6<> Dr. Hancock on Sarsaparilla. 



Mr. Brande remarks, at page 404 of his very useful Manual 

 of Pharmacy, that, " there is much difference of opinion re- 

 specting' the activity of this extract, (as directed by the College), 

 among those who admit the efficacy of other forms of Sarsa- 

 parilla. It is certainly the worst preparation of that remedy, 

 as it is usually met with, for it is easily decomposed by heat, and 

 alwavs suffers more or less during the protracted evaporation 

 that is required." These remarks are exceedingly just, and si- 

 milar ones have been made by Murray and Thompson, yet they 

 seem to be entirely disregarded by the practical pharmaceutists, 

 perhaps because they consider them not to be derived from 

 actual experiment. 



As prepared by the College directions, the extract must cer- 

 tainly be quite inert ; and it would seem, that some presentiment 

 was entertained of its inefficacy, for, by way of compensation, 

 as it were, it is directed to be given in the decoction of the 

 root ! But certain sages of our profession have assigned to this 

 useless extract, and to that not less useless syrup of Sarsaparilla, 

 which is prepared from the extract, their best offices, when, in 

 prescribing the decoction, they say " thicken it with extract, 

 and sweeten it with syrup !" We have seen those boasted ex- 

 tracts and syrups used in great quantity, and at great cost, but 

 in vain ; when afterwards a quart of the strong infusion has 

 removed all the violence of the symptoms. 



In speaking of the deterioration of Sarsaparilla by long 

 boiling, I have only insisted on that which depends on the loss 

 of its active principles by evaporation ; but that which arises from 

 the action of the air and heat, during a tedious process of boiling , 

 must, in a great measure, subvert its affinities, form insoluble 

 compounds, and precipitate such of the active materials as may 

 not be dissipated in vapour. It is doubtless the latter, however, 

 or the evolution and loss of its volatile parts, which proves the 

 most injurious. 



The boiling in vacuo, as it is rather improperly termed (for 

 we can scarcely consider it a vacuum, where the space is con- 

 tinually occupied by the production of aqueous vapour), is said 



