Amju0iy"'i9warm'}  Substitute  for  Alcohol.  317 
in  which  to  get  back  to  the  original  habit  were  never  less  and  gene- 
rally much  longer  than  a  week. 
By  experiment  it  was  found  that  a  convenient  dose  by  which  to 
note  the  effects  was  0-5  c.c.  =  8  minims  in  about  30  c.c.  =  1  fg, 
of  water,  and  the  time  to  look  for  the  effect  was  the  bedtime  of  the 
second  day,  after  one  dose  or  two  doses  or  three  doses  on  the  first 
day,  etc. 
First  Testing. — The  U.S.P.  buckthorn.  A  morning  dose  of  0  5 
c.c,  produced  no  perceptible  effect  upon  the  discharge  of  the  bed- 
time of  the  first  or  second  day.    Interval  of  three  days. 
2d  trial.  A  morning  and  midday  dose  of  0-5  c.c.  each  gave  no 
perceptible  effect  at  bedtime  of  the  first  or  second  day.  Interval  of 
three  days. 
3d  trial.  A  morning,  midday  and  evening  dose  gave  a  very 
slight  effect  at  bedtime  of  the  second  day.    Interval  of  three  days. 
4th  trial.  A  dose  after  each  of  the  three  meals  of  the  first  day, 
and  after  the  morning  meal  of  the  second  day — four  doses  in  all — 
gave  a  moderate  but  distinct  effect  on  the  consistence  of  the  dis- 
charge at  bedtime  of  the  second  day,  without  any  griping  or  other 
disturbing  effect.    Interval  of  eight  days. 
Second  Testing, — The  acid  buckthorn.  Taking  it  as  assured  that 
this  preparation  is  at  least  not  very  much  less  active  than  that  of 
the  U.S.P.,  the  first  three  trials  were  all  made  by  doses  after  the 
meals  of  the  first  day,  and  the  bedtime  discharge  of  that  day  was 
slightly  increased  in  volume,  but  in  other  respects  unchanged  by  the 
three  doses.  The  fourth  dose  after  the  morning  meal  of  the  second 
day,  to  have  been  parallel  to  the  U.S.P.  preparation,  should  have 
been  waited  for  till  bedtime  and  should  then  have  given  a  moderate 
but  distinct  effect  on  the  consistence  of  the  discharge.  But  the  con- 
dition became  imperative,  producing  a  free  discharge  within  three 
hours  after  the  fourth  or  morning  dose  of  the  second  day,  without 
any  griping  or  other  disturbance  up  to  the  period  of  urgency. 
That  is,  four  doses  (2  c.c.  in  all)  of  the  U.S.P.  preparation  of  buck- 
thorn gave  a  moderate  effect  in  about  thirty-five  hours,  while  the 
same  quantity  of  the  acetic  acid  preparation  under  closely  similar 
conditions  gave  a  full  effect  in  about  twenty-seven  hours.  This 
experiment  repeated  in  the  reverse  order,  that  is,  the  acid  prepara- 
tion first  and  U.S.P.  second,  after  three  days'  interval  gave  similar 
results  with  the  acid  preparation  in  thirty  hours,  U.S.P.  in  thirty- 
