ORGANIC MATERIA MEDICA. 
427 
is held in great esteem. In its operation, as well as by its botanical affinities, it 
is nearly allied to Gentian, and is reputed to be useful in the same diseases. As 
two plants of the same Natural Order are now excluded, namely Erytlircea Cen- 
tnurium and Menyanthes trifoliata , both of which were officinal in the last Edin¬ 
burgh Pharmacopoeia, and till recently also in the London and Dublin Pharma¬ 
copoeias, we regard Chirata as a desirable substance to be introduced into the 
British Pharmacopoeia. It has been also introduced into the new United States 
Pharmacopoeia. 
Cocculus, Cocculus Indicus. —This is the dried fruit of the Ancimirtci 
Cocculus of Wight and Arnott, a plant of the Natural Order Menispermacese. It 
is a native of the Malabar coast, and of the Eastern Archipelago. The fruit, 
now officinal in the British Pharmacopoeia, was formerly so in the late Edinburgh 
Pharmacopoeia, and till recently in the Dublin also, but it has never been in¬ 
cluded in the Materia Medica of the London Pharmacopoeia. We regard its in¬ 
troduction into the British Pharmacopoeia as a circumstance much to be re¬ 
gretted, for it is a powerful poison, and is possessed of no important remedial 
properties so far as we can ascertain. The ointment prepared from the seed is 
simply used for the destruction of vermin, and as a remedy in some cutaneous 
diseases, but if so employed when the skin is abraded it may, and has produced 
most serious consequences. Its introduction into the British Pharmacopoeia is 
still further to be regretted, from the fact of its being employed, and, accord¬ 
ing to Pereira, extensively so, to give bitterness and intoxicating property to 
some malt liquors, although its use for such a purpose is forbidden in this 
country, and attempted to be restrained by heavy penalties. The fruit is de¬ 
scribed in the Pharmacopoeia as slightly ovate ; it would have been more distinc¬ 
tive to have said somewhat kidney-shaped. 
Colchici Semen. —We notice this article of the Materia simply for the 
purpose of referring to the characters given in the British Pharmacopoeia. 
Colchicum seeds are there described as “ about the size of black mustard- 
seed, very hard, reddish-brown.” This is not the first time that colchicum seeds 
have been stated to be about the size of black mustard seeds, for they are thus 
described by one of our most eminent writers on Materia Medica; but such a 
statement is quite incorrect, for they are always, at least twice, and frequently 
thrice as large, or even more. In size they more nearly approach white mustard 
seeds, although not generally quite so large as these; it is probable, however, 
that the error as to the size of colchicum seeds has thus arisen. The colour of 
colchicum seeds is also rather yellowish-brown than reddish-brown, and they are 
often quite brown, or even, in some cases, nearly black. So far as colour and 
size are concerned, they resemble Grains of Paradise more than black mustard 
seeds, and Pereira states that he has known colchicum seeds mistaken for Grains 
of Paradise. 
Conii Fructus. —The fruit of the Conium maculatum is an entirely new 
article of a British Pharmacopoeia. It is directed to be employed in the prepa- 
ration of a Tinctura. The ripe fruit, dried, is alone officinal. In a recent lec¬ 
ture delivered at the Boyal College of Physicians by Dr. Garrod, he thus speaks 
of the employment of the parts of Conium maculatum in medicine:—Hemlock 
owes its action to conia; all parts of the plant contain conia; and as it is easily 
decomposed, the Committee to whom was entrusted the preparation of the British 
Pharmacopoeia had introduced the fruit, because the alkaloid was less liable to 
undergo decomposition in that part of the plant. The experiments of Dr. 
Garrod had also led him to believe that much larger doses of the tincture of 
conium could be borne than was generally believed ; for he had found the dose 
of twenty minims of the London tincture useless, and had given from a 
drachm to half an ounce thrp-e times a day. He had a patient taking one ounce 
of the tincture made from the leaves, which had been most carefully collected and 
