Am  .lonr  Pharm. )      Syvup  of  SquUl  and  Syrup  of  Ipecac.  83 
SYRUP  OF  SQUILL  AND  SYRUP  OF  IPECAC,  SIMPLE 
AND  COMPOUND. 
By  R.  Rother. 
It  is  almost  a  truism  that,  where  there  is  a  ceaseless  effort  to  improve 
some  process,  there  must  abide  a  radical  and  obnoxious  defect.  Now,  if 
the  obstacle  is  radical  in  its  nature,  the  aberrant  cause  becomes  the 
dominant  feature  in  the  process,  and  remains  a  rich  source  of  empiri- 
cal methods,  until  its  principle  is  understood.  For  a  long  time  fer- 
menting syrups  were  a  standing  menace  to  elegant  pharmacy.  Not 
until  alcohol  in  sufficient  proportion  was  applied  did  the  agitation  in 
this  regard  end.  For  an  equally  extended  period  the  pectose  deriva- 
tives roiled  tinctures  and  syrups,  until  alkalies  were  employed  to  sup- 
press the  odious  jellies.  Many  resins,  which  long  were  troublesome, 
likewise  yielded  to  the  solvent  action  of  alkalies,  especially  in  the  pres- 
ence of  sugar.  An  extensive  array  of  tinctures  presented  various  defects 
in  the  way  of  turbidity,  deficient  strength,  and  retarded  percolation 
and  filtration,  owing  to  the  use  of  too  weak  alcohol  in  their  prepara- 
tion. An  increased  strength  of  the  alcoholic  menstrua  swept  away  this 
multitude  of  grievous  objections.  Saline  menstrua  now  serving  excel- 
lent special  purposes  will  eventually  become  more  generally  important. 
Acidulated  menstrua  have  many  particular  uses,  but  some  mischief  and 
positive  inconvenience  has  resulted  from  their  too  general  employment, 
where  their  aid  was  by  no  means  indicated.  Syrup  of  squill  is  an 
example  of  such  cases.  Vinegars  and  wines  are  probably  relics  of  primi- 
tive pharmacy.  The  fermented  liquors  earliest  in  use  were  so  deficient 
in  alcohol  that  acetic  acid  was  speedily  developed  by  secondary  fermen- 
tation. The  resulting  vinegar  being  found  possessed  of  antiseptic 
■qualities,  naturally  met  with  frequent  application  for  this  purpose. 
Hence,  medicines  as  well  as  perishable  articles  of  food  were  prepared 
with  this  acidulated  solvent  and  preservative.  Wines,  perhaps,  came 
later  into  use  when  improved  methods  produced  them  of  greater  alco- 
holic strength.  When,  however,  distillation  yielded  still  stronger  alco- 
hol, its  use  became  general,  and  vinegars  and  wines  dwindled  to  linger- 
ing rudiments  in  the  modern  organism  of  pharmacy.  Syrups  were 
originally  made  from  medicated  vinegars,  and  syrup  of  squill  is  pre- 
pared in  that  manner  to  this  day.  But  an  acidulated  preparation  of 
squill  is  contra-indicated  in  all  its  therapeutical  applications.  Squill  is 
almost  invariably  given  in  connection  with  alkaline,  saline  or  neutral 
