British homoeopathic pharmacopoeia.

Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: British homoeopathic pharmacopoeia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    used in the preparation of any of the medicines. The ordinary distilled water sold by wholesale druggists is quite inadmissible, from the fact of its being frequently distilled in stills that are used for distilling aromatic waters, and hence it cannot be sufficiently pure for our purpose. All the water used by homoeopathic chemists for the jDurpose of attenuations, or for reducing the strength of rectified spirit, must be distilled in a well made tin-lined copper still with worm and all connections of pure tin. The apparatus should never be much more than half filled with water, and the distillation should be carried on at a gentle heat, so as to guard against any of the water boiling over. Whatever quantity is distilled, the first 20th part should be rejected, and only 16 parts should be carried over. For example, in distilling 10 pints, the first 10 fluid ounces would be thrown away, and the next 8 pints would be preserved, after which the process would be stopped. Amber glass bottles have been found mosc suitable for preserving it. T'esfs.—It possesses neither colour, taste, nor smell. Evapo- rated in a clean glass capsule, it leaves no visible residue. It is not affected by Sulphuretted Hydrogen, Oxalate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Silver, Chloride of Barium, or Solution of Lime. Alcohol. C2HgO. This is the most important of all the menstrua employed by the homoeopathic chemist, and too great care cannot be exercised to insure its purity. It should be purchased in the form of Rectified Spirit of first quality, 60^ 0. P., from a respectable distiller, and that used for making the attenuations should then be slowly re-distilled either in
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