BRITISH AND UNITED STATES PHARMACOPOEIAS. 193 
Dispensatory, Oleum Cubebae, as the Edinburgh officinal name. 
All these discrepancies would disappear by adopting either 
the singular or plural throughout the names ; but we should 
much prefer the use of the singular number. 
The feculence of the juiee of the fruit of Momordica Ela- 
terium is judiciously called, in the Materia Medica, simply 
Elaterium; but when, under the preparations, directions are 
given for obtaining this feculence, the two names are given, 
Extractum Elaterii seu Elaterium. Now these are in- 
consistent names;, for if Elaterium means the feculence, Ex- 
tractum Elaterii must mean something drawn from the 
feculence. The name given to red precipitate is Hydrargyri 
Oxidum Bubrttm, and to the ointment made from it with 
lard, Unguentum Oxidi Hydrargyri. This latter name, to 
make it correspond with other similar names, should have 
been Unguentum Hydrargyri Oxidi. 
So much for the inconsistencies which are apparent in the 
Latin nomenclature of the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia; but 
there are other "defects in the nomenclature, some of which 
we shall now proceed to indicate. 
For the preparation of phosphate of soda and extract of stra- 
monium, bone y and the seeds of stramonium are severally di- 
rected, but neither is enumerated as officinal. Hence it would 
be proper to introduce into the Materia Medica list, the titles, 
Os and Stramonii Semen. If the latter title were intro- 
duced, Stramonium would require to be changed to Stra- 
monii Folia. 
For expressing solution in water three words hate been 
used in the Pharmacopoeias, — Aqua, Solutio, and Liquor. 
The Edinburgh College do not seem to give a preference to 
any one of these words, but use them all in different cases. 
Thus they have Aqua Ammoniae, Aq. Ammoniae Fortior, 
Aq. Ammoniae Acetatis, Aq. Potassae, Aq. Calcis, Chlo- 
rinei Aq., Plumbi Diacetatis Aq., Ammoniae Carbonatis 
Aq., Ammoniae Acetatis Aq., Potassae Aq. Effervescens, 
and Sodae Aq. Effervescens. Using " Solutio," they have 
Solutio Barytae Muriatis, Sol. Argenti Nitratis (test), 
i 
