10G the PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [August 5,1871. 
same principle. 3. That substances closely allied che¬ 
mically, must have an analogous action on the system, 
or the diversity in their operations should be capable of 
explanation on chemical principles; in other words, che¬ 
mical groups ought to form therapeutical groups. This 
is an outline of the path to be pursued, and some steps 
of importance have been already gained by individual 
workers. In England and Scotland the names of Bence 
Jones, Richardson, Crum Brown and Fraser, stand out 
in honourable relief; in France, among a number of 
observers, Mialhc, Rabuteau and MM. Pelissard, Jolyet, 
and Cahours; and in Germany, Liebreich, Binz and 
many others have pursued the investigation of the phy¬ 
sical and chemical action of diugs with results most 
encouraging, though as yet imperfect and incomplete. 
In determining the action of any substance from a 
chemical point of view, Dr. Richardson has shown that 
we have to consider five points, viz.:—1. The elementary 
basic or radical composition of the substance to be tested, 
and the changes of constitution to which it may be sub¬ 
jected ; 2. The physical qualities of the substance; 
3. The chemical stability of the substance; 4. The 
physical peculiarities of the animal body subjected to 
the substance; and 5. The special action of the substance 
on special centres of the animal organism. 
Some scattered attempts to express the relation which, 
no doubt, exists between the physiological action of a 
substance and its chemical composition and constitution 
(i.c. the mutual relation of the atoms in the compound) 
have, from time to time, been made, but until lately with 
trifling success. For example, it has long been observed 
that, as a rule, the salts of the same base and of the same 
acid have respectively a common physiological action, 
and Mr. Blake, of California, pointed out many years 
ago, and has lately extended his experiments, that, in 
general, isomorphous substances have analogous actions. 
(2b be continued.) 
SUNFLOWER-SEED OIL. 
The highly ornamental and extensive genus of plants 
to which this plant belongs derives its scientific name, 
helianthus, from 1xelios , sun, and anthos , a flower, on ac¬ 
count of the brilliant colour of the flower, and from the 
erroneous idea, propagated by poets and others, that the 
flowers always turned towards the sun—hence, also, the 
French name tournesol. It appears to possess far more 
profitable qualities than have been hitherto supposed, 
and may be cultivated with advantage and applied to many 
useful purposes. An acre of land will contain 25,000 sun¬ 
flower plants, at twelve inches distance from each other. 
f Ihe great variety of valuable properties belonging to 
the sunflower seed have been much neglected. No 
plant produces such fine honey and wax, and when the 
flower is in blossom, bees abound on it. The produce 
vvill be according to the nature of the soil and mode of 
cultivation; but the average has been found to be fifty 
bushels of the seed per acre, which will yield fifty gallons 
of oil. The. oil is excellent, when refined, for table use, 
for burning in lamps, for soap making, and for painting 
—especially for mixing green and blue paints. The 
marc, or refuse of the seeds of the above quantity after 
the oil has been expressed, made into cakes, will produce 
1500 lb., and the stalks, when burnt for alkali, will give 
10 per cent, of potash. The green leaves of the sun¬ 
flower, when dried and burnt to powder, mixed with 
bran, .make excellent fodder for milch cows. It makes a 
beautiful soap, particularly softening to the hands and 
face, and is pleasant to shave with. The cake is superior 
to linseed for fattening cattle. Sheep, pigs, pigeons, 
rabbits, poultry of all sorts, etc., will fatten rapidly upon 
it, and prefer the seed to any other; it causes pheasants 
in particular to have a much more glossy plumage and 
to be plumper in the body. It also increases the quan¬ 
tity of eggs from poultry fed with it. The seed, shelled, 
makes when ground very fine sweet flour for bread, par¬ 
ticularly tea-cakes. 
