AmMa°rch,^i9m'  >  Of  DriigS.  I45 
alkaloidal  bodies,  possibly,  are  only  derivatives,  and  atropine  is  only 
an  artificial  derivative  which,  by  common  consent,  is  used  as  a 
measure  of  the  drug. 
Many  problems  surrounding  belladonna  await  investigation  by 
the  pharmacist.  Do  the  tincture,  solid  extract,  ointment  and'  the 
like,  represent  belladonna  in  its  entirety,  or  are  they  only  solutions 
of  atropine,  or  some  of  the  other  derivatives?  Is  alcohol  the  best 
solvent  for  the  actual  constituents  of  belladonna?  If  so.  what 
strength  alcohol  is  likely  to  give  the  more  eligible  preparation  in 
every  respect — physiological,  therapeutic  and  pharmaceutical? 
There  is  much  to  be  learned  before  we  can  say  that  we  have  reached 
the  top  in  respect  to  our  galenical  preparation  of  belladonna. 
We  are  now  cultivating  belladonna  in  relatively  large  quantities 
in  this  country  (possibly  500  acres  in  1918),  and  in  this  cultivation 
we  have  learned  something.  We  can  increase  the  size  of  the  leaf 
and  the  root.  We  can  in  a  measure  control  and  increase  the  amount 
of  the  so-called  active  principle.  We  have  found  that  different 
results  follow  the  handling  of  the  plant  from  the  seedlings  to  the 
mature  and  ripened  plant.  There  is  a  difference  in  the  physical 
appearance,  size,  taste  and  odor  of  the  plant  itself  when  we  vary 
the  mode  of  collecting  and  curing.  Cured  at  one  stage  of  growth, 
when  the  crop  matured,  cured  at  another  stage,  or  gathered  at 
another  stage  of  growth,  and  allowed  to  sweat  and  become  subject 
to  enzymic  action,  gives  an  entirely  different  product  from  that  ob- 
tained from  other  modes.  Just  how  important  these  different 
methods  of  preparation  may  be.  or  what  method  is  best  has  not  yet 
been  fully  determined. 
We  seem  to  see  that  the  alcoholic  extract  of  the  green  leaf  is 
quite  different  physically  from  that  prepared  from  the  root. 
The  problems  connected  with  the  cultivation  of  belladonna  have 
been  at  times  baffling.  It  was  not  an  easy  task  to  acclimatize  bella- 
donna from  the  moist  cool  climate  of  Europe,  to  the  dry,  hot  atmos- 
phere which  abounds  in  our  land.  It  was  difficult  to  inure  it  to 
our  soil,  but  we  have  succeeded  in  producing  thrifty  plants  with  an 
increased  yield  of  alkaloid  principles.  American  grown  belladonna, 
in  most  respects,  is  far  superior  to  the  wild  product  from  its  native 
soil.  Xow  comes  the  task  of  the  study  of  the  pharmacological  prop- 
erties of  American  grown  belladonna. 
There  is  not  time  to  go  through  the  list  of  drugs  given  in  our 
schedule  :  each  of  these  presents  a  theme  for  study  and  research. 
