\ 
^°'nov^8?3*''"*}  Syrujj  of  Wild  Cherry.  557 
drical  percolator,  and  gradually  pour  upon  it,  first  the  remainder  of  the 
tincture  of  arnica  flowers,  and  afterward  diluted  alcohol,  until  four 
pints  of  tincture  are  obtained. 
I  have  used  this  process  with  great  advantage  in  making  the  fluid 
extract  and  the  tinctures  of  cinchona. 
SYKUP  OF  WILD  CHERRY. 
By  R.  Bother. 
If  the  statement  is  correct  in  regard  to  the  yield  of  cyanhydric  acid 
from  wild  cherry  bark,  then  the  syrup  of  this  drug  must  be  a  more 
potent  preparation  than  is  generally  granted.  It  is  alleged  that  the 
best  wild  cherry  bark,  gathered  in  October,  produces  '1436  per  cent, 
of  cyanhydric  acid,  and  that  in  addition  the  bark  contains  at  this 
period  of  the  year  the  largest  amount  of  tannin  and  peculiar  bitter 
principle.  The  cyanhydric  acid,  or  rather  the  constituents  that  pro- 
duce it  are  by  all  means  the  most  essential  part  of  the  drug.  The 
bitterness  and  astringency  are,  however,  also  of  sufficient  importance 
to  demand  particular  attention.  With  the  stated  amount  of  absolute 
acid  in  the  bark  the  syrup  would  contain  -1436  X  50  X  '12  =  -8616 
per  cent,  of  the  official  acid  by  weight,  or  somewhat  over  one  per  cent, 
by  volume.  This  shows  that  an  ordinary  teaspoonful  of  such  a  prepa- 
ration represents  approximately  one  minim  of  official  cyanhydric  acid. 
With  an  appropriately  fine  powder,  of  the  requisite  quality,  in  a  care- 
fully conducted  operation  that  standard  could  perhaps  be  uniformly 
attained.  But  owing  to  the  fact  that  syrup  of  wild  cherry  is  not 
usually  conceded  to  be  anything  more  than  a  mere  adjuvant,  its  proper 
preparation  is  generally  unduly  neglected.  Under  this  adverse  con- 
dition it  is  probable  that  syrup  of  wild  cherry  is  but  feebly  repre- 
sentative of  its  most  powerful  constituent.  The  keeping  qualities  of 
the  syrup  are  ordinarily  good  during  a  moderate  period  of  storage. 
But  in  the  generality  of  cases,  with  longer  time  and  frequent  exposure 
deterioration  and  decomposition  become  so  marked  as  to  call,  emphati- 
cally, for  some  preservative. 
The  decomposition  is  of  several  kinds.  The  first  that  appears 
results  from  the  formation  of  jnould  over  the  surface,  assuming  a  more 
tangible  form  in  the  larger  storage  vessels  that  are  not  so  often  handled. 
This  stage  of  decomposition  is  mainly  confined  to  the  surface,  and 
hence  the  lower  stratum,  when  carefully  separated  from  the  super- 
natant fungus,  is  not  materially  damaged. 
