General Pharmacy

PART I. GENERAL PHARMACY. CHAPTER I. PHARMACOPGIAS. AtrHoucH the term Pharmacopeia (from the Greek gépyaxor, medicine, and zoteiv, to make) is defined by lexicographers as mean- ing a book of formulas or directions for the preparation of medi- cines, the word has now received a more liberal construction, and is taken to include, besides the foregoing, also descriptions of vegetable as well as mineral and animal drugs, together with appropriate tests for establishing the identity and quality of the same, the whole pre- pared by some recognized authority. The necessity for a definite and authoritative standard in the selec: tion and preparation of medicines was long since recognized by all civilized nations; thus the London Pharmacopcia was established in 1618, that of Paris in 1639, and that of Edinburgh in 1699. The first truly national standard was that of France, issuesd in 1818, which retained the name of its predecessor, the Paris Pharmacopeia, and is even today still known as the Codex Medicamentarius. The first United States Pharmacopceia was established in 1820, prior to which time various foreign pharmacopceias had been in use in this country. The British Pharmacopeeia, into which were merged the London, Edinburgh, and Dublin (established 1807) Pharmacopcias, was first issued in 1864; while Germany did not adopt a national standard until 1872, nearly two years after the restoration of the German empire. Owing to the rapid advances in the science of medicine and pharmacy, frequent revisions have become necessary, and the following table shows the dates of the last revised editions of the pharmacopa ias of leading nations: Date of Date of Country. issue. Country. issue. United States. . . . . 1916 Sweden . . . . . . 1908 Great Britain | | | |: 1914 Denmark | : ) ) | : 1907 Norway. . | | | : 1913 Switzerland | >) | ! 1907 Germany | |). ) : 1910 Austria. . : 2 1 1] 1906 Rusia. 2: ) ] ) : 1910 Belgium . > > ) 2 2 1906 Hungary © 2)... 1909 Japan. - 1) 1906 Italy 9. : 1 1 1909 ° Netherlands 1905 France | 2 0) ] 7) 1908 Spain |. 1905 2 (17) 18 PHARMACOPGIAS The Pharmacopceia of the United States, as now published, represents the joint work of the medical and pharmaceutical profes- sions; but in the early part of the last century, when pharmacy had not yet reached the state of a fully developed profession in this country, the apothecary held a rather subordinate position, and therefore had no voice in the compilation of the first national Pharma- copeeia, which was adopted in 1820 by a convention of physicians assembled at Washington, D. C., under the presidency of Dr. S. L. Mitchill, the publication of the book being entrusted to a special committee, of which Dr. Lyman Spalding was chairman, and both the Latin and English languages being used in the text. In 1830, through some misunderstandings and consepuent dissatisfaction, two separate conventions were held for the revision of the Pharma- copeeia, one in New York and one in Washington, and at the latter the Government medical service was represented for the first time and participated in the proceedings; at this time provision was also made for regular subsequent revisions every ten years. Owing to this confusion two distinct Pharmacopoeias were published, one in 1830 in New York City, bearing the imprint “By the authority of the General Convention for the Formation of the American Pharmacopeeia, held in 1830;” the other, published by authority of the National Medical Convention held at Washington, A. D., 1830, was issued in Philadelphia in 1831. In the Pharmacopoeia of 1840 the Latin version of the text was omitted, and in this revision material aid was also given by the pharmacists, although they had no. repre- sentation in the convention; numerous improvements in the working formulas appear in this edition. In the convention of 1850 two colleges of pharmacy were duly represented by delegates, and from this time forward the value of pharmaceutical collaboration has been recognized, and its influence is discernible in the many practical details of the Pharmacopceia. Since 1850 the convention for the revision of the Pharmacopceia has assembled in the city of Washington, D. C., regularly in the month of May of every tenth year; all duly incorporated medical and pharmaceutical societies and colleges through- out the United States are entitled to representation by three delegates, the three branches of the Government medical service being also represented by one delegate each. Until recently the final revision of the Pharmacopceia, under instructions from the convention, was entrusted to a special committee of twenty-five members, who formerly also had charge of the publication of the book; of this committee, the late Charles Rice was chairman from May, 1880, until his death on May 13, 1901. In May, 1900, on the occasion of the national convention for the eighth decennial revision of the United States Pharmacopeeia, the assembled