^""june'igy^s^'""'}     UhusuuI  Doses  and  their  Correctness ^  etc.  255 
SERIES  II. 
Experiments  with  phosphorus  pills,  combined  with  the  excipient  silica^ 
one-sixtieth  grain  phosphorus  in  each  pill,  (No.  2  of  preceding  pill  series.) 
Experiment  i. — Three  pills  were  taken  by  the  same  party,  and  under 
the  same  circumstances  as  in  experiment  I,  of  tolu  series. 
Examination  of  faeces  eight,  twenty  and  thirty-two  hours  thereafter 
revealed  no  trace  of  the  pills  in  that  form. 
Experiment  2. — Two  pills  were  taken  by  patient,  who  was  subservi- 
ent to  science  in  experiment  2,  of  tolu  series,  under  same  condition. 
No  traces  of  pills  in  faeces  in  three  succeeding  evacuations. 
SERIES  III. 
Experiments  with  pills  of  phosphorus,  combined  with  the  excipient 
cacao  butter^  one-twentieth  grain  in  each  pill,  (No.  i  pill  series.) 
Experiment  i. — Same  subject  as  in  preceding  experiments,  and  under 
same  circumstances.  Two  pills  were  taken.  In  half  an  hour,  breath 
heavy  with  odor  of  phosphorus. 
In  fourteen  hours  faeces  were  examined  ;  failed  to  find  any  vestige 
of  the  pills. 
Experiment  2. — Patient  No.  2  swallowed  two  pills,  one  hour  after 
hearty  meal.  Odor  detected  in  breath  in  quarter  of  an  hour.  Could 
find  no  traces  of  the  pills  in  faeces  in  succeeding  discharges. 
These  experiments  were  conducted  with  great  care,  and  under  favor- 
able circumstances,  and  go  to  show  the  relative  value  of  the  excipients,, 
balsam  tolu,  silica  and  cacao  butter. 
UNUSUAL  DOSES  AND  THEIR  CORRECTNESS  WHEN  ORDERED 
IN  PRESCRIPTIONS. 
BY  JAMES   KEMBLE,   PH.  G. 
[Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meetings  May  i?,th.) 
I  have  often  thought  of  the  necessity  and  convenience  of  having  a 
system  of  marks  or  signs  between  physicians  and  pharmacists,  as  sig- 
nificant as  the  letters  "  P.P."  for  poor  and  deserving,  (something  that  the 
patient  would  not  notice,  or,  if  noticed,  not  know  the  import  of  it)  to 
designate  that  the  prescription  has  been  reread  after  writing,  when  un- 
usual large  doses  are  prescribed,  and  is  correct.  It  would  be  of  great 
benefit  to  the  pharmacist  and  relieve  him  of  a  great  deal  of  uncertainty, 
and  many  times  save  valuable  time  both  to  patient  and  pharmacist. 
It  is  an  important  part  of  the  dispensing  of  prescriptions  to  see  that 
