5. GALENICALS.

Roderfeld, R., reviews the pharmaceutical preparations of the Ph. Germ. V.-Apoth.-Ztg. 1911, v. 26, pp. 261 ff.

An unsigned article (Pharm. Ztg. 1911, v. 56, pp. 292 ff.) reviews the galenical preparations of the Ph. Germ. V.

See also Pharm. J. 1911, v. 86, p. 708, and Am. Druggist, 1911, v. 58, p. 137.

Ames, Fred W., jr., presents a number of reasons why galenical preparations should be prepared by the retail pharmacist.-Merck's Rep. 1911, v. 20, pp. 123-124.

Hunt, Reid, reports that the Tenth International Congress of Pharmacy, Brussels, September 1-6, 1910, recommended that pharmacists make their own galenical preparations so far as possible.Am. J. Pharm. 1911, v. 83, p. 25.

Whorton, C., asserts that he knows by his own experience that the idea that U. S. P. and N. F. formulæ can not be made by the retailer to advantage is false and the most forceful weapon used by the manufacturer to build for themselves enormous fortunes at the expense of the individual pharmacist.-Proc. Alabama Pharm. Assoc. 1911, p. 122.

Linke, H., in a review of the Ph. Germ. V, calls renewed attention to the desirability of having the apothecary assume the responsibility for the identity and purity of the preparations dispensed by him.Ber. pharm. Gesellsch. 1911, v. 21, p. 174.

Cowley, R. C., asserts that the tendency for retail pharmacists for many years has been to relegate the manufacturing of galenicals to wholesale druggists, irrespective of the nature, with the result that retail firms know little or nothing of the quality of the medicines they are dispensing.-Chem. & Drug. Australas. 1911, v. 26, p. 199.

An unsigned article (N. A. R. D. Notes, 1911–1912, v. 13, pp. 145– 147) discusses the relative cost of making and buying pharmaceutical preparations and presents a table, showing the comparative cost of a number of U. S. P. and N. F. preparations.

The Biennial Report of the Inspection of Pharmacies, 1909-1910, condemns absolutely the practice of certain pharmacists who prepare tinctures, infusions, and decoctions from special extracts, exploited as of exceptional activity but which have not received official sanction in any country. The Pharmacopoeia alone should be the guide of the pharmacist.-Bull. Soc. roy. pharm. 1911, v. 55, p. 225. See also Schweiz. Wchnschr. Chem. u. Pharm. 1911, v. 49, pp. 528-536. An editorial (N. A. R. D. Notes, 1911, v. 11, p. 1192) asserts that the Committee of Revision of the United States Pharmacopoeia has announced that all of the experiments to determine the standards are to be made from a specimen of the drug after it has been identi

fied by chairman Henry Kraemer of the subcommittee on pharmacognosy. The drug is to be ground to the proper degree of fineness and then distributed to all the subcommittees which have to make assays on pharmaceutical preparations. By this method, it is believed, greater accuracy and uniformity of standards will be insured. Wilbert, M. I., points out that if pharmacists generally will experiment with and comment on the formulas that are now being considered for admission, there will be no danger of incorporating into the forthcoming edition of the National Formulary formulas that have not been thoroughly tried in the different sections of the country under varying conditions.-Bull. Am. Pharm. Assoc. 1911, v. 6, p.

701.

Ekert, G., discusses a number of ancient and curious pharmaceutical galenicals.-Schweiz. Wchnschr. Chem. u. Pharm. 1911, v. 49, pp. 1-6.

6. DECOMPOSITION.

Kahn, Joseph, reports the opinion that important drugs and preparations which deteriorate on standing should have a time limit after which they should not be used.-Proc. New York Pharm. Assoc. 1911, p. 84.

Brown, Linwood A., urges that every drug store be provided with a refrigerator or closet where things can be kept in the dark and at a temperature of 10-15°. A sample of sweet spirit of nitre, which assayed, when prepared in March, 4.36, after being kept in a refrigerator assayed, on June 7, 4.05; another sample of the same preparation, kept on a shelf in the laboratory, exposed to temperatures of 20° to 35°, assayed 3.60.-Proc. Kentucky Pharm. Assoc. 1911, p. 98. The Board of Pure Food and Drug Commissioners (2d Ann. Rep. Providence, R. I. 1911, p. 7) call attention to the lack of care exercised by druggists in the making and the keeping of preparations and point out that there is no reason why a substance that is directed to be kept in the dark should not be removed from the light and kept in the dark.