body was incorporated under the name “The United States Pharmacoperial Convention,” and the business management and control of the affairs of the convention, including the publication PHARMACOPGIAS 19 of the Pharmacopeeia, were placed in the hands of a board of five trustees. At this time also the introduction of average approximate doses to be stated after each pharmacopcrial article was adopted. At the decennial gathering of the convention in May, 1910, the membership of the committee of revision was increased from twenty- five to fifty and its name changed to the General Committee of Re- vision, from which number were appointed fifteen subcommittees, to each of which was assigned a special part of the Pharmacopeeia text, thus: assay methods; cerates, ointments and plasters; extracts, fluid- extracts and tinctures; inorganic chemicals; nomenclature; organic chemicals, posology, volatile oils, ete. The chairmen of the various subcommittees constitute an Executive Committee, which has imme- diate charge of the work of revision. The general committee of revision, elected in 1910, consists of 11 physicians, 13 chemists, 20 pharmacists and teachers of pharmacy, 5 teachers of botany and pharmacognosy, and 1 wholesale druggist, of which body Joseph P. Remington was chosen chairman. James H. Beal was elected chairman of the newly elected board of trustees. At this meeting the following were also admitted as members of the corporation: The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, the Association of State and National Food and Dairy Departments, the National Wholesale Druggists’ Association, and the National Dental Association. A series of general principles was adopted for the guidance of the general committee of revision, among which was a recommendation to state inthe Pharma- copeeia a range of volume content of absolute alcohol for each prepara- tion containing alcohol, and another to admit biologic tests and assays when accurate and reliable. Prior to 1906 the Pharmacopceia of the United States was without the power of legal enforcement by act of Government, but has since been adopted by the Congress as a standard in the enforcement of the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906, which controls the sale of drugs and chemicals in interstate commerce, the District of Columbia, and the territories. For many years it has been recognized as the standard employed in the purchase of medical supplies for the Army, Navy, and Marine Hospital Service of the United States, and has also been adopted in nearly all the States as the legal standard in the enforcement of laws regulating the practice of pharmacy and measures pertaining to pure food and drugs. In 1909 a Spanish translation of the United States Pharmacopceia was published by the Board of Trustees, primarily for use in our insular possessions; this has been very favorably received by the countries of Central and South America, and has already replaced the Spanish Pharmacopceia in the Republic of Cuba as the official guide and standard of that country. The translation was made by Prof. José G. Diaz of the University of Havana. 20 PHARMACOPGIAS The Pharmacopceia in use at present was published in 1916 and is known as the Ninth Revision. As the Pharmacopeeia is in almost daily use by the pharmacist, a short study of its plan and arrangement is desirable for a more intelligent understanding of the text. ‘The titles of all drugs recognized in the Pharmacopceia, whether derived from the vegetable, mineral, or animal kingdom, are conveniently given in three subdivisions, known as the official Latin name, the official English name, and the official definition, to which is added an official description, by means of which the identity of all official substances can be readily established. The following examples will serve to illustrate the arrangement of pharmacopeeial subjects: PODOPHYLLUM. (Official Latin name.) PoporHYLiuM. (Official English name.) Pogloph, (Official abbreviation.), Mandrake, May Apple Root. (Synonyms.) ‘The dried rhizome and roots of Podophyllum tatum Linné (Fam. Berberidacee), wid ing not (Official definition.) than 3 per cent. of resin. Rhizome horizontal, nearly cylindrical, jointed, compressed on the upper and lower surfaces, some- times branched; in pieces from 3 to 20 cm. in length, the internodes from 2 to 9 mm. in diameter; exter- nally dark brown, longitudinally wrinkled or nearly smooth with irregular, somewhat V-shaped scars of scale leaves, nodes annulate, upper portion marked with large, circular depressed stem-scars and some- times with buds or stem-bases; at or near the nodes on the lower ‘portion occur numerous root-scars or roots from 2 to 7 cm. in length and about 2 mm. in thickness; fracture short; internally bark light brown, wood with titer odor sight; vascular bundles, pith ‘large and white; odor r slight; taste sweetish, disagree- ably bitter and acrid. Under the microscope a transverse