INDIGENOUS  DRUGS. 
263 
cover  the  can  tight  so  as  to  prevent  evaporation.  After  stand- 
ing a  few  days,  the  clear  elixir  may  be  carefully  dipped  off  into 
another  can,  and  the  dregs  at  the  bottom  strained,  and  when 
clear  poured  into  the  other. 
"  Now,  after  standing  undisturbed  for  a  few  weeks  it  will  be 
fit  to  use.  It  will  be  equivalent  to  laudanum,  both  in  its  strength 
and  the  size  of  its  dose." 
It  was,  doubtless,  upon  receiving  this  knowledge  of  making 
the  preparation,  that  Dr.  Chilton  was  induced  to  give  the  follow- 
ing testimonial : 
"Dr.  John  B.  McMunn,  having  made  known  to  me  the  pro- 
cess by  which  he  prepares  his  «  Elixir  op  Opium,"  and  wish- 
ing me  to  state  my  opinion  concerning  it,  I,  therefore,  say  that 
the  process  is  in  accordance  with  well-known  chemical  laws,  and 
that  the  preparation  must  contain  all  the  valuable  principles  of 
opium,  without  those  which  are  considered  as  deleterious  and 
useless.  J.  R.  Chilton,  M.  D.,  Operative  Chemist,  &c." — 
Am.  Drug.  Circular. 
INDIGENOUS  DRUGS. 
Now  that  almost  every  article  of  foreign  production  costs  at 
least  twice  as  much  delivered  in  New  York  as  it  was  sold  for  by 
the  London  dealer,  the  question  naturally  arises — Is  there  no 
possibility  of  our  superseding  articles  necessarily  imported  from 
abroad  by  American  productions,  thus  reducing  the  now  enor- 
mous cost  of  drugs  to  the  consumer,  and  restoring  the  greatly- 
reduced  profits  of  the  dealer  ?  Against  the  attempt  to  bring  in 
an  indigenous  plant  for  use  in  medicine,  the  traditional  reputa- 
tion of  the  old  and  long  tried  remedies  is  constantly  arrayed. 
The  writings  of  physicians  of  half  a  century  ago  still  furnish  the 
staple  of  much  of  the  teaching  in  our  schools,  and  our  text  books 
are  occupied  with  elaborate  descriptions  of  remedies,  some  of 
which  are  now  rarely  attainable,  while  their  reputation  is  perhaps 
chiefly  due  to  their  having  been  "  known  to  the  ancients."  The 
absurd  adherence  of  our  Pharmacopoeia  to  scammony  as  an  in- 
gredient of  our  leading  popular  chathartic  pills  is  an  illustration 
of  this  conservatism,  the  practical  operation  of  which  is,  that 
some  of  the  officinal  formulas  are  ignored  by  nine  of  every  ten 
of  the  manufacturers  who  furnish  our  preparations  ;  and  the 
prices  which  pharmaceutists  can  afford  to  pay  with  a  view  to  the 
