PHARMACOPGIAL VEGETABLE DRUGS. 
Medical Society, 1827, under whose auspices the oil was established 
as a characteristic constituent of Swaim’s Panacea, the report being 
published in 1829. 
We know of no pharmacopeial direction for making oil of gaul- 
theria from any source whatever which precedes the first (1820) Phar- 
macopeia of the United States, and no reference to its being made from 
gaultheria or sweet birch preceding Bigelow, 1818. 
Thus it is evident that while the plant gaultheria has the advantage 
concerning conspicuity of name, the same date of introduction and 
same reference (Bigelow) must be ascribed to both oil of gaultheria 
and birch. 
Swaim’s Panacea.—The important fact elucidated by the foregoing 
history of oil of Gaultheria, to-wit, that it first received recognition 
in this once popular remedy, leads to a few words concerning this com- 
pound. In the beginning of the present century a French proprietary 
remedy “Rob de Laffecteur” was very popular throughout France 
and her colonies. It was invented by a French apothecary Boiveau, 
who affixed to it the name of Laffecteur to make it popular. In 1811 
certain New York physicians used this “Rob de Laffecteur” with suc- 
cess and Dr. McNevin, who obtained the formula from a French 
chemist, M. Allion, made its composition public. 
Mr. Swaim, a bookbinder, was treated by Dr. A. L. Quackinboss 
and experienced great benefit from the remedy. Procuring the for- 
mula from Dr. Quackinboss, his physician, he modified it considerably 
and put the mixture on the market under the name Swaim’s Panacea. 
This became very popular and at last attracted the attention of the 
medical profession, and by the analysis of Mr. Chilton (1829), under 
the auspices of the New York Medical Society, it was positively shown 
that Swaim had replaced the sassafras of Quackinboss’ formula by 
wintergreen oil and had also introduced corrosive sublimate into the 
mixture. 
Persons interested in this formula and subject will find detail 
reports as follows: 
American Journal of Pharmacy, 1827, p. 123. 
American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 1829, 4, p. 530. 
American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 1829, 5, p. 542. 
GELSEMIUM 
Common Names.—Yellow jessamine, jessamine, Carolina jessa- 
mine, wild woodbine, white poison-vine, white jessamine. : 
Gelsemium sempervirens is a native of the Southern United 
States, being abundant in the swamps, woods, and thickets, from Vir- 
ginia to Florida. It is a handsome climber, twenty to fifty feet in 
length, blooming in early spring, its flowers being overpoweringly fra- 
erant. The name, given by Jussieu, was made from the Italian word 
gelsomino, meaning jasmine. But it is not a jessamine, and inasmuch 
as there is a true jessamine with yellow flowers, E. M. Holmes, of 
London, considers it unfortunate that the term yellow jessamine has 
been applied to it. This common name, however, 1s now firmly es- 
4 41 