The sunflower will grow in any corner that may bo 
vacant, and will give a farm a most agreeable garden¬ 
like appearance. It should be planted about six inches 
apart, and about one inch deep, and when about ono 
foot high should be earthed up ; it then will require no 
further attention. Every single seed will produce 1000 
or more ; the main head generally produces 800 to 1000 
seeds, and there are usually four collaterals, producing 
50 to 60 seeds each. But it is not the seed only that is 
valuable, for by treating the stalk exactly as flax, it 
will produce a fibre as fine as silk, and that in large 
quantities. Now that rags have become so valuable, 
arising from the unprecedented demand for paper, the 
stalk might be made useful for that purpose. 
On some grounds two crops may be growing at the 
same time. When the farmer has given his early pota¬ 
toes a last hoeing, he may plant this seed twelve inches 
apart in the ridges. The Chinese have it by thousands 
of tons and worship it. There can be no doubt that 
many of their silk goods have a large portion of the sun¬ 
flower fibre in them. According to Boussingault, some 
experiments made by M. Gauzac, of Dagny, gave the 
produce per acre of seed, at 15 cwt. 3 qr. 14 lb. ; the oil 
per acre 2751b., being 15 per cent, and the cake 80 per 
cent. Next to poppy-seed oil, sunflower oil burns the 
longest of any in equal quantities. The seeds vary in 
colour, being either white, grey, striped or black. From 
them is expressed a palatable clear and flavourless oil, 
the demand for which in Russia is very great. It is 
exported from St. Petersburg at about 10s. 6 d. the cwt., 
and is said to be extensively used, like cotton-seed oil, 
after purifying, for adulterating olive or salad oil. 
In Russia a considerable quantity is grown for oil 
pressing. The plant is largely cultivated in Kiels and 
Fodolia, eastward on the black soil lands. The stalks 
are used for fuel. The manufacture of the oil, which 
was formerly confined to the Government of Yoroneje, 
has recently been carried on in that of Saratov, and in 
the town of that name, there were, in 1867, at least 
thirty oil-presses. Mr. Alexander Knobloch, of Sarepta, 
has one worked by steam power. The seed is supplied 
by the peasants of the neighbourhood. The production 
in Russia in 1867 (including a few other miscellaneous 
oil seeds) was officially stated at 335,000 cwt. At Yoro¬ 
neje 6000 to 8000 poods (of 36 lb.) of seeds are produced. 
In Russia the seed sells at about 40 copecks the pood, or 
2 roubles 60 copecks the chetwert; the oil at 3 j to 4 
roubles the pood .—Journal of Applied Science. 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
On Thursday evening the British Pharmaceutical 
Conference Dinner was held in the Royal Hotel, Edin¬ 
burgh. There was a largo attendance. Mr. Baildon 
occupied the chair; Mr. G. Blanchard acted as croupier. 
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts were succeeded by 
the following: “ Success to the British Pharmaceutical 
Conference,” proposed by the Chairman, replied to by 
Mr. Stoddart ; “ The Colleges of Physicians and Sur¬ 
geons,” proposed by the croupier, acknowledged by Dr. 
Alexander Wood ; “Prosperity to the Pharmaceutical 
Society of Great Britain,” proposed by Professor Archer, 
replied to by Mr. T. H. Hills ; “ The Officers of the British 
Pharmaceutical Conference,” by Mr. Flux, responded 
to by Mr. G. F. Schacht and Doctor Attfield ; “ The 
Memory of the Founder of the Pharmaceutical Society;” 
“ The Edinburgh Committee of the Conference,” proposed 
by Mr. Deane, acknowledged by Mr. Baildon and Mr. 
Mackay; “The Visitors,” by Mr. J. R. Young, re¬ 
sponded to by Mr. Deane, Mr. T. H. Hills and Dr. 
Edwards ; “ The Pharmaceutical Associations of America 
and Canada,” proposed by Mr. Hanbury, replied to by 
Dr. Edwards ; “ The Pharmaceutical Press,” proposed 
by Mr. Carteighe, and replied to by Dr. Paul and Mr. 
Wootton. Other toasts were “ The Ladies,” “ The 
| Croupier.” 