A discussion by the City of Washington Branch on the preservation of drugs is reprinted.-Nat. Druggist, 1911, v. 41, p. 77.

Wilbert, M. I., in a review of the supplement to the Ph. Ndl. IV, points out that the directions for keeping many of the official drugs and preparations have been somewhat elaborated, particularly those for narcotic leaves and herbs. These drugs are now directed to be protected from the influence of light.-Am. J. Pharm. 1911, v.

p. 87.

83,

An unsigned abstract quotes from a bulletin of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station a number of valuable hints as to the preservation of crude drugs, syrups, and tincture of iodine.-Bull.

Pharm. 1911, v. 25, p. 158. See also Merck's Rep. 1911, v. 20, pp. 1 ff; and Spatula, 1910-1911, v. 17, p. 219.

La Wall and Meade report the results of their examination of several very old fluid extracts.-Pract. Drug. 1911, v. 29, Mar., p. 31.

7. INCOMPATIBILITY.

An unsigned article on the science and art of dispensing (Pharm. J. 1911, v. 87, p. 352) discusses the reaction between salts, precipitation of alkaloids, precipitation by the vehicle, liberation of iodine, and precipitation by acid.

An editorial (Brit. M. J. 1911, v. 2, p. 764) notes that the subject of incompatibility is one of perennial importance, and calls attention to a recent brochure by Walter G. Smith.

Lascoff, J. Leon, discusses a number of difficulties in dispensing.Pharm. Era, 1911, v. 44, p. 19.

Vandermeulen, A., contributes a note on the incompatibility of potassium iodide and Fowler's solution.-Ann. pharm. Louvain, 1911, v. 17, p. 148.

An editorial note (J. Am. M. Assoc. 1911, v. 56, p. 287) discusses the incompatibility of antipyrine, calomel, and sodium bicarbonate.

Federici, E., discusses the incompatibility of calomel and sodium chloride.-Boll. chim. farm. 1911, v. 50, p. 314. See also de Bella, p. 657, and Ricciardelli, p. 950.

An editorial note (Pract. Drug. 1911, v. 29, Aug., p. 24) points out that one preparation taken internally, while another incompatible with it is applied externally, may cause severe skin irritation.

Dott, D. B., is quoted as remarking that medical men should have added to their curriculum a course of 200 lectures on incompatibility. Chem. & Drug. 1911, v. 78, p. 283.

8. PERCOLATION.

Beringer, George M., in a review of the Ph. Germ. V states that the German still lovingly adheres to his idol, maceration, and percolation as yet receives but scant consideration in his pharmacopoeia. While percolation is directed in a few formulas such as the fluid extracts, where the rate of flow is fixed at 30 drops per minute, yet in other important extractions, such, as for example, extract of nux vomica, maceration and expression is directed.-Proc. New Jersey Pharm. Assoc. 1911, p. 80. Also Am. J. Pharm. 1911, v. 83, p. 332.

An unsigned article (Am. Druggist, 1911, v. 58, p. 137) states that it is surprising to find that in the Ph. Germ. V percolation is strictly limited to the preparation of the eight official fluid extracts, and all tinctures are, as heretofore, to be prepared by maceration. See also Chom. & Drug. 1911, v. 78, p. 631.

Bruns, W., discusses percolation in a partial vacuum.-Apoth.-Ztg. 1911, v. 26, pp. 217-218.

Kroeber, Ludwig, reports some observations on the relation of the rapidity of dropping to the extraction by means of percolation.-Ibid. p. 978.

Wiebelitz, H., presents some additional comments on the relation of the rapidity of dropping to the efficiency of the method of percolation. Ibid. p. 1001.

Grosh, Daniel M., points out that modern manufacturing percolators are made to stand heavy pressure and be air-tight, the menstruum being forced through the drug by compressed air.-Merck's Rep. 1911, v. 20, p. 334.

Bruns, W., in German patent 234,643, describes a method of percolation designed to avoid the waste of menstruum, due largely to the swelling of the particles of drug and the consequent increase in the size of the intervening spaces. Chem. Repert. 1911, v. 35, p. 278.

9. EXTRACTION.

An editorial (Am. Druggist, 1911, v. 59, p. 172) points out that the Ph. Brit. does not propose to adhere to the requirement of the Brussels Protocol to employ, uniformly, 70 per cent alcohol in the preparation of potent tinctures.

