MEDICINAL  ACTION  OF  PAPAVERINE. 
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pharmacy,  and  prohibits  the  sale  to  the  public  of  certain  poisons 
of  a  dangerous  character,  except  bj  persons  duly  qualified  and 
registered  under  the  Act. 
There  is  very  little  pure  pharmacy  among  the  French  Cana- 
dians, the  French  druggists  generally  being  qualified  practi- 
tioners of  medicine.  The  Bill,  therefore,  chiefly  concerns  the 
English-speaking  population,  and  will  encourage  the  establish- 
ment of  pharmacies  in  market  towns  where  few  now  exist.  In 
the  province  of  Quebec,  the  power  of  examination  in  pharmacy 
is  now  vested  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Lower 
Canada,  though  few  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege.  The 
movement  is  looked  upon  favorably  by  leading  members  of  the 
medical  profession,  and  we  trust  the  result  will  be  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  pharmaceutical  education  and  status  in  the 
province. 
Of  our  friends  in  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  we  hear 
and  see  very  little.  The  long  distances  and  sparse  populations 
render  our  intercourse  with  them  very  limited,  even  now  that 
Confederation  is  an  accomplished  fact.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  the  Pharmaceutists  of  the  Dominion  cannot  be  enrolled  into 
one  body ;  but  so  long  as  all  matters  of  education  are  in  the 
hands  of  a  divided  provincial  Legislature,  this  cannot  be.  The 
same  difficulty  is  experienced  in  the  States,  and  efforts  are  now 
being  made  there  to  assimilate  the  various  State  laws  in  reference 
to  pharmacy.  Every  voluntary  movement  will  assist  towards 
general  legislation,  and  we  feel  that  the  example  of  Great  Britain 
will  be  most  influential  in  placing  pharmacy  in  its  right  position 
among  all  civilized  communities. — Pharm,  Journ.,  Dec?.,  1869. 
MEDICINAL  ACTION  OF  PAPAYERINE. 
Papaverine,  one  of  the  alkaloids  of  opium,  which  was  stated 
by  M.  C.  Bernard  to  possess  no  narcotic  property,  has  been 
studied  physiologically  by  MM,  Liederdorf  and  Bresslauer. 
Their  experiments  were  made  on  the  insane.  They  find  that 
papaverine  exercises  upon  man  a  decided  soporific  action,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  diminishes  muscular  activity.  It  reduces  the 
frequency  of  the  pulse  in  all  cases,  and  its  calming  action  is  not 
11 
