October 12, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
28-5 
a particular organ or part of tlio system. Thus 
digitalis is a poison or a remedy for the heart. It 
was at one time hardly used except as a diuretic. But 
recently M. Traube of Berlin, and M. Hirtz of Strasburg, 
have shown the importance of its action on the circula¬ 
tion and animal heat. From its retarding effect on the 
movements of the heart, it is found valuable especially 
in diseases of a febrile character. It is only quite re¬ 
cently that the active principle of digitalis has been 
properly isolated, by M. Nativelle. The digitaline pre¬ 
pared by the new process is so active, that a dose of even 
a quarter of a milligramme will affect the heart’s move¬ 
ments, while five milligrammes will cause death. Its 
effect is also so characteristic and sure, that when it 
exists in a mixture in so small a quantity as to escape 
being detected by chemical reaction, an infallible method 
of recognizing it is to examine the action of the mixture 
on the heart of a frog. Another substance which acts 
energetically on the muscular fibres, especially those of 
the heart, is veratrine , which has been found of great 
service in cases of internal inflammation. 
The eucalyptus, imported some years ago from Australia 
to the South of Europe, where it has been easily ac¬ 
climatized, is a large tree of the family of Myrtacese. Its 
leaves and bark contain a volatile oil which promises to 
be most useful in therapeutics. It deadens the reflex 
sensibility of the spinal cord, and relieves the oppression 
and tendency to cough, in pulmonary diseases. It is a 
valuable anti-catarrhal agent. The tree, further, con¬ 
tains a bitter principle very efficacious against intermit¬ 
tent diseases, especially marsh fevers. In South America, 
Spain, Corsica, Algeria, and other countries, the infusion 
of eucalyptus is becoming largely used as a febrifuge, 
and it has been found effective in cases in which qui¬ 
nine failed. The balsamic emanations from the tree 
perfume and purify the air. In marshy districts, it acts 
against fever, not only thus, but by drying the soil, and 
preventing the growth of miasma-forming vegetation. 
One substance of mineral nature, viz., bromide of po¬ 
tassium, has of late years taken an important place in 
treatment of nervous diseases, especially epilepsy. Ad¬ 
ministered in a dose of several grammes daily, it has a 
remarkable sedative action ; if not completely curing 
the disease, at least prolonging the interval between the 
attacks, and abating the violence of these. Arsenious 
acid , another mineral medicine is shown by M. Magitot 
to be of value to the dentist, as it has the property of 
causing the renewal of ivory. 
Is there a relation discernible between the chemical 
nature of substances, and the degree of their toxical and 
therapeutical value ? Attention had for some time been 
given to this point, and it was known that the salts of 
heavy metals are more active than those of light 
metals; that the salts of lead and mercury had 
poisonous properties, while those of soda and magnesia 
were relatively harmless. The comparison, however, 
was not rigorous; and M. Rabuteau has been able 
to formulate the general relation between physio¬ 
logical energy of mineral compounds and their 
chemical nature. The energy of soluble metallic salts 
is in direct ratio of the atomic weight of the metal 
contained in the salt. The atomic weights of metals 
being in inverse ratio of their specific heats, M. Rabu¬ 
teau’s law may be given in this form :—The metals are 
more active in proportion as their specific heat is smaller. 
The law is the same for the metalloids of the oxygen 
group ; but it is reversed in the case of those which are 
congeners of chlorine, and for those of the class of 
arsenic. The practical value of these results is obvious; 
as a medical man can tell the respective activities of 
various salts, and thus determine the dose proper to be 
given, from consulting a table of atomic weights. A 
physiologist, wishing to ascertain the action of a metallic 
compound, could predict its relative intensity, and 
regulate his experiments accordingly. Some years ago, 
when salts of the new metal thallium were being examined 
in their influence on animals, surprise was excited by 
their strong toxical qualities, seeing they otherwise re¬ 
sembled so closely the salts of sodium or potassium ; 
but the atomic weight of thallium is very high, and its 
poisonous properties are quite in accord with M. Rabu¬ 
teau’ s law. 
The perfecting of the medical art is thus connected 
most intimately with the progress of knowledge as to 
the real action of toxical and medicinal substances. The 
study of such effects is one of much delicacy, and it is 
necessary that those who engage in it should acquire a 
practical acquaintance with the principles and instruments 
of physics, of chemistry, and of physiology. 
LENTIL-MEAL. 
At a time when cheap and efficient substitutes for 
animal food and for bread are being much sought, we shall 
render a service in directing attention once more to the 
highly valuable qualities of lentil-meal, properly pre¬ 
pared and ground to a fine powder, and mixed with some 
other impalpable nitrogenous meal, such as rye-meal. 
The value of this combination has been recently tested 
anew by Dr. F. AY. Beneke, of Marburg, who is led 
very earnestly to recommend its use as a substitute for 
animal food for poor people, in convalescence from sick¬ 
ness, for invalids generally, and for many forms of indi¬ 
gestion. For the latter purposes, sold at a most scandalous 
price as “revalenta,” and accompanied by flaming testi¬ 
monials, it has long enjoyed a considerable reputation 
amongst wealthy dyspeptics, and Dr. Beneke records his 
gratitude for the saving of the life of one of his children 
by its use. 
His observations as to the best mode of preparing it for 
general use are very interesting. He points out that the 
Leguminosa} contain nitrogenous ’ and non-nitrogenous 
substances in the proportion of nearly 1: 2 - 0—2‘2; 
they contain a sufficient amount of phosphates, and a 
small quantity of fatty matter, part of which resembles 
the fat contained in yolk of egg, and part is cholesterine. 
Such a meal is quite capable of replacing animal food, 
apart from its kreatinin ; and with this view he experi¬ 
mented upon these meals, but found that, as ordinarily 
prepared, they were much too coarse to be easily di¬ 
gested. At last, however, he found a lentil-meal and also 
a rye-meal both equally carefully prepared, which, when 
mixed together in equal proportions, produced a most 
admirable nutriment for convalescents from acute dis¬ 
orders, for those labouring under certain gastric ailments, 
and as a substitute for animal food for poor people. A 
healthy adult uses nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous ele¬ 
ments, the latter reckoned as starch, in the proportion 
of 1:5. Human milk contains the same ingredients 
in the proportion of 1: 3'8-4. Lentil-meal c ontains 
them as 1 : 2, and rye-meal as 1 : 57, while a mixture 
of the two in equal quantities contains those compo¬ 
nents in the proportion of 1 : 4, a proportion which may, 
of course, be varied according to desire, or the needs of 
the case. These impalpable meals Dr. Beneke has been 
in the habit of procuring from AY. J. von Coppenaal, 
556, Reguliers-Brceskaat, Amsterdam, at 40 cents, per 
kilogramme for the rye-meal, and 60 cents, per kilo¬ 
gramme for the lentil-meal (about 8d. for the one and 
Is. for the other 2j- lbs., the price of the same quantity 
of revalenta being 6s.). These meals, from containing 
little water, have four times the nutrient power of beef, 
weight for weight, so that their relative values as arti¬ 
cles of diet may be readily calculated. The digestibility 
of these meals, and the consequent absence of flatulence 
during the process, depends primarily upon the impalpa¬ 
bility of the powder to which they are reduced; and, 
secondly, on the mode of preparation. The meal should 
have a little salt added, then be mixed with cold water, 
and boiled for half an hour or an hour. The addition of 
a little extract of beef makes the preparation tasty, 
without adding greatly to its expense.— Ant. Med. Journ. 
