PATHOLOGY. 
handfome 4to of 600 pages. But we muft obferve, that 
the French prefcriptions continue to have more ingre¬ 
dients in them than our own; for we find one of the 
compound tinCtures containing 18 ingredients, another 
16, and fo on. They are however, as we faid, impro¬ 
ving ; for their Alcoholatum vulnerarium, which, in 
the former edition of the Codex, confifted of 4a ingre¬ 
dients, is now reduced to 13. We cannot, however, 
avoid noticing the Ele&uarium opiatum polupharmacum, 
theriaca dictum; and never was an epithet fo juftly ap¬ 
plied as the term polupharmacum to a farrago containing 
upwards of 70 articles. This ne plus ultra of complex¬ 
ity is ufhered in by the molt folemn affurances that the 
compilers have not dared to encroach on, or alter in the 
flighteft degree, the directions given in the preceding 
Codex (60 years fince), for the preparation of this 
“ percelebris compofitio and that, although feveral of 
the compound medicines, which formerly entered its 
coinpofition, have lately been excluded from the pages 
of the Codex, yet they have taken efpecial care to intro¬ 
duce every one of the conftituents of thofe compounds 
in .the exaCt proportion in which they entered the prece¬ 
ding formula; forinftance, though the trochifi viperiniare 
no longer in ufe, yet the caro viperina is carefully pre¬ 
ferred as an ingredient of the theriaca. In order to 
give our readers fome idea of the complexity of this for¬ 
mula, fuffice it to obferve, that the authors have judged 
it neceffary to divide it into thirteen diftinct heads, for 
the purpofe of giving us fome infight into the nature and 
aCtion of this monfter in pharmacy. Thefe are, 1. Acria. 
2. Amara. 3. Styptica. 4. Aromatica exotica. 5. Aro- 
matica ex indigenis. 6. Aromatica ex umbelliferis. 7. 
Refinae et Balfami. 8. Graveolentia. 9. Virofa. 10. 
Gummofa. n. Terra inert. 12. Dulcia. 13. Vinum. 
The amazing complexity of this medicine, the very cir- 
cumftance on which its celebrity is grounded, is a fuffi- 
cient caufe of condemnation. How is it poflible to fup- 
p>ofe, that the fimultaneous exhibition of agents fo oppo- 
fite, is a defirable objeCl ? It will, no doubt, be always 
a tEoft valuable acquifition to the quack, who, not know¬ 
ing what intention he fhould endeavour to fulfil, may 
reckon with tolerable certainty, that fome of the articles 
of this panacea are adapted to the wants of his patient. 
We cannot too ftrongty reprobate the retention of this 
compound, which has obvioufly arifen from timidity in 
the authors, who feared to rejeft a remedy of which fo 
high an opinion is entertained. But by whom? They 
themfelves anfwe? the queftion, and confefs they have 
aCted according to the willies of thofe who are totally 
unqualified to form an opinion. One of the reafons 
given for its introduction into the new Codex is, “ quia 
a vulgo fsepius requiritur.” A parity of reafoning 
would lead them to introduce into their Pharmacopoeia 
all the quack-medicines of the cornpofition of which 
they could attain a knowledge ; and, indeed, this inten¬ 
tion they have difplayed on one or two other occafions. 
It appears to us, that in afligningthe above caufe for the 
retention of certain remedies, they have miftaken their 
duty, which is no lefs to decide what medicines ought to 
be retained or rejected, than to give accurate inftructions 
for the compounding and preparing of fuch as are judged 
proper to compofe a part of their materia medics,. After 
all the ingredients of the theriaca have -been mixed to¬ 
gether, fecundum artem, they are fet afide for one year, 
in order to undergo a flow fermentation, as it is directed 
in the Codex. That they do not undergo this procefs, 
teems probable front the circumftance that anal-yfis dif- 
covei's no difference between parcels of theriaca differing 
much in age, the recent preparation perfectly re fern biin g 
that which has been of feveral years Handing; Diafcor- 
diu 1Y1 is another eleCtuary, tranfiated from the old edi¬ 
tion to the new Codex, in all its priftine complexity, 
with the fame fcrupulous regard to its cornpofition as 
that we have juft been confiderirrg. It is only to be 
wondered how the Theriaca cceleftrs, and the BenediCta 
laxativa, each of them confifling of at leaft twenty arti¬ 
cles, could have fo far degenerated as to have forfeited a 
place in this new edition. 
