September 10,1870.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
209 
in Manchuria to avoid noticing tho strange root in 
which every native in China, from the Emperor to the 
humblest coolie, places such implicit faith. Fine Man¬ 
churian Ginseng is only found in the upper valley of 
the Usuri, where ruined towns and forts mark the cradle 
of the race which seven centuries ago ruled over China 
from the Yellow River to the Great Wall, which was 
forced back by the valour and genius of Genghis, and 
which 400 years afterwards again swept into China to 
occupy and retain the Imperial throne. But Ginseng 
loves moisture and the densest of the forests, which 
cling to the slopes of the hills; it nestles in recesses to 
which the rays of the sun have never penetrated, and 
which are as pathless now as in the days when the Golden 
Tartars were dwelling in and cultivating the plain. 
The genuine Manchurian Ginseng consists of a stem 
from which the leaves spring, of a centre root, and of two 
roots brandling off at the same point from each side of 
the centre root. The stem somewhat resembles the head 
and neck, and the side roots the shoulders and arms of a 
man; the main root represents the body, and a fork, 
which the main root frequently forms, the legs. 
“ The Chinese, with a not ungraceful feeling, believe 
that a plant which thus expands into the human form 
amid thickets and jungle on wdiich the foot of man has 
never trod, must be intended to alleviate the sufferings 
of the human race. Its precious qualities are increased 
and intensified by age, and a plant is of no great value 
until it has been growing and gathering strength for at 
least an ordinary lifetime. Tho age, and consequently 
the value of a plant, are ascertained by a careful exami¬ 
nation of the upper portions of the centre and side roots. 
These portions should be covered with rings, and the 
thicker and more numerous the rings the greater the 
age. The value of Ginseng in no way depends upon its 
length, thickness, or colour. I myself have seen here a 
delicate root weighing but 6 mace, which cost 50 taels. 
The upper portions of the root also possess the greatest 
healing power; the stem, which appears above ground, 
on the other hand, ought not to be eaten. It is supposed 
to be baneful rather than beneficial. 
“ Informer years, the collection of Ginseng was in the 
hands of some forty merchants, who, on payment of a 
heavy fee, obtained the necessary authority from the 
Tartar General of Kirin. In addition to the fee, each 
merchant was bound to hand over to Government a 
certain weight of the object of his search. The search is 
continued from the end of April to the end of September. 
In it the merchants employed the outlaws whom the 
fear of punishment had driven to take refuge in these 
wilds, and who were compelled by their position to be 
faithful servants. These men underwent great hard¬ 
ships and incurred great dangers. Forced to wander 
far from the little patches of millet they had raised for 
their support, they were even menaced by starvation, 
and by the wolf, the" tiger and the leopard; and not un- 
frequently the hardships were endured and the dangers 
were incurred in vain. 
“ In the time of Tankouang, Ginseng was becoming 
yearly more scarce and plants of any great age were 
rarely found. Finally, in order to arrest their utter ex¬ 
tinction, the collection of the wild root was prohibited 
by Imperial edict. Steps were taken in Kirin to carry 
this order into effect, and measures were adopted to pre¬ 
vent the admission of the interdicted plant into China. 
Nevertheless, a very small quantity is still clandestinely 
collected—to a considerable extent, however, in Russian 
territory. The cultivation of Ginseng, though allowed, 
is not encouraged; it is, in fact, hardly recognized as 
Ginseng, as the tariffs of tho various native custom¬ 
houses class it under the general heading of medicine. 
This course is not altogether unreasonable. The side 
branches of the cultivated plant are frequently broken 
off, and its premature growth and the means made use of 
to expedite its development often efface the resemblance 
from which it derives its name. 
“With a view to produce a false appearance of age, 
hair is tied tightly round the upper portions of the root, 
but a practised eye can easily detect the deception. 
Ginseng is cultivated in Manchuria and in the Corea. 
The average Corean-cultivated Ginseng is superior to 
the average Manchurian; 84 piculs 27 catties of Man¬ 
churian Ginseng were exported in foreign vessels during 
the past year : the value was not two taels a catty.”—* 
The Gardeners' Chronicle. 
NITRITE OF AMYL.* * § 
Nitrite of amyl, C 10 H n ONO 3 , was first discovered by 
M. Balard. It is an amber-coloured liquid, smelling 
and tasting like the essence of ripe pears. It was more 
fully investigated in 1859 by F. Guthrie, who specially 
noticed that it possessed the property of causing flushing 
of the face, throbbing of the carotids, and acceleration of 
the heart’s action. He suggested that it might be found 
of value as a resuscitative in drowning, suffocation and 
prolonged fainting, f The substance attracted very little 
attention, however, till it was taken up by Dr. B. W. 
Richardson at the meeting of the British Association for 
the Advancement of Science, held at Newcastle in the 
year 1863; he read a report on “The Physiological 
Properties of the Nitrite of Amyl,” and showed that 
when inhaled it produced an immediate effect on the 
heart, increasing the action of that organ more power¬ 
fully than any other known agent. If a little of the 
nitrite was dropped on bibulous paper, and its vapour 
inhaled through the nostrils, the action of the heart was 
instantly excited, the cutaneous surface became red, and 
the face was deeply flushed, assuming a bright crimson 
colour. Carried further, the nitrite excited the breathing 
and produced a breathlessness like that caused by sharp 
running or rowing. It did not cause anaesthesia. It 
could then, Dr. Richardson said, be considered (like 
chloroform twenty years previously) as a physiological 
curiosity, and looking at its intensity of action, he could 
not, at that time, recommend its use in medicine. 
In 1864 the result of further researches was reported 
by Dr. Richardson to the British Association, at Bath. 
After an elaborate series of experiments he had found 
that nitrite of amyl is absorbed by the body, whether in¬ 
troduced by the skin, the stomach, the lungs, or by ino¬ 
culation ; that after absorption its effects are immediately 
seen on the heart and circulation; and that it might be 
considered the most powerful excitant of vascular action 
yet discovered. § In 1867, || and again in 1870,** Dr. Lauder 
Brunton advocated its use in cases of angina pectoris. 
In the discussion which followed the reading of the se¬ 
cond communication before the Clinical Society of Lon¬ 
don, Dr. Anstie reported a case where a gentleman, who 
had suffered severely for twenty years from spasmodic 
asthma, and for four or five years from attacks of angina 
pectoris, a few seconds after one long inspiration through 
one nostril from a half-ounce bottle of the drug, “ passed 
from a state of agony into a state of calm repose.” It 
has also been used successfully hi cardiac disease brought 
on by acute rheumatism, paroxysmal attacks of colic and 
traumatic tetanus. These cases show that in nitrite of 
amyl we have an agent of remarkable power and rapidity 
of action against some forms of severe suffering and pain. 
At present we know little of its powers for good or the 
limits to its employment; but enough is known to justify 
and encourage further research into its properties. 
* Abstract from a series of papers on the “Progress of 
Therapeutical Science” in the Medical Times and Gazette. 
f Journal of the Chemical Society, vol. xi. p. 245. 
j Medical Times and Gazette, vol. ii. p. 334, 1863. 
§ Medical Times and Gazette, vol. ii. p. 335, 1864. 
| Lancet, vol. i. p. 97, 1867. 
** Medical Times and Gazette, vol. i. p. 320, 1870. 
