1G0 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 10,1871. 
a dusting powder after careful sifting. They are given in 
affections of the gullet, larynx (aphonia), lungs, and in hae¬ 
morrhages. Sugar and honey are taken with this powder.” 
Specimens of Ala-peh have somewhat the resemblance, at 
first sight, of a Lycoperdon or Scleroderma; indeed, the 
spores more closely resemble those of Scleroderma geaster 
than those of Lycoperdon giganteum (not giganticum as 
printed). The microscope would prove in an instant that the 
spores of the Ma-peh are not those of Lycoperdon gigan¬ 
teum, since they are echinulate and four times the size: 
again, the colour is so much brighter and more ferruginous; 
but the most conclusive evidence lies in the structure of the 
fragments themselves, in which will be found the remarkable 
inner peridia characteristic of the genus Polysaccum. In 
fact, the Ma-peh, or, at least, all that I have seen, is a true 
species of Polysaccum. The spores are just like those of P. 
crassipes, except that, perhaps, they are a trifle darker. 
Because, when ripe, this fungus, in common with its allies, 
becomes broken up and dusty, that is no reason for calling 
it “ decayed;” the “decayed state” is manifestly an error. 
The next article is a mystery. It is thus described:— 
“Lycoperdon squalmatum [sic] (Kiuen-peh). The whole plant 
of this .fungus, with its mass of brown fibrous roots and green 
branching curved, compressed fronds, with furrowed, acumi¬ 
nate, liygrometric scales, is likened by the Chinese to a fir. 
It grows to the height of some six or eight inches on stones, 
ancl is collected for medicinal use at Ningpo, although it is 
met with all over China. A large trade is carried on in all 
sorts of drugs between Hankow and Ningpo, second only to 
that between Siang-tan and Hankow. It is given as an 
emmenagogue, cordial, deobstruent, and tussic remedy. 
"When scorched or dried artificially, astringent properties are 
assigned to this harmless substance.” Harmless it may be, 
but curious it must be, if it claims to be a fungus and a 
Lycoperdon, with green branched fronds, covered with hy- 
grometric scales. The Chinese are a marvellous people, and 
few nations could compete with them in the production of a 
green Lycoperdon with scaly branched fronds. Is it possible 
that Mr. Porter Smith can have made the mistake of calling 
it a fungus, and referring it to the genus Lycoperdon instead 
of the Lycopodiacece! It might be so, only that the author 
distinctly call it a “ fungus,’, and it would be uncharitable to 
suppose that he could not distinguish at a glance a fungus 
from a Fern or a Lycopod. 
As to the Chu-ling (p. 171), which happens to have much 
more in common with the Fuh-ling than “ half the name,” I 
must refer Air. Smith to the third volume of the ‘ Journal of 
the Linnean Society ’ (Botany) for information. 
AI. C. Cooke. 
Pharmacy in France during the War. 
Sir,—It may not be generally known that the provincial 
pharmacists of France suffered much loss and inconvenience 
from the investment of Paris by the German armies. I 
allude to those living without the pale of the enemy’s incur¬ 
sions ; of the miseries endured by those gentlemen who found 
themselves in the actual presence of the dreaded foe, and 
among all the positive and immediate horrors of war, I am 
scarcely competent to speak. It is well known that, beyond 
the fact of Paris being the bureaucratic centre of France, the 
provinces depended on the capital for nearly all that tends to 
make life comfortable and luxurious. Paris, if not the source 
or seat of manufacture, was at least the chief entrepot of all 
drugs, chemicals and pharmaceutical accessories; hence it is 
easy to divine the difficulty experienced by country pharma¬ 
cists in renewing their exhausted supplies. I am able to 
speak personally of the occasional impossibility of procuring 
preparations such as the morphia alkaloids, pure carbolic 
acid, quinine and, most especially, chloral hydrate. This 
last was much prescribed in the locality (a town in the south 
of France) in which I passed the winter, and at times, in 
spite of much begging and borrowing from our confreres of 
Lyons, Alarseilles, Bordeaux, and the neighbouring towns, 
our stock of it ran completely out. The little now and then 
obtainable cost from 3‘50 francs to 5 francs per 30 grammes. 
It was quoted in England about this time at 11s. per lb. 
