CHERRY-LAUREL WATER. 
4 69 
reminded that there were many preparations used in medicine of a not very do- 
finite nature, which sometimes were found to answer the purpose of the phy¬ 
sician better than those which were more definite. In reference to this very 
article, he had been reminded of the difference that existed between the pre¬ 
paration which was introduced many years back under the name of chloric 
ether, and that which was now considered a more definite and uniform repre¬ 
sentative of it under the name of spirit of chloroform. The old chloric ether 
differed probably from the present spirit of chloroform to about the same extent 
and somewhat in the same way that cherry-laurel water differed from dilute 
hydrocyanic acid. The one was of a definite and uniform strength, and a per¬ 
fectly comprehensible preparation, and the other was an indefinite mixture of 
variable products, which were administered in an unpurified state. There were, 
however, those who still held to the old chloric ether, as being preferable to the 
spirit of chloroform. One was an unpurified preparation made by simply dis¬ 
tilling spirit of wine and chloride of lime together, when the spirit came over as 
a spirituous solution of chloroform with the ordinary impurities. It contained 
something more than chloroform ; it might be as highly charged with something 
analogous at any rate to chloroform as spirit of chloroform would be, but instead 
of being easily separated by admixture with water, it was not so; and this was 
one advantage it possessed. That was one case, and there were many others of 
the same kind. At their previous meeting Dr. Attfield had said in reference to 
a certain preparation of opium, that if the efficacy of opium depended on mor¬ 
phia, why did not physicians use a solution of morphia, and have something 
perfectly definite in form. That was a very short cut made to attain to what 
theoretically appeared certainly a correct and satisfactory mode of proceeding, 
but it was not a method that would generally meet the views and requirements 
of the medical profession. They would say that if you took morphia or any of 
its salts, and if they took a certain preparation of opium, and administered 
them, they found perfectly distinct aud different results. In like manner with 
quinine, which was a definite preparation of cinchona bark ; they could prepare 
sulphate of quinine perfectly pure, and could make a solution of it, the compo¬ 
sition and strength of which they could tell precisely, but nevertheless, there 
were medical men who would take certain preparations of the bark, which they 
said produced effects different from those of sulphate of quinine. While this 
was the case they must admit the superior knowledge of medical men, and en¬ 
deavour to provide those preparations which were required by the profession. 
It was in this spirit only that they were disposed to permit such a preparation 
as cherry-laurel water to remain in the Pharmacopoeia ; although he was free to 
confess that there were stronger arguments against its retention than applied 
in the other instances he had mentioned. 
Dr. Attfield remarked that they appeared to be entering on the very large 
subject of therapeutics. There were not three medical men in the country who 
were working at therapeutics in anything like a scientific manner, and he did 
not attach much value to the statements on such matters by ordinary prac¬ 
titioners. He had no doubt that opium aud its various preparations would go 
the way of cinchona bark and its preparations in due time, and morphine, quinine, 
and definite mixtures of definite principles alone be employed. With regard to 
the subject of the paper which had been read, it was only due to a gentleman 
well known to all the members, to say that it had been very well worked out 
some three or four years ago by Mr. Draper, though Mr. Umney had carried the 
subject much further, and thanks were due to him for his communication. Mr. 
Draper suggested that cherry-laurel water should be made by putting into water 
a definite quantity of hydrocyanic acid, and then adding some oil of cherry- 
laurel, or else that it should be always freshly prepared and standardized in the 
manner adopted in the Pharmacopoeia with reference to dilute hydrocyanic acid. 
