54 “TURNBULL ON RANUNCULACE. 
sections,—Anthora, Lycoctonum, Cammarum, and Napellus. 
Several species have been introduced into medicine in different 
countries, and at various periods. An unknown species appears to 
have been used by Avicenna, the celebrated Arabian physician, in 
the treatment of skin diseases ; but since his time, down to a com- 
paratively recent period, no further notice seems to have been taken 
of it. The person who may be said to have introduced Aconite 
into practice, was Dr. Stork ; and he recommended its employment 
in the form of inspissated juice, prepared from the fresh plant, 
in the treatment of Gout, Chronic Rheumatism, Amaurosis, Syphi- 
lis, &c.* | | : 3 ; | 
Considerable difference of opinion has prevailed as to the precise 
species made use of by Stérk. He himself names two :—the co- 
nitum Napellus and 4. Neomontanum. The latter of these is 
the one determined by Willdenow ; but De Candolle is of opinion 
that it is a variety of 4. Paniculatum, to which he has given the 
name Stérkianum, to distinguish it as the species employed by 
Stork. Besides these, however, the 4. Cammarum and 2. 2n- 
thora have found a place in several continental ‘Pharmacopeeias. 
Kach of our Colleges has given a formula for the preparation of 
an inspissated juice from the fresh leaves of the monkshood ; but 
‘in addition to this, the powder of the leaves, the wine and an alco- 
holic and two ethereal tinctures, are made use of on the Continent : 
all of these are employed internally, but are very inconstant in their 
operation, as might easily have been anticipated from their manner 
of preparation ; and this circumstance shall be presently noticed. 
Very recently, M. Lombard, of Geneva, has recommended the use 
of an alcoholic extract of Aconite in the treatment of acute rheuma- 
tism, and has given a process for obtaining it. This, though a much 
less objectionable one than any of those above-mentioned, gives a 
product that is still inconstant in its effects ; for he states that he has 
given with success from half a grain three times a-day,to a drachm and 
a half in the twenty-four hours.t It appears that there are several 
causes why the preparations of Aconite at present in use are liable to 
inconstancy ; they are all prepared either from the fresh plant or from 
the expressed juice : in the first instance they must vary in power, 
according to the state of the plant, and the time when it is gathered ; 
and the extracts made by evaporating the expressed juice must also 
vary, a8 in the very act of expression a change in the activity of 
the product appears to take place, and a still further alteration must 
ensue during the process of evaporation. I have tried several dif- 
ferent extracts made in this way, and have found them almost inert. 
lhe process employed by M. Lombard consists in carefully evapo- 
rating the expressed juice of the plant, and treating the extract with 
aleohol ; then filtering and evaporating the tincture with a very 
gentle heat. In this way, the active matter contained in the inspis- 
* Stork, Spicilegium Observationum de Aconito, 1788. 
{ Gazette Médicale, Juin, 1834. 
