1 68  Remarks  on  Iron  Salts.  { Am^ 
less  liable  to  attract  moisture  from  the  atmosphere  than  any  other  sub- 
stance; in  fact,  it  posesses  all  the  qualities  desired  for  making  a  perfect 
trituration.  The  proportion  I  would  suggest  are  one  grain  of  the 
poisonous  substance  to  seven  grains  of  sugar  of  milk,  making  in  all, 
eight  grains, — the  whole  to  be  thoroughly  triturated.  The  process  of 
trituration  is  too  well  known  to  pharmacists  to  require  elucidation  in 
this  article,  and  they  are  also  well  aware  how  important  it  is  to  carry 
out  this  process  in  an  exact  and  careful  manner. 
Now,  when  a  physician  writes  for  a  quarter  of  a  grain  of  arsenious 
acid,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  weigh  two  grains  of  the  trituration,  and 
you  have  the  quarter  of  a  grain  desired.  This  method  I  hold  to  be 
the  safest  in  weighing  poisons — a  method  by  which  very  small  frac- 
tions of  grains  may  be  obtained, — and  where  children,  the  aged  or  very 
delicate  are  interested,  to  be  one  of  precision.  The  physician  can  also 
prescribe  with  a  feeling  of  certainty  when  using  those  poisonous  sub- 
stances in  this  trituration,  and  he  may  have  the  assurance  that,  when 
he  prescribes  the  one  quarter  of  a  grain,  he  obtains  that  amount, — for 
the  reason,  that  two  grains  of  any  substance  will  turn  the  beam  of  an 
ordinary  scale  more  readily  than  a  quarter  of  a  grain.  I  have,  seen 
scales  in  some  of  our  first-class  stores  on  which  the  half  of  a  grain 
could  not  be  weighed  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  but  on  which  two 
or  four  grains  could  be  weighed  with  accuracy. 
Likewise,  the  pharmacist  can  be  more  expeditious  in  dispensing  his 
order,  thereby  rendering  the  sick  a  prompt,  safe  and  reliable  prescrip- 
tion, and  one  exactly  in  accordance  with  the  physician's  wants. 
REMARKS  ON  IRON  SALTS  IN  THE  FORM  OF  SCALES. 
BY   G.   H.  CHAS.  KLIE. 
These  preparations  are  all  obtained  by  spreading  the  thick,  syrupy 
liquid  of  the  several  salts  on  glass  or  marble,  and  letting  it  dry  in  the 
open  air,  or,  which  is  preferable  on  account  of  being  more  expeditious, 
in  a  drying  chamber.  They  are  handsome  and  elegant  in  appearance^ 
and  their  successful  preparation  gives  great  satisfaction  to  the  preparer. 
In  the  following,  I  desire  to  give  some  of  my  observations  regarding 
these  preparations,  noted  down  while  making  them. 
The  "  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  "  gives  formulae  for  the  preparation  of 
seven.    They  are  :  Ferri  citras,  ferri  et  ammonii  citras,  ferri  et  am- 
