of weak percolate 'directed to be obtained is excessive in view of the present cost of alcohol, and the amount of medicinal extract obtained by it. The s. g. of the alcohol used as the menstruum is 835. That of the reserved percolate is 914. That of the first of the two pints of weak percolate is 861. And that of the second of the two pints is 844. This two pints of weak percolate, when evaporated slowly to four fluid ounces, has a specific gravity of 1.049, much of which gravity is due to oxidation during the evaporation. When the two portions are mixed together, and before the filtration, the s. g. is 953. After filtration it is 946. It follows from these observations that specific gravity is a good and sufficient indication of the strength of the percolate, and therefore of exhaustion of the drug. And it also follows from a crude but practical calculation or estimate, based on the specific gravities and the inert residues, that the first pint of weak percolate cannot contain more of the medicinal properties of the drug than would be contained in two and a half ounces of the powdered buchu; and that the second pint could not contain more than one seventh of this. The medicinal properties of the drug would thus be distributed in the percolate as follows: First 12 fg, or reserved percolate, represents 13.14 3 66 2.50" 0.36" 16.00" From this it appears that the process might be terminated at the end of the first pint of weak percolate with the loss of thirtysix hundredths of the medicinal strength of one troy ounce of buchu, but with the saving of one pint of alcohol; always provided the percolation be skilfully conducted. The next point to be noticed is that in the evaporation of the two pints of weak percolate to four fluid ounces, much of the medicinal portion is sacrificed,-first by being driven off, and second by oxidation and other changes. A very considerable portion of the deposite which occurs during this evaporation is insoluble in the original menstruum. Finally, the filtration through paper is tedious and wasteful. Even when accomplished through a covered funnel into a bottle, the loss by evaporation in moderately warm weather was two fluidounces; and the portion which refused to pass through measured nearly one fluidounce more. The cost of a pint of this fluid extract by the officinal process is nearly as follows,-the pint weighing a little over fourteen ounces avoirdupois : 16 troy ounces = 1 lb. 1 oz. avoirdupois. And this without estimating apparatus, labor, time, skill, interest, risk, insurance, or anything but mere cost of material used; and of this material the alcohol costs twice as much as the drug. As one way of remedying the disadvantages complained of, the writer would suggest to the next Committee of Revision the following process: Take of Buchu, in very fine powder, 48 troy ounces. Alcohol, a sufficient quantity. Divide the buchu into three equal portions. Moisten one portion with six fluidounces of alcohol, pack it moderately in a cylindrical percolator, and pour three pints of alcohol upon it. When the last of the alcohol disappears below the surface of the powder, remove the disc of muslin or paper from the surface, and fill up the percolator with water. Then, as the percolation. slackens, scrape off the upper softened layer of the exhausted powder, and mix it thoroughly with the water by means of a square-ended wooden spatula. This scraping off of the softened portion without disturbing the hard part below is to be repeated at intervals, according to the rate of percolation, until the water becomes thick with the swollen and exhausted powder. It is then poured off and replaced with fresh water, and the scraping continued as before; and this management is repeated, more cautiously toward the close, until the alcohol is all pushed through, and water appears at the outlet of the percolator. Receive the percolate in four separate portions of twelve, six, eight, and twenty-two to twenty-four fluid ounces, and set aside the first portion of twelve fluidounces as reserved percolate. Moisten a second portion of the buchu with the second portion of the percolate from the first percolation (the six fluidounces), pack it in a second cylindrical percolator (or the first one readjusted), and pour upon it the third portion of the percolate from the first percolation. When this has been all absorbed by the powder, add the remainder of the percolate from the first; and when this has disappeared, add first two fluidounces and then four fluidounces of alcohol; and then water, managing the process precisely as in the first percolation. Receive the percolate in four separate portions of sixteen, six, eight, and ten fluidounces, and set aside the first portion of sixteen fluidounces as reserved percolate. Moisten the remainder of the buchu with the second portion of the percolate from the second percolation, and having packed it in the cylindrical percolator, pour on the third and fourth portions of the percolate from the second percolation in succession, and after these, eight fluidounces of alcohol in two portions. Finally add water, and proceed as in the first percolation. Receive the percolate in two separate portions of twenty and ten fluidounces (or the remainder), and set the last of these away, to be used as so much alcohol at the next making of this fluid extract. Finally, mix all the three portions of reserved percolate together, and make the whole measure three pints by the addition of whatever may be wanting of that measure from the final percolate set away for the next making. In repeating this process twice with care, it was found to work well in practice, and to yield a preparation which is at least equal to the officinal in therapeutic value. The total quantities of material used are as follows: Powdered Buchu, 3 lbs. 51 oz.