Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  |  PllVgative  actlOTl  of  AloeS.  6  9 
Feb.  1,  1871. 
membered,  the  powers  of  which  are  not  very  many  times  greater  than 
those  of  the  drugs  from  which  they  are  obtained,  and  in  this  present 
case,  taking  Mr.  Tilden's  results,  he  could  not  possibly  expect  that 
aloin  would  have  more  than  five  times  the  power  of  good  aloes,  inas- 
much as  he  obtains  more  than  20  per  cent,  of  the  principle  from  the 
drug. 
If  it  be  admitted  that  aloin  is  the  active  purgative  principle  of  aloes, 
one  manifest  advantage  from  using  it  would  be  that  we  have  therein  a 
medicine  of  unvarying  strength,  and  we  possess  what  we  judge  to  be 
conclusive  evidence  that  there  is  no  other  substance  of  value  in  aloes, 
and  that  in  all  cases  where  aloes  of  best  quality  will  produce  purga- 
tion, a  proportionate  dose  of  aloin  will  be  of  equal  and  more  certain 
effect. 
When  Robiquet,  in  1856,  published  his  research  on  Aloetin,*  he 
denied  that  that  substance  (which  he  seems  to  have  supposed  identical 
with  aloin)  had  any  purgative  effect.  At  the  time  we  contemplated 
publishing  a  denial  of  this,  but  the  late  Sir  James  Simpson  happening 
to  visit  our  works,  we  mentioned  our  intention  to  him,  when  he  dis- 
suaded us,  observing  that  medical  men  were  quite  sufficiently  con- 
vinced of  the  power  of  aloin,  and  that  he  frequently  prescribed  it  and 
often  took  it  himself,  and  with  unvarying  good  effect.  We  could  name 
very  many  other  medical  men,  of  undoubted  eminence,  who  constant- 
ly prescribe  it  in  preference  to  aloes,  finding  that  it  has  in  no  case  any 
ill  effect,  and  that  there  is  never  any  need  to  give  an  increased  dose 
when  its  use  is  regular  and  long  continued.  Our  own  personal  expe- 
rience bear  out  these  statements,  and  our  commercial  transactions  give 
most  emphatic  testimony  that  the  demand  is  not  decreasing.  Since 
its  first  discovery,  our  manufacture  has  increased  from  a  few  pounds 
to  many  thousand  ounces  yearly,  and,  although  we  have  not  arrived 
at  Mr.  Tilden's  gratfying  result  of  20  per  cent.,  yet,  by  recent  im- 
provements in  our  manufacture,  we  shall  be  able  to  produce  it  at  about 
two-thirds  its  present  price,  aud  we  find  the  dose  requisite  to  be  aloin 
to  aloes,  as  1  is  to  5.  We  should  be  happy  to  forward  that  gentleman 
a  few  doses  for  purpose  of  trial,  should  he  wish  it. — Pharm.  Journ,^ 
London,  Nov.  19th,  1870. 
Edinhurghy  November  12th,  1870. 
*  Journal  de  Pharmacie,  tome  xxix. 
