Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
July,  1909.  J 
Syrups. 
315 
the  operator  will  have  to  exercise  some  judgment  in  modifying  the 
manipulations  of  the  official  process.  The  petroleum  benzin  directed 
must  be  purified  and  free  from  objectionable  heavy  and  odorous  sub- 
stances or  the  product  will  persistently  retain  traces  of  a  disagree- 
able and  perceptible  taste  thereof.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  obtain 
lactucarium  that  will  permit  of  treatment  on  a  filter  as  directed,  and 
for  this  reason  we  have  used  a  percolator  and  a  largely  increased 
amount  of  benzin  until  the  drug  is  thoroughly  extracted. 
The  syrup  of  lactucarium  has  proved  to  be  a  pharmaceutical  bug- 
bear and  the  unsatisfactory  character  of  the  preparation  dispensed  is 
largely  to  blame  for  the  discredit  of  the  remedy  and  its  gradual 
disuse. 
When  we  look  over  the  literature  on  this  subject  we  are  sur- 
prised at  the  number  of  essays  on  this  preparation,  the  various 
solvents  and  extractions  proposed.  Benzin,  ether,  alcohol,  alkalies, 
have  been  applied  while  we  have  all  closed  our  eyes  to  the  lesson 
that  nature  has  taught  and  the  way  she  so  plainly  indicates.  In  the 
laticiferous  vessels  of  the  lactuea  the  substance  subsequently  ob- 
tained as  lactucarium  is  associated  with  a  number  of  secretion  sub- 
stances in  an  aqueous  solution  indicating  that  water  alone  is  neces- 
sary for  its  solution. 
Then  why  is  it  necessary  for  the  pharmacist  to  bother  about  ex- 
tracting the  inert  and  useless  substances  associated  with  the  drug? 
Why  complicate  the  problem  by  preliminary  extraction  or  the  use 
of  solvents  which  introduce  inert  substances  and  precipitates  in 
the  product?  Why  not  select  a  solvent  at  once  that  will  extract 
the  desired  constituents  and  leave  the  undesirable  unacted  on? 
Reasoning  along  this  line  our  experiments  led  us  to  the  following 
formula  which  appears  to  yield  a  very  satisfactory  product,  miscible 
with  other  syrups  or  water  or  hydroalcoholic  liquids,  and  keeping 
well  and  is  submitted  as  a  decided  improvement. 
Lactucarium    50  Gms. 
Glycerin    250  c.c. 
Sugar    600  Gms. 
Stronger  orange  flower  water   100  c.c. 
Distilled  water,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Beat  up  the  lactucarium  with  400  Gms.  of  clean  sand  or  200  Gms. 
of  pumice  to  coarse  powder  and  place  in  a  percolator,  shaking  down 
evenly  but  not  packing,  pour  on  sufficient  of  a  mixture  of  the 
