Volume 1 — NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. MARCH, 1852.

ON THE HEAVY OIL OF WINE. BY EDWARD N. KENT.

Having occasion to use a little of the officinal oil of wine, I applied to one of our wholesale Druggists, who furnished me with an article, which I found to be useless. On testing a sample, it mixed with water and produced a slight milkiness. It was evidently alcohol, containing a trace only of oil. The price of this was $4 per pound.

Samples were then obtained from all of the wholesale Druggists from whom it could be procured, and each of these was proved to be equally worthless, as the results of the following tests will show.

The second sample, when agitated with water, separated into two portions, one of which was aqueous and the other ethereal. The latter exposed to the air, to separate the ether by spontaneous evaporation, left a residue which was completely soluble in water, and proved to be alcohol. The price of this mixture of alcohol and ether was $4,50 per pound.

The third sample when agitated with water, became slightly turbid, and was dissolved. It had a pale yellow color, ethereal odor, and the sp. gr. was .909. A portion of it, exposed twelve hours to spontaneous evaporation in a graduated measure, lost one-eighth of its bulk, and on the application of a taper, burned with a blue flame. It is quite evident that this also was alcohol with a small portion of ether, and a trace of oil. The price {66} of this was $4,50 per pound, and it was labelled “Ol. Aetherii.” It bore also the name of the importers.

The fourth sample, when agitated with water, became slightly turbid, and dissolved. It was colorless, had an ethereal odor, and the sp. gr. was .844. This also burned with a blue flame. The price of this worthless article was $6,50 per pound. It was labelled “Ol. Vini Pur,” and bore also the name of the London manufacturer.

It may be well to remark, that the officinal oil of wine, when agitated with water, separates and falls to the bottom, being heavier than water, whence its name. The sp. gr. of the pure oil is not less than 1.05, and it has a yellow color.

The labels on the third and fourth samples above mentioned, are alone not sufficient evidence to prove that they were imported, but, in addition to the label, I was informed that one of them was recently imported, and also that the manufacturing Chemists in this country do not make or sell the oil of wine.—In view of this statement (if true) the question naturally arises: How did the above worthless articles pass the Custom House under the existing law for “the prevention of the importation of spurious and adulterated drugs?”

I have examined another sample which is not offered for sale as oil of wine, but as it has properties resembling more nearly the officinal oil than either of the four samples above mentioned, it might possibly be confounded with the oil of wine. This sample had an agreeable vinous odor, and a yellow color.—When agitated with water a considerable quantity of oil separated, which was lighter than water. A portion of the original oil, distilled in a glass retort with a thermometer passed through a cork, inserted into the tubulare, gave about half its bulk of a colorless liquid below 180º F., which proved to be alcohol containing a small quantity of acetic ether and œnanthic ether.—The residue left in the retort had the properties of a mixture of œnanthic ether and œnanthic acid. The above article has been, extensively used (in connection with acetic ether) for the {67} manufacture of factitious brandy, and is sold for about $1,50 per ounce.

After having tested samples of all the different articles offered for sale under the name of “oil of wine” by the wholesale Druggists in New York, without being able to find either of them worthy of the name, I prepared a little for my own use, by the following process, which is that of the London Pharmacopœia:

2 lbs. oil of vitriol were carefully mixed with 1 lb. commercial alcohol, and distilled very slowly in a glass retort. The product consisted of two portions, the lightest of which was an ethereal solution of oil of wine measuring 6 oz. This was exposed to the air for twenty-four hours to remove the ether by spontaneous evaporation. The residue, washed with a little dilute solution of potash and dried, was pure “Heavy Oil of Wine,” and weighed half an ounce. The quantity obtained, though small, corresponds exactly with the proportion obtained by Hennell at the Apothecaries’ Hall, London, viz: 17 oz. oil of wine from 34 lbs. alcohol, and 68 lbs. oil of vitriol.

By a simple calculation of the cost of manufacture, and expense of importation, it will be seen that pure oil of wine could not be imported and sold at the prices asked for the samples above mentioned. In making this calculation it will be necessary to observe that under the existing excise law, the price of alcohol in England is much higher than in the United States, and is now, I am informed, from 17 to 18 shillings sterling per gallon. The following calculation (based on the results of Hennell’s process) gives the cost of pure oil of wine, manufactured in England and imported into this country, at $35 per pound; but the spurious articles now sold for oil of wine, are offered at prices varying from $4 to $6,50 per pound.

34 lbs. alcohol (about 5 gallons) at 17 shillings sterling per gallon, $18 70

68 lbs. oil of vitriol, at 2¹⁄₂ cents per pound, 1 70

Labor, fire, packing, bottle, &c. 1 50

Cost of 17 oz. oil, to the English manufacturer, $21 90

Or per pound,

Cost of making 1 lb. pure oil in England, $20 61

Manufacturer’s profit, say 10 per cent., 2 06

Wholesale price in England, $22 67

Duties paid by importer, 30 per cent. 6 80

Charges paid by importer, 10 per cent. 2 26

Cost of importation, $31 73

Profit on importation, 3 27

Wholesale price of the imported oil, $35 00

I regret that I have been unable to find the price of pure oil of wine quoted in the lists of any of the manufacturing chemists, but think it fair to infer that if the article is offered for sale, of English manufacture, at less than $2 per ounce, that impurity or adulteration may be suspected, and in this case, I would recommend the following process for testing its purity.

Agitate a small portion of the oil in a test tube, with an equal measure of water. If it dissolves, reject the sample as impure, but if the mixture separates into two portions, after standing at rest for a few moments, put it on a paper filter, previously well moistened with water. The water in the mixture will pass through the moistened filter, leaving ether or oil upon it. If this is colorless or very pale yellow, it should be exposed a few hours to spontaneous evaporation, to ascertain if it contains oil. But if it is yellow and heavier than water, this portion may consist of oil of wine; this, however, should be verified by observing the odor and sp. gr. of the oil. By carefully operating upon a known quantity in the above manner, the proportion of alcohol or ether (if present) may be easily determined.

As the efficacy of Hoffman’s Anodyne is due to the heavy oil of wine contained in it, and as the proportion of this oil to the other constituents is small, it is particularly necessary that {69} the oil should be pure. The high price of alcohol in England, and a defect in the directions formerly given for its preparation in the United States Dispensatory, are the probable causes of the absence of pure oil of wine in New York. In recent editions of the above work, the defective proportions have been substituted by those of the London college, and there is now no reason why pure oil of wine should not be made in the United States, where alcohol is cheaper, probably, than in any other part of the world. I hope that our manufacturing chemists will turn their attention to this subject, and displace all worthless chemical and phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal preparations by such as will be useful to the public, and creditable to the manufacturers.

