206 
ON  THE  PURGATIVE  CONVOLVULACE^l. 
rally  taken  by  the  people  of  this  country,  and  our  College  of  Pharmacy 
while  it  urges  that  the  Apothecary  should  keep  the  original  prescription 
as  his  guarantee  in  case  of  error  by  the  prescriber,  does  not  even 
by  inference  withhold  a  copy  from  the  patient.  The  number  thus  copied 
is  quite  small  compared  to  the  whole  number,  being  the  exception  and 
not  the  rule.  If,  then,  the  patient  has  a  right  to  the  prescription,  by  in- 
ference he  has  a  right  to  use  it,  but  at  his  own  risk ;  and  until  Physicians 
attempt  to  invalidate  this  right  by  a  unity  of  action  among  themselves 
and  with  Pharmaceutists,  by  considering  each  prescription  as  a  sort  of 
patent  granted  for  a  special  case,  and  cause  this  to  be  supported  by  Leg- 
islative action,  we  cannot  see  that  the  views  of  our  correspondent  could 
be  carried  out.  We  agree  with  him,  however,  that  harm  may  be  and  is 
dune,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  much  benefit  may  arise  in  cases  where  the 
Physician  may  be  absent.  The  main  difficulty  is  that  pictured  by  our  cor- 
respondent, where  the  prescription  is  used  as  a  source  of  pecuniary  profit, 
under  circumstances  calculated  to  do  mischief,  and  certainly  never  in- 
tended by  either  Physician  or  Apothecary.  Any  action  in  this  matter 
should  be  based  on  the  general  interests  of  medicine  and  the  community 
at  large,  and  be  the  result  of  deliberation. — Ed.  Am.  Journ.  Pharm.] 
ON  THE  PURGATIVE  CONVOLVULACE^. 
By  M.  Andouard. 
This  paper,  as  it  appears  in  the  Journal  de  Pharmacie  for 
February,  1866,  page  107,  is  a  report  by  M.  Marais  on  a  thesis 
sustained  by  the  author  before  the  Societe  de  Pharmacie  de  Paris. 
We  know,  at  this  time,  two  kinds  of  jalap :  Exogonium 
parga,  which  is  the  officinal  jalap;  and  Ipomea  orizabensis,  which 
is  designated  in  Mexico  under  the  name  of  male  jalap,  and 
which  we  know  under  that  of  fusiform. 
These  two  plants,  very  different  in  a  botanical  point  of  view, 
and  very  different,  also,  in  the  aspect  and  composition  of  their 
roots,  are  common  in  Mexico,  where,  according  to  M.  Mendez, 
cited  by  M.  Andouard,  they  are  found  always  together.  The 
collection  of  jalap  is  made  immediately  after  the  rainy  season  . in 
May.  The  roots  are  cleansed  and  deprived  of  their  stalks  which 
accompany  them  from  the  mountains.  At  this  time,  they  are 
brown  externally,  and  yellowish  within,  gorged  with  a  milky 
juice.  They  are  afterwards  dried  in  the  sun,  or  more  frequently 
by  direct  heat  of  a  fire,  which  has  the  inconvenience  of 
causing  some  of  the  resinous  matter  to  exude,  and  of  giving  the 
root  a  blackish  brown  appearance. 
