Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
June,  1878.  J 
Acetic  Acid)  Pure. 
293 
also  in  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Arkansas,  and  along  the  foot-hills 
west  of  Denver.  It  agrees  with  Asp.  marginale  in  having  the  stipes 
or  leaf  stalks  covered  at  the  base  with  a  copious  chaff  of  brown  glossy 
scales,  the  fronds  or  leaves  twice  pinnate  with  the  upper  pinnules  con- 
fluent, and  the  lower  ones  more  or  less  pinnatifid-toothed  and  with 
some  of  the  veins  repeatedly  forked.  But  the  two  species  differ  in  the 
frond  of  Asp.  marginale  being  evergreen  and  having  the  fruit  dots  close 
to  the  margin,  while  in  Asp.  Filix-mas  the  fruit  dots  are  near  the  mid- 
vein,  and  the  fronds  do  not  survive  the  winter.  The  rhizome  of  the 
latter  attains  a  thickness  of  one  inch,  and  shows  upon  the  cross  section, 
about  10  larger,  besides  several  smaller,  and  in  the  stipes  about  8  irreg- 
ular wood  bundles,  the  former  being  arranged  in  a  loose  circle.  The 
rhizome  of  Asp.  marginale  is  thinner,  about  f  inch  in  diameter,  and 
contains  a  loose  circle  of  about  six  larger  and  smaller,  and  the  stipes 
six  very  small  wood  bundles  ;  otherwise  in  appearance  and  sensible 
properties  the  subterraneous  portions  of  the  two  plants  resemble  each 
other  very  closely. 
Since  the  constituents  of  the  latter  species  have  been  proved  by  Mr. 
Patterson  to  be  identical  with  those  of  the  male  fern,  and  since  the 
efficiency  of  the  American  species  has  been  shown  through  Mr. 
Cressler  to  be  equal  to  that  of  Asp.  Filix-mas,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
next  Pharmacopoeia  will  place  the  two  species  on  an  equality,  and 
authorize  the  indiscriminate  use  of  the  one  which  may  be  most  conve- 
nient to  collect.  In  the  meantime,  it  is  suggested  that,  if  occasion 
offers,  pharmacists  will  submit  preparations  of  Asp.  marginale  for  the 
use  of  physicians,  and  that  the  results  obtained  be  duly  recorded.  In 
preparing  the  oleoresin,  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  only  the  green 
portion  of  the  subterraneous  parts  be  used,  and  that  all  the  brown  and 
decayed  portions  be  rigidly  excluded. 
ACETIC   ACID,  PURE. 
By  Edward  Gaillard,  Ph.G. 
{Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  May  21,  1878.) 
This  acid,  which,  owing  to  alphabetical  precedence,  stands  first  on 
the  many  chemical  lists  of  the  day,  also  heads  the  list  in  point  of 
antiquity,  of   the    hundreds    of   manufactured    acids    now  known. 
Under  the  name  of  vinegar,  dilute  acetic  acid  was  known  ages  before 