[The United States Pharmacopœia directs two pints of alcohol (sp. gr. .835) to be mixed with three pints of sulphuric acid (sp. gr. 1.845); by weight rather better than 3.3 of the acid, to one part of alcohol, and gives 1.096 as the sp. gr. of the oil.]—ED.

PRACTICAL HINTS, BY A WHOLESALE DRUGGIST.

The prosecution of the business of preparing and vending medicines, has been and still is too exclusively confined to the dollar and cent department.

Buyers take too much for granted. Ipecac is Ipecac all the world over, and he who can sell Ipecac at the lowest price is likely to sell the most and make the most money. To the credit of the craft, in part however, a manifest improvement in this respect, has taken place within the last few years, to their credit in part, I say, because the demand for good medicines has of late increased, compelling some druggists to furnish better qualities than they otherwise would.

It is a common remark that the late law, passed by Congress, relating to the introduction or importation of adulterated and inferior drugs, has produced a more desirable state of things in {70} our community, by opening the eyes of consumers to the fact that inferior drugs are imported and are consumed. This is only in part true. An improved state of public opinion first caused the law to be passed; this, in connection with the law when passed, caused a further progress. The stone, thus set in motion, will no doubt roll on till an entire revolution takes place both with venders and consumers.

It is not to be supposed that the person who swallows a dose of medicine dreams that it is not of good quality, or that he would hesitate in the value of six cents when purchasing his dose, between the best of its kind and that which is comparatively inert. The root of this great evil, viz: the purchasing, selling, and administering inferior medicines is ignorance. The patient can have little or no knowledge of the efficacy of what is given to him to take, and to the shame of a large portion of the medical profession be it spoken, the doctor knows but little more. I speak with confidence when I say that the knowledge of the sensible properties of drugs is almost exclusively confined to the druggist and apothecary. Hence in the purchase of his supplies of medicines of the apothecary, the only guide the physician has, is the price and the word of the seller,—this ought not so to be. At this time I do not profess to offer a remedy. The object of the present communication is to offer a few practical hints to the druggist, connected with the purchase of his stock; many, if not all, desire to purchase reliable medicines, but from want of knowledge between good and bad have only the price, and the reputation of the seller to guide them.

I now propose to take up articles of general use, and suggest a few simple tests of their quality and condition, which any one can apply with such means as an ordinary drug store furnishes.

Before proceeding with this subject, however, I beg leave to urge upon every druggist and apothecary, the great importance of having, at his disposal, a set of reliable hydrometers for liquids heavier and lighter than water, and a properly constructed thermometer for determining the temperature of liquids. He will find them his right hand helps, not only for {71} detecting adulterations, but for determining the strength or quality of nearly all the liquids which come under his inspection.

Certain arbitrary terms have been applied to solutions of ammonia and ethers, such as F.; F. F.; F. F. F.; and so on. These terms were originally intended to indicate the exact strength of those liquids to which they were applied; but, unfortunately, every manufacturer has a standard of his own, indicating the value of an F, or in other words these terms mean nothing, and should be banished from the books of every intelligent dealer. The hydrometer will determine the strength accurately and beyond all question, the dealer therefore should make his purchases, estimating the strength by the specific gravity either in decimals or degrees.

In detecting adulterations of essential oils, the Hydrometer is invaluable. If the specific gravity of an oil does not accord with the standard, it is proof positive that the oil is not pure; the reverse, however, is not so clear. If the specific gravity does accord with the standard, it is not a positive proof that it is pure, for the reason that the adulteration may be of the same specific gravity as the oil itself.

The strength of acids such as muriatic, nitric, sulphuric, aqua fortis, and the like, is accurately determined by this means.

A set of these instruments, on which dependence may be placed, can be obtained at a price varying from $5 to $12.

Let the dealer apply these instruments (where applicable) to all his purchases, and he will soon find out what he sells and who deals honestly by him.

MAGNESIA (CALCINED). Nearly all that is used in this country is imported from England. The quality, not­with­stand­ing the drug law, is usually quite inferior. The impurities generally are carb. magnesia, lime, alumina and silica.

To detect carb. magnesia, put into a vial a small portion, and add two or three times its bulk of water; after mixing them well, add a small portion of sulphuric acid—effervesence will indicate the presence of a carbonate. On the addition of an {72} excess of acid, the solution should be perfectly clear; whatever is deposited is impurity of some kind; if lime is present an insoluble sulphate is formed.

The presence of moisture is indicated by the magnesia being lumpy, and when shaken, the particles do not flow among themselves easily. Good magnesia has a light, lively appearance, and is pearly white.—(TO BE CONTINUED.)

ON BLISTERING CERATE. BY EUGENE DUPUY, PARMACEUTIST, NEW YORK.

The successful researches of Robiquet in his labors on the Cantharis Vesicatoria, have demonstrated that the cristallisable neutral substance to which he gave the name of Cantharidine, is the proximate epispastic principle of the blistering cerate on which the physician depends in most cases, where an extended and yet deep revulsive action is necessary, whether it is derived from the cantharis vesicatoria or from other members of the trachelid family. The experiments of Mess. Lavini & Sobrero of Turin, have confirmed the supposition made by analogy, of the indentity which exists in the vesicating principle of all these coleopters, and there is a strong presumption that our commerce will soon be enriched with the beautiful cantharis, (C. nutalli,) abounding in the midst of our rising South Western States, and that it will eventually supersede the cantharis vesicatoria we obtain from abroad. If adulteration would not destroy, by its baneful influence, the advantageous form of complex extracts, we could obtain a desirable amelioration of our officinal cerate, by substituting for the powdered cantharides an equivalent proportion of the oleaginous liquid, with which they are saturated in the fresh state, and which is possessed of all the vesicating properties of the insect. That liquid is prepared in various parts of the Sardinian kingdom, especially at Verceil, where it is extensively used by veterinary surgeons in preference to the preparations from the powdered insect, it {73} producing deeper revulsion. It is also used, diluted in bland oleaginous substances for stimulating the activity of feeble serous exudations. As for the present we have not generally access to that natural product of the cantharis, we must select those insects in the best possible conditions, and endeavor to fix their active principle in such a manner as will diminish the liability to spontaneous volatilisation of which it is susceptible, even at ordinary temperature.

I have been for many years in the habit of preparing a blistering plaster which, I think, has some advantages over our officinal cerate, because it fixes the volatilisable principle, and at the same time rather increases than diminishes its energy.

