236  Editorial  Notes  and  Comments.  {AmMa"'i£»arm 
of  crude  drugs,  we  received  the  following,  which  we  are  permitted 
to  publish : 
"  Dear  Sir  : — Referring  to  your  inquiry  of  the  third,  it  is  our 
opinion  that  the  use  of  active  principles  of  drugs  is  increasing 
more  rapidly  than  the  use  of  the  ordinary  preparations  of  the 
same  drugs.  This  is  especially  the  case  with  morphine  and  codeine. 
The  sale  of  opium  preparations  seems  to  be  dropping  off,  but  the 
demand  for  the  alkaloid,  especially  codeine,  is  increasing  all  the 
time.  The  same  is  true  of  cocaine  and  strychnia.  In  the  case  of 
some  of  the  other  principles,  we  do  not  think  this  applies,  as  in  a 
good  many  cases  it  is  our  experience  that  the  so-called  active 
principle  does  not  give,  in  all  respects,  the  same  action  as  does  the 
preparation  of  the  drug.  We  believe  that,  outside  of  those  drugs 
whose  action  results  from  the  presence  of  a  single  alkaloid,  better 
average  results  are  secured  by  giving  a  tincture  or  fluid  extract 
than  by  attempting  to  give  the  active  principle." 
VEGETABLE  DRUGS  IN  THE  U.S.P. 
Whatever  may  be  the  views  of  any  one  concerning  the  work  upon 
vegetable  drugs,  not  only  in  the  U.S. P.,  but  in  the  pharmacopoeias 
of  any  country,  it  is  apparent  that  there  are  some  statements  in 
definition  and  description  which  are  too  narrow  when  we  look  at 
the  drugs  practically.  The  question  of  origin  of  drugs  is  in  some 
cases  still  obscure,  and  in  other  cases  greater  freedom  should  be 
given  in  the  selection  of  commercial  varieties.  We  mention  the 
following  instances :  . 
Myrrh. — Deflers  has  shown  that  Commiphora  Myrrh  (Nees),  Engl., 
is  without  any  odor,  and  that  the  stems  do  not  yield  any  resin. 
Deflers  and  Schweirifurth  consider  genuine  myrrh  to  be  derived 
from  Commiphora  abyssinica  (Berg.),  Engl.  A  part  of  the  myrrh 
from  Arabia  is  supposed  by  Engler  to  be  obtained  from  C.  Schim- 
peri  (Berg.),  Engl.  It  appears  that  in  commerce  the  Arabian  myrrh 
from  Aden  is  more  highly  valued  than  that  of  the  Somalis.  Very 
recently  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philips  have  collected  plants  which  are 
similar  to  that  figured  in  Bentley  and  Trimen  as  the  source  of 
myrrh,  and  what  the  Somalis  gave  them  to  understand  yielded 
myrrh.  The  whole  question  therefore  resolves  itself  into  one  of 
great  uncertainty  as  to  whether  only  one  species  yields  the  myrrh 
of  commerce. 
Copaiba. — According  to  Taubert,  a  good  many  American  species 
