Chemical examination of the Hop. 31] 
use of opium and tobacco. Soon after hops were intro- 
duced into use in brewing in England, the citizens of Lon- 
don petitioned parliament to forbid their use in the king- 
ey were a nuisance, “ and spoiled the taste of 
their drink.” The leaves then are not only useless, but 
prejudicial to the flavour of beer. © 
the virtues of this substance as a medicine, I shall at — 
geaont be very brief, as it will probably be made a subject 
‘or future consideration. It has already been observed that 
ed in dyspepsia and scrofula. In this country it has been 
most valued for its narcotic powers, and used in cases when 
opium was inadmissible. ‘The most common preparation is 
a saturated tincture of the leaves. To this there are two 
important objections. 1. To give enough of the tincture 
of the leaves to induce sleep, the quantity of alcohol is ne- 
cessarily so great as sometimes to do injury to the patient. 
2. When given in large doses, it frequently produces nau- 
sea and sometimes vomiting. The first of these objections 
requires no. proof, the second is confirmed by my own ob- 
servation and by the experiments of Dr. Bryorley in his in- 
augural dissertation on the hop. This last effect is proba- 
bly owing to the extractive matter in the leaves, for I have 
never seen it produced by the lupulin. I have prescribed 
the powder in substance, the infusion, decoction, alcoholic 
tincture and the extract. As its aromatic and bitter proper- 
ties are imparted to water, the infusion is an eligible prepa~ 
ration as a tonic and stomachic ; but if given with a desire 
to produce sleep, the tincture is the best preparation. As 
it has been demonstrated, both by positive and negative tes- 
timony that the narcotic principle exists in the reszn only, 
the tincture should always be made with alcohol and not 