section of the rhizome of Podophyllum shows an outer layer of ons (Official description.) or two rows of reddish-brown cells; parenchyma of cortex and pith with numerous single, sp! crical, polygonal, or 2- to 6-compound starch aaice, or rosette aggregates of calcium oxalate; vascular bundles from rig to 34, arranged in a circle between cortex and The one is light brown, with a pronounced and characteristic odor; starch grains numerous, spheri- cal, polygonal or 2- to 6-compound, the individual grains from 0.003 to 0.15 mm. in diameter; calcium oxalate crystals few, in rosette aggregates from 0.05 to 0.08 mm. in diameter and occasionally in raphides from 0.03 to 0.09 mm. in length; trachex with simple res or reticulate thickenings; fi ents of starch- Bese eg Pa arenchyma and reddish-brown cork cells. ae yllum yields not more than 3 per cent. of Proceed as directed for the preparation of Resina Podophylli, using 10 Gms. of Podophyllum in No. 60} (Assay.) powder. It shows not less than 3 per cent. of resin. PHARMACOPGIAS 21 MAGNESII SULPHAS. (Official Latin name.) . Macnesium SULPHATE. (Official English name.) Mag. Sulph. (Official abbreviation.) Epsom Salt. (Synonym.) at contains not less than ena per cent. not. ioe than 53.45 per cent. of anhydrous magnesium sul- ‘ a8 phate corresponding to not less than 99.5 per cent. { (Official definition.) of the crystallized salt (MgSO.+7H,O = 246.50). Magnesium Sulphate occurs as small, colorless, prismatic needles, or rhombic prisms, without odor, and having a cooling, saline, and bitter taste; slowly eftiorescent in the air. One Gm. of Magnesium Sulphate dissolves in 1 mil. of water at 25° C.; also in about 0.2 mil. of boiling water; almost insoluble in alcohol at 25°C. An aqueous solution of the salt (1 in 20) is neutral to litmus. When exposed to warm air, the salt loses some of its water of crystal- lization and is converted into a white powder. Further heating removes more water, and above 200° C. it is rendered anhydrous. An aqueous solu- tion of the salt (1 in 20), when mixed with ammo- } (Official description.) nium chloride T. S. and ammonia water, yields with sodium phosphate T. S. a white, crystalline precipi- tate. Another portion of the solution yields with barium chloride T. S. a white precipitate insoluble in hydrochloric acid. Add a few drops of silver nitrate T. S. to 10 mils. of an aqueous solution of the salt (1 in 20), previously mixed with a few drops of nitric acid; not more than an opalescence is produced (chloride). An aqueous solution of the salt does not respond to the Test for heavy metals (see Fart II, Test No. 3). An aqueous solution of the salt meets the requirements of the Test for arsenic (see Part II, Test No. 1). F Dissolve about 1 Gm. of Magnesium Sulphate, accurately weighed, in 100 mils. of distilled water, gradually add to the solution, with constant stirring, an excess of sodium phosphate T. S. (about 20 mils.), allow to stand for 10 minutes, then add 30 mils. of ammonia water and allow to stand for two hours. Collect the precipitate on a filter, wash it with dilute ammonia water (1 volume of ammonia water to 3 } (Assay.) volumes of distilled water) until 10 mils. of the washings, when acidulated with hydrochlori¢ acid, yields no turbidity on the addition of a few drops of arium chloride + S. Dry and ignite to constant weight. The weight of the magnesium pyrophos- phate so obtained corresponds to not less than 48.59 per cent. nor more than 53.45 per cent. of MgSQ,. CANTHARIS. (Official Latin name.) Cantuarmes. (Official English name.) Canthar. (Official abbreviation.) Spanish Flies, Russian Flies (Synonyms.) The dried beetle, Cantharis resicatoria (Linné) De Geer (Fam. Meloidee, Order Coleoptera), ag | (ficial definition.) not less than 0.6 per cent. of cantharidin. 22 PHARMACOPGIAS From 15 to 25 mm, in length, 5 to 8 mm. in breadth, oblong, somewhat compressed above; of a brilliant green or bluish-green, metallic lustre, chang- ing in different parts, especially beneath, to a golden- n; head triangular, separated into two lateral lobes by a faint median line; mandibles stout and partly concealed; antenne filiform, of 11 conical Joints, the upper ones being black; eyes compara- tively small; prothorax angulate; legs with five tarsal joints; wings membranous and brownish; elytra or wing sheaths each with two parallel lines } (Official description.) and finely wrinkled; odor strong, disagreeable; taste slight, afterwards acrid. Cantharides with an ammoniacal odor must not pe the powder i ish-bi ith, shini e powder is grayish-brown, with shining green ticles and a number of long, pointed, I-celled airs 0.5 mm. in length and 0.020 mm. in width. Cantharides does not contain more than 10 per cent. of moisture. ‘The yield of ash does not exceed 9 per cent. Introduce 15 Gms. of Cantharides in No. 40 powder into a stout bottle of not less than 250 mils. capacity add 150 mils. of a mixture of benzene, two volumes, and