Am.  Jour  Pharm.  \ 
May,  1887.  f 
Editorial. 
271 
of  milk,  and  after  some  hours  was  taken  with  severe  pains,  which  she 
endeavored  to  relieve  by  taking  several  doses  of  castor  oil  and  oil  of  tur- 
pentine ;  but  failing  in  this  a  physician  was  called  in,  who,  after  a  digital 
examination,  found  the  bowels  impacted,  and  when  this  was  relieved  a 
considerable  quantity  of  the  fragments  of  the  tissues  of  pumpkin  seed  was 
seen  among  the  fecal  matter.  She  was  attended  by  this  physiciau  about  a 
week,  and  some  time  afterwards  another  physician  was  consulted,  who 
found  her  still  suffering  from  the  after  effects  of  the  impaction.  She  subse- 
quently called  on  the  druggist  and  demanded  money  ($10),  and  on  being 
refused  threatened  to  sue  for  damages,  publish  the  case  in  the  newspapers 
and  ruin  the  business  of  the  druggist. 
These  are,  substantially,  the  facts  elicited  during  the  trial.  The  memo- 
randum on  the  paper  was  stated  to  have  been  written  by  a  physician,  who, 
on  account  of  sickness,  was  not  present  at  the  trial.  The  paper  had  con- 
tained neither  signature  or  directions  or  the  name  of  the  patient,  and  had 
not  been  preserved.  The  aim  of  the  prosecution  seemed  to  be  to  have  this 
paper  regarded  as  a  prescription,  and  that  in  not  furnishing  the  article 
called  for  the  clerk  had  prescribed  for  a  patient  without  being  a  physician. 
These  attempts  failed.  In  regard  to  the  character  of  the  powder,  it  was 
contended  that  it  should  not  have  been  like  saw-dust,  but  should  have  been 
ground  to  an  impalpable  powder,  and  that  this  could  be  accomplished  by 
thoroughly  drying  the  seeds.  It  was,  however,  admitted  that  the  seeds 
were  entirely  harmless,  and  could  be  eaten  in  large  quantity  without 
injury;  also  that  the  integuments  of  corn  were  of  a  similar  nature  and 
indigestible,  like  the  integuments  of  pumpkin  seeds.  It  was  further  shown 
that  pumpkin  seeds  were  sold  unbroken,  ground  and  in  the  form  of  emul- 
sion ;  that  of  late  years  the  seeds  ground  with  the  integuments  were  recom- 
mended by  physicians  as  being  more  efficacious  than  without  them,  and 
that  by  some  they  were  ordered  in  a  much  coarser  condition  than  what 
had  been  sold  to  the  plaintiff.  It  was  admitted  by  the  latter  that  she  had 
been  troubled  with  tapeworm  for  several  years,  had  taken  medicines  of 
different  kinds,  and  was  now  free  from  the  parasite;  but  she  alleged  not  to 
be  able  to  tell  the  precise  time  when  she  got  permanent  relief  from  it,  and 
that  at  the  time  in  question  she  was  merely  suffering  from  dyspepsia.  No 
other  testimony  was  offered  as  to  her  condition  previous  to  taking  the 
ground  seeds. 
In  the  charge  to  the  jury  the  judge  stated  that  the  gist  of  the  action  was 
negligence,  and  that  it  was  for  the  jury  to  determine  whether  the  medicine 
as  prepared  was  a  dangerous  article,  and  whether  it  produced  the  injury 
in  question,  or  whether  this  resulted  from  a  previous  use  of  purgatives,  from 
the  enfeebled  physical  condition  of  the  plaintiff,  or  from  any  cause  with 
which  the  remedy  was  not  connected.  The  jury  returned  a  verdict  for  the 
defendants. 
Polarization  of  Volatile  Oils. — Mr.  A.  M.  Todd  informs  us  that  a  note  con- 
taining the  results  of  further  experiments  with  pure  oils  of  erigeron  and 
erechthites — in  addition  to  those  mentioned  on  p.  165  of  our  April  number 
— will  be  ready  for  the  June  number. 