To the officinal plastic mixture in which the powdered cantharides have been gradually incorporated, I add about 5 per cent of a mixture containing equal parts of strong acetic acid (prepared by distillation of the acetates of copper or lead), and pulverised camphor. The acetic acid transforms the cantharidine into an acetate of the same which is not volatilized at ordinary temperatures, and the camphor diminishes the symptoms of strangury which some patients have to endure when the application of a blistering plaster is resorted to. I also usually spread the blister on adhesive plaster on account of the convenient adhesion of that material.

ON THE ADULTERATION OF CERTAIN DRUGS AND THE METHODS OF DETECTING SAID ADULTERATIONS. BY C. TOWNSEND HARRIS, Demonstrator of Chemistry in the New York Medical College.

Since the establishment of the Office of Inspector of drugs in the United States custom houses, a vast amount of spurious and adulterated articles has been prevented from finding its way into our market. By reference to the report of the {74} inspector of drugs for the port of New York, through which is received the great bulk of medicinals imported into this country, some idea may be formed of the enormous quantity of spurious opium, jalap root, scammony, iodine, iodide of potassium, etc. annually introduced from abroad. We find that in ten months, from July 1848 to April 1849, inclusive, 90,000 pounds of adulterated drugs were rejected at the above named office. During the years 1848 and ’50, numerous specimens of adulterated articles were submitted to me for examination by Dr. Baily the inspector of drugs. From a long list I may select one as an instance of the impudence exhibited by foreign manufacturers, in attempting to thrust upon us their villainous compounds, “as standard articles.” I found a specimen of iodine, purporting to be pure, to contain 2 per cent. of non-volatile matter and 40 per cent. of water. The solid materials may be passed over as accidental, but the water is undoubtedly a fraudulent addition.

Beneficial as the establishment of this office may be in preventing the admission of any but genuine articles from abroad, in the present state of phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal regulations, it merely serves as a stimulus to the exercise of ingenuity at home, for producing those adulterations no longer supplied from the other side of the water. It is hardly necessary to say that rogues are to be found in every nation and in every clime, but I am justified (as I believe) in asserting that the spurious articles, at present met with in our market, are manufactured by foreigners whose métier has been destroyed by the passage of the drug bill. It is positively certain that parties who some years since conducted a factory in Brussels, from which spurious sulphate of quinine, sulphate of morphine, narcotine, &c., were palmed upon the citizens of the United States as genuine, are now at work in a city not one hundred miles distant.

How is this home adulteration to be met? The appointment of a home inspector of drugs, whose duty it should be to visit, from time to time, our apothecaries’ establishments, and to inspect the quality of the drugs therein, would be at variance {75} with republican ideas; too much like the excise law of England so obnoxious to the semi-republican inhabitants of Great Brittain. This question, however, has been sufficiently discussed by others more able than myself. The remedy for these abuses rests with the druggists themselves. Legislative enactments are useless. The present college of pharmacy which includes in its list of trustees, some of the leading phar­ma­ceu­tists of the country, has done much towards elevating the profession. It is to be hoped that the laws under which they act will be extended to other states, and that no apothecary, unless duly licensed by the society, shall have any right to pursue his profession without the diploma of the college.

It is a matter of congratulation that some houses in this city, and those doing an extensive business, and of the highest reputation, have associated with themselves partners possessing a competent knowledge of chemistry. From these houses nothing can be obtained which is not up to the standard. Our apothecaries will find it to their advantage in the end, to employ persons possessing sufficient knowledge to enable them to detect adulterations in drugs, and not only that, but to be able to prepare the most difficult articles.

I shall relate in this paper some instances of home adulterations which have recently come under my notice. I have been furnished by retail druggists in the city with several specimens of the bitartrate of potassa. The results of the examination of five different specimens are here given:

No. 1. Bitartrate of Potassa, 50 per cent.

Sulphate of Lime, 50 per cent.

100

No. 2. Bitartrate of Potassa, 65 per cent.

Sulphate of Lime, 35 per cent.

100

No. 3. Bitartrate of Potassa, 70 per cent.

Sulphate of Lime, 30 per cent.

100

No. 4. Bitartrate of Potassa, 75 per cent.

Sulphate of Lime, 25 per cent.

100

No. 5 contains a small per centage of carbonate of potassa and a considerable amount of carbonate of lime. No weighings were made, but the amount of adulteration was apparently much less than in the other cases.

I have also had occasion to examine some specimens of iodide of potassium, procured from some of the first druggists in the city.

Specimen No. 1, contained:

Iodide of Potassium, 64 per cent.

Chloride of Potassium, 36 per cent.

100

No. 2. Iodide of Potassium, 70 per cent.

Chloride of Potassium and Carbonate of Potassium, 30 per cent.

100

No. 3. Iodide of Potassium, 35 per cent.

Chloride of Potassium and Chloride of Sodium, 65 per cent.

100

In numerous examinations made of the bitartrate of potassa and of the iodide of potassium from foreign sources, I have never detected in the iodide of potassium more than 15 per cent of impurities, nor in the bitrate of potassa, as imported from France, more than 8 per cent. Of course the crude commercial argol always contains a small amount of tartrate of lime.

In a sample of so called “cod liver oil,” submitted to me for examination by Professor Davis, of the New York Medical College, I am unable to detect a single trace of iodine. The {77} oil is rank, almost black, and is evidently a mixture of whale oil and linseed oil; in fact it contains no cod liver oil whatever. This article has been sold by a fellow professing to be a druggist and physician.

It is certainly most important that druggists and their employers should possess a sufficient knowledge of chemical tests to enable them to detect sophistications. I propose to give hereafter the details of examinations of adulterated medicines and the simplest methods I can devise for the detection of such adulterations, and I trust others beside myself will turn their attention toward a subject so fraught with interest to the Pharmaceutist.

ON WOORARA. A NOTE READ TO THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, BY M. U. BERNARD, IN HIS OWN NAME, AND THAT OF M. PELOUZE.

Woorara is a violent poison, prepared by some of the tribes inhabiting the forests bordering the Upper Oronoco, the Rio Negro, and the Amazon.

Although the existence of this poison has been long known, very vague notions are still entertained regarding its component parts. Amongst the savages who sell or barter it, its preparation remains secret; and has only been made known through their priests or sorcerers. According to Humboldt, woorara is simply a watery extract of a creeper, belonging to the genus Strychnia. According to M. M. Boussingault and Roulin, it contains a poisonous substance, analagous to a vegetable alkali, woorarine. The information given us by M. Houdet, differs from that of M. Humboldt only in this respect, that he observes, before the extract is quite dry, the Indians of Messaya pour on it a few drops of the venom gathered from the glands of the most venomous serpents. This last circumstance is important, as we shall see that the physiological effects of woorara must {78} cause us to regard its mode of action as entirely analogous to that of venoms.