@ 80 cts., For three pints, weighing 2 lbs. 11 oz., . $2.67 2.34 $5.01 1.67 This requires but one pint more of alcohol for the three portions than the officinal process requires for one portion, and diminishes the cost exceedingly; but it requires more education. . and skill, and involves more risk of an imperfect preparation through want of skill. The result of the first percolation is least important, since the quantity of menstruum there used is as great as in the officinal process, and the exhaustion thereby secured; but as the errors of packing and management are easily seen in this first percolation, they can be as easily corrected in the succeeding trials, and thus tend to safety and uniformity of result. The powder, when properly moistened and packed, holds with great uniformity about fifteen fluidounces of menstruum, and by the dexterous use of water, as directed, eleven fluidounces of this may be each time recovered by pushing it through. Thus the total loss of alcohol in this way does not exceed twelve to fifteen fluidounces, the remainder of the twenty fluidounces being lost. by evaporation. That of the The s. g. of the first reserved percolate, namely, the twelve fluidounces, is 910 to 912. That of the second reserved percolate, namely, the sixteen fluidounces, is 915. That of the third, namely, the twenty fluidounces, is 912. whole when mixed together is 914. The s. g. of the first twelve fluidounces of the three percolations is 910, 924, and 926. In the officinal process it is 914. Each four fluidounces, after the twelve, of the middle percolation, is 887, 873, 867, -862, 855 and 848. And each four fluidounces requires about two hours to pass when the percolation is most successful. The two final portions of four fluidounces each, set away for the next making, have specific gravities 867 and ⚫857. Although one percolator is sufficient to carry out the process, the time may be considerably shortened by the use of two, since the second one may then be packed as soon as the second portion of the percolate from the first is received. Flasks marked to the measured quantity in the neck should always be used to . receive the percolate, otherwise the evaporation from each drop as it accumulates in a slow percolation entails great loss. The first twelve fluid ounces of percolate, both in the officinal and the proposed process, must represent more than twelve troyounces of the drug, and yet its s. g. is far below that of the finished officinal preparation, and a little below that of the pro posed preparation; thus showing that s. g., though a good indication of exhaustion, is not so good an indication of medicinal value. The avoiding of heating, evaporating, and filtering in the proposed process, are considered to be of primary importance. Respectfully submitted by Brooklyn, August 16, 1866. EDWARD R. SQUIBB, M. D. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE INTERNAL REVENUE LAW. To the American Pharmaceutical Association :— MR. PRESIDENT:-Soon after the adjournment of the annual meeting of the Association in Boston, in 1865, the undersigned received the following communication from the Permanent Secretary: DR. E. R. SQUIBB, Brooklyn, N. Y. Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 10th, 1865. SIR-At the Annual Meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association held in Boston on the 6th to the 9th of September last, the following resolutions were adopted : "Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to take into consideration the whole subject of the Internal Revenue Law in its relation to the objects of the American Pharmaceutical Association, with special reference to the alcohol question, with authority to confer with the Committee of Ways and Means of Congress and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, and who shall report to the Association at its next meeting; "Resolved, That the President be authorized to appoint the committee at his leisure, and that the members be notified of their appointment by the Secretary." I am directed by the President to inform you that this committee consists as follows: Boston, Samuel M. Colcord of the House of T. Metcalf & Co. *In the discussion of this subject when the Committee was raised, it was ordered by the Association that each individual member of the Committee should report his views on the subject through the Chairman. |