NOTES  OP  TRAVEL  IN  EUROPE. 
17 
NOTES  OF  TRAVEL  IN  EUROPE. 
Rome,  Italy,  May  21  th,  1867. 
Prop.  Maisch, — It  is  with  a  feeling  allied  to  disappointment  that  I  at  last 
take  up  the  pen  to  comply  with  the  partial  promise  given  in  the  May 
number,  because  the  hurried  process  of  travel  which  has  occupied  nearly 
all  the  time  since  leaving  Liverpool,  in  order  to  reach  Southern  Italy  before 
the  warm  season  sets  in,  has  altogether  prevented  any  earnest  and  availa- 
ble inquiries  of  a  nature  interesting  to  pharmaceutists.* 
A  call  on  Mr.  John  Abrahams,  of  86  Bold  street,  President  of  the  Liver- 
pool Chemists'  Association,  was  courteously  received,  and  the  opportunity 
afforded  to  examine  cursorily  the  very  creditable  collection  in  the  museum 
of  the  Association.  In  passing  through  London,  the  museum  and  labora- 
tory of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  were  visited.  They  are  contained  in  a 
commodious  building  at  the  corner  of  Bloomsbury  Square  and  Great  Russell 
street.  A  large  brass  plate  on  the  door  informs  that  the  "  Pharmaceuti- 
cal Society"  centres  there.  The  lower  story  is  devoted  chiefly  to  the  mu- 
seum, which  is  contained  in  four  separate  apartments:  two  to  vegetable 
substances,  one  to  mineral  bodies  and  salts,  and  a  small  room  to  animal 
substances.  All  are  contained  in  substantial  mahogany  cases,  and  the 
organic  drugs  arranged  according  to  the  natural  system,  as  indicated  on 
the  exterior  of  the  cases  above  as  thalamiflorse,  calyciflorse,  carolliflorae, 
monoclamydese,  petaloidae,  dicotylogeme,  glumacea?,  thallogenas,  acrogense, 
etc.  The  collection  of  rhubarb  is  quite  extensive,  embracing,  besides  the 
usual  commercial  varieties,  a  very  complete  set  of  specimens  of  English 
rhubarb  in  various  forms,  as  Canton  style, — large  flat, — Dutch  style,  and 
cylindrical  pieces,  besides  Himalayan  rhubarb,  trimmed  and  rough.  The 
specimens  of  opium  embrace  the  East  Indian  varieties,  the  Egyptian, 
Persian,  Constantinopolitan,  English,  and  probably  French  opium,  though 
it  was  not  seen.  Sections  of  a  manna  tree,  exhibiting  the  wound  and 
exudation,  and  of  nux  vomica  and  other  trees,  were  observed.  Among 
the  balsams  are  the  liquidambar  balsam  of  Guatemala,  white  balsam  Peru, 
the  fruits  of  "  Myrospermum  Pereirae,"  very  fine  specimens  of  amygdaloid 
benzoin  and  guaiac  resin^  in  tears.  Several  of  the  groups  are  well  illus- 
trated with  the  adulterations,  and  many  of  the  roots  and  other  parts  are 
exhibited  in  their  fresh  state,  as  preserved  in  spirit,  so  as  to  give  a  better 
idea  to  students  of  their  structure  and  form.  In  this  way  roots  allied  in 
form,  but  different  in  properties,  like  those  of  parsley  and  hemlock,  and 
liable  to  substitution,  are  more  easily  distinguished  and  understood.  An 
entire  case  is  devoted  to  the  cinchona  barks  (which  have  been  largely 
*  Some  apology  is  due  to  the  readers  of  the  Journal  for  introducing  this  letter  so  much  out  of 
time.  Before  leaving  home,  Prof.  Maisch,  who  had  kindly  undertaken  (and  who  so  ably  accom- 
plished) the  Editorial  duties  during  our  absence,  was  led  to  expect  some  aid  in  this  form.  After 
this  letter  was  hastily  written,  during  the  week's  sojourn  in  Koine,  it  was  thrown  aside  as  un- 
worthy of  the  valuable  space  it  would  occupy,  and  now,  after  revision,  appears  mainly  because 
moie  appropriate  original  matter  has  not  presented. — Editor. 
2 