Woorara is a solid extract, black, resinous looking, soluble in water. We shall have occasion hereafter to advert to its chemical properties. Our attention will now be directed to its physiological effects when exerted on living animals. Woorara resembles venom in this, that it can be eaten, that is, taken into the digestive canal of man and other animals with impunity, whilst when introduced by puncture under the skin, or in any other part of the body, its absorption is invariably attended with fatal results in all animals. This fact we have repeatedly tested. The action of this poison is instantaneous, when it is injected directly into the blood vessels. A weak, watery solution thrown into the jugular vein of a dog or a rabbit, has always produced sudden death, the animal uttering no cry, nor manifesting any convulsive agitation. The effect on the whole organization is electric, and the vital functions are arrested as by lightning. When introduced under the skin in solution or in solid fragments, its poisonous action manifests itself more slowly, and the time is varied by the dose, the size of the animal, and its species. Other things being equal, birds die soonest, then the mammalia, and then reptiles; thus, with the same specimen, birds and mammalia die in a few minutes, whilst a reptile will survive for several hours. But death is invariably accompanied by similar, and very remarkable symptoms; in the first place, when pricked, the animal apparently feels nothing. If a bird, for example, it flies as usual, and at the end of a few seconds, when the woorara is very active, it drops dead without uttering a cry, or appearing to suffer; if it be a rabbit or a dog, it runs about as usual after the puncture, without any abnormal symptom, then, after some seconds, as if fatigued, it lies down, appears to sleep, its respiration stops, and life is terminated, without a groan or sign of pain. Rarely do we see even slight contraction of the sub-cutaneous muscles of the face and body.

On examining immediately after death, the bodies of {79} animals thus poisoned, we have always observed phenomena which indicate a complete annihilation of all the properties of the nervous system. It is generally found that when death has been sudden, the nerves retain for some time the power of reaction under the influence of mechanical or chemical excitement; if a nerve of motion be excited, convulsions supervene in the muscles to which it leads; if the skin be pinched, it causes reflex motion. But none of these are observed after death by woorara. The nerves of the still warm animal, in whom life has been extinct but a minute, are inert as if it had been dead and cold for several hours.

Again, in animals poisoned by woorara, the blood is invariably black, and frequently so changed as to coagulate with difficulty, and not to become bright on re-exposure to air.

If we compare this effect of woorara with that of the viper, we shall observe a great analogy between them, varying only in intensity. We may further remark, that woorara, like the poison of the viper, may be introduced with impunity into the intestinal canal. We might be led to suppose from its perfect innocuousness when introduced into the stomach, that it became modified, or in a word, digested by the gastric juice, so as to destroy its deleterious properties. To verify this supposition, we caused some woorara to be digested in the gastric juice of a dog, at a temperature of between 38° and 40° of centigrade. After leaving it for forty-eight hours, we introduced it by puncture into the veins of some animals, who died with the before-named symptoms; establishing the fact, that a prolonged contact with the gastric juice in no way modified its deleterious properties. This experiment has been repeated in various ways, and on the separate parts, as well as on the living animal. We made a dog, in whose stomach we had formed a fistulous opening, swallow some fragments of woorara mixed with his food; after a little time we obtained some of his gastric juice, and on analysis found it to resemble in every respect a solution of woorara. Thus we have the singular phenomenon of an animal, carrying in its stomach, harmless to itself, a liquid {80} which would cause instant death to any others who should be inoculated with it. Not only did the dog which swallowed the poison experience no fatal result from it, but its digestion was not even affected by it; the gastric juice thus mixed retaining all its digestive properties.

These facts prove that the innocuousness of woorara when introduced into the stomach, is not attributable to the action of the gastric juice. The other intestinal liquids, saliva, bile, pancreatic juice, were attended with similar results, none of them producing by contact the least difference in the poisonous effect of woorara.

The explanation of these facts appears to be simply this: there is a want of absorption of the venomous substance through the gas­tro-in­test­i­nal mucous membrane. This can be shown by the following experiment:—Take the fresh gastric mucous membrane of a dog or rabbit, recently killed; adapt it to an endosmometer in such a manner that the mucous surface remains outwards; then plunge the endosmometer containing sweetened water into a watery solution of woorara, and we shall find, after two or three hours, that the endosmosis will be complete. The level will have risen in the endosmometer, and yet the liquid contained in it will shew no trace of the poison, as can be proved by inoculating other animals with it.

If the experiment were to last longer, the endosmose of the poison might take place, but we should then find that the epithelium which covers its surface, had become changed, and had permitted the imbibition and endosmosis of the poisonous principle. This is so true, that if a partially decomposed membrane should be used instead of a fresh one, the endosmose of the poisonous principle takes place immediately. On the living animal, we can establish this property of the intestinal mucous membrane, and can demonstrate that amongst substances perfectly soluble in appearance there are some which when lodged on the surface of the intestinal membrane, may remain there without being absorbed, or without affecting the system. The active principle of woorara is of this kind. {81}

It was necessary to ascertain whether other mucous membranes, besides those of the digestive organs, were possessed of this same property with regard to woorara. We have tried it successively on those of the bladder, the nasal fossæ and the eyes, and in all we have found an equal resistance to the absorption of the poisonous principle. An injection of this poison into the bladder of a dog, was retained six or eight hours, with no bad effects; but the urine voided after that time had all the poisonous properties of woorara.

One mucous membrane alone offers a remarkable exception; it is the pulmonary. This acts, in regard to the absorption of woorara, precisely like the sub-cutaneous cellular tissue; and on the introduction of some drops of the poisonous solution into the air passages, when every precaution is taken, death takes place as rapidly as when the skin has been punctured.

We readily perceive that this membrane, destined solely for the passage of the air to accomplish the phenomena of respiration, possesses a peculiar structure, and is unprovided with that protecting mucous which lubricates the other membranes communicating with the exterior. This similarity between the pulmonary mucous membrane and cellular tissue, supports the ideas which M. Majendie, long ago, promulgated on the structure of the lungs.

We shall not expatiate, at present, on the remarkable difference in the absorbent properties of the various mucous membranes of the body. We shall have occasion again to revert to the subject, and shall only state that this fact, in relation to the absorption of woorara, is not isolated, and that in the intestines, for example, many active principles, although soluble, cannot be absorbed, and are consequently forced to act locally, or as if shut up in a closed vessel.

For the present we will content ourselves with these conclusions:

1st. That woorara acts upon animals in the same manner as venom.

2nd. That its harmlessness, when injected into the intestinal {82} canal, cannot be explained by any change which the poisonous principle undergoes, but rather by a special property of the gas­tro-in­tes­ti­nal mucous membrane which resists its absorption.—Journal de Pharmacie et Chimie.

SUMBUL, OR YATAMANSI.

