562 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [January 13, is; 3. 
difficulty of our “Preliminary examination,” in con¬ 
sequence of so many of the candidates failing to 
acquit themselves to the satisfaction of the examiners 
in the elements of Grammar, Arithmetic and Latin. 
THE FLUID EXTRACT OF CHESTNUT 
LEAVES.* 
BY JOHN M. MAISCH. 
In 1862,f Mr. G. C. Close called attention to the 
beneficial effects of the leaves of the chestnut-tree, 
Castanea vesca, L., var. americana, in whooping- 
cough. I have since learned that the leaves are 
popularly used and highly valued in various parts of 
this country as a remedy for tills disease, and that 
in some sections of New Jersey and also of the 
Southern States peach leaves are employed for the 
same purpose. Of the latter, Dr. F. P. PorcherJ 
remarks : “ A tea of the leaves is a favourite domes¬ 
tic palliative in whooping-cough and in most pec¬ 
toral affections.” 
The favourable effects of chestnut leaves in the 
disease mentioned have since been confirmed by the 
observations of several physicians; and from cases 
which have come under my notice, their use appears 
not only to frequently alleviate the severity of the 
attacks, but even to break the paroxysms, leaving 
merely a cough attended with mucous expectoration, 
which gradually yields to ordinary expectorants. 
Chestnut leaves, however, are not a specific against 
pertussis, though its effects are perhaps beneficial in 
a majority of cases. In 1868, during the prevalence 
of whooping-cough in this city, two of my children, 
being attacked with it, derived no benefit whatever 
from their use, nor had bromide of ammonium and 
hyoscyamus any good result; but the spasms were 
allayed by assafoetida, which was given in the form 
of syrup. 
Dr. A. S. Gerhard, of Philadelphia, at whose request 
I have collected chestnut leaves since 1867, has used 
this remedy quite extensively, at first in the form of 
infusion, one-lialf to one ounce to the pint, which 
was freely administered; subsequently I prepared a 
syrup and a fluid extract, the latter preparation be¬ 
ing greatly preferred by him on account of the small 
dose required, which is from a few drops to a tea¬ 
spoonful, according to the age of the patient and the 
severity of the symptoms. 
Obviously the time at which the leaves are col¬ 
lected must be of considerable influence upon what¬ 
ever medicinal properties they may possess. I have 
collected them from the beginning of July, when the 
flowers were fully expanded, until the beginning of 
October; when gathered late in the fall, the green 
leaves only were selected. It had been my inten¬ 
tion to use the leaves from the different months 
separately, with the view of having their relative 
efficacy tested; but the demand becoming unexpect¬ 
edly large, the various collections had finally to be 
used indiscriminately. However, as far as the ob¬ 
servations could be made, they appeared to be rather 
* Read at the Pharmaceutical Meeting of the Philadelphia 
College of Pharmacy, November 21. Reprinted from the 
American Journal of Pharmacy. 
+ Proceedings Amer. Pharm. Assoc., p. 230. Amer. Journ. 
Pharm. 1863, p. 66. 
X ‘Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests,’ p. 198. ; 
in favour of the fall collections made in September 
and early in October. 
Chestnut leaves contain considerable tannin; 
their taste is not unpleasant, merely mildly astrin¬ 
gent, without any decided bitterness. The remedy 
is therefore readily taken by children, whether in 
the form of sweetened infusion, syrup or fluid ex¬ 
tract containing sugar. In preparing the fluid 
extract, the use of diluted alcohol as the exhausting 
menstruum was not attended with as satisfactory 
results as that of water, which was therefore em¬ 
ployed. A purely saccharine fluid extract was of 
too thick a consistence, in consequence of the large 
amount of extractive matter dissolved by the water. 
After several experiments, a small quantity of glyce¬ 
rine was employed and the sugar correspondingly 
reduced, when a more attractive preparation of the 
consistency of a dense syrup was obtained. 
One difficulty in the management of chestnut 
leaves in the preparation of fluid extract is their 
bulkiness and flexibility; dried in the air, they can¬ 
not with any degree of facility be reduced to a 
powder, either in the mortar or hand-mill, so that 
their exhaustion cannot be effected by percolation. 
After cutting and bruising them, they are covered 
with hot water in an enamelled kettle, and digested 
over-night, when they are expressed; the digestion 
and expression are repeated twice with fresh por¬ 
tions of water, and the three infusions, each one 
mixed with glycerine or a portion of the sugar, 
evaporated to a small bulk when they are mixed, 
and the evaporation continued until the proper 
measure is obtained; it is then set aside for several 
days and decanted from the small quantity of sedi¬ 
ment. 
The proportions used are as follows:—Chestnut 
leaves, dried, cut and bruised, 16 troy ounces; glyce¬ 
rine, 5 troy ounces (f siv); sugar, 8 troy ounces ; hot 
water a sufficient quantity: the fluid extract to 
measure 16 fluid ounces. 
VESICATING INSECTS. 
BY M. C. COOKE, M.A. 
(■Continued from page 522.) 
Potato Blister-fly, Lytta vittata , Oliv.; brown; 
elytra black, with the margin and a 
longitudinal band yellow. — Oliv. 
Ent. iii. t. 1. f. 3; Durand, Journ. 
Phil. Coll. Pharm. ii. p. 274. f. 4; 
Wood and Baclie, Disp. U.S. (1867), 
p. 205; Warner, Amer. Journ. Pharm. 
xxviii. p. 195; Leidy, Amer. Journ. 
Med. Sc. (Jan. 1860), p. 60; Harris, 
Injurious Insects (1862), p. 136; 
Packard’s Guide, p. 479. f. 452. 
Lytta vittata, Fab. Syst. p. 260; Pall. 
Fig. 12. —Lytta Ins. Sib. t. E. f. 33; Brandt and 
vittata. Hatzb. ii. t. xviii. f. 12. Epicaata, 
vittata , Dej. 
Native of North America. 
The potato-fly is rather smaller than Cantharis 
vesicatoria , which it resembles in shape. Its length 
is about six lines. The head is light red, until dark 
spots upon the top. The feelers are black. The 
elytra, or wing-cases, are black, with a longitudinal 
stripe in the centre and with a yellow margin. The 
