112 
Malvac.) and of oil of sumbul (from Euryangiiim Sumbul Kauffmann 
Valerianae.) is unfortunately also extremely limited, although Radix 
sumbul in Russia is even official, — or at least was so in my time. 
The essential oil which in many respects is the most important of 
all, is and remains rose oil, superior to all vagaries of fashion. The 
German Industry could enjoy no greater triumph than that the German 
rose oil of Schimmel & Co. surpassed in value the Persian and Turkish 
oils. Some of the odorous constituents of rose oil, for example geraniol, 
citronellol, citral, and others, can also be separated from other essential 
oils. On the pharmacological action of all these substances our know- 
ledge is still full of blanks. But it suffices for the physician to know, 
that the aroma of roses, properly diluted, is harmless for most people. 
For perfuming iodoform, characterised by its intensive, disagreeable 
odour, various aethereo-oleosa , as for example coumarin, are suitable, 
— that is to say, so long as the preparation remains in the box. But 
as soon as it is placed on a human wound, the iodoform odour always 
soon becomes perceptible. For this reason this remedy is now no longer 
perfumed. — For perfuming soaps, especially those manufactured from 
the not very pleasantly smelling cocoa-nut oil, the addition of safrol 
commends itself. Oil of bitter almond, and nitrobenzene, are also fre- 
quently used for the purpose of imparting odour to soaps. Naturally, 
all other perfumes can be added as well. In order to reduce the 
expense, many soap-manufacturers perfume their soaps only externally. 
In such soaps the perfume very rapidly disappears in use. With re- 
gard to tooth-powders and tooth-pastes, I would refer to my book 
" Arzneiverordnungslehre " 
3. Group of odorous Taste -Corrigents. 
There is no strict line of demarcation between the odour-corrigents 
and the odorous taste-corrigents for the remedies which are intended 
for internal administration. 
By far the greatest importance as an odorous taste-improving sub- 
stance for the science of prescribing remedies, has the peppermint and 
the many preparations made with it. Oil of peppermint, contained in 
this botanically ill-defined and by no means uniform species of plant, 
varies considerably in its quantitative composition according to its origin. 
In the medical literature of the last decade it is repeatedly either stated 
direct, or at least to be read between the lines, that the authors con- 
sider menthol as the only substance in this oil which is worthy of 
consideration. This, however, is by no means the case ; as a corrigent 
of taste and odour, the oil plays a more important part than menthol. 
^) Third edition, with 207 illustrations. Stuttgart 1900. 
