630 
PHAHMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
. the wood of the OxycMre or Cade {Juniperus Oxycedrus^ Linn.). This sub¬ 
stance is deserving of some notice, from the fact of its having the asterisk, also 
because it has of late been prescribed and used in England, more especially in 
London, under the name of juniper tar oil, also juniper tar soap; whether it 
really possesses any qualities superior to similar products is somewhat doubtful, 
and the following observations from the Codex naturally lead up to the assump¬ 
tion, that other species of tar are frequently substituted :—For some time past 
this product has been replaced by another of a like nature, called oil of pitch 
(pisselason)^ this floats upon the water in which the black pitch is received, one 
of the resinous products from operating upon the wood of pine and fir trees ; 
as an application, and even as an internal agent, the various kinds of tar have 
been employed from time immemorial; to use a common expression, tar, as a 
remedy, is as old as the hills, and, like most other things, there is a fashion in 
it,—at one time ordinary Stockholm tar, then Barbadoes tar, and now juniper 
tifr oil. 
*Huile de foie de Morue: oil extracted from the liver of the fresh codfish. I 
must beg to translate in full the observations upon this substance, as I think them 
well worth your attention, more especially as much of the oil attempted to be 
passed off upon the public as the most efficient is, to an extent, of the repugnant 
character which is mentioned as rendering it unfit for medical purposes. The 
Codex says:—Cod-liver oil differs very much in colour, according to the process 
by which it has been prepared; the very brown oils which result from the more 
or less advanced state of decomposition of the livers, and which have a repug¬ 
nant odour and taste, are on that account even unfit for medical use. The very 
white oils, which have been decolorized or bleached by any chemical agent or 
means, should also be rejected. The blonde or pale amber-coloured oils, which 
are prepared by digesting the fresh livers at a temperature below 100° Centi¬ 
grade, are to be preferred; this temperature signifies below 212° Fahrenheit; the 
P.B. fixes it at 180°, this would be equal to about 82° Centigrade. To continue, 
1 gramme (15^ grains) of oil, mixed with three drops of concentrated sulphuric 
acid, yields a magnificent violet colour, which gradually brightens and passes 
to a cherry red, the mixture becoming later of a blackish-yellow. 
^Ipecacuanha Annele ou Officinal, Boot of CephcBlis Ipecacuanha^ Rich. ; Ru- 
biacees. The remarks upon ipecacuanha coincide in the main with those of the 
P.B., with the simple addition, that it should be freed from the pieces of woody 
stems found in it, and that no other kind than the one indicated should be 
used. 
*Iris de Florence, Iris Florentina^ Linn.; Iridees. The rhizome. Although 
this substance may be found in almost every pharmacy in England, and is largely 
employed in the preparation of dentifrices, and the base of many perfumes, to 
say nothing of the nursery and toilet violet powder, it has no place in our Ma¬ 
teria Medica, nevertheless it is interesting to the pharmaceutist, as few could 
now do very well without it; and I may mention that the student should be 
able to recognize it, as it may be found amongst the neat little boxes with glass 
slides in the examiners’ room. 
*Jalap Tubereux ou Officinal, Exorjonium Purga, Benth. ; Convolvulacees. 
The tubers. Jalap has attached to it some descriptive coniments similar to those 
of the P.B., rather more wordy, and finishing with the remark, that jalap con¬ 
tains from fifteen to eighteen per cent, of resin. I have obtained as much as 
twenty from sound jalap, both from that of Tampico and Vera Cruz, as commer¬ 
cially known ; the resin being a preparation is not found in this part of the work, 
consequently lacks the description given in the P.B., with the means of distin¬ 
guishing it from other resins and determining its purity. 
*Jujubier, Zizyphus vulgaris Ij^uiRrck ; FJiamnus zizyphuslAnn.-, Rhamnees. 
The fruit. The jujube fruit has the asterisk attached. The tree, supposed to 
