Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan. 1876. 
Vinegar  Bitters. 
^7 
two  inches  wide  and  nine  inches  long,  joined  together  at  one  end  with 
a  good  hinge.  The  pressing  surfaces  consist  of  concave  pieces  of 
brass  or  metal,  having  a  rim  corresponding  to  the  various  sizes  of  wafer 
discs  sunk  to  a  proper  level  and  fastened  into  the  body  of  the  press. 
For  these,  buttons  for  stair-rods  answer  every  purpose. 
The  medicated  capsule  is  now  ready  for  the  patient,  who  will  be  thus 
enabled  to  take  such  bitter  substances  as  quinia,  aloes,  &c,  without 
perceiving  the  least  taste  whatever,  and  requiring  very  little  effort  to 
swallow,  all  that  is  requisite  being  to  dip  the  wafer  for  a  moment  in 
cold  water,  place  it  upon  the  tongue,  and  swallow  with  a  very  small 
drink  of  water. 
VINEGAR  BITTERS. 
BY  OTTMAR  EBERBACH. 
{Abstract  of  a  paper  presented  to  and  published  by  request  of  the  American  Pharma- 
ceutical Association,  Sept.  1875.) 
The  appearance  of  this  compound  reminds  one  very  forcibly  of  a 
mud-hole  in  clayey  soil,  for  it  looks  as  if  it  was  taken  from  such  a 
depository  and  bottled  ;  this,'  probably,  explains  why  the  proprietors 
have  their  wrappers  so  firmly  fixed  over  their  unsightly  mixture.  On 
opening  the  boctle  it  gives  a  slight  report,  indicating  the  presence  of 
some  gas  ;  its  odor  is  that  of  a  mixture  of  oil  of  anise  and  aloes.,  its 
taste  sour,  very  bitter,  with  an  anise  flavor. 
To  determine  the  composition  of  this  nostrum,  the  author  subjected 
the  contents  of  a  bottle  to  distillation,  passing  the  gas  through  an  am- 
moniacal  solution  of  barium  chloride,  in  which  a  white  precipitate  was 
produced  (carbonic  acid).  The  distilled  liquid  was  found  to  contain 
oil  of  anise,  acetic  acid  and  alcohol,  the  presence  of  the  latter  being 
proven  by  the  acetic  ether  and  iodoform  tests. 
The  balance  of  the  contents  of  the  bottle  was  neutralized  with  am- 
monia, evaporated  to  dryness,  and  the  residue  exhausted  with  absolute 
alcohol ;  insoluble  portion  marked  A,  soluble  portion,  B.  The  latter 
was  exhausted  with  cold  water ;  the  solution,  after  long-continued  boil- 
ing with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  yielded  to  ether  paracumaric  acid,  recog- 
nized by  its  solubility  and  the  golden  yellow  color  produced  with  ferric 
chloride ;  the  presence  of  aloes  was  thus  proven. 
The  portion  of  B,  which  was  insoluble  in  cold  water,  was  partly  sol- 
uble in  chloroform  ;  the  remainder,  dissolving  in  solution  of  carbonate 
of  sodium,  was  free  from  the  resins  of  colocynth  and  jalap,  and  con. 
