218      ECONOMIZING  ALCOHOL  IN  MAKING  FLUID  EXTRACTS. 
tual  value  of  the  oil  of  amber  as  a  remedy  for  piles  may  be  sat- 
isfactorily tested.  It  may  be  that  in  some  cases  admixture  with 
lard  or  cerate  would  be  preferable,  and  in  the  form  of  an  emul- 
sion, or  associated  with  glycerin  or  olive  oil,  it  might  be  applied 
in  the  rectum  by  injection  or  by  a  bougie.  These  are  mere 
suggestions  to  the  physician. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  little  genuine  oil  of  amber  is  to 
be  obtained,  as  has  been  conclusively  shown  by  Mr.  Ebert,  of 
Chicago,  (see  page  146  of  this  volume,)  who  finds  that  it  costs  as 
much  per  ounce  to  make  the  oil  as  it  sells  for  in  commerce  per 
pound.  Failures  may  be  attributed  to  the  spurious  oil  made  from 
turpentine  and  coal  oil,  shaken  with  oil  of  tar  and  some  oil  of 
amber. 
A  COMPARISON  OF  DR.  SQUIBB'S  PLAN  FOR  ECONO- 
MIZING ALCOHOL  AND  N.  SPENCER  THOMAS'S  PAT- 
ENTED PROCESS  FOR  MAKING  FLUID  EXTRACTS. 
By  N.  Spencer  Thomas. 
When  an  article  on  Fluid  Extracts  was  published  in  the 
March,  1865,  number  of  the  Journal,  the  Editor  suggested  that, 
as  the  process  was  new,  it  would  be  well  for  the  inventor  to  sub- 
mit his  process,  as  early  as  practicable,  to  a  committee  of  Phar- 
maceutists, that  its  merits  might  be  tested.  This  was  done  as 
far  as  could  be  on  my  part,  but  no  action  by  a  committee  could 
be  had,  although  more  than  a  year  has  elapsed ;  and,  as  I  have 
been  closely  engaged  in  business  away  from  the  city,  I  have  only 
recently  seen  Dr.  Squibb's  remarks  about  my  process,  in  May, 
1865,  number  of  the  Journal,  and  his  proposed  plan  for  saving 
alcohol,  in  the  March,  1866,  number.  I  could  see,  on  reading 
his  remarks  about  my  process,  that  he  did  not  properly  under- 
stand it;  as  he  says  it  will  do  for  some  drugs  and  not 
for  others,  naming  some  of  those  which  he  would  put  into  each 
list.  Some  of  the  drugs  which  he  thinks  it  will  not  do  for,  are 
the  very  ones  it  does  for  to  the  greatest  perfection ;  or,  rather, 
for  which  the  advantages  of  the  plan  are  most  striking.  I  claim 
and  believe — in  fact,  I  may  say  I  know — it  is  perfection  for  all 
drugs.  It  is  more  simply  and  easily  applied — that  is  to  say, 
can  be  properly  applied  by  a  less  skilful  person — than  either 
