30G  Comparison  of  Galenical  Preparations.     { nT'iSr™' 
COMPAEISON  OF  GALENICAL  PREPAEATIONS  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES  AND  GERMAN  PHARMACOPCEIAS. 
By  the  Editor. 
In  a  series  of  papers  published  in  the  present  volume  we  have 
briefly  given  the  formulas  for  those  galenical  preparations  of  the 
German  Pharmacopoeia  for  which  there  is  no  equivalent  formula  con- 
tained in  the  new  Pharmacopoeia  of  the  United  States.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  preparations  are  common  to  both,  either  under  identical  or 
similar  names,  and  these  we  propose  to  consider  now.  It  should  be 
remembered,  what  we  endeavored  to  explain  on  page  6  of  the  January 
number,  that  while  in  this  country  all  liquid  preparations  are  directed 
to  be  made  so  as  to  obtain  a  definite  weight  from  a  given  weight  of 
drugs,  the  German  Pharmacopoeia  directs  the  use  of  a  definite  weight 
of  menstruum,  to  a  given  weight  of  drug ;  the  weight  of  the  liquid 
will  therefore  be  increased  by  the  weight  of  the  matter  dissolved.  It 
will  be  seen  that  if  the  drug  is  directed  alike,  for  instance  in  the  pro- 
portion 1  :  10,  the  proportion  will  be  1  in  10,  U.  S.  P.,  and  1  to  10, 
or  1  in  10  menstruum  plus  weight  of  soluble  matter,  P.  G.;  the  latter 
preparation  will  then  be  weaker  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  soluble 
matter,  a  difference  which  in  all  cases  is  of  no  practicable  importance, 
unless  the  specific  gravity  of  the  solvents  should  vary  to  any  consider- 
able extent,  in  which  case  the  strength  of  the  preparations  compared 
by  volume  would  differ  in  about  the  same  proportion,  but  in  inverse 
ratio,  as  the  density  of  the  menstruums. 
It  is  unnecessary,  special  cases  excepted,  to  give  in  detail  the  manipu- 
lation directed  by  the  two  pharmacopoeias.  The  process  of  displace- 
ment, so  largely  used  in  this  country,  is  almost  unknown  to  the  Ger- 
man Pharmacopeia,  which  directs  tinctures  and  similar  preparations 
to  be  made  by  maceration,  mostly  for  a  week,  the  liquid  to  be  finally 
expressed  and  filtered,  without  the  use  of  additional  menstruum  to 
make  up  any  loss  in  weight. 
The  strength  of  corresponding  preparations  Avill  be  seen  from  the 
following  condensed  formulas  : 
Acetum  Scilke. — Squill  in  No.  30  powder,  10  parts;  diluted  acetic 
acid  sp.  gr.  1*0083,  sufficient  for  100  parts,  U.  S. — Dry  squill,  5  p.  ; 
alcoholsp.gr.  '832,  5  p.;  acetic  acid  sp.  gr.  1*041,  9  p.;  water,  36 
parts,  P.  G. 
