Jamaica Dogwood. 21 
the other. No unpleasant sensation followed, as is usually 
the case after opiates, from the exhibition of what was per- 
haps a needlessly large dose; nor did a friend, whom, though 
in perfect health, I persuaded to repeat my experiment in 
his own, suffer the slightest inconvenience from an equally 
full dose: his only observation was, that he never had slept 
so sound in his life as he did that night. I next tried its 
efficacy as a topical application in cases of carious teeth, in- 
troducing a pledget of cotton impregnated with the tincture 
into the cavity, and never knew an instance of a return of 
pain after this application. I was next desirous of comparing 
its effects upon animalcule in water with those of the tincture 
of opium: for this purpose I took, in two separate wine- 
glasses, equal quantities by measure of water, filled with the 
ively young of the mosquito, adding to the water in one 
glass a suflicient number of drops of the ‘Tinctura opii to 
stupify the animalcule, which fell in a mass to the bottom; 
I then dropped into the other an equal number of drops of 
the ‘Tinctura Piscidiew, with a similar result. Next, taking 
the first glass, and carefully decanting the water without dis- 
turbing the insensible mass of animalcule, | poured upon 
them fresh portions of pure water, previously filtered, in 
order to prevent confusion; upon which they revived, and 
swam about as actively as if nothing had happened. I treated 
those in the glass to which the dogwood tincture had been 
added, but without the slightest effect: the most frequently 
repeated affusions of pure water were not of the least avail; 
the animalcule were truly dead, and thus furnished a con- 
clusive proof of the superior potency of the dogwood over 
the opium tincture, in equal quantities. Experiments are 
yet wanting to determine the minimum doses requisite in both 
cases, and these it were much to be desired to have instituted by 
some medical practitioner resident in the West Indies; taking 
care, however, to employ bark gathered about the full moon 
in April, when the plant is in ema and the best rectified 
spirits, or even pure alcohol, in his experiments. An inat- 
tention to these cautions will completely defeat the object of 
the experiments, and, in place of obtaining an active and 
valuable medicinal preparation, he will obtain one perfectly 
worthless and inoperative. 
It were also to be wished that a quantity of the bark, ga- 
thered at the proper season, and carefully dried, might be 
sent to this country, accompanied by a bottle of the tincture 
prepared upon the spot, and carefully secured against the 
decomposing influence of light, heat, and air, for the purpose 
of enabling practitioners here to determine whether the me- 