Sumbul, the name and therapeutical properties of which are almost unknown to French physicians, appears to have been employed in India from a very remote period. Pietro Della Valle, who travelled through the different countries of Asia, in 1623, 1624 and 1625, mentions that sumbul is a root, and not a stem, although the Arabic word, sumbul, he observes, refers to the whole plant. It appears that the word sumbul is applied in India to a plant and portions of a plant, used as a perfume, as an incense in religious ceremonies, and again, as a medicinal substance. Sir William Jones thought that the true sumbul was a species of valerian, known both to the Hindoos and Brahmins, under the name of yatamansi. But, according to M. Granville, it appears to be an aquatic umbelliferous plant, found in the neighborhood of rivers.

It is erroneously asserted that it grows in Hindostan. It is not found in any part of the Indian territory, occupied by the English. The plant grows in Bootan and the mountains of Nepaul; and although large quantities of the dried plant have been exported, no botanist has yet been able to describe its char­ac­ter­is­tics from a living specimen. It is said that the native laws forbid the exportation of a living plant, without an order from the sovereign.

Sumbul has been described as a mass of roots and leaves of a greenish color, crumpled and pressed one against the other. This is an error, and arises from the fact of some having been first shown at St. Petersburg, which had been mixed with a {83} strong decoction of this substance of a greenish color. Sumbul appears, on the contrary, under the form of a root, thick, homogeneous, of two, three, and even four inches in diameter, cut in pieces of an inch to an inch and a half long, and whose section presents a fibrous aspect, and a white and yellowish tint. It is brought from the centre of Asia, to Moscow, via Kiatcha. In all the good specimens of sumbul, the epidermis, or external covering, is of a dark shade, approaching to brown; if the color be strongly marked, it indicates that the plant was old. The epidermis is very thin, and much wrinkled. The interior substance is composed of thick, irregular fibres, which may be separated from one another, after the outer covering is detached, and which indicate a porous structure, common to aquatic plants. If, after taking off the outer covering, we make a transverse cut, we shall perceive an external layer, white and marbled, and an internal layer, thicker and yellowish. With a powerful lens we can distinguish transparent points, which look like grains of fecula.

Two very remarkable physical char­ac­ter­is­tics demand our attention when we examine this root: first, its perfume, resembling the purest musk; then the powerful aroma which it exhales when under mastication. This odor of musk is so marked, that some had thought it owed this quality to its contact with musk, in the transportation of drugs from Asia to Europe; but such an idea is negatived by the fact that sumbul retains this odor, even when very old; that even when the external parts have lost it, it continues in the interior; that this odoriferous principle may be extracted from it by chemical manipulation; and again, that it has received from botanists the name of moschus-wurzel or musk-root. Its aromatic taste is also a distinguishing char­ac­ter­is­tic. The first impression on the palate is slightly sweet, this is rapidly replaced by a balsamic flavor, and then by a bitter, but not unpleasant taste.—As mastication proceeds, the mouth and throat experience a strong aromatic and pungent taste, and the breath becomes impregnated with the penetrating odor of the {84} substance.—This flavor is still more decided in the alcoholic tincture than in the root.

The chemical analysis of sumbul has occupied several German chemists, Reinsch, Schnitzlein, Frichinger, and Kalthover. According to Reinsch, the root of sumbul contains, besides water, traces of an ethereal oil, two balsamic compounds, (resins) one soluble in ether, the other in alcohol, wax, aromatic spirit, and a bitter substance, soluble in water or alcohol. The solution of this bitter substance, treated with lime, and chloride of sodium, gives a sediment composed of gum, starch and saline materials. The perfume appears to be contained in the balsams, and its intensity is increased by being diluted with water. Finally, sumbul contains an acid, which Reinsch proposes calling sumbulic acid.

Kalthover directed his attention further to its phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal uses, and obtained an alcoholic tincture of a yellowish color, musky odor, and bitter taste; an ethereal tincture, yellowish, musky, and of a sharp taste; and a substance resembling wax, precipitated after repeated decoctions in water.

It appears then, that we may obtain from sumbul for medical purposes, two tinctures, one alcoholic, the other ethereal, which seem to differ in their principles, and which may be given in drops alone, or combined with other medicines; and a bitter extract, soluble in water, which may be administered in pills. The powdered root may also be given crude, or in pills.—(Union Médicale) in Journal de Pharmacie et de Chimie.

[Sumbul has been used as an anti spasmodic and a nervine; further investigation is needed however to ascertain its true place in the Materia Medica. In the mean time it has been imported by one of our apothecaries, Mr. Delluc, and we may soon hope to learn something more concerning its effects upon the system.] ED. JOURNAL OF PHARMACY.

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE STRENGTH OF TINCTURE OF OPIUM. BY A. B. GARROD, M. D.

Professor of Materia Medica at University College, and Physician to University College Hospital.

As many discrepant statements are to be found in works on Materia Medica, in various dispensatories, &c. concerning the strength of the tincture of opium of the London Pharmacopœia, it may not be either uninstructive or uninteresting at least to the medical profession, to have the subject brought under notice and discussion at this society, in order that they may arrive at some definite conclusion concerning the strength of a preparation they are in the daily habit of prescribing. If we refer to the London Pharmacopœia of 1836, we find the following directions for making the tincture of opium:―

Take of hard opium powdered, 3 ounces,

Proof spirit, 2 pints,

Macerate for fourteen days, and strain.

In the Pharmacopœia of 1851, we are ordered to―

Take of opium powdered, 3 ounces,

Proof spirit, 2 pints,

Macerate for seven days, press out, and strain.

The only difference in the directions being that powdered hard opium, and digestion for fourteen days, are ordered in the one case, and simply powdered opium and seven days digestion in the other. If we look at the authorised edition of the Pharmacopœia by Mr. Philips of 1836, (and also at the present edition) we find stated, that the preparation has a deep brownish red color, possesses the peculiar odor and taste of opium, has sp. gr. 0.952, and about 19 minims contain 1 grain of opium, which is said to be proved by the following data: 1st, by evaporating the tincture, and finding the amount of solid extract left; 2d, by ascertaining the quantity of opium remaining undissolved. The conclusion at which Mr. Phillips arrived, viz: that 1 grain of opium was contained in 19 minims of the Pharmacopœia tincture, has been copied into most English works on Materia {86} Medica, and most medical men have been and are still in the habit of prescribing the tincture considering it to be of the above strength. Were Mr. Phillip’s conclusions correct?

