ON THE STUDY OF BOTANY IN CONNECTION WITH PHABMACY. 115 
compounds produced, one series having for their object the nutrition of the 
plants in -which they were formed, and being directly concerned in their 
growth and development; and another series called secretions, which played 
no active part in the plants after their perfect formation, and which were 
commonly formed at a later period in the life of the plant. These facts ought 
to teach us how important it is not to manure plants which are used in medi¬ 
cine too freely, as by such a proceeding they are made to grov/ too luxuriantly, 
and become as it were fattened; while, at the same time, no increase at all 
events, but on the contrary, as I believe, in most instances a sensible decrease 
takes place in the amount of their secretions, and a corresponding diminution 
of their medical properties. Under any circumstances, the addition of a 
large quantity of unstable compounds to the juices containing the secretions 
we require would render such plants, as a rule, ill adapted for the production 
of eligible and stable preparations. When plants are grown for use, as 
nutritive vegetables, the opposite plan should be adopted, as our object would 
then be to form nutritive compounds, and not active secretions. It is very 
])robable, however, that as our kno-uledge of vegetable chemistry and physio¬ 
logy increases—that is, when we become more perfectly acquainted -with the 
action and uses of artificial and other manures, the medicinal properties of 
plants may be increased rather than diminished by their judicious use. The 
above remarks are simply intended to apply to the now commonly adopted 
plan of indiscriminate and over-manuring of medicinal plants. 
There is another important practical fact which was first pointed out by 
me in a lecture which I delivered at the Pharmaceutical Society, in 1862, 
“ On Plants in a State of Life,” wdiich arises from a knowledge of the later 
development and difference in function of the secretions and products of 
plants. It is this : it was well known that in the process of flowering and 
more especially of fruiting, a great supply of nourishment was required; 
hence it was said by vegetable physiologists, that when the herbaceous parts 
of plants were required for medicinal uses, they should be taken before the 
process of flowering ; the practical man however came forward and said no, 
take them when the flowering stage lias somewhat advanced, as it is at that 
period that I can obtain the most active and stable preparations from them. I 
think we may show that the latter is correct (provided that the flowering 
stage has not advanced to any very great extent), as follows :—In the process 
of flowering the only compounds that are taken up in any amount are those 
which are concerned in the growth and development of new tissues ; no fur¬ 
ther growth, to any extent at least, can therefore take place in the vege¬ 
tative organs of the plant; but the secretions by the removal of these pro¬ 
ducts become more concentrated, and the organs in which they are produced 
by being left for a longer period in connection with the plant, have time to 
elaborate them more perfectly. 
At the period at which the lecture just alluded to was delivered, much dis¬ 
cussion had arisen as to the propriety of using the young vitally-active parts 
of herbaceous plants in immediate contact with the leaves, as well as the 
leaves themselves, in the preparation of extracts, etc. ; and as the subject is 
of much practical importance, I must be excused for referring to it again as 
follows ;—Without leaves or other organs of an analogous nature, no growth 
to any extent can take place, or any secretions be formed in the plant. Thus 
the floral leaves, and the green parts of the flower itself, have a similar effect 
to the leaves ; even the young herbaceous parts, from whicli the leaves and 
other organs arise, are also directly concerned in the formation of products 
and secretions. This assimilating power of the young green herbaceous 
parts is commonly lost sight of, but in reality the structure of these 
parts is essentially the same as the leaves, except that their tissues are some- 
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