34 
AN ESSAY ON LACTUCARIUM. 
not attach to it more importance than its object deserves. 
Another case ought to occupy me more seriously — it is that 
which is attached to the question of ascertaining what men- 
struum is best for the treatment of lactucarium. Ought we, 
in fact, to employ weak to concentrated alcohol, sulphuric 
ether to distilled water, as M. Aubergier thinks? Such is 
the question I propose to examine in this paper. It is the 
more delicate on my part, because it may place me in op- 
position to a skilful brother, for whom I profess the most 
profound esteem. Still, as we both of us are guided by the 
ame wish, I have every reason to believe that he will be 
glad I have inquired into the same subject, even if I run 
counter to his opinion, so long as I succeed in deducing use- 
ful conclusions. 
Treatment of Lactucarium ivith Ether. 
Two grammes of M. Aubergier's lactucarium yielded to 
this menstruum 65 centigrammes of a dry substance, white, 
light, friable, extremely bitter, &c. Two doses of the ether 
are sufficient, a third is almost superfluous, for it has 
scarcely any effect on the residue. We may indeed, strict- 
ly confine ourselves to one, for with 16 parts of sulphuric 
ether, the second dose only furnished 4 or 5 centigrammes 
of the product. 
It is evident this ethereal extract cannot be an agent fitted 
to replace the lactucarium ; for the active matter, extracted 
on account of its soluble properties, appears in a very small 
quantity. Still, however, it must not be considered entirely 
inert ; its decided and characteristic bitterness will not allow 
us to imagine this. It only satisfies us that the sulphuric 
ether ought to be rejected, when we wish to extract the 
whole of the active matter of the lactucarium, and while we 
attribute to it an action upon the same body, although it 
may be feeble ; this will allow us to believe that a certain 
degree of virtue exists in the etherolate of lactucarium; that 
may, perhaps, be employed efficaciously in certain cases, 