Linke, H., regrets that the Ph. Germ. V does not include requirements for extract content, specific gravity, and ash content of the several extractive preparations of drugs. He thinks that permissible limitations could readily have been included in the Pharmacopoeia.— Ber. pharm. Gesellsch. 1911, v. 21, p. 176.

Southall Bros. & Barclay (Rep. 1911, Birmingham, 1912, pp. 45-51) present a table showing proposed standards for extractive in various galenical preparations.

Allen and Brewis present a contribution on the moisture and the ash content of drugs, also a table giving the results observed in connection with a number of official extracts.-Year-Book of Pharmacy, 1911, pp. 417-419. Also Chem. & Drug. 1911, v. 79, p. 214.

Allendorff, H. (Fr. Pat. 427,839, Mar. 28, 1911), describes a process for preparing medicinal plants or vegetable products to facilitate the extraction by infusion of their active principles.-J. Soc. Chem. Ind. 1911, v. 30, p. 1087.

10. STERILIZATION.

Kahn, Joseph, reports the opinion that the U. S. P. should have a chapter on sterilization.-Proc. New York Pharm. Assoc. 1911, p. 85. An editorial (Drug. Circ. 1911, v. 55, p. 164) states that there has been some doubt expressed as to the wisdom of introducing a chapter on sterilization, describing the proper methods for sterilizing medic

aments and indicating to what preparations each method is especially applicable. The executive as well as the general committee of revision may be relied upon to act in a safe and conservative manner on the report of the special committee.

Bramigk, F., reports some observations on the application of sterilization in pharmacy.-Pharm. Ztg. 1911, v. 56, pp. 881-882.

Hitchens, A. Parker, discusses sterilization in pharmacy from a biological point of view.-Bull. Am. Pharm. Assoc. 1911, v. 6, pp. 173-175.

Rupp, E., describes and illustrates a simple apparatus for steam sterilization with provisions for drying the articles.-Apoth.-Ztg. 1911, v. 26, p. 75. See also pp. 624, 1001.

Menge, G. A., notes that the Ph. Germ. V directions for sterilizing are very general in character, consisting merely in the statement that unless otherwise directed sterilization is accomplished by the application of heat in accordance with the rules of bacteriological technique, giving due regard to the properties of the substance to be sterilized. Am. J. Pharm. 1911, v. 83, p. 225.

Fleissig in a review of the Ph. Germ. V states that the requirements for sterilization are meager and unsatisfactory in comparison with the rather complete directions that have been embodied in the Ph. Helv. IV.-Schweiz. Wchnschr. Chem. u. Pharm. 1911, v. 49, p. 317.

Feist, K., describes and illustrates a simple method for the sterilization of apparatus.-Apoth.-Ztg. 1911, v. 26, pp. 497–498.

Tschirch, A., discusses the sterilization of drugs.-Pharm. Era, 1911, v. 44, p. 479.

Bourquelot, Em., discusses the sterilization and desiccation of medicinal plants.-J. Pharm. et Chim. 1911, v. 3, pp. 149–161.

Schneider, Albert, presents some additional contributions on pharmaceutical bacteriology.-Merck's Rep. 1911, v. 20, pp. 7-9, 62-64,

245-247.

Henri, Helbronner, and von Recklinghausen (Fr. Pat. 424,369, Mar. 12, 1910) describe an apparatus for the sterilization of liquids by ultra-violet rays. See also Fr. Pat. 425,406, Jan. 30, 1911, and Fr. Pat. 426,297, Apr. 29, 1910.-J. Soc. Chem. Ind. 1911, v. 30, p. 978. Heller, Isaac M., contributes a note on the use of sodium hydroxide for sterilizing instruments.-J. Am. M. Assoc. 1911, v. 57, p. 733.

Teague, N. A., in a discussion on the importance of chemistry to dentists calls attention to the chemistry and the need of sterilization.-Dental Cosmos, 1911, v. 53, pp. 1023-1028.

An unsigned article (Pharm. Ztg. 1911, v. 56, p. 578) discusses the practicability of providing an indicator for the successful sterilization of surgical dressings.

Groves, Ernest W. Hey, outlines a simple test for the efficiency of sterilization. Brit. M. J. 1911,. v. 1, p. 879.