camphor,  pennyroyal  and  turpentine  have 
a  right  rotation,  and  when  mixed  with  oil  of  peppermint  lessen  the  levogyre 
rotation  of  the  latter.  A  drachm  of  nitric  acid  agitated  with  a  drop  of  pure 
oil  of  peppermint  will  produce  a  permanently  yellow  mixture,  which  in  the 
presence  of  oil  of  camphor  becomes  red  in  15  or  20  minutes.  Experiments 
were  also  made  with  the  decolorizing  of  iodine  by  oil  of  peppermint,  the  reac- 
tion being  interfered  with  by  the  presence  of  alcohol. 
Professor  Trimble's  papers  on  Catechu  and  on  precipitated  ferrous  sulphate  are 
published  in  full  in  this  number. 
Nomenclature  of  Pharmaceutical  Preparations  is  the  title  of  a  short  suggestive 
paper  by  C.  S.  Hallberg,  directing  attention  to  the  different  strengths  of  the 
various  preparations  of  one  class,  and  pointing  out  that  the  relative  strength 
might  likewise  be  indicated  in  the  name  by  the  use  of  Latin  numerals. 
These,  combined  with  the  last  syllable  of  the  present  class  name,  might  then 
do  service  for  indicating  the  drug  strength  of  the  preparation ;  accordingly  we 
would  have — 
Drug  Strength  by  Volume. 
100  =  Cen-ture.      30  =  Tri-ture. 
50  =  Quin-ture.     20  =  Vin-ture. 
40  =  Qua-ture.      10  =  De-ture. 
Drug  Strength  at  One  Hundred. 
100  =  Cen-tract.     30  =  Tri-tract. 
50  =  Quin -tract.    20  =  Vin-tract. 
40  =  Qua-tract.      10=  De- tract. 
5  =  Quinque-tract. 
The  subject  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  IJ.  S.  Phar- 
macopoeia, and  in  the  discussion  which  followed  it  seemed  to  be  generally  ad- 
mitted that  a  more  precise  nomenclature  might  be  devised,  at  least  for  prepa- 
rations of  different  strength  or  made  with  different  menstruums,  which  are  at 
present  designated  by  the  same  generic  name. 
