Am.  Jour.  Pl'arm.  1 
Jan.,  1883.  / 
Preparations  of  Ergot. 
11 
properties.  The  menstruum  adopted  in  the  new  pharmacopoeia  will 
undoubtedly  be  as  aqueous  as  possible  to  insure  a  permanent  product. 
Alcohol  of  40  per  cent,  yields  a  very  good  preparation  representing 
the  drug  fairly,  but  still  containing  more  or  less  fixed  oil  and  alcoholic 
extractive.  The  writer  is,  therefore,  of  the  opinion  that  the  ergot 
should  first  be  freed  from  oil  and  resin,  before  a  fluid  preparation  can 
be  made  from  it,  representing  all  the  valuable  medicinal  constituents 
of  the  drug  to  the  exclusion  of  inert  matter  and  those  principles  pos- 
sessed of  undesirable  qualities. 
Fluid  Ergot. — Upon  the  investigations  of  Dragendorff,  Podwis- 
sotzky,  Blumberg  and  others  having  been  made  public,  new  processes 
were  adopted  for  preparations  that  would  conform  to  these  theories. 
The  writer  constructed  a  formula  for  a  preparation  termed  fluid  ergoty 
in  contra-distinction  to  the  officinal  fluid  extract.  As  this  article  has 
proved  during  several  years  increasing  use  its  superiority  over  the 
ordinary  fluid  extract,  and  clinical  experience  sustained  the  views  held 
in  regard  to  it  on  theoretical  grounds,  the  process  for  its  preparation 
might  be  of  interest.  The  powdered  purified  ergot,  prepared  as  above,  i& 
digested  with  twice  its  weight  of  water  at  150°F.,  for  twenty-four  hours 
and  expressed,  the  residue  is  again  macerated  in  warm  water  for  twelve 
hours.  After  settling,  the  expressed  liquids  are  strained  and  evapo- 
rated separately,  when  both  together  measure  one-half  as  much  as  the 
ergot  employed ;  they  are  mixed  and  suflicient  alcohol  added  to  make 
the  liquid  of  25  per  cent,  alcoholic  strength,  or  one-third  as  much 
as  the  aqueous  solution.  After  standing  the  liquid  is  filtered  and 
the  gummy  residue  washed  with  so  much  25  per  cent,  alcohol 
as  to  make  the  filtered  liquid  measure  three-fourths  or  75  per 
cent,  of  the  amount  of  crude  drug  employed  (volume  for  weight).  To 
this  glycerin  is  added  to  make  the  finished  preparation  represent  the 
amount  of  crude  ergot  originally  used,  pint  for  pound.  As  will  be 
seen,  this  preparation  contains  18  per  cent,  alcohol,  rendering  it  unob- 
jectional  for  hypodermic  use.  Fluid  ergot  is  an  opalescent,  amber- 
colored  liquid  possessing  a  peculiar  nmsty  odor.  It  remains  pretty 
clear  unless  exposed  for  a  long  time  to  the  light  or  atmosphere.  It 
should,  therefore,  be  kept  in  small  well-filled  bottles  in  a  cool  dark 
place.  As  stated  above,  the  writer  introduced  this  preparation  imme- 
diately after  the  DragendorfP  and  Podwissotzky  investigation ;  similar 
products  at  once  appeared  under  different  names,  and  Hager  in  hi& 
Supplement  gives  a  process  for  what  he  terms  extract,  secalis  corn,  purify 
