-Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Nov.,  1882.  / 
Preparations  of  Aconite. 
563 
taken  by  other  matters  it  would  escape  unnoticed.  Any  good  fluid 
extract  of  aconite  root  should  stand  this  test.  When  one  is  met 
with  which  does  not  stand  it,  it  may  be  systematically  diluted  to  a 
lesser  degree  until  the  sensation  is  reached,  and  then  the  amount  of 
dilution  will  approximately  measure  its  shortage  in  strength. 
Negative  results  being  obtained,  the  second  trial  should  be  with 
one-fourth  or  one-third  of  a  minim  to  the  fluidrachm,  and  then  a 
less  or  a  greater  dilution  from  the  indications  thus  obtained.  This 
is  the  principle  adopted  for  the  comparison  of.  all  the  preparations 
of  aconite  and  for  aconitia,  which  are  now  to  follow.  It  was  found 
by  repeated  trials  upon  three  individuals  that  such  a  fluid  extract 
when  diluted  in  the  proportion  of  one-third  of  a  minim  to  the  flui- 
drachm, or  1  part  in  180,  when  used  in  doses  of  a  fluidrachm,  gave 
a  pronounced  impression  which  commenced  in  about  5  to  10  minutes, 
increased  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  was  practically  at  an 
end  in  1'5  hour.  This  made  a  very  convenient  dilution  for  com- 
parison, and  was  therefore  adopted  as  the  general  standard  for 
comparison. 
Powdered  aconite  leaf  with  all  the  sensible  properties  of  a  good 
article  was  obtained  from  a  good  source,  and  was  carefully  made  into  a 
fluid  extract  representing  the  powder  in  the  proportion  of  minim  for 
grain,  the  same  menstruum  being  used  as  for  the  root,  namely,  stronger 
alcohol.   The  dilutions  of  this  had  a  mawkish  as  well  as  a  bitter  taste, 
were  slow  in  producing  their  impression,  and  the  impression  made  was 
different  in  kind  from  that  of  the  root,  and  getting  into  the  throat 
^ave  a  greater  sense  of  constriction  and  desire  to  swallow  repeatedly. 
The  fluid  extract  being  much  more  loaded  with  chlorophyll  and  albu- 
menoid  matters  than  that  of  the  root  it  would  naturally  act  upon  the 
mucous  surfaces  more  slowly,  and  with  a  somewhat  diminished  activity 
for  the  same  strength  of  active  principle.    Making  a  fair  allowance  for 
this,  the  comparison  of  the  fluid  extracts  showed  that  three  minims  of 
that  from  the  leaf  was  about  equal  to  one-third  of  a  minim  of  that 
from  the  root.    This  makes  the  strength  of  the  leaf  to  the  root  as 
measured  in  this  way  as  9  to  1,  or  makes  the  root  nine  times  stronger 
than  the  leaf.     This  was  very  unexpected,  and  therefore  the  trials 
were  repeated  on  different  persons,  and  the  conditions  of  the  trial  were 
carefully  re-examined,  but  the  results  being  tolerably  uniform  were 
accepted. 
Tlien,  if  these  results  are  trustworthy,  the  ordinary  dose  of  the  fluid 
