3  9  8  Comparative  Price  of  Preparations.     { ^£g;Eg* ' 
syrup  represents  0*6  grm.  of  the  extract  and  5  grm.of  the  fucus,  which 
is  the  average  dose.  A  fluid  extract  might  doubtless  be  prepared  by  a 
process  similar  to  the  officinal  one  for  fluid  extract  of  chimaphila  ;  the 
average  dose  of  such  a  preparation  would  be  about  a  teaspoonful.  If, 
however,  the  virtues  depend  mainly  upon  the  iodine  and  bromine  pres- 
ent, the  dose  would  have  to  be  increased  very  considerably. 
THE  COMPARATIVE  PRICE  OF  BOUGHT  AND  SELF-MADE  CHEM- 
ICALS AND  PHARMACEUTICAL  PREPARATIONS. 
BY  G.  H.  CHAS.  KLIE. 
Speaking  of  the  preparations  of  the  u  Pharmacopoeia,"  one  often 
hears  the  remark  from  apothecaries,  "  It  does  not  pay  to  make  them." 
Although  this  is  true  in  regard  to  a  good  many,  still  there  is  quite  a 
number  the  manufacture  of  which  by  the  apothecary  repays  him  am- 
ply. The  table  below  comprises  50  chemicals  and  pharmaceutical 
preparations,  the  cost  of  making  which  has  not  been  arrived  at  by 
mere  theoretical  calculation,  but  by  practical  experiment.  The  figures 
of  the  first  column  give  the  wholesale  price  current  in  this  locality  ; 
those  of  the  second  column  show  what  each  preparation  may  be  made 
for  by  the  apothecary  ;  the  third  column  gives  the  difference,  and  the 
fourth  shows  the  percentage  of  gain  or  loss. 
It  must  be  here  remarked,  that  profit  or  loss  cannot  in  all  instances 
be  the  same,  because  the  prices  of  drugs  fluctuate,  and  one  party  is  apt 
to  handle  the  ingredients  more  economically  than  another.  The  prac- 
tice of  strict  economy  in  manufacturing  has  an  appreciable  bearing  on 
the  profit : 
Wholesale 
Cost  of  own 
Difference. 
Per  cent. 
Price. 
prepara- 
tion. 
%  cts. 
$  cts. 
$  cts. 
Acidum  phosphoricum  dilutum, 
lb. 
O  30 
O  20 
OIO 
Pi°f-,  33*33 
Ammonii  bromidium, 
a 
I  OO 
O  75 
O  25 
"  25-00 
Antimonii  oxidum, 
Calcii  hypophosphis, 
(t 
I  OO 
I  I5| 
0  isf 
Loss,  15*75 
it 
3  00 
2  63 
0  37 
Prof.,  1233 
Collodium, 
<( 
1  10 
O  76^ 
0  33? 
"  30-45 
"  cantharidale, 
tt 
3  75 
1  3li 
2  43? 
"  64-93 
Extractum  aloes  aquosum, 
<< 
2  00 
1  10 
0  90 
"  45'°° 
"        cannabis  indicae, 
oz. 
1  14 
0  60 
0  54 
"  47-36 
"        colocynthidis  pulv., 
lb. 
5  OO 
3  75 
1  25 
"  2500 
a                 «<    Cp^  {< 
a 
3  58 
2  80 
0  78 
"  2178 
"        conii  alcoholicum, 
a 
1  93 
2  06 
0  1  3 
Loss,  -06 
"        digitalis  " 
a 
2  20 
1  36 
0  84 
Prof.,  38-18 
