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THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
[July 2, 1S70. 
maceutical ethics be inculcated on broad general 
principles, and trouble not yourselves, except in 
flagrant cases, with private modes of conducting 
business ; the Journal is the property of the Society, 
and should ever be mindful of its interests, but, al¬ 
though the organ, it must not sink into the mere tool 
of the Council. One point more: if you would 
secure for the Journal an increase of that distinct 
influence which it is surely exercising upon public 
opinion generally, and on the opinion of the medical 
profession particularly, bo sure that those who are 
immediately concerned in conducting it are so in¬ 
dependent that, whilst they realize their responsi¬ 
bility for all that may be admitted to its pages, they 
may have ample play for the exercise of those 
honourable motives which are too often, under like 
circumstances, hampered by unnecessary restric¬ 
tions ; in fact, unless its Editor be independent, it 
will be impossible to ensure unity of aim and pur¬ 
pose.” 
HASAN-i-YUSAF. 
diatoms, and has no affinity with the Diatomacece 
whatever. It was suggested that it might be foramini- 
ferous, to which there is a greater resemblance. For¬ 
tunately we sent a little to Dr. Henry Carter, F.R.S., 
who was well acquainted with microscopic objects in 
India, and foraminifera in particular. This gentle¬ 
man at once suggested its affinity with the spores of 
“ Hasan-i-Yusaf ” from Kashmir. 
BY M. C. COOKE. 
One of the obscure substances occasionally and 
locally employed in India for medicinal purposes by 
the natives is known by the name of “ Hasan-i- 
Yusaf.” This is seldom mentioned, and does not 
appear to be generally known in India itself. La¬ 
hore, and probably Kashmir, seem to be almost the 
only places where it has any reputation, and for 
what diseases it is supposed to be a remedy we have 
no information. After some ineffectual attempts we 
at length succeeded, through the kindness of Dr. 
J. L. Stewart, in obtaining a sample of this drug by 
post from Mr. B. Powell, of Lahore. 
The description of this substance given by Honig- 
berger in his ‘ Thirty-five Years in the East ’ is very 
brief. “ Hossen Jussif,” he writes, “ is officinal in La¬ 
hore. It is a whitish seed of the smallest size, very 
likely to be mistaken for unripe poppy seeds.” In re¬ 
ference to this, there is a note in the ‘ Handbook of 
the Economic Products of the Punjab’ (p. 384), to the 
effect that the “ Hasan-i-yusaf is a minute, siliceous 
shell of a triangular form, found floating on lakes and 
ponds in the hills of Kashmir, whence it is skimmed 
off and dried. Erroneously described by Honig- 
berger and others as a seed.” A little more explicit 
information on the same subject is given in another 
portion of that work (p. 320). Repeating the name 
as “ Hussan Yusuf,” it states:—“ This is a very in¬ 
teresting specimen of the siliceous frustule of one of 
the Diatomacece. It is of a pyramidal form with a 
convex base, and on each triangular face is a pro¬ 
minent, rounded knot. These markings are not 
affected by acids, and remain after heating to red¬ 
ness. 'When heated in a reduction tube, it gives off 
a peculiar smell and combustible gas, showing that 
it is quite in a fresh state, otherwise it appears some¬ 
what similar to a fossil. ‘Hussan Yusuf’ is col¬ 
lected in lakes and ponds in the hills around Srina¬ 
gar, in Kashmir. It floats on the surface, and is 
skimmed off and dried.” 
A momentary glance is quite sufficient to convince 
any one practically acquainted with the Diatomacece 
that this white granular powder is not composed of 
Selaginella, and furnished for comparison those of 
Selaginella cernua, referring at the same time to the 
figure at page 436 of the ‘ Micrograpliical Diction¬ 
ary.’ The spores of Selaginella are almost identical 
in size, but more globose, less definitely ribbed, and, 
although allied, are not alike. Keeping in view the 
place at which this substance is said to be collected, 
“from the surface of lakes,” it occurred to us at 
once that some species of Isoetes would be the pro¬ 
bable source. There being a family relationship be¬ 
tween Selaginella and Isoetes , it seemed probable 
that the spores of Isoetes would resemble those of 
Selaginella and the “ Hasan-i-Yusaf.” A reference 
to the figures of the fruit of Isoetes capsularis, in 
Griffith’s ‘leones Plantarum Asiaticarum,’ part 2, 
plates 116 to 118, has confirmed the opinion that the 
curious substance, instead of being a diatom, con¬ 
sists of the macrospores of a species of Isoetes, allied 
to, even if not identical with, the Isoetes capsularis 
of Roxburgh, or the common European species. 
Especially should figure 4 of the 116tli plate be com¬ 
pared with the “ Hasan-i-Yusaf.” It is, moreover, 
perfectly true that this substance does not appear to 
be at all influenced by contact with cold nitric acid; 
and even when subjected to boiling in acid, very 
slow and gradual, as well as imperfect, disintegra¬ 
tion takes place, unless the spores are first broken 
up. This fact, however, is by no means fatal to the 
conclusion that they are Isoetes spores, in which, if 
Spores of Isoetes capsularis from Griffith’s * leones Plantarum.’ 
Facsimile from Plate 11G. 
we mistake not, a similar result will accrue, at least, 
if we may judge from the treatment of Selaginella 
spores with cold acid. 
