306 Dr. Hancock on Quinine. 



to exist in a separate form ? Or may the diminution in its 



size, as well as its different appearance in 1825 and 1828, be 



attributed to a concentration of the matter of which the comet 



is composed ? 



t <« The solution of these questions must be left to future 



observations," 



Observations on Quinia, or Quinine, and the preparations of 

 Cinchona, by J. Hancock, M. D. 



Quinine is now almost universally commended, both in and 

 out of the profession. — Is this to be considered an absolute 

 proof of its transcendent excellence, or can it be accounted for 

 on other principles ? — We know, that amongst the Chinese the 

 root ginseng, considered amongst us as a very simple and 

 innocent drug, is equally or still more extravagantly esteemed 

 than quinine is at this moment with us. — There is a fashion 

 in physic, as in everything else, and that a very changeable 

 one in respect to remedies. 



Pharmaceutical, like other hypotheses deduced from false 

 premises, are the sources of innumerable-errors. Seguin, an 

 eminent French chemist, finding that infusion of bark was 

 precipitated by galls, concluded, that it could be no other than 

 gelatine which constitutes the febrifuge principle of the bark. 

 Whilst this absurd error remained undetected, i. e. of the bark 

 containing gelatine, common glue was found so successful in 

 the cure of intermittents, as scarcely ever to fail or to disappoint 

 the practitioner! 



On this subject, we are greatly indebted to Dr. Paris for his 

 firmness ; for he appears to be the only author who shews the 

 least disposition to oppose the unbounded innovations of the 

 pharmaceutical chemists of the day. " It is only necessary in 

 this place," says he, in vol. ii. p. 165, " to caution the prac- 

 titioner against the too hasty generalizations of the too sanguine 

 chemist; it has already been observed that those vegetable 

 remedies, whose value has been established by the sober expe- 

 rience of ages, consist of different principles of activity, or, at 

 least, owe a modified power to the compound of their several 



