202 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 9, 1871. 
the fresh root; this produced a plant three feet 
high last year, although it was set in a pot. 
Secondly, some green ginger rhizomes were set, 
.and twenty-three stems, ranging from nine to thirty- 
two inches in height, were obtained—beautiful 
Scitamineous specimens; these rhizomes are still 
alive, and shoots six inches high have sprung up 
mit-of-doors, uncovered, notwithstanding the varia¬ 
tions of weather and temperature. 
Thirdly, two bulbs of squills were obtained and 
planted, and, after more than a year’s inaction, one 
bulb has thrown down six or seven rootlets, and is 
beginning an upward movement; the other bulb 
may soon follow the example given, for it has as¬ 
sumed a very red and swollen condition. 
Lastly, by the kindness of a friend I have a rhi¬ 
zome of turmeric, and it has unfolded its leaves, and 
is in a flourishing condition in an open window. 
Ricinus is in full flower in the open garden, and 
several palms ( Phoenix ) are growing outside the 
window. 
Of uncertain varieties, three shoots have appeared 
above ground this year in the “ Ex. Acacias,” one in 
“ Ex. Calumbae,” two in “Ex. Cascarillae,” and five in 
“ Ex. Sennas ” compartments. A pot containing Ja- 
troplia seeds was knocked over and smashed in a 
nightly scrimmage of cats; two of the seeds had 
sprouted about an inch. Whether they will recover 
from the shock, time will prove. A date palm, six¬ 
teen inches high, began to show signs of decay; its 
root had gone through the pot, and was doubled up 
underneath, raising the pot from the saucer in which 
it stood. 
This is a brief description of what has been ac¬ 
complished, without hothouse or stove. I have been 
afraid to plant all my seeds on account of the uncer¬ 
tainty of the weather; consequently, I have speci¬ 
mens or collections of many reserved. 
I do not profess to have discovered a new field of 
research. Lobel and Don attempted to discover the 
source of galbanum from seed they found adhering 
to the gum (Hoyle, page 472). The tenacity of life 
in squill-bulbs has been noticed in a previous Phar¬ 
maceutical J ournal ; and the longevity of certain 
seed may be seen by referring to Pharm. Journ. 
Vol. XVII. 1st series, pp. 224 and 328. 
If these remarks should lead to a more extended 
investigation of these too often neglected botanical 
treasures, w r e may possibly add to the scanty know¬ 
ledge we possess of many medical plants, and cer¬ 
tainly obtain a cheap herbarium, or a collection of 
every stage of plant-growths. 
SUGAR, DETERMINATION IN URINE. 
BY PROFESSOR SEEGEN. 
The author read a paper before the Medical So¬ 
ciety of Vienna, on “ Sugar Determination,” in which 
lie first detailed the importance to the physician 
of proving the presence of sugar in urine, and 
then dwelt upon the contradictory results of existing 
methods of analysis, especially in regard to the pre¬ 
sence of sugar in many physiological conditions, as, 
for instance, during pregnancy and during the period 
of suckling, after inhalation of chloroform and ether, 
etc. The author was thereby induced to test all 
existing methods, and he arrived at the following 
results:— 
We have no reagent to prove minute traces of 
sugar dissolved in urine beyond doubt and to the 
exclusion of other analogous substances. 
All statements as to the presence of minute quan¬ 
tities of sugar in many physiological and pathological 
conditions must be received with caution. 
Normal urine does not contain it in sufficiently 
large quantities to allow of its determination. 
Normal urine contains minute quantities of re¬ 
ducing substances, but whether they consist of sugar, 
partially or wholly, cannot be determined with our 
known tests. 
Albuminous Urine and a New Reorient. —The pre¬ 
cipitate obtained by heating urine with nitric acid is 
carefully washed to remove the last traces of urine, 
and it is then redissolved in a little potash, a few 
drops of Fehling’s copper solution added; a fine 
violet coloration is instantly produced, especially 
with a strong solution ; the reaction is very charac¬ 
teristic, and readily shows one per cent, of albu¬ 
men.— Zeitschrift d. allrj. oest. Apoth. Verein. 
HISTORICAL OUTLINES OF PHARMACY 
IN SPAIN. 
BY DR. T. B. ULLERSPERGER, OF MUNICH. 
{Concluded from page 183.) 
The first Pharmacopoeia known in Europe was 
written in 1497 by Pedro Benedicto Mateo, a phar¬ 
macist in Barcelona, whose works were edited in 
1521 by his son, under the title of ‘ De Loculen- 
tissimo viro ac Sacro Apotliecario Artis clivini Pro- 
fessoris T. B. Matei. 
In 1522 F. de Sepulverda published a Pharma¬ 
copoeia under the name of ‘ Manipulus Medicinarum, 
impresa en la Ciudad de Vitoria; ’ a second edition 
of which appeared at Valladolid in 1550. Before 
writing his books he traversed the whole of Spain, 
to attend the lectures of the most celebrated teachers, 
and then went to the University of Salamanca to 
profit by the instructions of the professors of phar¬ 
macy. 
Between 1521 and 1527 Bernardino de Laredo, a 
Franciscan monk, compiled his ‘ Modus Faciendi 
cum Ordine Medicandi.’ In 1535 appeared at Bar¬ 
celona the ‘ Concordia Pharmacopolarum Barclii- 
nonensium,’ augmented and revised in 1587 by 
Pedro Benedicto Sola, in conjunction with the 
pharmacist Bernardo Domonecli, and with Juan 
Benedicto Pan. 
Pedro Jaime Esteve, of Valencia, in 1552 trans¬ 
lated from the Greek liis ‘Nicandri Coloplionii 
Poetie et Medici Theriaci.’ In the following year 
appeared the ‘ Concordia Aromaticorum Caesar-Au¬ 
gust®, in qua continentur Epithome omnium Anfri- 
dotorum usualium ad unguem nuper correcta ex 
Foedere eorundem Pharmacopolarum. Tractacus 
sinonimorum, in quo voces, quae in hoc Volumine 
continentur obscurse, exponuntur, etc., Autoribus 
non vulgaribus desumptus; Caesar-Augusta? ap. 
Stepli. de Nogera, anno 1553, quo Michael Sagaim 
et Bernardinus Azarues Collegio Pharmacopolarum 
praepositi erant.” 
This is one of the first Pharmacopoeias embellished 
with poetry; the only known copy of this remarkable 
book was at that time already in the possession of 
the Pharmaceutical College at Barcelona. This 
rare work is divided into three parts, the last of 
which is entitled ‘ Tractatus in quo pretia Omnium 
