f 
PROPOSED  ECONOMY  OF  ALCOHOL  IN  PERCOLATION,  ETC.  115 
grains  to  the  fluidounce.  Now,  if  the  proportion  of  dry  extract 
was  a  measure  of  the  medicinal  effect  of  the  liquid  which  contained 
it,  and  was  equal  in  medicinal  effect  as  obtained  from  all  parts  of 
the  percolate,  then  the  final  percolate,  from  its  larger  proportion 
of  dry  extract,  should  be  27  per  cent,  more  effective  as  a  purga- 
tive than  the  finished  fluid  extract,  (as  88*56  :  112*83  :  :  100  : 
127*4.)  That  is  to  say,  6J  and  8  minims  of  the  final  percolate 
should  produce  a  similar  effect  to  8  and  10  minims  of  the  finished 
fluid  extract,  because  the  two  portions  of  liquid  contain  practi- 
cally the  same  weight  of  dry  extract ;  and  this  was  the  starting 
point  for  the  trials,  but  the  doses  were  without  sensible  effect. 
They  were  then  rapidly  increased  until  a  little  more  than  double 
the  standard  dose  of  the  finished  fluid  extract  was  reached.  This 
double  dose  produced  a  purgative  effect  on  the  following  day, 
which  was,  perhaps,  slightly  greater  than  that  of  the  standard 
dose  of  the  powdered  seed,  but  not  greater  than  that  produced 
by  half  the  quantity  of  the  finished  fluidextract.  That  is  to 
say,  it  required  twice  and  a  half  the  quantity  of  the  dry  ex- 
tract contained  in  the  final  percolate  to  obtain  the  effect  of  that 
contained  in  the  standard  dose  of  the  finished  fluid  extract. 
This  proves  conclusively  that  the  extract  obtained  in  percolat- 
ing this  drug  diminishes  very  rapidly  in  medicinal  or  therapeutic 
value  as  the  percolation  advances, — far  more  rapidly  than  the 
quantity  or  weight  of  extract  obtained  does ;  and  also  that, 
while  the  reserved  percolate  contains  but  67  per  cent,  of  the 
total  dry  extract,  this  67  per  cent,  represents  a  much  larger 
proportion  of  the  total  medicinal  or  therapeutic  value  of  the 
powdered  seed  used.  • 
The  final  percolate,  used  as  above  mentioned,  was  prepared  as 
follows  :  The  whole  of  the  "two  pints  more  of  tincture,"  directed 
in  the  officinal  formula  to  be  obtained  after  the  reserved  perco- 
late, was  duly  evaporated  to  the  four  fluidounces  as  directed ; 
but  it  was  found  that  a  portion  of  the  extract  was  precipitated 
during  the  evaporation.  The  evaporation  was  therefore  con- 
tinued at  a  low  temperature  on  a  water  bath  until  the  measure 
was  reduced  to  about  two  fluidounces,  when  alcohol  was  added 
to  bring  it  again  to  the  prescribed  measure  of  four  fluidounces. 
By  this  management  the  precipitated  portion  and  the  oil  were 
