Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Syrups. 
321 
July,  1909.  J 
concentrating  it  is  but  a  preliminary  step  to  the  preparation  of  the 
syrup.  To  first  prepare  a  tincture  and  then  give  a  formula  for 
syrup  by  which  the  alcohol  is  evaporated  from  this  and  then  diluted 
with  water  and  sugar  added  seems  like  going  around  Robin  Hood's 
barn.  If  poppy  capsules  were  not  readily  obtainable  or  did  not 
keep  there  might  be  some  excuse  for  this  roundabout  process. 
Poppy  capsules  are  a  common  article  of  the  drug  market,  and  for 
making  this  syrup  only  the  unripe  capsules  should  be  employed,  in 
which  the  exterior  is  pale  yellow,  nearly  white  in  color,  and  the 
seeds  are  white,  and  these  should  be  removed.  We  submit  a  for- 
mula based  on  making  100  c.c.  of  the  finished  syrup  represent  10 
Gms.  of  the  drug.  The  German  Pharmacopoeia  directs  10  parts 
of  the  drug  to  be  used  in  making  100  parts  by  weight  of  the  syrup, 
but  as  the  method  there  given  does  not  fully  extract  the  drug  it  is 
believed  this  proposed  formula  will  yield  a  preparation  not  differing 
greatly  in  strength  from  the  German : 
Poppy  capsules  (unripe  and  deprived  of  seed  in  Xo. 
Water,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Add  the  poppy  capsules  to  1500  c.c.  boiling  water.  Allow  the 
infusion  to  stand  for  two  hours  and  then  express.  Again  infuse 
the  dregs  with  500  c.c.  boiling  water  and  after  two  hours  express. 
Mix  the  expressed  liquids  and  evaporate  to  500  c.c.  Then  filter  and 
dissolve  in  the  filtered  liquid  the  sugar  by  heat.  Add  sufficient 
water  to  obtain  1000  c.c.  of  the  product  and  strain. 
Syrupus  Pixi  Stroei  Compositus  X.F. — Compound  syrup  of 
white  pine  has  been  subjected  to  considerable  criticism,  largely  be- 
cause it  has  become  popular  and  there  is  a  well-grounded  objection 
to  selling  popular  remedies  containing  morphine.  In  the  Commit- 
tee on  Revision  it  has  even  been  proposed  to  emasculate  the  prep- 
aration by  cutting  out  the  morphine.  This  does  not  impress  us  as 
practical.  It  would  be  another  case  of  Hamlet  with  Hamlet  omitted. 
It  will  be  quite  as  logical  to  advocate  that  the  opium  be  eliminated 
from  paregoric.  The  proposer  of  this  suggestion  does  not  realize 
that  the  acceptance  of  this  suggestion  would  not  improve  conditions 
because  the  physician  would  continue  to  prescribe  and  dispense  a 
preparation  containing  morphine.  It  might  mean  a  serious  matter 
indeed  to  the  druggists  throughout  the  country  who  have  on  hand 
many  thousand  bottles  made  up  presumably  with  the  X.F.  content. 
Sugar 
20  powder  ) 
100  Gms. 
800  Gms. 
