208 
PHAHMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
bottle,  and,  when  the  crystals  have  dissolved,  add  dist.  water 
up  to  one  pint. 
This  chlorine  water  (suggested  in  Constatt  Jahres.  1845,  p. 
91,)  will  of  course  contain  chloride  of  potassium,  which  will  not 
be  of  any  consequence,  =  24  grains  KCl  in  one  pint ;  nor  can 
twelve  grains,  at  most,  of  acid  do  any  harm  in  one  pint.  I 
would  rather  dispense  chlorine  water  with  a  little  mur.  acid,  KCl, 
but  ivliicli  does  contain  free  chlorine,  than  a  water  which,  made 
according  to  U.  S.  P.  once  upon  a  time  did  contain  chlorine, 
but  after  a  few  weeks  is  not  much  stronger  than  so  much  diluted 
muriatic  acid. 
As  to  the  above,  I  make  every  fourteen  days  four  ounces 
fresh,  and  throw  away  the  old. 
Excipient  for  Pills. 
Dr.  Jenkins  recommended  once,  in  the  Amer.  Jour.  Ph.,  gly- 
cerin as  an  excipient  for  quinine  pills,  but  said  it  was  not  quite  the 
thing.  Let  me  recommend  the  use  of  plasma.  The  use  of  it 
originated  with  a  good  many  in  Europe  and  here  in  the  United 
States.  I  began  to  use  it  in  1862,  and  was  astonished  that  no- 
body knew  anything  about  it  here  in  the  Eastern  States.  When 
in  California  in  1867,  I  found  it  in  general  use  in  San  Francis- 
co, Sacramento,  &c.,  and  learned  there  that  plasma  is  the  best 
excipient  for  pills  that  have  to  be  silvered ;  the  pills  get  so 
sticky  that  they  need  no  moistening  at  all. 
The  sam.e  caution  applies  to  plasma  as  to  glycerin,  viz. :  not 
to  take  too  much,  the  glycerin  oozes  out.  Of  course  plasma  is 
not  the  best  excipient  for  all  pills.  Pil.  cathart.  comp.  U.  S.  P., 
for  instance  ;  the  only  proper  vehicle  here  is  water.  Plasma 
makes  a  plastic  pill  mass  with  camphor  pulv. 
Fr.  Mohr  recommends  to  keep  substances  which  easily  attract 
moisture  over  unslaked  lime  or  chloride  of  calcium.*  From 
time  to  time  the  lime  has  to  be  renewed.  Would  not  powdered 
ergot,  for  instance,  kept  in  this  way,  be  reliable  to  the  last  grain  ? 
Evaporation  to  dryness. 
When  a  preparation  has  to  be  heated  until  it  does  not  lose 
*  Put  the  lime  in  a  box  (tin  box)  with' perforated  lid,  and  put  that  box  in 
the  drawer,  saltmouth  bottle,  or  other  receptable. 
