154 
Rheum  Officinale. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  Mar.,  1874.  Suppl. 
tiave  been  taken.  At  present  I  do  not  think  it  safe  to  go  beyond 
this  dose." 
I  have  made  several  experiments  with  different  solvents  to  present 
this  medicine  in  a  convenient  form  for  dispensing,  and  before  seeing 
Dr.  Yeo's  paper  I  found  that  the  addition  of  glycerin  was  of  great 
assistance  in  making  the  solution.  I  can  fully  endorse  his  decision. 
The  following  formula  yields  the  strongest  solution  that  is  permanent : 
Croton  Chloral  Hydrate,    .  .  .64  grains. 
Pure  Glycerin,  ....  \  ounce, 
Hot  Distilled  Water,         .  .  •     1}  " 
A  syrup  can  be  made  containing  two  grains  of  croton  chloral  hy- 
drate in  the  fluidrachm,  by  adding  four  ounces  of  simple  syrup  to  the 
above  solution,  and  the  disagreeable  taste  may  be  removed  by  any 
flavoring  the  pharmacist  sees  fit  to  add. — Chemist  and  Druggist,  Feb. 
14,  1874. 
RHEUM  OFFICINALE. 
Br  Professor  Baillon. 
The  following  information  respecting  the  new  species  of  Rheumi 
which  is  now  considered  to  be  the  true  origin  of  the  officinal  rhubarb, 
has  been  supplied  by  Professor  Baillon  to  M.  Regnaud  for  insertion 
in  a  new  edition  of  Soubeiran's  "  Traite  de  Pharmacie."* 
"  Besides  the  Rheum  Rhaponticum,  which  yields  the  Rhapontic 
rhubarb,  Linneeus  recognized  four  species  of  the  genus  Rheum,  to 
which  have  successively  been  referred  the  origin  of  the  true  rhubarbs 
of  China  and  Russia.  These  were  the  Rheum  Rhabarbarum  (after- 
wards named  R.  undulatum  by  Linnaeus  himself),  R.  compactum,  R. 
palmatum  and  R.  Ribes.  The  latter,  to  which  has  been  attributed 
the  origin  of  Persian  rhubarb,  or  rather  of  the  products  which  are 
received  through  Persia,  has  never  been  more  than  a  culinary  herb. 
As  to  the  three  other  species,  they  have  all  contributed  (from  the 
root)  certain  European  and  native  rhubarbs. 
"  A  species  more  recently  discovered  in  India,  R.  Emodi  or  R. 
australe,  has,  like  the  preceding,  been  considered  to  yield  the  Chi- 
nese and  Russian  rhubarbs  ;  but  it  would  appear  that  it  only  produces 
s,  kind  peculiar  to  India. 
"  As  to  the  true  plant,  a  native  of  Thibet,  which  furnishes  to  com- 
*  "  L'Union  Pharmaceutique,"  vol.  xv.,  p.  21. 
