ORGANIC MATERIA MEDIC A. 
421 
be of great advantage, and we hope to see the plan acted upon in the next edi¬ 
tion of the British Pharmacopoeia. 
Having now given a general sketch of the design, object, arrangement, and 
changes which have taken place in the organic Materia Medica of the British 
Pharmacopoeia, as compared with the last published Pharmacopoeias of the United 
Kingdom, together with some suggestions for further alteration and, as we 
believe, improvement, we proceed to make a few remarks upon those articles of 
the Materia Medica which appear to require them, and more especially of those 
that are altogether new, or which are new, at least, to an English Pharmaco¬ 
poeia. The first substance we notice is also that which comes first in the alpha¬ 
betical arrangement of the Materia Medica, namely,—■ 
Acacia. —The test of gum arabic in powder is given as follows in the British 
Pharmacopoeia :— u The powder does not become blue on the addition of solution 
of iodine.” This test, which is introduced for the purpose of detecting the 
adulteration of powdered gum-arabic with flour or starch, would be useless as 
ordinarily applied, as a solution of iodine will not then act upon starch unless 
its granules have been previously broken up by heat. The following test should 
be inserted instead :—A decoction of the powder when cold, or the mucilage 
made with boiling water when cold, does not become blue on the addition of a 
solution of iodine. 
It is indeed true that impure dextrin , and a few commercial starches which 
have been previously submitted to heat, might, if certain precautions be taken, 
be detected by the Pharmacopoeia test, but as such are scarcely likely to be 
employed for adulterating gum arabic in powder, or if so used, might be more 
readily detected by the test we have given, that test is still seen to be the pre¬ 
ferable one. 
Aconiti Hadix. —The characters given of this root are:— u From one to 
three inches long, not thicker than the finger at the crown,” etc. It would 
have been better to have said,— usually from one to three inches in length, and 
but seldom thicker than the middle finger at the crown ; for the root is not unfre- 
quently seen (as the specimens on the table show) four inches or more in length, 
and of greater thickness than that indicated in the Pharmacopoeia. The term 
“ finger ” is also indefinite ; does it mean middle, ring, index, or little finger? 
One of the preparations which is ordered of aconite root, namely, the tinc¬ 
ture, is said to be u half the strength of Tinctura Aconiti, Dub. ; and one-third 
the strength of Tinctura Aconiti, LondD This is an important error, for it is 
only one-fourth the strength of the former, and about one-third that of the latter. 
Aconitia. —This alkaloid was formerly officinal in the London Pharma¬ 
copoeia of 1836, under the name of Aconitina, but was omitted in that issued 
in 1851. We are glad to see it restored to the Pharmacopoeia, as we know 
from personal experience, and otherwise, that it has been much employed, and 
is a most valuable external application in neuralgic and rheumatic affections, etc. 
The following is given as the test of Aconitia: —“Dissolves entirely in pure 
ether ; leaves no residue when burned with free access of air.” Upon turning 
to “ Atropia,” the alkaloid directed to be obtained from belladonna root, it will 
be found that the same test is given of that alkaloid ; hence it is clear that the 
so-called test simply contains certain characteristics common to both alkaloids, 
and, therefore, is not a test of either. 
Aconitum. —“ The fresh leaves and fiowering-tops ; gathered, when about 
one-third of the flowers are expanded, from plants cultivated in Britain,” are 
directed to be used. The employment of flowering-tops is entirely new to 
British Pharmacopoeias, and we doubt the propriety of ordering them. The 
botanical characters which are given of both the leaves and flowers are not 
sufficiently precise, and would apply equally to those of other common species 
of Aconitum. As distinctive characters, therefore, they are valueless. 
