Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Jan.,  1883.  / 
Editorial, 
55 
they  demonstrated  by  a  number  of  experiments,  that  oxahc  acid  alone  exer- 
cises no  reducing  action  either  on  arsenic  acid  or  on  disodic  arseniate,  and 
that  the  oxalic  acid  cannot  be  credited  indirectly  with  the  reduction  which 
results  from  the  transmission  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  through  the  solu- 
tion of  arseniate  and  oxalate  previously  boiled  and  acidified  with  sul- 
phuric acid. 
EDITORIAL  DEPARTMENT. 
Changes  of  Strength  in  the  New  Pharmacopceia.— The  numer- 
ous changes  in  the  new  PharmacoiDoeia  will  doubtless,  in  the  beginning, 
occasion  a  certain  amount  of  inconvenience,  and,  as  a  necessary  conse- 
quence, many  comments,  which  we  invite  our  readers  to  contribute  to  the 
pages  of  the  "Journal,"  as  their  experience  with  the  working  processes 
may  provoke.  For  the  present  we  desire  to  briefly  direct  attention  to  the 
table  on  pp.  454  and  455  of  the  Pharmacopoeia.  It  will  be  observed  that  in 
the  majority  of  preparations  enumerated  there  the  changes  in  strength 
are  of  comparatively  slight  importance. 
But  we  desire  to  call  special  attention  to  the  following  preparations, 
which  are  considerably  weaker  than  in  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  1870 :  acetum 
opii  has  been  reduced  in  the  amount  of  the  active  drug  over  36  per  cent., 
vinum  opii  23  per  cent.,  tinctura  aconiti  (radicis)  16  per  cent. ;  tinctura 
nucis  vomicae  43  per  cent.,  tinctura  stramonii  33  per  cent.,  tinctura  canna- 
bis about  44  per  cent.,  tinctura  veratri  viridis  9  per  cent.  Considering, 
however,  the  change  adopted  in  the  morphine  strength  of  opium,  which, 
for  the  powder  is  now  between  12  and  IQ  per  cent.^  while  heretofore  it  was 
not  less  than  10 per  cent.,  it  is  evident  that  the  vinegar  of  opium,  if  made 
from  the  highest  grade  of  opium  now  recognized,  would  be  of  the  same 
strength  as  the  same  preparation  of  the  preceding  pharmacopoeia  made 
with  the  lowest  grade  opium  then  recognized ;  and  under  the  same  con- 
ditions the  wine  of  opium  would  become  23  per  cent,  stronger  than  hereto- 
fore. In  point  of  fact,  however,  we  believe  that  the  two  opium  prepara- 
tions named  will  really  be  weaker  now,  as  indicated  above,  since  in  by  far 
the  largest  number  of  cases  they  were  heretofore  made  with  commercial 
opium  without  regard  to  its  higher  morphia  strength. 
A  similar  observation  in  the  opposite  direction  must  be  made  in  regard 
to  tinctura  opii  and  tinctura  opii  deodorata,  which  have  been  increased  in 
opium  strength  from  about  8*5  to  10,  or  about  17  per  cent.,  while  the  differ- 
ence in  amount  of  morphinfe  in  the  opium  of  the  two  pharmacopoeias  might 
increase  the  strength  about  90  per  cent.  In  fact,  however,  for  the  reason 
stated  before,  the  actual  increase  in  strength  is  about  one-sixth. 
Of  perhaps  more  consequence  are  the  changes  of  the  drug  in  several 
galeniotil  preparations,  having  the  same  name  in  the  old  and  new  Pharma- 
copoeia. Extractum  aconiti  was  formerly  made  of  the  leaves,  now  it  is 
directed  to  be  made  of  the  root,  a  change  which  appears  to  us  to  be  so  radi- 
cal and  serious  that  physicians  desiring  the  latter  should  plainly  indicate 
