ECLECTIC  PHARMACY. 
109 
own  physicians,  were  not  slow  in  patronizing  a  scheme  that,  with- 
out collegiate  study,  offered  to  give  them  the  knowledge  requisite 
for  medical  practice.  In  process  of  time  the  crude  ideas  of  the 
founder  were  more  and  more  modified  by  his  disciples,  the  materia 
medica  was  extended  beyond  lobelia  and  red  pepper,  and  some 
degree  of  science,  both  as  regards  botany  and  pharmacy,  crept  in 
to  their  practice,  which  now  included  a  numerous  list  of  the  plants 
indigenous  to  our  country.  The  advent  from  time  to  time  of  a 
regular  physician  among  them  brought  in  an  admixture  of  regular 
ideas  ;  and  at  this  time,  quite  a  numerous  body  of  men,  principally 
in  the  West  and  North,  are  engaged  in  the  practice  of  a  scheme  of 
medicine  and  pharmacy  which  is  known  as  "  Eclecticism,"  or 
"  the  Eclectic  Practice  of  Medicine."  Depending  chiefly  on  botan- 
ical medicines,  they  do  not  wholly  discard  mineral  preparations. 
Although  professedly  inimical  to  the  mercurials,  they  employ  the 
salts  of  iron,  zinc  and  lead,  and  perhaps  others.  They  have  no 
generally  recognized  Pharmacopoeia  or  code  of  receipts,  but  several 
works  on  their  materia  medica  have  been  published  by  individuals. 
They  support  several  Institutions,  where  their  system  of  practice  is 
taught  by  lectures  in  the  ordinary  manner,  by  professors  with  titles 
quite  as  formidable  as  those  of  our  oldest  Institutions.  They  also 
have  several  medical  Journals  in  which  their  views  are  advo- 
cated, and  information  circulated. 
It  is  a  favorite  idea  with  the  "  Eclectics  "  to  have  what  they  call 
"concentrated  medicines,"  as  active  principles,  fluid  extracts,  etc., 
and  this  inclination  has  increased  in  proportion  as  they  have  re- 
pudiated Thompsonianism  and  edged  towards  regular  medicine.  A 
notice  of  some  of  those  preparations,  as  podophyllin,  macroytin, 
sanguinarin  etc.,  was  published  in  this  Journal  by  Edward  Par- 
rish,  (vol.  xxiii.  page  329.)  We  will  now  make  a  few  extracts 
from  what  purports  to  be  a  list  of  Eclectic  "Officinal  Prepara- 
tions." 
"  Pilules  Ferri  Composites. — Take  of  carbonate  of  iron,  one 
drachm,  podophyllin  [impure  resin  of  Podophyllum  peltatum] 
half  a  drachm,  white  turpentine  half  a  drachm.  Mix  well  to- 
gether and  divide  into  thirty  pills." 
"  Pilules  Podophyllini  Composit.ee. — Take  of  podophyllin, 
scammony,  gamboge,  of  each  in  powder,  one  drachm ;  triturate 
well  together  for  half  an  hour ;  then  add  half  a  drachm  of  castile 
