Preparation of Plasters. Spreading of Plasters. Plaster-mulls. Official Plasters. Preparation of Suppositories. Suppository Moulds. Compressors. Machines. Bougie Moulds. Suppository Shells. Glycerin Suppositories. Definition. Typical Prescriptions. Analysis of Prescriptions. Abbrevi- PART I. GENERAL PHARMACY. CHAPTER I. PHARMACOPOEIAS. ALTHOUGH the term Pharmacopoeia (from the Greek çápμazov, medicine, and not, to make) is defined by lexicographers as meaning a book of formulas or directions for the preparation of medicines, 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 prepared by some recognized authority. The necessity for a definite and authoritative standard in the selection and preparation of medicines was long since recognized by all civilized nations; thus the London Pharmacopoeia was established in 1618, that of Paris in 1639, and that of Edinburgh in 1699. The first truly national standard was that of France, issued in 1818, which retained the name of its predecessor, the Paris Pharmacopoeia, and is even to-day still known as the Codex Medicamentarius. The first United States Pharmacopoeia was established in 1820, prior to which time various foreign pharmacopoeias had been in use in this country. The British Pharmacopoeia, into which were merged the London, Edinburgh, and Dublin (established 1807) Pharmacopoeias, 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 pharmacopoeias of leading nations. |