ADeSerPt]f9r9m-}       Valuation  of  Drugs  and  Foods.  585 
in  determining  the  value  of  the  class  of  foods  and  drugs  originally 
valued  by  this  kind  of  "  specialist."  It  is  well,  however,  to  remem- 
ber that  even  to-day  many  commercial  products  are  valued  accord- 
ing to  the  appearance,  taste,  odor  and  feel  as  pronounced  upon  by 
experts. 
Biological  methods  for  the  valuation  of  drugs  may  conveniently 
be  brought  into  the  following  main  groups  with  their  sub- 
divisions : 
/.  Effect  or  Influence  upon  Plants  : 
(A)  Depending  upon  the  dormant  vitality  of  the  plant  or 
drug. 
(/?)  Depending  upon  physiological  effect  upon  plants. 
II.  Effect  or  Influence  upon  Animals  : 
[A)  Depending  upon  the  perception  or  senses  of  the  experi- 
menter. 
(/>)  Depending  upon  the  physiological  effects  upon  animals, 
and  including  : 
(a)  Effects  on  insects. 
(b)  Effects  on  lower  animals,  as  frogs,  rabbits,  guinea- 
pigs,  dogs,  etc. 
(c)  Effects  upon  man. 
{I  A)  Beginning  with  the  consideration  of  those  drugs  whose 
value  seems  to  depend  to  some  extent  upon  the  vitality  of  the  plant 
yielding  them,  we  may  mention  seeds  (including  fruits)  and  fungi,  as 
ergot.  Unfortunately,  the  author  has  been  hindered  considerably 
in  this  work  for  want  of  authentic  material.  But  sufficient  may  be 
said  to  indicate  that  there  is  a  relationship  between  the  duration  of 
vitality  of  plants  and  the  active  principles  contained  therein.  A. 
Juckenach  and  R.  Sendtner,  in  an  exhaustive  investigation  upon  fen- 
nel fruits  from  different  localities,  find  that  the  value  of  fennel  may 
be  ascertained  in  three  ways  besides  the  extraction  of  the  oil :  (1) 
They  find  that  upon  placing  the  fruits  in  water  those  fruits  which 
are  richest  in  volatile  oil  retain  their  color  and  odor.  (2)  The  value 
of  the  fruits  may  be  readily  ascertained  also  by  means  of  a  micro- 
scopical examination.  (3)  They  further  find  that  from  70  to  80  per 
cent,  of  the  fruits  are  capable  of  germination. 
At  first  thought  we  may  be  inclined  to  say  that  the  germination 
tests  of  drugs  would  require  so  much  time  that  they  would  be  value- 