With regard to the amount of solid extract left on evaporation of the tincture, it appears from the experiments of Mr. Allchin, which are also confirmed by those which I have myself made, that 19 minims yield about 1 grain of extract; but in these cases the Turkey opium of commerce must be first exsiccated; and the tinctures of commerce yield quantities varying from 1 in 19 to 1 in 28 minims of the tincture. Tincture of opium made with Turkey opium in small masses not previously dried, fl. j. gave on drying 2.7 of solid residue, or 1 grain in about 22.2 minims. Tincture of opium made with good Turkey opium, previously dried and reduced to powder (Pharmacopœia directions) fl. j. gave on drying—three experiments—3.1, or 1 grain of residue in 19.3 minims.

If made with opium capable of being reduced to a state of powder, the average quantity of extract would be about 1 grain in 20 minims; this proportion would indicate that one-third of the solid ingredient (opium) is left undissolved, which was found by Mr. Phillips to be the case. I believe all good specimens of Turkey opium yield about this amount of residue. An experiment made within the last week at Mr. Bell’s establishment gave this result. If then the strength of tincture of opium be considered to be that indicated by Mr. Phillips, we must assume that the undissolved portion possesses the same therapeutic effects as the dissolved portion. Is this correct?

It has been stated by some that morphia can be extracted from the residuum, and in Dr. Pereira’s Materia Medica, we find the following observations: “Proof spirit dissolves the same constituents as water does, but it takes up a larger proportion of narcotine, resin, oil. I have repeatedly prepared morphia from the insoluble residue left behind in the preparation of the tincture.” Again, in Dr. Thomson’s Dispensatory it is stated that Mr. Brande finds that the whole of the morphia is not taken up; but is found in no inconsiderable quantity in the filter. {87} We suspect occasionally narcotine has been taken for morphia,7 and in the cases where morphia has really been found, unless the residue had been previously washed, an error may have arisen from the alkaloid being contained in the tincture of opium adhering to the dregs, and not from any contained in the residue itself. I have recently endeavoured to ascertain the true state of the case, and chiefly by means of a therapeutic inquiry into the strength of the residuum. The residue of tincture of opium prepared in the ordinary way at University College Hospital, was taken for experiment; it was first washed with a little cold water to remove any adhering tincture, and afterwards dried in a water-bath. By digestion with ether, it was found to yield abundance of narcotine, and was also found to contain meconic acid sufficient to strike a claret color with the persalts of iron; but at the same time nitric acid gave no evidence of the presence of morphia. It was found also by experiment that proof spirit at the ordinary temperature dissolved but a very small portion of narcotine; the bulk of the narcotine therefore remains in the residuum from the tincture of opium, perhaps united with meconic acid; for when treated with water acidulated with acetic acid, both narcotine and meconic acid were dissolved.

“Reduce good opium to powder, put it into a paper filter, add distilled water to it, and slightly agitate it; and in this way wash it till the water passes through colorless, after which, pass a little diluted alcohol through it; dry the insoluble portion (now diminished to one-half,) in a dark place; digest it, when dry, in strong alcohol for a few minutes, applying heat; separate this solution, which by boiling, and after evaporation, will yield crystallized meconate of morphia of a pale straw color.”

A portion of the residue was given internally; one grain to a healthy adult produced no effect; two grains were given with no result; the dose was then successively increased to four grains then to six grains, afterwards to thirteen, and lastly to thirty grains, without causing the slightest effect on the individuals to whom it was administered; the only limitation to the quantity given being the unpleasantness of taking so large an {88} amount of so bulky a matter. It appears, therefore, that the residue is, to all intents and purposes, inert.

From these experiments, it is evident that even should traces of morphia be contained in the dregs, still the quantity must be such (when the tincture is prepared according to the London Pharmacopœia) as to make no appreciable diminution of the strength of the preparation, and that the tinctura opii contains the active matter of the whole of the drug used in its formation, and therefore about 12 minims of tincture of opium possesses all the activity of 1 grain of crude opium, assuming that it loses only 12 per cent. in the drying. If dry opium is taken for comparison, 1 grain is contained in about 13¹⁄₂ minims; and, therefore, one fluid drachm of tinctura opii contains about 5 grains of the drug, or 4¹⁄₂ grains (according as it is compared with the dry or moist opium), in place of 3 grains; or 1 fluid ounce contains 40 or 36 grains in place of 24 grains usually assumed to be contained in it: a difference of strength of the highest importance when we consider the highly poisonous and powerful therapeutic action of the drug.

In the Edinburgh preparation the amount of tincture containing a grain of opium is about 13¹⁄₂ minims, for the opium is ordered in the same proportion but not previously reduced to powder or dried. In the Dublin preparation the opium is ordered to be coarsely powdered, but avoirdupois weight is used in place of apothecaries, which makes the strength of the tincture such that 12.75 minims contain one grain.

The error as to the strength of the tincture of opium, which is found in so many works, has been recently commented on. Thus Dr. Christison objects to Mr. Phillip’s statements; Dr. Royle also alludes to it, and so does Mr. Squire, in his recent work on the Pharmacopœias; and even those writers who have copied the statement must have done so without much thought on the subject, as they have calculated the strength of other preparations of opium, as that of the tinctura opii ammoniata, tinctura camphoræ composita, assuming that all the active properties of the opium used in the preparation had been taken up {89} by the menstrua. And this is the case even with Mr. Phillips himself, in the case of the compound tincture of camphor, when he states that nearly two grains of opium are contained in the ounce, the Pharmacopœia proportions of opium being 1.6 grains only.

I have brought the question before the Society more for the purpose of eliciting the opinions of the members on the point, than with the idea of bringing forward much that is novel on the subject; if the conclusion to which we have arrived, namely, that 12 minims of tincture of opium contain all the medical properties of 1 grain of the crude drug, I think it very important that the members of the medical profession should be made fully aware of the delusion under which they have labored for so many years with regard to the strength of this important preparation.

NOTICE OF SOME VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL SUBSTANCES, NATURAL PRODUCTS OF NEW GRANADA. BY M. J. RAF. MONZON, M. D. (In a Letter to Dr. Pereira.)

Sandi is a resinous gummy substance, produced in abundance by a tree known by this name, on making an incision in its bark. At first it presents itself white, or liquid like milk, and it is called in the province of Barbacoas, “milk of sandi.” In a few days it acquires the consistency of resinous gum. In this state it is applied to various medicinal uses in different parts of New Granada, especially in the province of Barbacoas, a warm and damp country near the Ecuador, from whence the present sample comes. Its principal therapeutic property is resolutive; applied as a plaster upon lupus, fleshy excrescencies of the skin, cold and indolent tumors, &c. it produces their resolution; and this result is frequently confirmed by the {90} inhabitants of those countries. I have obtained it almost always when I have made use of the milk in similar cases. At present my father has applied this gum in the valley of Cauca, and with extraordinary success, for the cure of “bocios,” or obstructions of the thyroid gland. He has been able to purify it, taking away the part of potass which it contains in its original state, and has been able to give it the consistence and color of gum Arabic; with this substance he makes a plaster, which destroys the “bocios,” which so much abound in New Granada; and its general benefits are felt and acknowledged.

