'^'"Nov"^882'.'"°''}  Preparations  of  Aconite.  559 
by  earthing  up  the  stems  a  larger  yield  of  roots  would  probably  be 
insured. 
In  testing  aconite  root  by  taste  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
tingb'ng  sensation  is  often  not  developed  for  ten  minutes^  and  lasts  for 
two  or  three  hours,  so  that  half  a  day  must  be  allowed  to  elapse  before 
tasting  a  second  sample,  to  prevent  the  chance  of  confounding  the  effect 
of  one  root  with  that  of  the  next. 
In  conclusion,  aconite  is  very  easy  of  cultivation,  and,  considering 
the  small  quantity  used,  there  is  no  reason  why  any  chemist  who  has  a 
small  piece  of  garden  should  not  grow  his  own  aconite  root. — Phar. 
Jour,  and  Transactions. 
PEEPARATIONS  OF  ACONITE. 
By  Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb. 
The  tendency  of  the  past  few  years  to  increase  the  number  of  the 
preparations  of  this  among  other  very  important  and  very  active 
drugs,  is  very  confusing  and  very  unfortunate.  One  or  two  alterna- 
tives or  duplicates  each,  for  internal  and  external  uses,  should  be 
sufficient  for  each  active  medicine,  and  then  these  could  be  easily 
understood  and  their  relations  of  strength  could  be  easily  remembered. 
In  the  case  of  aconite,  some  of  the  confusion  has  arisen  from  changing 
the  source  of  the  preparations.  Many  years  ago,  when  the  leaf  of  the 
plant  was  alone  used,  it  was  shown  that  this  part  of  the  plant  was 
nauch  more  variable  in  strength  and  more  perishable  than  the  root, 
and  this  was  a  very  good  reason  for  the  change  which  then  began, 
from  the  leaf  to  the  root,  and  now  preparations  of  the  root  are  com- 
monly used,  but,  unfortunately,  those  from  the  leaf  are  not  yet  entirely 
abandoned  as  they  should  be. 
Then  tlie  alkaloid  aconitia  came  into  use,  at  first  for  external  appli- 
cation only.  But  the  use  has  very  largely  increased,  and  it  is  now 
given  internally  to  a  very  considerable  extent.  Gradually  the  alkaloid 
of  several  j^rominent  makers  came  into  the  market,  and  these  were 
soon  found  to  be  of  very  different  degrees  of  strength  and  untrust- 
worthy and  unsafe;  and  in  all  statements  of  dose  or  effects  the  partic- 
ular maker  had  to  be  given,  the  average  dose  varying  all  the  way 
between  the  ^  and  the  -^^-^  of  a  grain.  Then  again,  the  very  strongest 
of  these  when  the  dosage  was  compared  with  that  of  the  root,  bearing 
no  apparent  relation,  the  root  being  far  stronger,  or  the  alkaloid 
