84  Syrup  of  Squill  and  Syrup  of  Ipecac.  | 
mixtures.  In  pharmacy^  aho,  a  great  disadvantage  results  Avhen  such 
mixtures  are  compounded,  owing  to  the  fact  tliat  physicians  forget  the 
acid  nature  of  syrup  of  squill.  This  syrup  is  not  only  medicinally  and 
chemically  incompatible  with  alkalies  and  carbonates,  but  also  mechanic- 
ally with  the  latter  by  reason  of  the  persistent  frothy  effervescence  set 
up  in  a  syrupy  liquid.  Furthermore,  when  a  fresh  vinegar  of  squill  is 
converted  into  syrup,  the  yet  unchanged  pectose  derivative  becomes 
insoluble  as  a  bulky  gelatinous  precipitate. 
The  activity  of  squill  is  readily  extracted  by  water,  but  a  mixture  of 
the  drug  and  water  gets  rapidly  putrid  ;  if,  however,  an  aqueous  mens- 
truum, containing  one-eighth  its  volume  of  alcohol  is  used,  putrefaction 
and  fermentation  are  prevented.  Such  an  extraction  yields  no  precipi- 
tate with  sugar,  and  produces  an  elegant  syrup,  readily  miscible  with 
alkalies  and  acids  without  cliange.  When  the  filtered  macerate  is 
treated  with  ammonia,  a  considerable  greenish  precipitate  is  formed, 
which  ra|)idly  subsides  and  again  quickly  dissolves  on  the  addition  of 
sugar,  but  is  wholly  prevented  when  the  order  of  mixture  is  reversed^ 
F^harmacists  will  find  a  neutral  syrup  of  squill  very  convenient  in  all 
such  cases  where  the  ordinary  syrup  is  incompatible 
In  tlie  pre|)aration  of  this  syrup  as  well  as  of  others,  and  also  manjr 
tinctures,  the  method  of  remaceration  proposed  by  the  writer  is  far 
preferable  to  j)ercolation  and  often  more  exact.  Most  crude  drugs,  such 
as  roots,  barks,  and  leaves,  have  a  pretty  detinite  normal  of  absorption, 
that  is  capacity  for  imbibing  and  holding  menstrua.  When  this  has 
been  determined,  a  simple  mathematical  calculation  will  show  how 
much  loss  is  sustained,  after  obtaining  a  certain  measure  of  decanted 
liquid.  The  normal  of  absorption  of  squill  with  one-eighth  alcohol,  is 
rather  high,  but  since  the  drug  is  cheap,  a  loss  of  20  per  cent,  is  imma- 
terial, when  there  is  more  than  a  corresponding  gain  in  definiteness  and 
quality  of  the  product  and  facility  in  the  process. 
The  application  of  heat  in  the  preparation  of  syrups  is  chiefly  objec- 
tionable on  account  of  the  large  volume  of  liquid  to  be  heated,  and  the 
difficulty  of  straining  it  whilst  hot.  To  obviate  all  this,  percolation  wa& 
suggested.  But  this  presents  so  many  objections,  that  its  few  advan- 
tages were  small  by  comparison.  The  cold  process,  by  simple  mixture 
and  agitation,  is  so  vastly  superior  to  all  others  that  it  is  fast  coming 
into  general  favor.  In  cases  of  very  dense  syrups  and  such  contain- 
ing much  alcohol,  some  difficulty  is  found  in  dissolving  the  last  por- 
tions of  the  sugar.    In  preparing  simple  syrup  such  a  residue  is  not  objec- 
