490 
British  Conference. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\     October,  1909. 
per  cent.)  showed  that  ether  and  chloroform  are  the  most  suitable 
solvents  to  use. 
Unguentum  Paraffini. 
By  J.  H.  Franklin. 
The  author,  after  experimenting  with  paraffin  wax  of  different 
melting  points,  white  beeswax,  commercial  bleached  ceresin,  pure 
bleached  ceresin,  commercial  bleached  carnauba  wax,  and  pure 
yellow  carnauba  wax,  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  a  mixture  of 
white  petroleum  jelly,  85  parts,  and  pure  bleached  ceresin,  15  parts, 
makes  a  firmer,  smoother,  and  more  homogeneous  ointment  than 
that  now  official. 
Fluidextract  of  Cascara  Sagrada. 
By  Charles  Symes. 
The  author  obtained  a  more  active  preparation  by  the  process  out- 
lined below. 
The  B.P.  directs  that  the  bark  be  macerated  six  hours  with  dis- 
tilled water,  then  percolated  with  the  same  menstruum  until  ex- 
hausted, the  percolate  evaporated  and  made  up  to  a  given  volume 
with  dilute  alcohol;  the  freedom  from  bitterness  determining  com- 
plete exhaustion. 
In  preparing  some  fluidextract,  when  bitterness  had  ceased,  the 
author  continued  the  percolation  with  some  ammonia  added  to  the 
menstruum,  and  upon  subsequent  evaporation  obtained  a  yield  of 
extract  possessing  medicinal  properties ;  this  was  added  to  the  first 
evaporated  portion  and  diluted  alcohol  added  to  required  volume. 
The  same  result  was  obtained  on  repeating  the  process  at  a  subse- 
quent date.  He  recommends  this  method  as  tending  to  more  com- 
pletely exhaust  the  cascara. 
Cacao  Butters  and  Cacao-butter  Substitutes. 
By  W.  B.  Cowie  and  B.  M.  Brander. 
The  authors  give  the  results  of  an  examination  of  two  substi- 
tutes of  cacao  butter,  one  so  well  prepared  that  it  responded  to  most 
of  the  tests  for  genuine  cacao  butter.  These  substitutes  were  com- 
pared with  the  genuine  and  one  made  from  cacao  husk. 
