•  f 
ECONOMIZING  ALCOHOL  IN  MAKING  FLUID  EXTRACTS.  221 
gant  where  high-priced  drugs  are  operated  on.  It  would  be 
good  for  low-priced  drugs,  if  the  proper  stopping-point  could  be 
known  in  each  individual  operation  ;  but,  in  addition  to  varying 
with  each  drug,  there  would  be  a  great  variation  in  the  same 
drug  with  each  different  operation ;  a  very  slight  variation  in 
strength  of  menstruum,  temperature,  time ;  shape  of  perco- 
lator, fineness  of  drug,  amount  of  moisture  applied  before  put- 
ting into  percolator,  slight  variation  in  pressing  it  into  perco- 
lator, and,  perhaps,  some  other  points  would  make  so  much 
variation,  that  it  would  be  entirely  unsafe  to  adopt  any  such 
plan,  of  which,  I  believe,  the  Doctor  himself  is  satisfied.  It.  is 
true  that  some  of  the  same  influences  enumerated  above  may 
act  so  as  to  vary  slightly  the  result  of  an  operation  by  my  plan  ; 
but,  under  reasonably  favorable  circumstances,  and  with  any 
moderate  degree  of  care  in  following  out  my  directions  about 
the  process,  and  with  a  proper  solvent  or  menstruum,  the  result 
must  be  very  close  to  the  proper  point  of  exhaustion. 
A  very  important  part  of  my  process  is  to  keep  the  menstruum 
of  same  strength  all  the  way  through  each  individual  lot  or 
operation.    This  I  conceive  to  be  a  very  important  matter  in 
exhausting  the  strength  as  well  for  preventing  precipitation  when 
the  different  liquids  are  mixed  at  the  end  of  process.    There  has 
been — and  very  properly,  too — a  great  deal  said  about  the 
impropriety  of  deviating  from  the   standard   formula,  even 
though  it  be  an  improvement.     I  would   ask  the  question 
whether,  when  we  can  read  almost  as  plainly  as  if  it  were 
printed  in  the  formulae,  that  the  formulae  is  an  attempt  to  make 
sixteen  ounces  out  of  sixteen  ounces,  but  stops  at  twelve  ounces, 
and  then  does  the  best  it  can  with  the  other  four — whether  there 
is  any  good  reason  why,  if  a  practicable  plan  for  making  the 
last  four  ounces  in  such  a  manner  as  to  practically  carry  out  the 
same  idea  as  is  applied  to  the  first  twelve  ounces,  it  should  not 
be  adopted.     I  fully  agree  with  the  greatest  sticklers  for 
standard  that  no  deviation  should  be  made  from  the  standard 
that  in  any  way  lessens  or  injures  the  quality ;  though  I  have 
found  there  are  very  few  apothecaries  or  druggists  carrying  out 
the  formulae  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  now,  in  the  making  of  the 
