^Va7i,i8™  }         Beef  Extract  in  Combination.  217 
given  with  good  effect.  The  largest  quantity  taken  in  a  short  time, 
that  came  under  our  notice,  was  six  drachms  in  the  course  of  a  few 
(10  or  12)  hours,  but  we  do  not  Ivnow  the  nature  of  the  disease  nor 
the  habits  of  the  patient. — Editor.] 
ON  BEEF  EXTRACT  IN  COMBINATION. 
By  Prof.  Edward  Parrish. 
The  greatly  increased  reliance  by  practitioners  of  medicine  on  the 
use  of  proper  nutriment,  not  only  as  an  aid  to  convalescence,  but  also 
to  sustain  the  forces  of  life  in  the  incipient  stages,  and,  indeed, 
throughout  the  course  of  some  very  prevalent  diseases,  has  called  for 
a  variety  of  beef  extracts  for  the  ready  preparation  of  essence  of  beef 
and  beef  tea.  The  large  sale  of  these  attests  the  value  placed  on 
them,  not  only  by  physicians  but  by  the  public  at  large,  and  yet  the 
idea  of  making  articles  of  diet  from  something  bought  at  the  drug 
store,  and  having  some  of  the  character^  of  a  medicine,  is  so  repulsive 
to  the  keen  sensibilities  of  many  invalids,  that  often  resort  is  had  to 
the  tedious  extemporaneous  methods  of  extracting  the  juice  directly 
from  fresh  beef. 
Moreover,  it  is  often  observed  that,  however  nicely  made,  essence 
of  beef  and  beef  tea  soon  lose  their  relish  when  given  constantly, 
under  medical  advice,  or  as  a  part  of  the  treatment — a  distaste  which 
is  sometimes  due  to  the  disease,  but  perhaps  oftener  to  the  fact  that 
variety  constitutes  one  of  the  chief  attractions  in  matters  dietetic. 
In  giving  medicines,  the  importance  of  consulting  the  taste  of  the 
patient  is  less  recognized ;  they  are  taken  as  a  disagreeable  neces- 
sity, and  are  not  expected  to  possess  the  attractions  which  usually 
pertain  to  articles  of  diet. 
These  considerations  seem  to  favor  the  idea  of  combining  beef  ex- 
tract into  pharmaceutical  preparations,  and  thus  giving  it  at  stated 
intervals,  nolens  volens. 
The  composition  of  such  preparations  being  unknown  to  the  patient, 
and  the  taste  being  disguised  by  admixture  with  suitable  adjuvants, 
that  feeling  of  disgust  created  by  the  idea  of  animal  food  in  an  unde- 
fined state,  intermediate  between  medicine  and  diet,  is  avoided. 
Of  the  several  proprietary  beef  compounds  recently  introduced  I 
have  little  knowledge,  and  have  no  doubt  that  they  are  useful.  The 
object  of  this  paper  is  not  to  supersede  these,  but  to  point  out  a  method 
