Botanic Remedies 73 



safe one. If I encounter trouble with the natural 

 acid and its salts, I may change my mind; but I 

 have used it satisfactorily in so many cases that I 

 feel the advocates of the natural products have, 

 thus far, the practical side in the argument; and 

 I have introduced the matter here because this is 

 a special work on botanic drugs, and wherein I 

 believe them to be preferable to the synthetics I 

 wish to tell why I so believe. 



PHARMACOLOGY. Salicylic acid is an antiseptic, 

 a protoplasmic poison to the lower organisms. It 

 checks fermentation, but has little penetrating power. 

 It is rapidly absorbed, producing cutaneous vaso- 

 dilation, profuse perspiration, slightly accelerated 

 respiration, and an evanescent rise in blood-pres- 

 sure. Large doses produce "salicylism," which is 

 akin to "cinchonism." Still larger doses cause 

 depression of the medullary centers without con- 

 vulsions. Medicinal doses slightly accelerate the 

 heart action and increase the flow of bile. Nitrog- 

 enous metabolism is stimulated, and excretion is 

 by the kidneys. It circulates in the blood as an 

 alkaline salt. The alkaline salts are decomposed in 

 the stomach. 



THERAPEUTICS. As an antiseptic, salicylic acid 

 is little used externally, other substances being 

 preferable. The salts of salicylic acid pass so rap- 

 idly from the intestine as to possess little anti- 

 septic action there. It is also excreted from the blood 

 so freely that it does not occur in sufficient concen- 

 tration to be markedly antiseptic in the blood- 

 stream. But the salicylates enter into nearly all 

 of the secretions. 



The antipyretic action is not especially important 