It is likewise used as an agent against sterility in women, applying it as a plaster upon the hypogastric region. In ulcers of a good character I have obtained frequent and quick cicatrisation by applying it in the same manner; I have also used it as a vehicle for preparing and applying blisters.

ACEITE DE PALO (oil of wood) is produced by a tree called “manteco,” in the same province. Its principal therapeutic qualities are topical and blistering. By using it as an embrocation I have destroyed the epidermis, and have thus been able to get rid of freckles and superficial stains on the face and other parts of the body. Applied in larger quantities it produces the effect of a strong blister, excoriating and inflaming the skin. This oil is used in its natural state as an ointment, on arms and instruments of steel: it destroys their temper and softens them. By decoction it loses these qualities, and might be used as an ointment without any risk. It cannot be used as a lamp-oil, because it exhales a very thick smoke and the most disagreeable smell. It has no known internal medicinal qualities; it may be classed amongst the corrosive poisons; its color is purple, its taste sui generis.

LECHE DE POPA (milk of the cow-tree).—This substance, in its natural state, possesses the physical properties of animal milk. It is obtained by incision in the bark of the tree, which is very abundant in the province of Barbacoas. The Indians and the African race take it instead of cow milk; it is very nutritive, but has no known medicinal qualities. It is used also {91} for whitewashing houses, combining it with earthy substances, because, being glutinous, it makes the whitewashing last longer, and prevents its staining or rubbing off.

MIEL DE ABEJA DE BREA (honey of the pitch bee).—This honey is extracted from the hive of a bee, very different from the one known in Europe, and very much smaller. It is acid. Its medicinal qualities are for interior refrigeration. I have applied it externally for contusions and ecchymosis, caused by blows or falls, and I have always obtained a good result. The pitch is a resinous substance, of a dark yellow color, and constitutes the hive made by this bee. It has a peculiar taste and smell, is very combustible, and is used by the common people for torches. It is soluble in alcohol. I have applied it as a plaster for nervous rheumatic pains, and it has always relieved the pains and swellings.

CANEDILLO.—This is the name of a cane with a bitter and aromatic bark, and, in my opinion, it belongs to the family of Winter’s bark. It has many therapeutic qualities; amongst others it has particularly attracted my attention as an antidote against the bite of snakes and of other venomous animals. I consider it the best and safest of all the antidotes known. Put two ounces of this bark in a bottle of alcohol, allow it to macerate for three or four hours, to obtain a tincture. Use two parts of this mixture with common water; a wineglass every two hours until you allay the headache of the bitten person—an infallible consequence of the bite, cupping at the same time, and extracting the tooth, which often remains in the part, which is then to be washed and covered with lint wetted with the tincture. By this simple method I have cured hundreds, without the loss of a single life. This antidote is now generally kept by all the owners of mines, as a certain cure for bites of snakes, in preference to other antidotes formerly used. It has this advantage over them, that it may be taken in any quantity without danger. It is, besides, a tonic and anti-spasmodic. I have used it also as a febrifuge; in rheumatism (by friction); and in the windy colic, taken in the same way as for bites by snakes. {92} For indigestion caused by weakness, and for amenorrhœa, from the same cause, it is also used.

SANDALO.—This is the bark of a tree which grows in the province of Esmeraldas, in the republic of the Ecuador. When burned, it produces a balsamic smell; by boiling the bark when fresh, it produces a very aromatic balsam, which, like the balsam of tolu is used in catarrh, spasmodic cough, ulcers, &c.

NOTE.—All these substances are indigenous in the province of Barbacoas. Popa and sandi are found in great abundance. Manteca de palo (oil, or literally butter of wood), is obtained only from young trees which grow in the plains.

ON THE SODA-PYROPHOSPHATE OF IRON. BY ALEXANDER URE, ESQ., SURGEON TO ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL.

My attention was attracted some time back by an ingenious paper of Mons. Persoz on the double pyrophosphoric salts, published in the Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie for 1848. In the latter part of that paper, the author expresses an opinion that the pyrophosphoric salts are likely to prove of importance as medicinal agents. It is well known that iron is rendered very eligible for internal use, if administered in the form of a triple salt, as when combined, for example, with tartaric acid and potash; because the iron then is no longer precipitable by the alkaline hydrate. It would appear, however that the soda pyrophosphate of iron is in many respects superior as a medicine to the triple salts into which the vegetable acids enter.—Thus, the pyrophosphoric salt, from being saturated with oxygen, cannot in passing through the system absorb more, whereas the latter salts under like circumstances, are constantly undergoing a process of combustion, according to Millon; and by withdrawing oxygen in this manner, must necessarily impair the efficacy of the oxide of iron as an oxydizing agent. It deserves notice, moreover, that the constituent ingredients of the soda-pyrophosphate of iron are to be found in the organism. {93}

I have prescribed this salt to various patients, and found it to act as a mild but efficient chalybeate. One little scrofulous girl, now under my care in St. Mary’s Hospital, for disease of the hip-joint, has taken it in solution during several months with the best effect. The remedy was accurately prepared by Mr. Blyth, dispenser to the hospital, according to the subjoined directions of Mons. Persoz: 32.5 grammes of green sulphate of iron in crystals are to be mixed in a porcelain capsule with 5 grammes of sulphuric acid, 30 grammes of water, and as much nitro-muriatic acid as will suffice to effect the oxidation of the protoxide of iron. The above mixture is to be evaporated to dryness in order to get rid of the free acid, and then treated with water to the amount of one litre. From 107 to 110 grammes of crystallized pyrophosphate of soda are to be dissolved likewise in a litre of water, of course in a separate vessel. The two solutions are next to be mixed together, and provided the iron solution has been rightly prepared there will be no precipitate whatever.

Each litre of liquid will contain as much iron as 16.5 of the green sulphate.

This solution is not affected by dilution with rain or distilled water, but from being faintly alkaline, is rendered slightly turbid on the addition of water impregnated with lime.

ON THE SIMABA CEDRON. BY M. BERTHOLD SEEMANN.

