Wood.] >^^t) [Nov. 19, 



ON THE MEDICAL ACTIVITY OF THE HEMP PLANT, 

 AS GROWN IN NORTH AMERICA. 



By Dk. Horatio C. Wood, Jr., Prof, of Botany, Ukiversity op 

 Pennsylvania ; Secretary op the Committee op the College 

 OF Physicians op Philadelphia on the Revision op U. S Phar- 

 macopeia. 



A lyrize essay, read before the Amer. Pliil. Boc, Nov. 19, 18C9. 



Almost from time immemorial various preparations of tlie hemp plant 

 have been used in India for the production of a peculiar intoxication. 

 These, or allied preparations have also in modem times been largely used 

 in medicine. It has been thought by some that the hemp of India 

 is sj)ecifically distinct from the European plant, but there are really no 

 specific differences, the former differing from the latter only in minor par- 

 ticulars, such as size, the results of the modifying influences of soil 

 and climate. As the drug has become an important article of commerce, 

 attempts have been made to obtain the medicinal principle, a peculiar 

 resinoid body, from plants grown in Great Britain, by which it has been 

 determined that although the resin does exist in such jilants, yet it is in 

 so small quantity, that they are not available for manufacturing pur- 

 poses. The summers of England appear to be too cool to enable the hemp 

 to elaborate its peculiar resin in any quantity. The world has, therefore, 

 been dependent upon India for its supplies of this widely used narcotic. 

 The x^lants with Avhich the following experiments were made, were raised 

 in the vicinity of Lexington, Kentucky. They were male plants, which had 

 been grown for the purpose of fertilizing seeding female plants, and which 

 having fulfilled that ofiice, were of no further value to the cultivatoi-. 

 They were obtained for me, by R. B. Hamilton, Esq. of Lexington, to 

 whom my thanks are due for the trouble taken by him to aid my investi- 

 gation. 



The first experiment was as follows : an ounce and a half of the powdered 

 leaves, were treated with hot alcohol, although not to exhaustion. The 

 tincture thus made was evaporated and an alcoholic extract obtained. 

 About Ah P. M., Sept. 23d, I took most of this extract, in a lump, which a 

 druggist estimated to contain from 20 to 30 grains. No immediate symp- 

 toms were produced. About 7 p. m., a professional call was requested 

 and forgetting all about the hemp, I went out and saw my patient_ 

 Whilst writing the prescription, I became j)erfectly oblivious to surround- 

 ing objects but went on wilting, without any check to or deviation from 

 the ordinary series of mental acts, connected with the process, at least 

 that I am aware of. When the recipe was finished, I suddenly recollected 

 where I was, and looking up, saw my patient sitting quietly before me. 

 The conviction was ii'resistible, that I had sat thus many minutes, per- 

 haps hours, and directly, the idea fastened itself that the hemp had com- 

 menced to act, and had thrown me into a trance-like state of considerable 

 duration, during Vv'hich I had been stupidly sitting before my wondering 

 patient. 



I hastily arose and apologized for remaining so long, but was assured 



