THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
i  
MARCH,  185  8. 
THE  PROCESS  OF  PERCOLATION. 
By  Edward  R.  Squibb,  M.  D. 
The  Pharmacopoeia  very  judiciously  recommends  that  the  pro- 
cess of  percolation  be  restricted  to  the  practice  of  those  who 
may  have  had  experience  or  instruction  in  manipulation.  This 
restriction  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  circumstance  that  in 
the  application  of  the  process  a  very  little  bad  management  is 
liable  to  produce  imperfect  results,  and  be  wasteful.  The 
facility  and  great  convenience  of  the  process  has,  however, 
led  to  its  general  adoption,  regardless  of  the  wholesome  restric- 
tion, and  it  now  only  remains  to  be  seen  whether,  by  simple 
means,  its  general  application  may  not  be  established  without 
risk  of  bad  results. 
In  the  practice  of  percolation  for  some  years  past,  the  writer 
has,  from  time  to  time,  observed  results  which  have  led  to  the 
adoption  of  a  few  simple  rules  in  the  management  of  the  process. 
And  as  these  rules,  if  observed  with  ordinary  care,  render 
the  process  quite  as  certain  as  that  by  maceration,  in  any 
hands,  they  are  communicated  in  the  hope  of  being  of  some 
value. 
Substances  to  be  exhausted  by  percolation  should  generally 
be  so  comminuted  as  to  pass  through  a  sieve  of  24  meshes  to 
the  linear  inch. 
The  substance  should  be  wetted  with  the  menstruum  until  the 
liquid  is  no  longer  absorbed  by  the  powder,  and  should  then 
