§2 Medical Chemistry. 
anv not fail deeply to interest society at large, as well as 
the faculty of medicine. As far as I am informed, these re- 
searches have not been so extensively proséeuted in the 
nited States as could be desired,*—partly from the diffi- 
culty of obtaining the acid, w hich is no where sold in the 
shops, and which can be prepared only by a practical chem- 
as and partly, in all probability, from negligence and in- 
edulity. Having received from Paris, a recent publica- 
tion by Dr. Magendie, on this subject,} containing many 
additional —— le by himself, and by various other 
enli -men, in different countries ; and, not having 
met Seri any translation of, or abstract from it, Dhave 
thought, that I could not do baseees than to present the sub- 
stance of this new memoir to my readers, partly x trans~ 
lation and partly by abstract, and analysis.—For obvious 
reasons, I have not drawn any thing from the first memoir 
of Dr. Masendie, which he has republished in due connex- 
ion with his present work; still, it will be useful to remem- 
ie that the conclusions whieh. he drew. me that! wr from 
parte oe on prussic acid: seared: ue wert 23: 
c acid is ieondaoeatlye poisonous aid 
Galaee er improper to a used in medicine. = 
2. Thaf, diluted with water, it can be advantageously 
— for the cure of nervous and chronic couphes: 
t it may be useful in the palla ative treatment of 
iii by diminishing the imtensity and frequency of the 
cough—moderating the ee and favouring sleep. : 
4. That there is some reason to hope, that it may be- 
ae useful in the curative wuaiom of phthisis pulmonalis 
especially when it has not yet passed its first — 
Sor 
- Smith, Frotsiior of Chemist try Soc. in 1 the oot of South Carolina; 
and, being tater ve in the newspapers, deservedly eceiebd 3 a Peoba deal of 
attention. > f i 
itshould have ne ee decided! y the odour of : ‘ach Boiwdmas, 
r o 
t ei & 
+ Recherches pi aot logiques et "aig sur Vemplot de l’Acide Pras- 
sigue ou Hydro—cyanique, dans le traitement des maladies de — et 
pargcullbrement PS ahs calut ide la Phthisie 5 pulintaales. Se Paris, 819 