Towards the end of the season, however, we were fortunate 
enough to meet with a small parcel imported in an indirect 
manner from Berlin—of all places in the world!—of very 
excellent quantity. 
Parisian specialities rapidly became scarce and very dear, 
their trade-value ruling higher than the ordinary price to the 
public. The more popular of these articles soon disappeared 
entirely from the market. 
Some of the most current remedies of a French pharmacy 
being prepared in the form of syrups and pates, the very 
high price of refined sugar towards the end of the war aug¬ 
menting their value was the subject of much complaint on 
the part of the poor peasants, to whom a few sous represent 
many hours of weary labour. It may be suggested that sup¬ 
plies might have been derived from Italy, Switzerland or 
even Spain; but these countries really depend almost as 
much upon Paris as France itself. England, of course, could 
have furnished her unfortunate neighbour to an unlimited 
extent, and probably did partially supply the north of France; 
but very little English produce found its way to the extreme 
south, owing in part to defective means of transport, and in 
part to the paucity of business relations between England 
and the locality in question. 
Walter A. Powell. 
The Weights or the British Pharmacopceia. 
Sir,—Will you allow me, through the medium of the 
Journal, to point out a few of the disadvantages, and even 
dangers, of the present system of weights in the P. B. ? 
For instance, in making one-fourth of the quantity of pilula 
saponis comp, many chemists would put 5 grains of opium 
too much, by reckoning 480 grains to the ounce instead of 
437'5, and the same mistake would happen in making small 
quantities of many of the P. B. preparations. It is a con¬ 
stant source of annoyance to the pharmacist in making small 
quantities of preparations for immediate use to have to enter 
into a long calculation to arrive at the proper quantities of 
the ingredients. 
I hope that when a new edition of the P. B. is contem¬ 
plated the Pharmaceutical Society will use its influence, and 
endeavour to have the metric system used in it, which is as- 
easy to learn as the alphabet; and I think that if the Society 
would petition Parliament, in the manner they did to throw 
out the Pharmacy Bill, for the adoption of the metric system, 
and not only chemists signed the petitions, but every one who 
was willing, it wrnuld be carried the next time it is brought- 
before Parliament. Why should.not candidates for the Pre¬ 
liminary Examination be required to possess a knowledge of 
the system instead of those for the Minor ? they cannot be 
expected to succeed to any great degree in their after studies 
unless they possess a practical knowledge of it. 
Gramme. 
“ Galvanic .”—A correspondent, under this signature, sug¬ 
gests that “ an idea which might be carried out without much 
expense would be to have a galvanic battery to which all the 
bottles containing the most powerful poisons might be at¬ 
tached, so that when the dispenser had occasion to handle one 
he would receive a slight shock which could not fail at all 
times to attract his attention, if diverted from the subject in 
which he was engaged.” 
“ One of the Candidates .” —We would recommend you to 
forward your complaint to the Council, with whom the de¬ 
cision in the matter rests. 
“Minor JExam .” —Apply to the Secretary for a Synopsis of 
the Examinations. 
G. E. C. will find the recipes asked for in Yol. I. pp. 477 
and 496. 
W. H. Wilson. —See a case reported Pharm. Journ. 3rd 
ser. Yol. I. p. 775. 
“ Pharmacist .” —In each of the first four lines of the copy 
of prescription sent, the quantity is the direct object of the 
transitive verb; in the fifth line the w r ord “ aquam ” is the 
direct object. The AI.D.’s view is therefore correct. 
L. 3 .—The precipitation is caused by the chemical affinity 
of the oxide of lead for the colouring or extractive matter 
such compounds are almost invariably insoluble, hence sub- 
acetate of lead will completely decolorize in nearly every 
case. Yes. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr.- R. O. Fitch, Mr. J. S. Schibild, Mr. J. M. Fairlie, Air. 
G. Harvie, Air. A. Aletcalfe, Air. It. Mumbrav, Mr. A. 
Pickering, A. D., AI. P. S., It. W., J. E. and Co., “ Eegistered 
Chemist and Druggist,” “ Old Alember,” “ Scotland’s Eight,” 
“Theta,” “A Glasgow Chemist.” 
A. P. S. and C. C. P. A. P. S. have failed to comply with 
the rule as to anonymous correspondents. 
