THE MEDICINAL VALUE OF TINCTURA CONII FRUCTUS. 
381 
Philadelphia satisfies the requirements of the shipper; the shipper sends what¬ 
ever is wanted by the British merchant; the merchant iinj^orts according to the 
demands of the dealer; the dealer supplies the wants of the retailer; and the 
retailer finds ready sale for any mineral oil that will give a good light without 
smoke, and is cheap. Then the adoption of preventive meiisures scarcely lies 
with the public ; for the consumer seldom knows anything about thermometers, 
petroleometers, igniting-points and exploding-points, and the only test I can 
suggest to him, by which to assure himself that a given specimen of oil is or is 
not dangerous, is to unscrew the brasswork after the lamp has been burning for 
an hour or two, and to introduce the flame of a lucifer or thin splint of wood 
into the reservoir of the lamp. A light blue flash of flame, visible within the 
aperture, and scarcely audible explosion will result if the mixture of air and 
vapour in the upper part of the reservoir is inflammable. Such an experiment 
is as harmless as that of lighting raisins soaked in brandy in the game of Christ¬ 
mas snapdragons. If the explosive mixture is met with, the oil is dangerous, as 
the ignition of the mixture may occur when the aperture is closed by the brass- 
work ; in that case the resulting flame and expanded products of combustion, 
having no other vent, will escape by bursting the reservoir, and scattering the 
oil, to the risk of a conflagration if the oil catches light. If there is no explosive 
mixture in the reservoir the oil is safe, and will even extinguish the test-flame 
if the latter is plunged beneath the surface. Experiments of this sort would, of 
course result in a demand, which, passing on from mouth to mouth, would at 
last produce supply of safe oil from the refiner. But we must not expect such 
tests to be performed to a commensurate extent by the public. We must turn 
to the trade in this matter, and look to them to adopt this experiment, in its, to 
them, easier form of the test-tube and thermometer, already described, and to 
regard no refined oil as merchantable if it gives off inflammable vapour, or, in 
other words, if it affords an explosive mixture below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 
But v/ith which of the above-named classes of the trade wall this reform begin? 
IVho wall find it to his interest to discard his old standard of 100 degrees as the 
temperature below wdiich the oil itself shall not ignite, and adopt instead the 
higher standard just given? Perhaps the Committee of the Petroleum Asso¬ 
ciation will bring about this reform, and thus ensure safety to the public? If 
the trade will not help the consumer, possibly the excise, the press, or Parliament 
will take the matter up? If neither comes to the rescue, we must put up with 
an occasional explosion and its attendant fright, fire, or loss of life, or else leave 
off burning these valuable oils altogether. 
17, Bloomsbury Square, Londor. 
OX THE MEDICINAL VALUE AND DOSES OF TINCTURA 
CONII FBUCTUS OF THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOHA. 
hlr. He:\iing'\vay said that he had attended that evening for the purpose of 
calling the attention of the meeting to a few facts in connection wdth the medi¬ 
cinal value of the tincture of coniura fruits of the British Pharmacopoeia. He 
had had a conversation with Dr. Harley, of King’s College Hospital, who 
informed him that he had made several experiments with the view of ascertain¬ 
ing its medicinal value, and, not finding the results satisfactory with the tinc¬ 
ture furnished to him at the hospital, he obtained a fresh supply from a chemist 
at the West End of London. The result obtained upon trial was equallymnsa- 
tisfactory, and the impression left on Dr. Harley’s mind was that tincture of 
conium fruits was useless as a remedial agent. He (Mr. Hemingway) was so taken 
