December 17, 1870.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
495 
of the method of transliteration adopted for expressing 
the vernacular synonyms in English character. 
Finally, the Appendix to the Supplement and the 
Indices occupy the latter half of the volume. The in¬ 
formation contained in the thirty pages of the Appendix 
respecting obscure substances, or those but little known, 
is of much interest and value. The Indices are sixteen 
in number; one for each of the fourteen languages, one 
for the Latin names, and one for the English names. In 
some of the Indices the native characters, as in the body 
of the work, follow the names written in English cha¬ 
racters. This brief summary of what the book contains 
will give some notion of the immense labour which it 
has entailed upon the writer, for which he deserves well 
of the medical profession, not only in India, but in this 
country, and also of all who are interested in Materia 
Medica. I he promotion, by which the Government 
recognized his services, was no more than he deserved. 
In concluding this notice we give our author’s remarks 
on mfed-musli , which stands under the heading of As¬ 
paragus ascexdexs, Roxb., at page 59. 
I he mfed-musli of Southern India is the dried and 
■Splittcd root of Asparagus samientosus. It occurs in thin 
and long pieces like strings, curled upon itself once or 
twice, varies in length from three or four inches to a 
span or more, of pale grey or dirty white colour, and 
devoid of any particular taste or smell. When the fresh 
root is splitted or torn longitudinally in three or four 
pieces and dried, it acquires the above condition. Al¬ 
though the dried root is often used by native practitioners, 
it is almost useless as a medicine ; but when fresh, it is 
a nutrient and demulcent. In this state it is very fleshy 
and succulent, about a foot or a foot and a half in length, 
generally of the thickness of a finger, smooth and round, 
tapering to. a very narrow and long point at both ends, 
of dull white or pale grey colour, no smell, and taste 
slightly demulcent.. When a plant is dug out with these 
roots, it has a very singular appearance, as though a great 
number of large round worms were attached to it, and 
their number is often very great, amounting sometimes 
to about a hundred.. The fresh root is distinguished in 
many parts of India, including Southern India, as sha- 
qoqul, and its preserve, which is generally imported from 
China, is named inurabbahe-shaqaqul or shaqaqul-kaniu- 
r abb ah. The above, name is applied in Arabia, Egypt 
and Persia to some similar root, which is considered there 
to be the wild carrot or turnip. From its description in 
.some books, I believe it to be a species of Asparagus. 
Ihe sufed-misli of all other parts of India is the real 
diug to which that name is properly applicable, and it 
is the root of Asparagus ascendens. It is also procurable 
in. Southern India, but under a different name, which is 
shaqarulc-hindi or Indian Shaqaqul. It is a useful medi¬ 
cine, and a very good substitute for salep. It bears the 
oliov mg characters: —When new or not very old, this 
root looks like a thin, cylindrical piece of gum, partially 
translucent; very hardwhitish or yellowish grey; 
“lom one to two or three inches long, generally crooked, 
sometimes bent upon itself, and occasionally knotty; and 
°* an ^ . muc 9aginous taste. If some pieces be 
caierally examined, one of their ends will be found thin- 
nei and more pointed than the other, indicating their 
original tapering form. A few pieces are also flat or 
eompiessed, forming a kind of small irregular plates. 
en the root is very old, it is opaque and of light 
brown coiour. With regard to the Jeali-musli, it is cor- 
icc } the.root.of Curculigo orchidioides , as is mentioned 
nnd described m several books. 
Ihe loots or rootlets of Rombax malabdricus bear no 
vescmbW whatever to any of the varieties of the 
/utis /. When dried, they are as nearly useless as the 
oiied root of Asparagus sa mien tosus A 
wii i m ° “very well “got up;” indeed it would 
sus P ec ^ 0( l that it was printed in Madras, no 
Email praise when many of the works printed in India 
are remembered. 1 
The Chemists axd Druggists’ Almaxac axd Diary, 
1871*. 8vo. 114 pp. Chemist and Druggist Office. 