A tree, which has attained great celebrity, is that called Cedron (Simaba Cedron, Planch.). The most ancient record of it which I can find is in the History of the Buccaneers, an old work published in London in the year 1699. Its use as an antidote for the bite of snakes, and its place of growth, are there distinctly stated; but whether on the authority of the natives, or accidentally discovered by the pirates, does not appear. If {94} the former was the case, they must have learned it while on some of their cruises on the Magdalena, for in the Isthmus the very existence of the tree was unsuspected until about 1845, when Don Juan de Ansoatigui, ascertained, by comparison, that the Cedron of Panama and Darien was identical with that of Carthagena. The virtues of its seeds, however, were known, years ago, from those fruits imported from the Magdalena, where, according to Mr. William Purdie, the plant grows in profusion about the village of San Pablo. In the Isthmus it is generally found on the outskirts of forests in almost every part of the country, but in greater abundance in Darien and Veraguas than in Panama. The natives hold it in high esteem, and always carry a piece of the seed about with them. When a person is bitten, a little, mixed with water, is applied to the wound, and about two grains scraped into brandy, or, in the absence of it, into water, is administered internally. By following this treatment the bites of the most venomous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and other noxious animals, have been unattended with dangerous consequences. Doses of it have also proved highly beneficial in cases of intermittent fever. The Cedron is a tree, from twelve to sixteen feet high; its simple trunk is about six inches in diameter, and clothed on the top with long pinnated leaves, which give it the appearance of a palm. Its flowers are greenish, and the fruit resembles very much an unripe peach. Each seed, or cotyledon I should rather say, is sold in the chemist’s shops in Panama for two or three reals (about 1s. or 1s. 6d. English), and sometimes a much larger price is given for them.—Hooker’s Journal of Botany.

[A large number of the Cedron seeds have lately been received in New York, probably from a section of the country where they are cheaper than upon the Isthmus. As a remedy for the bites of venomous reptiles, like all others of the same class, it is of little value, but from its intense bitterness, it may be expected to possess great tonic powers, and if, in addition to these, further experience shall confirm the report of its virtues as an antiperiodic, it will prove a remedy of great value.]—ED. NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY.

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EDITORIAL.

COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE.

—In the December number of the Edinburgh Monthly Journal of Medical Science, Dr. J. McGrigor Maclagan, has published an article on Colchicum Autumnale, which contains little that is new, but is of interest as confirming the statements of other observers. The ordinary mode of propagation of the plant by the formation of a single new bulb is thus described. In June, “the bulb is as large as an apricot, firm, amylaceous, and extremely bitter, and having attached to it the shrivelled remains of the old bulb, and the leaves now yellow and decayed. At the end of June or commencement of July, a small bulb will be observed to have become developed upon the side of the corm at its lower part. At this time it is a little larger than a grain of wheat, and lies in a little fissure on the side of the parent bulb, a little above the origin of the radicles. It increases slowly and gradually in size till the beginning of August, when it appears as a dilatation of the flower stalk, which it then commences to put up.

In September the flower is in full perfection, the long tube of the perianth of which has raised the six partite limb to the height of from six to eight inches above the ground. The flower remains for two or three weeks, and then dies down; and nothing of the plant is seen above the surface till the beginning of February, when the leaf stalk commences to rise. If at this time the plant be taken up, the old and new bulb will still be found to be united, but the new one will be observed to have increased little in size since autumn, being still hardly larger in diameter than the leaf stalk. The bulb thus grows little during the autumn, but in winter it increases rapidly in size; in April it is like a large hazel nut, and from that time it increases still more till the end of June or the beginning of July, when it is, as Dr. Christison states, as large as an apricot.

In April the leaf stalk is found perfected by a fine group of dark green leaves, generally three in number, and having within their sheath the capsules which ought to ripen their fruit in the course of the summer.

In May the old bulb will be found dry and withered, and containing very little starch; and in July if the plant be taken up, three bulbs will be found, the first now reduced to the form of a membrane, bearing no resemblance to a bulb at all; the second, arrived at full growth; and a third the progeny of the second.

In February and August, instead of one leaf stalk and flower stalk making their appearance at their respective periods, I have often remarked that two have occurred, one on either side of the parent bulb. I believe this to be one of the effects of cultivation, as I have no where seen it remarked in descriptions of the plant by botanical authors.

Dr. Christison has mentioned that the full size of a Colchicum bulb is that of a small apricot. Where the plant has been cultivated however, Dr. Maclagan, frequently met with them as big as large apples, and on one occasion procured one in October weighing nine and a half ounces. {96}

He thinks that the cormus should be taken for medicinal use about the middle of July, at which time it has attained its greatest size, and is firm, amylaceous and exceedingly bitter. The bitterness is the best criterion of its medicinal activity.

A number of years ago, Dr. A. T. Thomson, proposed the tincture of Guaiacum as a test for the goodness of Colchicum. Ten grains of the bulb were rubbed in a mortar, with sixteen minims of distilled vinegar, and immediately afterwards sixteen minims of the tincture of guaiacum were added. When the bulb was good, a beautiful cerulean color, according to Dr. Thomson, was produced. Having ascertained that several specimens which he knew to be good failed in giving this char­ac­ter­is­tic color, Dr. M. proceeded to investigate the causes on which it depended. He expressed several bulbs and filtered the juice to separate the starch; a beautiful blue color was now immediately produced by the test. The blue liquid was then heated till the albumen was coagulated; the color remained with the coagulum, while the liquid was colorless. On raising the heat to 212° the blue color disappeared. The test produced no change in the starch collected on the filter. When the fluid was boiled previously to the application of the test, no blue color was produced by it either with the filtered fluid or the coagulum. From these experiments Dr. M. concludes, “1st. That albumen is the principle acted on. 2nd. That a heat above 180° destroys this action. 3rd. That the value of the test is to prove that the bulbs have been dried at a temperature not higher than 180°.”

Dr. Maclagan was unable to procure colchicia, the alkaloid announced by Geiger & Hesse, in the crystalline form, though he followed the process they give very exactly, and consequently he doubts its crystalline nature. What he obtained was in the form of a brown resinous looking mass without smell, and of a bitter taste, the bitterness being followed by a slight sense of irritation in the throat but by nothing like the intense acrimony of veratria.

In regard to the physiological action of Colchicum, Dr. M. confirms the statement of previous observers, that it markedly increases the amount of urea in the urine; and contrary to what has been maintained by some, found it likewise to increase the quantity of uric add. In an experiment related in detail, after the colchicum had been employed for six days, the amount of urea in the urine was found to be increased by nearly one half, and the uric acid was more than doubled.

ERRATA IN THE FEBRUARY NUMBER.

Page 33, 13th line from the bottom—for “slack” read “slacked.”

Page 36, 17th line from the bottom—for “grns.” read “grms.”

Page 36, 11th line from the bottom—for “grns.” read “grms.”

Page 36, 11th line from the bottom—for “0.845 grn.” read “0.845 grm.”

Page 37, 2nd line from the top—for “monohydrate” read “molybdate.”

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