A new preparation of opium has been very recently 
propofed by Mr. Robiquet of Paris. It has been afeer- 
tained, that the moft aCtive properties of opium refide in 
two fubftances, which may be obtained in difcinCl forms, 
and which produce very different effeCts ; narcotine, and 
morphine , as they have been named. The former is a 
very powerful irritant to the nervous fyftem, as appears 
from the experiments of Dr. Majendie ; and it feems to 
be this fubftance which produces the effeCts which we fo 
much wifh to avoid in the adminiftration of this medi¬ 
cine, and which are obviated, to a certain extent, by 
giving it in the form of the black drop , or other analo¬ 
gous acid preparations. Morphine, according to the evi¬ 
dence of the fame experiments, and others made on hu¬ 
man beings, produces fedative effeCts without fymptoms 
of the flighteft irritation. To feparate the narcotine, 
then, from the other parts of opium, is a very defirable 
object of pharmacy 5 and Mr. Robiquet fays it maybe 
eafily effected in the following way : “ I macerate,” fays 
Mr. Robiquet, “common opium, divided into fmall 
pieces, in cold water, as if it were for the aqueous ex¬ 
tract of opium ; I filter the folution, evaporate it to the 
confiftence of a thick fyrup, and treat it, in convenient 
veffels, with rectified ether ; the whole is then fhaken a 
great many times, before the ethereous tinCture is poured 
off; this, being feparated, is then fubmitted to diftillation, 
that the ether may be drawn from it. This procefs is 
repeated as often as cryftals of narcotine are obtained as a 
refidue of the diftillation. When the ether is without 
aCtion, I evaporate the folution of opium to a confiftence 
proper for pills; and I obtain, by this means, an extraCl 
wholly free from narcotine.” 
In the Revue medicule, before quoted, there is an arti¬ 
cle continued from time to time, called “ Medical Let¬ 
ters.” Thefe contain the medical chit-chat of Paris. 
From the 2d M° of that work, we fnall make a few ex¬ 
tracts applicable to our prefent purpofe. Thefe letters 
contain much truth, but not without a mixture of what 
the French call malice, a term, however, not of fo harlh 
a meaning as the fame word in our language; and will 
certainly give an idea of the ftate of medicine, and the 
opinions upon it, at this time. 
“ Paris has long given the ton to Europe; and fo com¬ 
pletely dictates to the provinces, that whatever comes 
from the capital excites the greateft curiofity; a feeling 
the more predominant in medical men, from its having 
been as yet, with regard to them, lefs gratified. The 
daily papers detail only events of general intereft ; and 
the fcientific journals exclude all anecdote. To fill fuch 
a gap will be a difficult enterprife, and the execution of 
it will offend many; but the confideration that fcience 
and the public will gain by it, is a fufficient incitement to 
the attempt. 
“ Petitions have been prefented to both chambers, to 
proteft againft the fuppreifion of the concours (examina¬ 
tion and competition) in the election of profeffors; and 
one of the petitioners has proved to demonftration, that 
the only objeCt in this fuppreffion is to ferve the interefts 
of M. Royer-Collard. If this gentleman had taken the 
trouble to ftudy chemiftry, anatomy, and medicine, by 
way of qualifying himfeif to deliver a courfe of medical 
jurifpruder.ee, there is no doubt but he would have 
faved government from all the blame which this election 
has thrown upon it. John Hunter, arriving at the age 
of twenty-two years from the mountains of Scotland, 
where he exercifed the trade of a carpenter, became ne- 
verthelefs one of the firft anatomifts of England. M. 
Royer-Collard, arriving at Paris at the age of forty from 
ChambCry, where he performed the duties of a commit- 
fary, might have found fome better method of teaching 
medical jurifprudence than by reading leCtures copied 
from a printed book which is known to the whole world. 
The 