This book is a great improvement on all former edi¬ 
tions, and is more than ever an indispensable counter 
companion to the pharmacist. The diary arrangement 
gives a page to a week, and just comfortable room for 
each day’s memoranda. We do not think, however, 
that this part of the work will bo fully developed till it 
attains folio magnitude; only then will it take its proper 
place on the desk. 
The literature of the ‘ Almanac ’ comprises an exhaus¬ 
tive account of work done in Pharmaceutical Chemistry 
during the year 1870, by Professor Attfield ; directions 
for performing the Gravimetric Tests of the British 
Pharmacopoeia, by Mr. Tilden; and a paper on Chemical 
Tests for Medicinal Articles, by Mr. Sidney W. Rich; 
besides much information on legal and commercial mat¬ 
ters, and innumerable hints of groat value to every busi¬ 
ness man (most of them of especial value to the phar¬ 
macist) pushed into every spare corner. Dr. Attfield’s 
paper omits nothing ; from hydrate of chloral to Bouil¬ 
lon’s method for forming pencils of any brittle caustic 
substance by incorporation with melted gutta-percha or 
paraffin,—everything finds appropriate mention. The 
notice of the artificial production of alizarine is very in¬ 
teresting. If the value of Mr. Tilden’s contribution be 
measured by its length, a very unfair estimate will bo the 
result. In very little space a remarkable amount of 
information is conveyed on apparatus, manipulation, 
etc., and of such character, that if the given directions 
be followed, the gravimetric tests of the Pharmacopoeia 
may be performed by any pharmacist for himself. The 
manufacturer is at his mercy. In twenty-nine pages 
Mr. Rich makes us acquainted with every needful test 
for ascertaining the presence or absence of adultera¬ 
tion in chemicals and other articles of materia medica. 
The tests given are not simply those of the B.P.; a 
choice is offered. Cinchona, as its importance demands, 
has a good share of attention; and Carles’ process for 
estimating the quinine value of barks is here side by side 
with the official one. Together, Messrs. Tilden and Rich 
furnish a complete system of the qualitative and quan¬ 
titative analysis of the British Pharmacopoeia. 
On the very last page, side by side with the weights 
and measures, is a scale comparing the linear measures 
of the English and the metrical system. It shows clearly 
and this mode of illustration cannot be too strongly 
recommended—that six inches are just equal to fifteen 
centimetres and two-fifths. Wo are sorry that it is the 
only notice of the metrical system to be found in the 
book. 
There is one feature of this Almanac which we cannot 
commend, viz. that part which professes to be a “ Trade 
Directory.” Possibly we may not understand the prin¬ 
ciple upon which this has been constructed, but it seems 
very curious that such a directory should contain only 
four names under the head of “ Drysalters,” one name 
under that of “ Comb-maker, etc.” The lists of manufac¬ 
turing chemists and wholesale druggists are also very 
meagre and imperfect. It is a pity that a good and use¬ 
ful work should bo disfigured by anything so defective 
as this. 
The Almanac deserves success, and will probably find 
its way into every pharmacy. 
The following journals have been received:—The ‘British 
Medical Journal,’ Dec. 10; the ‘Medical Times and Gazette,’ 
Dec. 10; the ‘ Lancet,’ Dec. 10; the ‘ Medical Press and Cir¬ 
cular,’ Dec. 14; ‘Nature,’ Dec. 8; the * Chemical News,’ Dee. 
9; ‘Journal of the Society of Arts,’ Dec. 8; ‘ Gardeners’ Chro¬ 
nicle,’ Dec. 10;' the ‘ Grocer,’ Dec. 10 ; the ‘English Mecha¬ 
nic,’ Dec. 9; the ‘ Produce Markets Review,’ Dec. 10; the 
‘Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter,’ Nos. 712 and 
715; the ‘ Rock,’ Dec. 9 ; the ‘ Eastern Morning News,’ Dec. 
8; the ‘ Maidstone and Kentish Journal,’ Dec. 5. 
