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ID: past-exam-of-the-medicine-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/1864/second-examination/materia-medica-pharmacy/3/solution
Past exam of the medicine course of the University of Oxford 1864 Second examination Materia medica, pharmacy 3 Solution by 
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Codex 0 2026-10-31The seven named mixtures of the 1864 British Pharmacopoeia are Mistura Ammoniaci, Mistura Amygdalae, Mistura Creasoti, Mistura Cretae, Mistura Ferri Composita, Mistura Guaiaci and Mistura Scammonii. Their compositions are as follows; avoirdupois ounces are used for solids and fluid ounces for liquids.
- Mistura Ammoniaci: ammoniacum ¼ avoirdupois ounce, distilled water 8 fluid ounces, rubbed together and strained. Its own gum helps disperse its resin; ammoniacum is not Ammonia. [ref]The Essentials of Materia Medica and Therapeutics by Alfred Baring Garrod (1865). Umbelliferae, part 2, Ammoniacum
- Mistura Amygdalae: compound almond powder 2½ avoirdupois ounces, distilled water 1 Imperial pint. The compound powder is made from sweet almonds 8 parts, sugar 4 parts and gum arabic 1 part by mass. Trituration produces an emulsion. [ref]The Essentials of Materia Medica and Therapeutics by Alfred Baring Garrod (1865). Rosaceae, continued, almond preparations
- Mistura Creasoti: creosote 16 minims, glacial acetic acid 16 minims, Spiritus Juniperi ½ fluid drachm, syrup 1 fluid ounce, distilled water 15 fluid ounces. Here the spirit has the particularly strong 1864 juniper oil content. [ref]The Essentials of Materia Medica and Therapeutics by Alfred Baring Garrod (1865). Hydrocarbons from the destruction of wood by fire, Mistura Creosoti
- Mistura Cretae: prepared chalk and powdered gum arabic, ¼ avoirdupois ounce each; syrup ½ fluid ounce; cinnamon water 7½ fluid ounces. The chalk is suspended, not dissolved. [ref]The Essentials of Materia Medica and Therapeutics by Alfred Baring Garrod (1865). Calcis Carbonas Praecipitata, Creta Praeparata, British mixture
- Mistura Ferri Composita: powdered myrrh 60 grains, potassium carbonate 25 grains, rose water 8 fluid ounces, ferrous sulfate 30 grains, Spiritus Myristicae 1 fluid drachm, sugar 60 grains. Triturate the myrrh with the spirit and potassium carbonate, then add the rose water with sugar, followed by ferrous sulfate; keep the resulting preparation stoppered. Formation of ferrous carbonate and its subsequent oxidation explain why the order and storage matter. [ref]
- Mistura Guaiaci: powdered guaiacum resin ½ avoirdupois ounce, sugar ½ avoirdupois ounce, powdered gum arabic ¼ avoirdupois ounce, cinnamon water 1 Imperial pint. The gum assists dispersion of the poorly water-soluble resin. [ref]The Essentials of Materia Medica and Therapeutics by Alfred Baring Garrod (1865). Zygophyllaceae, resin preparations
- Mistura Scammonii: scammony resin 4 grains with unskimmed milk 2 fluid ounces, triturated into a uniform dispersion. [ref]The Essentials of Materia Medica and Therapeutics by Alfred Baring Garrod (1865). Convolvulaceae, Scammonium, Mistura Scammonii
The category is an official preparation name, not every possible bedside combination of medicines. Camphor water and acacia mucilage are not additional entries under Mistura: the 1864 names are Aqua Camphorae and Mucilago Acaciae. [ref]
The Prescriber's Analysis of the British Pharmacopoeia by John Birkbeck Nevins (1864). pp. 30 and 52–53, mixture names and alterations
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