154  True  and  False  Cactus  Grandiflorus.  {^iSHESf*1" 
v  TRUE  AND  FALSE  CACTUS  GRANDIFLORUS.1 
By  Gordox  Sharp,  M.D. 
EXPLANATORY. 
In  the  end  of  1S91  my  attention  was  directed  to  the  night-bloom- 
ing Cereus,  a  so-called  heart  tonic,  the  correct  botanical  name  of 
which  is  Cereus  grandiflorus,  Miller,  although  it  is  commonly  known 
as  Cactus  grandiflorus,  Linne.  I  made  several  bedside  observations 
with  a  tincture  which  has  a  greenish  color.  Sometimes  I  thought  I 
had  obtained  good  results  ;  at  other  times  I  had  difficulty  in  deciding 
whether  the  preparation  had  any  virtue  at  all.  This,  however,  is 
not  unusual  in  treating  of  disease,  especially  heart  disorders.  But 
between  these  conflicting  opinions  I  resolved  to  place  the  drug  on 
further  trial.  In  time  the  supply  of  tincture  ran  down  and  another 
was  ordered,  but  when  it  came  to  hand  I  was  astonished  to  find  that, 
although  like  the  former,  it  had  a  pleasant  orris-like  odor,  the  color 
was  different,  being  of  a  yellowish-brown  hue.  The  pharmacist 
from  whom  it  was  obtained  made  inquiry,  and  was  told  it  was  quite 
right,  and  was  the  genuine  drug,  and  no  further  questions  were 
asked.  My  bedside  observations  were  continued,  and  sometimes  I 
had  a  greenish  and  sometimes  a  brownish  tincture  or  liquid  extract, 
but  oftener  the  latter.  After  several  further  trials  I  decided  to 
make  my  own  tincture,  and  with  this  purpose  in  view  I  got  a  phar- 
macist to  procure  me  the  dried  flowering  tops,  and  this  he  d:d  from 
a  Manchester  house.  Mr.  J.  H.  Hoseason  at  this  time  joined  me  in 
investigating  the  chemistry  of  the  drug,  and  either  jointly  or  alone 
we  had  an  agent  to  obtain  supplies  from  Manchester,  Leeds,  London, 
and  Edinburgh  houses.  In  one  way  or  other  we  employed  many 
pounds  weight  of  the  drug,  and  each  parcel  was  certified  to  be  the 
true  Cactus.  For  reasons  which  will  be  obvious  later  on,  I  have 
made  particular  mention  of  these  facts.  We  had  previously  searched 
the  literature  of  the  subject  from  every  possible  source,  but  could 
find  no  mention  of  any  analysis  of  the  drug.  We  resolved  to  start 
at  the  beginning,  and  I  think  I  may  be  pardoned  when  I  say  we  ex- 
pended endless  labor  in  our  task.  Our  results  have  been  partially 
recorded  in  the  Practitioner  of  September,  1894,  and  in  the  Pharma- 
ceutical Journal  of  November  24,  1894.    But  the  chemistry  is  the 
1  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  December  18,  1897. 
