184 THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 



the comparative merits of the two works as authorities. The publication 

 of such works is not of frequent enough occurrence to make it likely 

 that this necessity will again occur for a generation or more. 



It is well to anticipate objections to changes in the Pharmacopoeia by 

 pointing out that any thus involved will not affect in any way the titles, 

 working formulae or processes, or anything else which touches medical or 

 pharmaceutical practice, and cannot possibly disturb the convenience or 

 safety of any one. They pertain to formulae which concern only the accu- 

 rate definitions of the titles, and which, like the chemical formulae, should 

 always be kept as close as possible to absolute scientific accuracy. It 

 would seem as though no reasonable objections could be filed against cor- 

 rections of this character, although this has, hastily and thoughtlesssly, as 

 it seems to me, been done, notably in the last edition of the United States 

 Dispensatory. 



While upon the subject, the exact number and nature of the changes 

 which would be involved in adopting the German authority may be indi- 

 cated. We note first that the species names are not affected, as neither of 

 these works treats of species, except incidentally, and then only in rare 

 instances. The changes will extend only to family and genus names, the 

 latter alone being of importance. Of generic changes there would be but 

 eight at the most, and one of these I should regard as an error, and refuse 

 to adopt it. This is the merging of the genus Cimicifuga into Actcea, by 

 Dr. Prantl. It would appear to be a long step backward in classification 

 to unite a genus producing dehiscent capsules with one yielding berries ; 

 and this, moreover, in the absence of any intermediate or connecting forms. 

 The seven necessary changes thus left are as follows : 



i. The genius Cydonia is maintained for the quince. 



2. The genus Dichopsis, yielding gutta percha, is referred to Palaquium. 



3. The name Uragoga is restored to the genus yielding ipecac. 



4. The genus Exogonium, yielding jalap, is restored. 



5. Picrcena, yielding quassia, is referred to Picrasma. 



6. 7. The genus Sinapsis is maintained as distinct from Brasska. 

 Three other generic changes are required, not on this account, but 



merely to correct errors in nomenclature. The name Leontice should have 

 replaced that of Caidophyllum in the present edition but for a slip by 

 which the synonym was printed with authority, and the name was reduced. 

 For Andira there is an older name, Vouacapoua, of Aublet. Cho?idode?idron 

 should be spelled Chondrodendron. One other similar change proposed by 

 Dr. Engler is based upon error, and cannot be adopted. He would sub- 

 stitute Schoenocaulon for Asagrcea on the basis of the date which has been 

 published for Bentham's Plantae Hartwegianae. In a previous communi- 

 cation to this association I pointed out that this date was erroneous, and 

 that Asagrcea was the older name. 



