Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  > 
Sept.,  1879.  J 
Editorial. 
All 
Vital  Statistics  of  the  United  States. — A  few  months  ago  the  Census  Office  ofT 
the  Department  of  the  Interior,  at  Washington,  issued  a  little  volume  containing-, 
blank  forms  intended  for  a  physician's  record  of  deaths.  Every  physician  through- 
out the  United  States  has  been  supplied  with  a  copy,  or  will  receive  one  upon  appli- 
cation. The  object  is  to  make  the  vital  statistics'of  the  United  States  as  compre- 
hensive and  complete  as  possible,  and  all  physicians  are  requested  to  make  use  of" 
the  printed  forms  for  recording  all  deaths  occurring  in  their  practice  during  the  year 
beginning  June  1,  1879,  an(^  ending  May  31,  1880.  The  form  of  record  has  been 
approved  by  the  National  Board  of  Health,  and  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion has  strongly  endorsed  the  plan  for  the  purpose  indicated. 
The  National  Board  of  Health,  which  was  organized  by  Act  of  Congress 
approved  March  3,  1879,  nas  already  done  good  service  in  the  case  of  the  yellow 
fever  epidemic  prevailing  for  some  weeks  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  its  powers  will  be  extended,  the  better  to  prevent  the  introduction  and  spread- 
ing of  contagious  and  infectious  diseases  in  the  United  States.  The  president  of 
the  Board  is  James  L.  Cabell,  M.D.,  of  Virginia,  and  the  secretary  Thos.  J.  Turner,. 
M.D.,  U.S.N.  The  office  of  the  Board  is  at  737  Fifteenth  street,  Washington,  D.  C. 
False  Angustura  and  Pomegranate  Root  Barks.— We  copy  the  following 
from  the  London  "Chemist  and  Druggist,"  of  June  14,  p.  252  : 
False  Angustura  and  Pomegranate  Root  Barks. — The  "British  Medical 
Journal"  gives  some  particulars  of  a  trial  for  homicide  which  has  recently  taken 
place  at  Avallon,  in  France,  in  consequence  of  the  poisoning  of  a  patient  by  mis- 
take. M.  R.,  a  pharmacien  at  x^vallon,  sold  to  Dr.  L.,  a  medical  practitioner  in 
the  same  town,  a  quantity  of  false  angustura  bark  instead  of  pomegranate  root.  Dr. 
L.,  misled  by  a  certain  degree  of  resemblance  between  the  two  substances,  and 
believing  that  he  was  using  pomegranate  root,  made  an  infusion  of  the  substance 
and  gave  it  to  a  patient,  who  died  in  consequence  of  taking  it.  An  action  for  hom- 
icide by  imprudence  was  brought  against  the  pharmacien  and  the  doctor.  The  tribu- 
nal at  Avallon  and  the  Court  of  Appeal  at  Paris  decided  that  both  were  guilty. 
They  refused  to  admit  the  plea  that  Dr.  L.  might  have  been  misled  by  the  similarity 
of  the  two  substances,  alleging  that  he  ought  to  have  noticed  that  the  infusion  which 
he  prepared  had  not  the  ordinary  appearance  of  infusion  of  pomegranate  bark,  and 
emitted  an  unusual  odor  5  and  that  his  suspicion  ought  to  have  been  excited  by  the 
symptoms  produced  in  another  patient  to  whom  lie  had  given  the  same  medicine  a 
few  days  previously.  The  local  tribunal  fined  M.  R.  2oof ,  and  Dr.  L.  25^  The 
Court  of  Appeal  added  to  the  fine  on  the  pharmacien  a  sentence  of  imprisonment 
for  15  days,  and  increased  Dr.  L 's  punishment  to  a  fine  of  2oof. 
If  the  false  angustura  spoken  of  is  the  bark  of  Strychnos  nux  vomica,  we  believe 
that  this  is  the  first  instance  of  such  substitution.  It  should,  however,  be  stated* 
that  the  strychnos  bark  has  no  resemblance  whatever  to  pomegranate  root  bark,  and 
that  the  two  can  be  confounded  only  through  the  grossest  criminal  ignorance. 
How  Some  "  Dirty  Shillings"  are  made  by  the  Profession, — This  is  the  caption  of 
an  editorial  in  the  Philadelphia  "  Medical  and  Surgical  Reporter,"  August  23d,  in 
which  certain  practices  are  discussed  which  are  more  frequently  ignored  by  the  med- 