purified petroleum benzin, one volume, and then add 2 mils. of hydrochloric acid. Stopper the bottle tightly, shake it well, and allow it to stand over night. Now gradually warm the bottle and its con- tents to about 40° C. and maintain it at that tem- rature with frequent. shaking during three hours. Cool the mixture, decant or filter off 100 mils. of clear solution and evaporate this rapidly in a tared beaker or wide-necked flask to a volume of about 5 mils. Now add 5 mils. of chloroform to the residue and set it aside in a Ruodorately warm place. When the solvent has all evaporated, add to the crystals 10 mils. of a mixture of equal volumes of dehydrated | (Assay.) alcohol and purified petroleum benzin, which has previously been saturated with pure cantharidin, allow the mixture to stand securely covered, during fifteen. minutes and then decant it through a pellet of purified cotton. Wash the crystals with succes- sive portions of a saturated solution of cantharidin, similar to that directed above, until it is free from fat and coloring matter, and pass the washings through the same pellet of purified cotton. Then wash the cotton with a very small quantity of warm chloroform to dissolve any adhering trystals, collect the chloroform in the tared flask or beaker contain- ing the washed crystals, evaporate off the solution with the aid of a blast of air, dry them at 60° C. for one-half hour and weigh. The resulting weight will be the amount of cantharidin obtained from 10 grammes of Cantharides. The official Latin name, which very properly is given in the Latin language, owing to its security against change, is intended to be at once simple and distinctive, and must be accepted as representing the drug or preparation more particularly defined in the other sub- divisions. In some instances the names by which drugs have been long known have been retained without any special reference to the PHARMACOPGIAS 23 source, thus Galla, Buchu, Opium, Senna, Kino, Sabal, ete.; but in the majority of cases the generic or specific name of the plant or animal yielding the drug has been adopted as the official name, thus, Aconitum, Althea, Camphora, Arnica, I pecacuanha, Coccus, Hyoscyamus, Moschus, Rheum, Senega, etc. In order to avoid confusion a few of the former generic or specific names of plants have been retained as the official names of drugs now known to be derived from a different source, as in the case of Asafetida from Ferula fetida, Cambogia from Garcinia Hanburii, ete. ~ When different species of the same genus furnish different drugs it becomes necessary either to employ the full botanical name of the plants to distinguish the official varieties, or to select the generic name only for one of the drugs and a qualified name for others. Thus, the Pharmacopeeia has chosen the generic name Cinchona to designate the barks of Cinchona Ledgeriana and Cinchona Calisaya, and of hybrids of these with other species, which are usually designated as Calisaya or Yellow Bark, and the name Cinchona rubra as the official title of the bark of Cinchona succirubra and its hybrids, commonly termed Red Bark. Whenever different parts of the same plant are officially recog- nized as distinct drugs, the name of the particular part must be added to the generic or specific name of the plant, thus Belladonne Folia, and Belladonne Radix, Colchici Cormus and Colchici Semen, etc. In the official names of compound preparations the principal con- stituents are as a rule specified, as Liquor Ferri et Ammonii Acetatis, Pulvis Ipecacuanhe et Opii; but usage has sanctioned a modification of this rule when there are many ingredients, by naming one of them with the addition of an adjective, such as compositus, a, um (compound) aromaticus, a, um (aromatic), etc., thus making a simple compre- hensive title, as Spiritus Ammonie Aromaticus, Tinctura Cinchone Composita, Pilule Cathartice Composite, Tinctura Opii Camphorata, Syrupus Rhei Aromaticus, Pulvis Jalape Compositus, etc. In the case of chemical compounds where similar combinations of the same elements, or several varieties of the same compound, have received recognition, it is absolutely necessary that the official name include some qualifying term by means of which the character of the substance may at once be recognized, thus Hydrargyri Chloridum —Corrosioum and Mite, Hydrargyri [odidum—Flavum and Rubrum, Ferri Sulphas—Exsiccatus and Granulatus, etc. The Latin official names are generally used in the singular number, even though the idea of plurality may be essentially connected with the drug, as in the case of Caryophyllus, Galla, Amygdala, etc.; this is in accordance with the precedent set by the Roman medical writers. Whenever a part of the plant also appears in the official name the following rule prevails: Semen (seed), Cortex (bark), and Radiz (root) are always used in the singular, while Folia (leaves) and Flores (flowers) are invariably used in the plural. py PHARMACOPGIAS The