98 
Phytochemical  Research. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March,  19 17 
ing  the  presence  or  absence  of  a  particular  compound.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  evident  that  the  chemical  examination  of  a  plant  should  not 
be  restricted  to  such  narrow  limits.  A  very  much  more  extended  and 
detailed  study  is  in  fact  required  if  any  contribution  of  value  is  to 
be  made  to  the  more  exact  knowledge  of  the  constituents  of  plants  or 
drugs,  for  no  field  of  research  can  be  considered  to  demand  a  more 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  properties  and  behavior  of  organic 
compounds,  or,  in  general,  to  afford  a  wider  scope  for  the  applica- 
tion of  chemical  knowledge  and  skill,  than  that  of  phytochemistry. 
In  contrast  to  the  qualifications  I  have  indicated,  it  will  be  found 
that  much  of  the  earlier  literature  pertaining  to  the  chemical  exami- 
nation of  plants  is  extremely  superficial  in  character,  and  it  is  thus 
apparent  that  such  investigations  have  frequently  been  attempted  by 
those  who  were  quite  inadequately  prepared  for  the  task.  The 
results  obtained  under  such  conditions  are  naturally  of  limited  value, 
and  are  sometimes  quite  misleading.  It  is  probably  for  this  reason 
that  the  subject  of  phytochemistry  appears  hitherto  not  to  have  re- 
ceived its  full  measure  of  recognition,  although  it  must  also  be  con- 
sidered that  the  application  of  newly  developed  methods  and  the  gen- 
eral extension  of  scientific  knowledge  have  been  important  factors 
in  the  achievement  of  such  results  as  have  attended  the  more  recent 
endeavors  in  this  field  of  investigation. 
The  subject  of  phytochemistry  in  its  broadest  sense  may  evidently 
be  considered  to  comprise  the  application  of  chemical  science  to  all 
conditions  affecting  the  cultivation  and  growth  of  plants,  as  well  as 
a  knowledge  of  their  constituents.  It  would  thus  be  concerned, 
among  other  things,  with  the  character  and  composition  of  the  soil, 
the  selection  of  suitable  fertilizing  material,  the  study  of  such  ques- 
tions as  the  influence  of  radioactive  ores  and  residues  on  plant  life, 
and  also  the  conditions  under  which  the  economically  important  con- 
stituents of  the  plant  are  produced  in  the  largest  amount.  As  an 
example  of  the  latter  purpose,  with  which  botanical  knowledge  and 
skill  must  naturally  be  associated,  it  may  suffice  to  mention  the  efforts 
to  increase  the  yield  of  a  particular  alkaloid,  such  as  quinine  from 
cinchona  barks,  or  to  promote  the  development  of  such  other  im- 
portant compounds  of  diverse  character  as  are  afforded  by  various 
plants.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  noted  that  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  attractive  fields  of  chemical  investigation  still  remains  prac- 
tically unexplored,  for  comparatively  little  is  as  yet  known  respecting 
the  constituents  of  the  plants  which  inhabit  North  America,  or  even 
