December 23,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
515 
toria and Roccella fuciformia. They are obtained from 
the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Sardinia, but prin¬ 
cipally from Madagascar, Zanzibar, Angola and South 
America. The second class grows inland, and includes 
the species Variolaria orcina , found especially in the 
Pyrenees. 
Lichens do not contain any colouring matter already 
formed, but contain colourless acids, which, under the 
influence of ammonia and the oxygen of the atmosphere, 
give rise to the orchil. As the lichens imported into 
this country vary considerably in the amount of orchil 
which they yield, Dr. Stenhouse has rendered a great 
service to the manufacturers in furnishing a simple 
.and accurate process of ascertaining their commercial 
value. The following is an outline of his method:— 
One hundred grains of the lichen' are macerated with a 
-dilute solution of caustic soda, two treatments being 
sufficient to extract the whole of the colouring matter. 
A solution of hypochlorite of sodium of known strength 
is added to the soda solution from a graduated alkali- 
meter ; the moment the bleaching liquor comes in con¬ 
tact with the soda solution of the lichen a blood-red 
colour is produced, which disappears in a minute or two, 
and the liquid has only a deep yellow colour. A new 
quantity of bleaching liquid should then be poured into 
the soda solution, and the mixture carefully stirred. 
The operation should be repeated as long as the addition 
of the hypochlorite of sodium causes the production of 
the red colour, for this shows that the soda solution still 
-contains unoxidized colouring principle. Towards the 
-end of the process the bleaching solution should be 
added by only a few drops at a time, the mixture being 
carefully stirred between each addition. By noting how 
many measures of the bleaching liquor have been re¬ 
quired to destroy the colouring matter in solution, the 
amount of colouring principle contained in the lichen 
may be determined. 
The manufacturers of orchil are also indebted to Dr. 
Stenhouse for a process of obtaining the orchil, which, 
besides simplifying the operations required, gives brighter 
colours and extracts than could be produced before the 
publication of his method, in 1848. Of this you will 
easily judge when I tell you that the process carried on 
for centuries consisted in breaking up the weeds in 
water, to which putrid urine, lime and carbonate of soda 
were added from time to time. After two or three 
months’ exposure to the air, the colourless principles of 
the lichen became transformed into the colouring matter 
orchil. As the science of chemistry progressed, and 
cheap means of producing ammonia were devised, this 
■compound was substituted for the urine. Dr. Stenhouse’s 
process consists in exhausting the lichens, by mace¬ 
rating them with milk of lime, squeezing the liquor off, 
and after having repeated this treatment two or three 
times, he adds an acid to the liquors, when a white 
gelatinous precipitate is produced, which, when collected 
and placed in contact with ammonia, gives rise to orchil. 
You are doubtless aware that the beautiful purple and 
mauve colours obtained on silk and wool from orchil 
are extremely fugitive, losing their brilliancy on expo¬ 
sure to the light or to the influence of weak acids, such 
as sulphurous, which is so abundantly produced in our 
manufacturing districts. M. Marnas, of Lyons, suc¬ 
ceeded in the year 1856, in making orchil colours which 
gave fast purples and mauves. 
Before describing this valuable discovery, allow me to 
state that it had a most important bearing on the marked 
progress which the art of calico-printing has made since 
the date above mentioned. Until that time, neither 
dyers nor calico printers would use expensive dyes, but 
since then they have paid as much as £40 or £50 per 
pound for the solid dyestuff, although these enormous 
prices have been apparently decreased by the colours 
Ibeing sold in the state of paste or solution. 
The demand for a fast purple in this country was so 
great, consequent on the introduction of the fast purples 
and mauves on the Continent by M. Marnas, that atten¬ 
tion was directed to the preparation of these colours. 
Mr. Perkin had obtained from aniline a fine purple 
colour, as fast as the orchil colours, and M. Bechamp 
discovering about this tune a method of producing ani¬ 
line artificially from benzine, Mr. Perkin was enabled to 
manufacture,his colour commercially. This may be con¬ 
sidered as the first successful step towards the intro¬ 
duction of the spendid and varied coal-tar colours which 
are now so universally admired. 
(To be continued.') 
Ijwlramtittitrj anir fate fmettaijs. 
A Disputed Claim. 
At the Shrewsbury County Court, held on Monday, 
December 4, before Judge Smith, Thomas Andrews, who 
alleged that he was a doctor of medicine, sued Frank 
Harry Davies for £4. 13s. 6d. Mr. Morris appeared for 
the plaintiff, and Mr. Chandler for the defendant. The 
case was a peculiar one, both from the nature of the 
claim and the defence set up to meet it, and was of con¬ 
siderable importance to the medical profession in the 
town. 
Mr. Morris said the plaintiff in this case is Mr. Thos. 
Andrews, who was, until the 22nd of February, a chemist 
and druggist only, carrying on business in Theatre 
Buildings. Since that time he has, by medical exami¬ 
nation and not by a purchased degree, either abroad, in 
London, in Edinburgh, or elsewhere, been certified as a 
doctor of medicine. This bill, for which the defendant 
is sued, was incurred before Mr. Andrews passed, and 
he is therefore only entitled to charge as a chemist and 
druggist. 
Thomas Andrews, the plaintiff, was then called into 
the box. In answer to Mr. Morris, he said—I am the 
plaintiff in this case, and at the time this bill was in¬ 
curred I was carrying on the business of a chemist and 
druggist. I have now passed as a doctor of medicine, 
but in the bill, which was prior to my doing so, I have 
only charged as a chemist and druggist for medicine 
supplied. 
The bill was handed up to his Honour, and was as 
follows :— 
“Shrewsbury, November, 1871. 
“ Mr. Frank Harry Davies 
“To Thomas Andrews, M.D. 
“ To professional attendance, medicine, etc., £4.13s. 6d 
Mr. Chandler: You hold a diploma ; have you got it 
with you ? 
Mr. Andrews : I have not. 
Mr. Chandler : Will you kindly tell me what kind of 
a diploma it is ? 
Mr. Andrews : It is a foreign diploma. 
Mr. Morris: Your Honour, he is not charging upon 
the principle of having a diploma at all. 
Mr. Chandler: But it is a matter of what he says in 
his bill-head. This says, “ To Thomas Andrews, M.D. 
To professional attendance, medicine, etc. etc.” 
Mr. Morris: 1 object to this. We are only charging 
for medicines. 
Mr. Chandler (to Mr. Andrews) : I am asking you 
where you got your diploma from. 
Mr. Morris: It does not matter where he gets his 
diploma from. 
The Judge : The only question is, Mr. Morris, do you 
want the case adjourned to alter your bill of particulars ? 
Mr. Chandler: He charges us here as if the bill were 
from a medical man. I merely want to ask him where he 
obtained his diploma from. 
In reply to this and several similar questions from 
Mr. Chandler, the witness would give no further descrip¬ 
tion of the diploma than that it was an American one, 
and reiterated that he was not charging as a medical 
