EDITORIAL. 
387 
wash  the  product  two  or  three  times  with  fresh  water  and  let  the  residuum 
dry  in  the  open  air ;  when  dry,  it  readily  forms  a  powder  of  a  light  gray 
color." 
Made  by  another  process,  under  the  head  of  "  Chemical  Properties,"  the 
author  remarks,  "  Caulophyllin,  thus  prepared,  is  a  resinous  substance,  of 
a  light  brown  color,  with  a  peculiar/not  unpleasant  odor,  slightly  bitter 
taste,  with  some  pungency.  Its  chemical  reactions  have  not  been  thoroughly 
investigated  ;  it  appears,  however,  to  be  a  neutral  substance,  like  salicin, 
exhibiting  neither  acid  or  alkaline  principles."  Such  is  a  fair  sample  of 
Eclectic  organic  chemistry. 
Cimicifugin  is  the  resinous  precipitate  obtained  by  precipitating  a  syrupy 
alcoholic  extract  of  Cimicifuga,  by  pouring  it  into  water,  washed,  dried  and 
powdered,  and  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  Eclectic  medicines,  and 
spoken  of  as  an  active  principle. 
Dioscorein  is  prepared  like  Cimicifugin,  from  the  root  of  Dioscorea  villosa, 
and  is  considered  a  powerful  anti-spasmodic  and  a  specific  in  bilious 
colic. 
Eupurpurin  is  the  substance  obtained  when  Eupatorium  purpureum  is 
treated  as  in  making  Cimicifugin. 
As  a  sample  of  the  looseness  and  empyrical  character  of  some  of  these 
so-called  "  principles,"  we  extract  the  following,  viz  : 
"Geraniin.  Geraniin  is  obtained  by  making  a  saturated  tincture  of 
the  root  of  Geranium  maculatum,  filtering,  distilling  off  a  part  of  the  alco- 
hol, adding  water  to  the  rest,  and  evaporating  to  dryness.  The  operation 
is  similar  to  that  for  Podophyllin.  Many  manufacturers  prefer  making 
it  by  evaporating  an  aqueous  decoction  of  the  root  to  dryness  and  evapor- 
ating." 
We  should  like  to  see  the  result  obtained  by  evaporating  a  dry  extract, 
the  preparation  is  nothing,  so  far  as  we  can  make  out,  but  an  extract  of 
Geranium.    Why  not  call  it  by  its  right  name  ? 
Besides  the  above,  and  obtained  in  a  manner  analogous  to  Cimicifugin, 
are  Iridin,  Leptandrin,  Podophyllin,  Ptelein,  etc.  Of  the  whole  list,  the 
only  one  that  is  crystalline  is  Hydrastin.  The  rest  being  mixtures  of  resin 
and  apothem,  resin  and  volatile  oil,  resin  and  fixed  oils,  or  mere  extracts. 
Dr.  King  defends  the  practice  of  giving  names  to  these  mixtures,  which 
really  indicate  to  those  unacquainted  with  Eclectic  literature  that  they  are 
distinct  organic  principles.  We  believe,  from  the  indefinite  manner  in 
which  many  of  his  processes  are  given  by  the  originators  of  these  prepara- 
tions, that  it  would  puzzle  any  but  an  Eclectic  to  produce  similar  results, 
and  we  fear  that  in  his  anxiety  to  give  formulse,  he  has  been  imposed  upon 
by  some  of  the  manufacturers,  whose  processes  are  very  Brahminical. 
Part  second  of  Dr.  King's  book  is  entitled  "  Pharmacy,"  and  includes 
the  general  principles  of  the  art  of  preparing  medicines,  and  a  detailed 
account  of  most  of  the  preparations,  regular  and  irregular,  used  by  Eclec- 
tics and  physicians.    The  chapter  on  the  collection  and  preservation  o 
