98 
On  Suppositories. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
\       Mar.,  187s. 
Said  purified  extract  is  made  by  exhausting  the  crude  extract  of  com- 
merce with  cold  water  (thus  leaving  behind  all  starch,  gum  and  other 
extraneous  matter),  and  evaporating  to  consistence  of  an  extract.  For 
the  particulars  of  manipulation  see  Lochman's  translation  of  "  Phar- 
macopoea  Germanica,"  p.  255.  I  think  this  purified  extract  might 
form  a  useful  addition  to  the  next  revised  Pharmacopoeia,  since  it  forms 
perfectly  limpid  solutions  with  water. 
Since  Dr.  Ad.  W.  Miller,  in  the  February  number,  has  corrected 
the  misspelling  of  the  word  asa  fcetida^  I  may  be  permitted  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  incorrect  use  of  the  words  officinal  and  offc'ial.  These  words 
are  generally  considered  as  synonyms,  but  this  is  not  correct.  Officinal 
applies  to  every  drug  and  preparation  found  in  drug  stores,  but  offcial 
can  only  be  applied  to  those  drugs  and  preparations  which  are  found  in 
the  Pharmacopoeia  ;  hence,  everything  official  is,  of  course,  officinal. 
For  instance,  quinoidia  is  officinal,  but  not  official  ;  angelica  and  sodae 
valerianas  are  both  no  longer  official,  but  only  officinal,  having  been 
dismissed  at  the  last  revision. 
ON  SUPPOSITORIES. 
BY   RICHARD  V.   MATTISON,  PH.  G. 
[Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  February  16th.) 
At  our  last  meeting,  the  paper  by  Mr.  Kennedy  gave  rise  to  some 
discussion,  eliciting  various  ideas  from  the  members. 
The  writer  had  hoped  that  the  subject  of  suppositories  had  been 
thoroughly  talked  over,  and  the  matter  definitely  settled  in  favor  of 
moulds^  but  it  seems  that  there  is  at  least  one  yet  unconverted ;  and  in 
protest  against  the  views  expressed  in  that  paper  we  offer  the  following 
remarks  : 
The  paper  states  "  that  the  process  by  moulding  may  answer  the 
purpose  of  the  manufacturers  of  pharmaceutical  preparations  who  make 
them  in  large  quantities  and  in  a  hurry,  regardless  of  the  equal  distri- 
bution of  the  medicament." 
Gentlemen,  we  contend  that  the  process  of  moulding  answers  the 
purpose  of  the  retail  pharmacist  much  more  perfectly  and  satisfactorily 
than  they  can  be  prepared  by  any  process  whatever,  without  the  use  of 
moulds. 
Without  moulds,  suppositories  cannot  be  made  to  compare  in  ap- 
pearance, by  one  apothecary  in  a  hundred,  with  those  prepared  with  the 
