PREPARATION  OP  OLEA   COCTA.  67 
drous  chloride  in  the  solutions.  Thus  those  of  the  densities,  in- 
dicated by  45°,  30°,  20°,  and  15°  respectively,  contain  43.10,— 
29.70, — 17.05, — 12.10  per  cent. — Pharm.  Jour.,  from  Journal 
de  Pharmacie. 
ON  THE  MODE  OF  PREPARATION  OF  THE  OLEA  COCTA. 
(Translated  by  J.  M.  Maisch.) 
The  so-called  olea  cocta,  like  several  ointments,  are  prepared 
according  to  some  Pharmacopoeias,  of  even  recent  edition,  from 
the  fresh  herbs,  by  boiling  them  with  oils  or  lard  until  all  mois- 
ture be  evaporated.  L.  Hermite  (J.  de  Pharm.  et  de  Chim.  Nov. 
1853,  349)  remarks  correctly  that  this  practice  embraces  all  the 
unfavorable  conditions.  The  oil  or  fat,  being  exposed  at  the 
same  time  to  a  heat  of  at  least  212°  and  the  vapors  of  water, 
often  for  several  hours,  is  very  apt  to  spoil ;  even  the  herbs, 
which  cannot  become  saturated  with  the  oil  before  the  water  is 
entirely  driven  off,  suffer  a  change  ;  by  the  coagulation  of  the 
albumen  in  the  juice,  the  other  matters  to  be  extracted  will  be 
enveloped  and  prevented  from  receiving  the  solvent  action  of  the 
fats,  at  least  partly  ;  and  from  the  fresh  herbs  these  preparations 
cannot  be  made  at  all  seasons. 
Two  phases  must  be  distinguished  in  this  mode  of  prepara- 
tion from  the  fresh  herbs :  1st,  the  drying  of  the  vegetables 
within  a  heated  liquid  ;  and  2nd,  the  digestion  of  the  same  in  the 
same  liquid.  It  is  only  in  the  second  period  that  the  oil  has 
really  a  useful  action  upon  them,  the  first  period  may  advan- 
tageously be  replaced  by  previously  drying  the  herbs  in  open  air, 
when  they  will  better  retain  their  peculiar  properties,  and  the 
necessity  be  removed  of  heating  the  fat  too  long  and  to  too  high 
a  degree. 
L.  Hermite  has  prepared  several  oils  and  ointments  for  compari- 
son, from  fresh  and  from  dried  herbs,  the  quantity  of  the  last 
being  that  obtained  from  the  given  quantity  of  the  first,  after 
the  drying  process.  In  all  cases  the  dry  herbs  have  made  a 
much  better  preparation,  as  far  as  could  be  judged  from  the  ex- 
ternal appearance.  It  is  advantageous  to  put  the  air-dry  herbs 
for  an  hour  in  the  drying  room  before  extracting  them  with  oil. 
Then  they  become  so  friable  that  by  rubbing  them  between 
