THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 24, 1872. 
GSI 
CINCHONA CULTIVATION IN JAVA. 
In a very interesting report on tlie trade and com¬ 
merce of tlie island of Java, we read that “ the cin¬ 
chona cultivation, under the special care of the Go¬ 
vernment, is increasing yearly. Besides the twelve 
plantations in the Preanger Residency, Government 
are experimenting in the Passoeroean Residency and 
in Sumatra. Seeds and plants have also been 
granted to private persons on application, and several 
landed proprietors have established small planta¬ 
tions which promise well, and are likely to be en¬ 
larged. 
A quantity of cinchona bark was sent during 1870 
to Holland for realization, and the prices ranged 
from 1 florin 2 cents to 1 florin 40 cents per pound. 
The medical service here has also been supplied. 
The entire last year’s crop was over 9000 pounds 
bark, and the expenses of cultivation, including 
salaries, etc. slightly exceeding T3500. 
The following is a list of the various descriptions 
of plants in the Government plantations in Decem¬ 
ber, 1870 :— 
Cinchona Calisaya and C. Hasskarliana 1,177,951 
C. succirubra and C. calojptera* . . . 107,904 
C. officinalis . 287,849 
C. lancifolia . 45,777 
C. micrantha . 758 
Total . . . 1,080,299 
Of the Government Botanical Gardens at Buiten- 
zorg, we are also told that they “ are well known 
over the East for their extent and beauty, as well as 
for their botanical value ; they are under the charge 
of Dr. Scheffer. Frequent exchanges of plants occur 
between the Buitenzorg Gardens and those of many 
of the British Colonies.” 
THE PREPARATION OF PEPSIN. 
BY LIOXEL S. BEALE, F.R.S. 
The following remarks of Dr. Beale on the prepara¬ 
tion of “pure digestive powder or pepsin from the pig’s 
stomach,” are taken from a lecture published in the 
Medical Times and Gazette :f— 
“Various chemical processes more or less complicated 
have been employed in the preparation of pepsin. Partly 
in consequence of these being tedious and difficult of 
performance, and the results uncertain, and partly from 
the sale of perfectly useless preparations, the remedy 
has to some extent lost its reputation. Many years ago, 
when engaged upon some experiments on artificial 
digestion, and after having met with considerable diffi¬ 
culty in obtaining clear solutions that would filter, I 
tried various new plans of preparing digestive fluids; 
and from the circumstance that the pig was an omni¬ 
vorous animal, with a very strong digestion, and his 
stomach to be easily procured for a small sum, I was led 
to try his pepsin in preference to that of any other 
animal. The following mode of preparation was found 
to answer very satisfactorily. It is very simple, and 
free from many of the objections to which other pro¬ 
cesses are liable. 
“The mucous membrane of a 'perfectly fresh pig’s 
stomach was carefully dissected from the muscular coat, 
and placed on a flat board. It was then lightly cleansed 
with a sponge and a little water, and much of the 
* We do not know to what species this refers.— Ed. 
Phaem. Jounx. 
f February 10, 1872, p. 152. 
mucus, remains of food, etc., carefully removed. With 
the hack of a knife, or with an ivory paper-knife, the 
surface was scraped very hard, in order that the glands 
might he squeezed and their contents pressed out. The 
viscid mucus thus obtained contains the pure* gastric 
juice with much epithelium from the glands and surface 
of the mucous membrane. It is to be spread out upon 
a piece of glass, so as to form a very thin layer, which is 
to he dried at a temperature of 100° over hot waiter, or 
in vacuo over sulphuric acid. Care must he taken that 
the temperature does nor rise much above 100°, because 
the action of the solvent would be completely destroyed. 
When dry the mucus is scraped from the glass, pow r - 
defed in a mortar, and transferred to a well-stoppered 
bottle. With this powder a good digestive fluid may be 
made as follows:— 
Of the powder.5 grains. 
Strong hydrochloric acid . .18 drops. 
Water.6 ounces. 
Macerate it at a temperature of 100° for an hour. The 
mixture may be filtered easily, and forms a perfectly 
clear solution very convenient for experiment. 
“If the powder is to be taken as a medicine, from 
tw r o to five grains may be given for a dose, a little 
diluted hydrochloric acid in water being taken at the 
same time. The pepsin powder may be mixed with the 
salt at a meal. It is devoid of smell, and has only a 
slightly salt taste. It undergoes no change if kept per¬ 
fectly dry, and contains the active principle of the 
gastric juice almost unaltered. 
“ The method of preparing this pepsin w r as commu¬ 
nicated to Mr. Bullock, of the firm of Messrs. Bullock 
and Reynolds, 3, Hanover Street, Hanover Square, who 
at once adopted it for the preparation of medicinal 
pepsin, and soon improved upon it in some particulars. 
The dose is from 2 to 4 or 5 grains. Test: '8 grain of 
this pepsin, wdth 10 drops dilute hydrochloric acid and 
an ounce of distilled water, dissolve 100 grains of hard- 
boiled white of egg in from twelve to twenty-four hours. 
In the body probably twice this quantity of white of 
egg or even more w T ould he dissolved in a comparatively 
short space of time. The digestive pow r der prepared 
from the pig’s stomach retains its activity for any length 
of time if kept dry. I had some which had been kept 
in a bottle for upwards of five years, and still retained 
its active power unimpaired. The solution made with 
this pepsin and hydrochloric acid was nearly tasteless 
and inodorous. One pig’s stomach, wdiich costs 6d., wall 
yield about forty-five grains of the pow r der prepared as 
above described. 
“ Gradually the usefulness of this preparation of pepsin 
of the pig was found out, and it had to he prepared in 
increasing quantities. I should he afraid to say how 
many pigs’ stomachs have been used of late years during 
the winter season. 
“ In 1857, Dr. Pavy carefully examined the pepsin pre¬ 
pared and sold by many different firms, and found that 
this dried mucus of the pig’s stomach was the most 
active of them all ( Medical Times and Gazette , 1857, vol. i. 
p. 336). In 1863, Professor Tuson instituted a still 
more careful comparative examination, and with a simi¬ 
lar result ( Lancet , August 13, 1870) ; for he found that 
this preparation was twenty- five times stronger than some 
others that he obtained for examination . 
“ I have purposely abstained from writing about the 
value of this preparation since the note I first published 
concerning it in 1856. It has, however, been used 
largely by many practitioners ever since, who are tho¬ 
roughly convinced of its usefulness. I have often given 
it to patients, w r ho did not know what they were taking, 
but were quite satisfied of the improvement which re¬ 
sulted; and I have tested its usefulness in many dif¬ 
ferent ways. It is often extremely valuable in treating 
the diseases of young children, and I believe that per¬ 
sons greatly advanced in age may sometimes be kept 
alive by it.” 
