538  State  Pharmaceutical  Associations.     { ^ovembc/i'SoT' 
The  Fluidextract  Question. 
By  Frederick  J.  Blumenschein. 
This  paper  is  worthy  of  a  careful  perusal  by  all  pharmacists 
because  it  proves  the  old  saying,  that  "  where  there's  a  will,  there's 
a  way."  A  man  can  only  become  and  remain  a  pharmacist  by 
practicing  pharmacy.  The  author  states  that,  "the  manufacturers 
of  fluidextracts  have  so  often  impressed  upon  the  druggist  his  (the 
druggist's)  inability  to  make  and  assay  his  own  fluidextracts  that 
he  has  come  to  believe  in  it  to  such  an  extent  that  he  buys  all  his 
fluidextracts  with  the  firm  conviction  that  time  and  money  are 
saved." 
Further  on,  the  author  shows  the  fallacy  of  such  statements. 
With  the  exception  of  two,  he  says,  all  of  the  U.S. P.  fluidextracts 
can  be  made  in  quantities  of  one-half  pound  or  more  cheaper  than 
they  can  be  bought  from  manufacturing  houses. 
He  states  that  the  argument  of  the  salesman  that  his  fluidex- 
tracts do  not  precipitate  is  not  true,  as  all  of  them  precipitate  more 
or  less  upon  aging  and  exposure  to  light  and  air.  The  reason  the 
large  manufacturers'  fluidextracts  do  not  throw  down  precipitates 
after  they  are  on  the  retail  druggist's  shelves  is  that  they  have  all 
been  carefully  aged  and  filtered ;  this  requiring  from  two  months  to 
a  year's  time.  A  fluidextract  may  have  been  assayed  chemically 
and  physiologically  and  brought  to  standard  when  made,  but  some 
drugs,  like  digitalis,  deteriorate. 
The  author  then  goes  on  to  speak  of  a  number  of  fluidextracts 
which  he  made  and  mentions  with  some  detail  how  economy  can  be 
advantageously  practiced. — Pa.  Pharm.  Assoc. 
Elixir  of  Gentian,  N.F. 
By  George  M.  Beringer. 
The  author  claims  that  the  process  recommended  in  the  National 
Formulary  for  removing  the  tannin-like  principle  in  the  gentian 
by  treatment  with  ferric  hydroxide  is  not  only  unnecessary  but 
harmful  in  so  far  that  it  destroys  or  extracts  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  flavor. 
When  following  the  N.F.  instructions,  an  examination  of  the 
magma  on  the  filter  will  reveal  a  marked  odor  and  taste  of  gentian 
and  also  show  that  the  aromatics  are  extracted  from  the  elixir 
