20 
METHOD  OF  PERCOLATION  FOR  FLUID  EXTRACTS. 
liquid.  When  sixteen  fluid  ounces  have  been  obtained  the  pro- 
cess is  finished,  and  in  every  experiment  the  result  far  exceeded 
in  odor,  taste  and  appearance  the  product  resulting  from  the 
usual  method.  In  a  number  of  the  experiments  I  observed  that, 
after  obtaining  the  first  sixteen  fluid  ounces,  and  then  continu- 
ing the  percolation  to  the  extent  of  two  or  four  ounces  more, 
the  last  percolate  was  charged  with  some  odor  and  color- 
ing matter,  but  upon  careful  evaporation  proved  to  my  mind 
that  it  was  not  worth  preserving,  nor  in  any  one  instance  was 
there  a  greater  loss  than  one  per  cent,  of  active  matter,  a  fact 
which  was  practically  proven  by  the  experiment  of  drying  the 
exhausted  powder,  then  redampening  and  repacking  it  in  the 
funnel,  and  again  exhausting  with  alcohol  and  water,  until 
the  menstruum  passed  colorless,  then  carefully  evaporating  to  an 
•extract,  and  weighing ;  thus  giving  the  accurate  loss  of  soluble 
matter.  As  a  matter  of  great  accuracy  it  could  be  obviated  by 
the  suggestions  thrown  out  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Taylor,  in  his  criti- 
cism on  my  method  before  the  Pharmaceutical  Association,  last 
September,  which  was  to  percolate  eighteen  fluid  ounces,  then 
reduce  it  to  sixteen  fluid  ounces  by  spontaneous  evaporation ; 
this,  of  course,  refers  to  the  alcoholic  fluid  extracts.  Yet  I  feel 
assured  that,  when  the  process  is  carefully  conducted,  and  not 
hurried  througk,  the  first  sixteen  fluid  ounces  is  almost,  in 
fact  quite,  as  near  to  perfection  as  it  can  possibly  be  made, 
and  know  that  it  will  compare  much  more  favorably  in  regard 
to  the  amount  of  active  soluble  matter  than  the  present  officinal 
method,  as  it  has  always  been  a  source  of  inquiry  to  my  mind 
whether  the  evaporated  portion  of  the  officinal  formulas  contain  any 
remedial  properties  worth  preserving.  Also,  whether  in  mixing 
it  with  the  reserved  portion,  and  filtering  after  standing,  it  does 
not  carry  with  it  a  portion  of  the  active  matter.  The  use  of 
glycerin  as  forming  part  of  the  menstruum  in  this  method  is 
not  intended  to  conflict  with  the  officinal  formulas,  but  is  sug- 
gested as  an  invaluable  agent  and  addition  for  dissolving  out 
the  active  matter  of  drugs,  also  for  its  superiority  over  sugar  in 
preventing  the  deposition  of  a  portion  of  the  active  soluble 
matter  that  occurs  in  almost  all  of  the  fluid  extracts  ;  and  further, 
from  some  unfinished  experiments,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that. 
