ON  MEDICINAL  EPTRACTS,  ETC. 
173 
of  this  class  of  extracts,  and  could  endorse  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Squire  rela- 
tive to  the  advantage  of  using  the  soft  stalks  and  flowers  with  the  leaves, 
not  only  as  aiding  the  extraction  of  the  juice,  but  as  causing  them  to  keep 
better  when  finished. 
Mr.  Francis  used  the  whole  plant  and  evaporated  the  juice  in  an  open 
steam  pan,  at  the  boiling  temperature,  as  rapidly  as  possible,  to  the  con- 
sistency of  treacle,  and  then  in  shallow  dishes  exposed  to  the  sun.  He  had 
found  extracts  made  from  the  leaves  only  to  mould  and  ferment. 
Mr.  Haselden  had  seen  very  good  extracts  prepared  according  to  the  di- 
rections of  the  London  Pharmacopoeia.  The  difficulty  was  in  cooking  them 
to  the  right  consistence.  He  could  not  assert  that  such  extract  was  stronger 
than  that  from  both  leaves  and  stalks,  but  for  commercial  purposes  the 
latter  was  advantageous. 
Mr.  Brady  also  advocated  the  views  of  Mr.  Squire. 
Mr.  Heathfield,  in  1831,  was  engaged  in  a  course  of  experiments  in  the 
laboratory  of  the  late  Mr.  Battley,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the  qualities 
of  the  juices  of  narcotic  plants  generally,  and  these  had  included  the  sepa- 
rate juices  of  the  leaves,  buds  and  soft  stalks  from  the  woody  stalks  ;  and 
lastly  from  the  whole  plant.  Each  juice  was  coagulated  by  heat,  and  the 
albumen  and  coloring  matter  removed  and  placed  in  dishes.  The  coagula 
fermented  much  sooner  than  the  juices  ;  the  coagulum  was  greatest  in  the 
juice  of  leaves  alone;  and  the  juices  of  leaves  fermented  sooner  than  that 
of  the  stalks.  Mr.  Battley  found  from  200  to  250  grains  of  alkaline  chlo- 
rides in  six  gallons  of  conium  juice.  The  extracts  of  the  pure  juices  kept 
better  than  when  the  green  matter  was  retained,  and  those  which  tended 
most  strongly  to  mould  contained  the  most  albumen. 
Mr.  Davenport  and  Mr.  Bottle  next  spoke.  The  latter  remarked,  that 
as  the  albumen  and  green  color  of  extracts  tended  to  spoil,  and  that 
those  made  from  partially  fermented  herbs  were  dark-colored,  whether 
he  was  to  infer  that  the  latter  were  best.  In  hay-making  a  slight  fermen- 
tation increases  nutrient  power  ;  does  the  same  course  favor  medicinal 
power  in  these  herbs  ? 
Mr.  Holland  urged,  after  large  experience  in  making  extracts,  that  it 
was  very  important  to  use  the  herbs  before  they  had  undergone  any  change, 
and  that  herbs  that  had  heated  by  fermentation  yielded  a  much  deteriorated 
extract.  It  wais  his  practice  to  use  all  but  the  large  stalks,  and  as  soon 
after  coming  from  the  field  as  possible,  and  that  such  extracts  had  a  good 
consistence  from  one  season  to  another,  whilst  extracts  from  leaves  only 
speedily  spoiled  ;  and  that  no  such  extract  would  keep  unless  the  young 
stalks  were  included  with  the  leaves. 
Mr.  Bentley  made  some  general  remarks,  when  Mr.  Hills  arose  to  corrobo- 
rate the  statements  of  Mr.  Squire,  Mr.  Deane,  and  Mr.  Cracknell.   He  also 
stated  that  steam  heat  could  not  be  used  to  evaporate  juices,  without  par- 
tially coagulating  their  albumen.  In  answer  to  a  question  of  the  President, 
Mr.  Hills  said,  that  in  his  laboratory  one  hundred  weight  of  the  leaves  and 
