"^"'May'^iss!?"""}  Fluid  Extvads  of  the  New  Pharmacopoeia.  283 
FLUID  EXTRACTS  OF  THE  NEW  PHARMACOPlEIA. 
By  Alonzo  Robbins. 
Bead  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meethig^  March  20. 
(Concluded  from  page  188.) 
ExTRACTUM  Senega  Fluidum. — Fluid  Extract  of  Senega. — For 
this  preparation  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  1870  directed  a  meDstruum 
composed  of  eight  fiuidounces  of  alcohol,  three  fluidounces  of  glycerin, 
and  five  fluidounces  of  water,  finishing  the  percolation  with  diluted 
alcohol,  and  adding  one  fluidounce  of  glycerin  to  the  dilute  percolate 
before  evaporation.  The  present  Pharmacopoeia  directs  a  menstruum 
composed  of  two  parts  of  alcohol  and  one  part  of  water,  and  adds 
two  per  cent,  of  water  of  ammonia  to  the  fluid  extract.  The  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy  recommended  diluted  alcohol,  with  two 
per  cent,  of  water  of  ammonia  in  the  first  one  hundred  parts  of  men- 
struum ;  a  sample  thus  prepared  in  January,  1880,  is  now  entirely 
without  deposit,  but  there  is  on  the  top  of  the  preparation  a  layer  of 
mucilaginous  matter,  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep  in  a  four-ounce 
bottle,  otherwise  the  fluid  extract  is  in  very  good  condition.  The 
stronger  officinal  menstruum  is  probably  the  best  for  this  preparation, 
and  the  addition  of  the  water  of  ammonia  to  the  finished  fluid  extract, 
instead  of  putting  it  into  the  menstruum,  is  a  decided  improvement, 
although  perhaps  an  insufficient  quantity  is  employed,  five  per  cent, 
would  more  surely  accomplish  the  object  of  its  use. 
ExTRACTUM  Senn^  Fluidtim. — Fluid  Extract  of  Senna. — For 
this  preparation  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  1870  directed  a  menstruum 
composed  of  eight  fluidounces  of  alcohol,  four  fluidounces  of  glycerin, 
and  four  fluidounces  of  water,  finishing  the  percolation  with  diluted 
alcohol,  and  adding  four  fluidounces  of  glycerin  to  the  dilute  percolate 
before  evaporation.  The  present  Pharmacopoeia  directs  a  mixture  of 
three  parts  of  alcohol  and  four  parts  of  water;  this,  as  mentioned, 
when  considering  fluid  extract  of  ergot,  is  only  a  very  little  weaker 
than  diluted  alcohol.  The  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  recom- 
mended diluted  alcohol  as  the  menstruum  ;  a  sample  thus  prepared  in 
January,  1880,  now  contains  only  a  very  slight  precipitate,  but  there 
is  a  considerable  deposit  of  a  black  substance  on  the  sides  of  the  bottle, 
otherwise  the  fluid  extract  is  in  good  condition  ;  as  the  menstruum  used 
in  the  preparation  of  this  sample,  was  so  near  the  strength  of  the  offici- 
nal, it  is  highly  probable  that  the  product  of  that  menstruum  would 
