39°  Medicinal  Syrups.  {'""sir.s^s"'"'- 
The  tendency,  as  we  stated,  seems  to  be  to  cheapen ;  the  result  must 
be  that  the  quality  will  run  down  to  keep  pace  with  the  price,  and  as 
the  Indian  naively  explained,  Poor  pay^  poor  preach^''  so  poor  pay  will 
be  likely  to  bring  poor  drugs. 
In  making  an  analysis  of  the  cause  of,  as  we  fear,  an  increasing  de- 
mand for  cheap  drugs,  we  cannot  ignore  the  almost  every-day  exper- 
ience in  our  own  business  relations — an  experience  which,  to  the  credit 
of  the  dispensing  trade  be  it  said,  is  not  universal,  but  yet  is  so  widely 
extended  that  it  is  bringing  forth  its  fruits.  Such  remarks  as  the  fol- 
lowing are  so  frequent  that  we  presume  but  few  dealers  are  not  familiar 
with  them  .  "  Your  products  are  entirely  satisfactory  \  we  believe 
them  to  be  pure  and  well  prepared  ;  we  do  not  question  the  fairness  of 
prices  as  related  to  quality,  but  we  are  offered  goods  said  to  be  pure 
by  other  manufacturers  at  a  less  price  ;  our  competitors  are  selling 
them  and  we  have  sold  some,  and  hear  no  complaints  ;  we  must  com- 
pete with  those  who  sell  cheap  goods  or  lose  our  trade — and  we  can- 
not afford  to  pay  your  prices." 
Now  this  may  not  induce  some  makers  to  deviate  from  their  settled 
determination  to  make  only  strictly  prime  goods,  but  it  is  certainly 
true  that  the  pressure  is  too  great  for  others  to  resist,  and  as  a  result 
the  cheap  buyer  can  generally  be  accommodated  somewhere. 
To  the  consumer  such  a  condition  of  things  is  far  from  satisfactory. 
His  position  is  very  much  like  that  of  the  frogs  in  the  fable,  who  were 
stoned  by  the  boys — it  was  fun  for  the  boys,  but  death  to  the  frogs. 
The  PUBLIC  demand,  certainly,  is  not  for  cheap  medicines,  at  the 
expense  of  efficiency  ;  but  we  fear  that  sharp  competition  has  dimmed 
the  vision  of  many  who  should  keep  ward  over  the  "  Pharmacopoeia," 
the  necessities  of  the  sick  and  their  own  consciences. 
"  Unusquisque." 
THE  PREPARATION  OF  MEDICINAL  SYRUPS  BY  COLD 
PERCOLATION. 
BY  ROBERT  HUNSTOCK. 
Ever  since  pharmacy  has  been  promoted  to  the  standard  of  a  pro- 
fession, it  has  been  the  desire  and  effort  of  the  enthusiastic  pharmacist 
to  have  syrups  possessing  not  only  official  strength,  but  also  pleasant 
appearance,  perfect  consistence  and  stability.  During  the  past  ten  years 
there  have  been  innumerable  processes  presented,  but  none,  I  believe? 
has  thus  far  appeared  which  thoroughly  answers  the  above  demands. 
