6 é THE MISSION OF PHARMACOGNOSY, 
determine substitutions and adulterations.” In the year 1825, 
Martius began to deliver lectures on pharmacognosy at the 
University of Erlangen, which were the first, as it appears, that 
were announced under this name. The credit of having aided 
in securing general approbation for the new expression pharma- 
cognosy’ is due to the writings and lectures of Wiggers (see 
below). 
The question, however, now arises: what is a medicinal sub- 
stance? ‘To attempt to give a more precise definition is useless, 
for this term has been undergoing a continuous change in the 
course of time and in the light of advancing knowledge, not 
only from the period of antiquity, but also from -country to 
country, and, indeed, from one medical school to another, from 
one pharmacopeia to another. We are compelled here to assume, 
as it were, an intermediate standpoint, and to select those sub- 
stances of importance which are employed within the circle of 
observation available to us. That which has already been con- 
signed to oblivion, or is only very rarely employed, and especially 
that which is no longer used by scientific medicine, deserves less 
attention than new drugs which may be presumed to have a 
valuable future. From a pharmaceutical standpoint, however, 
considerable interest may still be attached to many substances 
even though they find but little medicinal application at the 
present time. With regard to Nuwz vomica, Santonica, Radix 
Belladonne, Galle, and Podophyllum, by way of example, a 
scientifically educated pharmacist will desire to be satisfactorily 
informed, even when these crude substances shall have become 
banished from medicinal use to a much greater extent than is 
at present the case. In proportion as strychnine, santonin, 
atropine, etc., become of greater importance in their medicinal, 
or forensic and technical relations, a corresponding attention 
should be paid to their derivation. Neither pepper, nor piperine 
1Tt occurs also as the principal title: ‘‘ Pharmakognostiche Tabel- 
. 
len” in the fifth edition of Joh. Christ. Ebermaier’s “‘ Tabellarische 
Uebersichten der Kennzeichen der Aechtheit und Giite, etc., der a 
_ Arzneimittel,” Leipzig, 1827. The first edition of this work pene? in 
ae : - 1804, but whether under the above title is not known to us. 
