3i8 
Cheap  Drugs. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
July,  1902. 
70  to  80  per  cent,  are  capable  of  germination.  Ergot  is  ordinarily 
supposed  to  retain  its  virtues  not  longer  than  a  year,  yet  it  has  been 
suggested  that  if  ergot  be  dried  in  thin  layers  and  the  last  traces  of 
moisture  removed,  by  exposure  over  lime  or  sulphuric  acid,  and  then 
stored  in  corked  yellow  bottles,  it  will  retain  its  superior  quality 
for  several  years. 
(3)  A  third  cause  affecting  the  quality  of  drugs  is  the  contami- 
nation naturally  occurring  with  the  drug  and  which  has  not  been 
removed  in  the  preparation  of  the  drug  for  the  market.  In  the 
trimming  ot  the  roots  and  rhizomes  there  is  a  disposition  in  many 
instances  to  leave  quite  a  quantity  of  the  overground  stem,  as  in 
aconite,  senega  and  veratrum  viride.  I  have  examined  aconite  con- 
taining as  much  as  4  to  5  per  cent,  of  stems,  and  in  belladonna 
found  over  6  per  cent.,  while  in  ipecac  nearly  3  per  cent,  was  found. 
In  other  cases  the  earth  is  not  removed,  and  in  geranium  I  have 
found  nearly  10  per  cent,  of  fine  refuse  matter. 
There  is  a  growing  tendency  to  collect  the  smaller  roots  with  the 
root  bark,  as  in  gossypii  radicis  cortex  and  rubus. 
In  some  rhizomes  the  roots  are  removed  or  are  present  in  exces- 
sive amounts.  The  question  of  ascertaining  the  relative  value  of 
roots  and  rhizomes  is  an  interesting  subject  for  investigation.  Drs, 
Dohme  and  Schmidt  have  done  some  work  on  hydrastis  and  found 
the  roots  less  active  than  the  rhizome,  though  still  valuable.  It  was 
questioned  twenty  years  ago  whether  the  Pharmacopoeia  was  justi- 
fied in  admitting  the  roots  with  the  rhizome  of  veratrum  viride. 
The  German  Pharmacopoeia  as  well  as  our  own  Pharmacopoeia  admits 
both  rhizomes  and  roots,  although  considerable  veratrum  is  imported 
consisting  entirely  of  rhizome.  The  U.S. P.  specifies  that  podophyl- 
lum consists  of  rhizome  and  roots,  yet  it  is  doubtful  if  the  roots  are 
ever  seen  in  the  commercial  article.  On  the  other  hand  I  have  seen 
cypripedium,  in  which  over  50  per  cent,  consisted  of  roots  and  the 
remainder  consisted  of  rhizome  with  roots  attached. 
At  the  present  time  a  large  number  of  drugs  are  sold  in  a  com- 
pressed form.  This  is  done  to  reduce  their  bulk  and  thereby  reduce 
the  cost  of  freight  and  space  in  storage.  While  there  is  no  special 
objection  to  this  method,  unless  there  is  greater  liability  of  the  drug 
to  become  moldy,  still  it  has  been  pointed  out  in  the  case  of  can- 
nabis indica  that  the  compressed  drug  called  fiat  or  Bombay  ganjah, 
is  an  inferior  product  to  the  loose  or  "  round-bundled  drug,"  known 
