Dr. Hancock on Sarsapardla. 01 



known that, " though the water distilled from it has scarcely any 

 emetic effect,"* it heroines nearly inert hy long eoction ; and 

 precisely the same is true with regard to the Sarsa. 



Alter loii^- boiling, indeed, the peculiar odour which rises 

 abundantly on the eoction of good Sarsa, is almost extinguished. 

 From the Sarsa prepared in this way, I found no sensihle results 

 upon any patient, nor were its peculiar nauseating, drowsy, and 

 rat king effects, produced by a large quantity, although the de- 

 coction of six or eight ounces were tried at a dose. 



These experiments having been carried to a sufficient length, 

 most of the same patients recovered under the use of the Sarsa, 

 taken from the same parcels as before, but now prepared by sim- 

 ple maceration in hot water, i. e. aft'used in a boiling state, and 

 kept near the hoiling point for some hours. In all cases, the 

 Sarsa was directed to be well bruised in large mortars, and in 

 the mean time, all other remedies were abstained from, which 

 Might, in any way, affect the result. 



Knowing, then, the destructive effects of long boiling on this 

 drug, we cannot wonder at the doubtful and discordant reports 

 given of it by our medical and pharmaceutical writers, after they 

 line directed it to be boiled down to one half, &c, which must 

 truly render it m ry nearly useless and inert. 



Another preparation, still more preposterous, appears to be 

 eedinglj in rOgM at the present time; that is, to boil 

 down the decoction of Sarsa into an extract. By this absurd 

 practice, its virtues an- still more completely destroyed, it is 

 much to he lamented, that such vast quantities of this valuable 

 root an- thus thrown aw, i\ in vapour, a boiled, if not a burnt 

 offering, to the goddess of Folly. On entering some of the shops 

 in London, win-re this process is carried on upon a large scale, 

 we find the rooms teeming with the effluvium, which may be re- 

 garded as the active principle, or, at least, as an element neces- 

 sarily '-onne. ted with it ; since we find that, in proportion as we 

 drive offtkil odomiis principle hy heat, we despoil this remedy 

 ol it. SStive properties 



• i/i,.,..,'i Vaf. .U.J ,. tM 



