Preparation and employment of Jiconitine. 143 
ed, gave eight grammes (two drachms,) of pure canthari- 
dine. 
I have treated cantha rides which contained no canthari- 
dine. Some that I left in a drying stove for six weeks, gave 
no trace of this principle. It is probable that the means 
sometimes used to kill these insects, influence the quantity of 
cantharidine to be obtained. 
It has been said that the green oil has no vesicating pro- 
perty ; this is true, but it is only when it is very old and has 
deposited all the cantharidine it contained. To verify this, I 
rubbed my arm with some oil recently prepared ; twelve 
hours afterwards the skin was red, and this irritation lasted 
several days. With some prepared a year before, no such 
effect was produced. Journ. de Pharm. 

ART. XXXII.— PREPARATION AND EMPLOYMENT OF 
ACONITINE. 
By Dr. Turnbull. 
We have made several attempts to obtain aconitine from 
the Parisian chemists, for the purpose of employing it in medi- 
cine, but have never hitherto succeeded. It is now, however, 
prepared in town, and may be had in sufficient quantity for 
present use, by those practitioners who may wish to make 
trial of its properties. We have contrived several processes 
for obtaining it, two of which shall now be given : the first is 
the easier to manipulate, but the second yields a much purer 
result. 
A quantity of the fresh root of the Aconitum Napellus must 
be procured, and care should be taken that it be sound, and 
that the root be that of monkshood ; for sometimes other roots 
are sold for it. Let it be carefully and cautiously dried, and 
then reduced to powder; this latter operation is not unattended 
by danger, especially if a part of the fine dust which rises 
