September 9,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
211 
“but with such workers as Dr. Fliickiger, the Messrs. 
Smith and Dr. Tilden, and the discussion of the matter 
by such gentlemen, there was no doubt that the truth 
must sooner or later be unveiled. 
Mr. Hanbury said he did not think that Dr. Tilden 
professed that his remarks on the subject were derived 
from experience. He merely argued that aloin was 
little used, and therefore of little use. 
Dr. Cook said that while aloes themselves were not 
easily alterable by chemical agents, aloin was susceptible 
of alteration, and he explained some experiments he had 
made. 
Mr. C. H. Wood said he thought that the paper of Dr. 
Fliickiger embodied what must be a growing conviction 
in the minds of many that the crystalline principle ob¬ 
tained from aloes varied considerably,—that one descrip-1 
tion of aloes would yield one principle and another de-1 
scription would yield another. He believed that was also 
the impression which Dr. Tilden had derived from some ! 
of his recent investigations on the subject. He had several j 
samples of aloin that had been prepared from different 
kinds of aloes, and he must confess that they did not 
appear to him to be absolutely identical. They wanted to 
know whether the Messrs. Smith claimed that the aloin 
was the exclusive purgative of aloes, or whether the other 
parts were equally purgative. There were certain circum¬ 
stances which seemed to him to suggest that the other 
parts were equally purgative. The aqueous extract of aloes 
was considered to be as efficacious as aloes, and yet the 
aqueous extract yielded little or no aloin. By many 
the extract was considered as efficacious as aloes and 
aloin. It "would be important if they could obtain larger 
numbers of samples of aloin from different kinds of 
aloes, and ascertain how far they were identical. 
Mr. A. W. P. Smith said that if aloin was admitted to 
be active in the doses mentioned by the medical gentlemen 
in their reports read to-day, if it was active in these 
doses, how were they to account for anything else being 
active, because the doses fully accounted for all the 
activity of the aloes ? They had got aloin from all the 
kinds of aloes, but they confined themselves to the Bar- 
badoes. The aloin that had been found fault with was 
made from a different kind of aloes than those they 
used. 
Mr. Deane said that from time to time he had been 
in the habit of examining aloes under the microscope, 
and had found invariably that the largest amount of 
crystalline structure was to be found in Barbadoes aloes. 
Fine samples of Barbadoes aloes varied considerably 
under the microscope. It was generally a mass of crys- 
tals, cemented together by a transparent substance, 
which was possibly as active as the crystalline portion. 
In the preparation of aloin he conceived there was a 
great loss from some change which occurred in the process. 
For many years ho had to make pills of aloin for one or 
two ladies, and though they could not take aloetic pills, so 
called, they could take aloin pills with the greatest 
comfort. From what he had seen there must be great 
advantage to some persons in the use of aloin. Altoge¬ 
ther he thought the subject one well worth further in¬ 
vestigation. 
Dr. Attfield said he would like to ask the Messrs. 
Smith or Dr. Cook if they could enlighten the members 
as to the constitution of aloin. 
Dr. Cook said that at present he had no information 
on the subject; but he hoped they would in time arrive 
at some kind of chemical decision on the matter. 
Mr. A. W. P. Smith said that Mr. Hanbury remarked 
that Dr. Tilden’s idea about the activity of aloin was that 
it was little used because it was of little use. 
Mr. Hanbury. —Little used according to his (Dr. T.’s) 
observation. 
Mr. Smith said it seemed strange for those living in 
the North to hear such a statement, because he did not 
think there was a dispensing chemist in the whole of 
Scotland that had not aloin in his stock. It appeared to 
him that those living in the South were far behind in the 
matter of aloin. 
Dr. Procter said that he had used aloin himself with 
considerable advantage and success, and greatly to the 
comfort of his patients; but he must also say that he 
felt satisfied that the resinous matter had a purgative- 
effect. Ho had used the resinous matter and had found, 
it to be an aperient. He found that while the aloin 
acted without any unpleasant feeling, the resinous matter 
did produce very unpleasant effects indeed. 
Mr. A. W. P. Smith. —Is it not possible that in the rosin 
there might have been some active aloin about it F 
Dr. Procter. —That seems to be a matter of dispute. 
Mr. T. Smith. —It is possible that some of it might- 
have been in it, the resinous matter not being readily 
exhausted. 
Mr. Bottle said it appeared to him that aloin had not 
the same medicinal effect in the South as it had in 
the North. Mr. Smith would perhaps remember, twenty 
years ago, that he called on Mr. Bottle at Dover, and 
that aloin was introduced there. The use of it was not, 
however, satisfactory, and he had still the remnant of 
that very stock which he bought from Mr. Smith. It 
was possible that he was not supplied at that time witlx 
the article which Mr. Smith manufactured now-a-days. 
Linseed and Linseed Meal. 
BY THOMAS GREENISH, F.C.S. 
Although the linseed-meal poultice is by no means a 
modern invention, yet the first mention of it (Cataplasms 
Lint) occiu’S in the Pharm. Lond. of 1836, where it is- 
directed to be made with bruised linseed (Sent, lini jeon— 
triti ), and the same applies to the Pharm. of 1851; but in. 
the Pharm. Brit, of 1867 the terms used are linseed meal,, 
and the explanation which accompanies it is “ the cake- 
of linseed, from which the oil has been pressed, reduced 
to powder.” In some establishments to this day a 
crushed linseed is kept for sale to the public. . It has, 
however, been found that this seed is too rich in oil to- 
be kept long in such a condition, as the oil it contains, 
when so exposed to the atmosphere, rapidly oxidizes and 
acquires a degree of rancidity which is very injurious- 
when the poultice made from it is applied to open 
wounds. In consequence of this defect it has become^ 
the custom of the trade to use a much less oily article, 
which is simply the meal produced by grinding and 
sifting the dry linseed cake of commerce. Tho direc¬ 
tions respecting this article of the Materia Medica, 
found in the last edition of the ‘ British Pharmacopoeia/ 
1867, attempt to solve the difficulty by directing the 
powdered linseed cake to be mixed with olive oil in the- 
proportion of 2 fluid oz. to the pound when sent out for 
use, which is necessarily a very inconvenient practice. 
In addition to tho inconvenience caused by this oxida¬ 
tion of the oil, another has arisen by reason of the im¬ 
purity or adulteration of the linseed cake, from which 
the “ Lini Farina” is produced, and it is the object of' 
this paper to point out how the difficulties may. bo 
avoided, and a true “ Lini Farina ” be prepared, which,, 
while it keeps well in tho pharmacy, will also meet the 
requirements of the Pharmacopoeia, and act efficiently 
when sold to the public. 
It being one of the objects of this Conference to direct 
attention to adulterations, it becomes tho duty of its- 
members to point them out, and, if possible, to prevent 
them. This remark applies with force in tho present 
case, as the “ Lini Farina ” enters into the composition ot 
no less than five preparations of the British Pharma¬ 
copoeia. 
The result of any investigation of this subject must, 
necessarily be imperfect without a reference to the his¬ 
tory of the linseed as imported into this country. Russia, 
is the great linseed-producing country of Europe ; am*, 
previous to the Crimean War our supplies were almost. 
