188 
EDITORIAL. 
The  Flora  of  California  is  interestingly  noticed.  More  than  eighty 
botanists  have  visited  California  between  1792  and  1865.  More  than  1800 
species  have  been  found,  more  than  fifty  of  which  are  forest  trees,  and 
many  others  medicinal  and  deserving  of  analytical  investigation.  The 
report  speaks  of  the  growing  evils  from  excessive  competition  in  trade, 
and  of  the  necessity  of  more  care  in  the  sale  of  poisons.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  school  of  pharmacy  is  advocated.  Suggestions  relative  to  the 
revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  occupy  a  part  of  the  report,  advocating 
the  idea  of  remembering  California  in  the  adaptation  of  the  materia 
medica  and  preparations  to  the  wants  of  the  United  States  ;  and.  suggest 
a  list  of  preparations  needing  revision.  The  reporters  also  suggest  that 
a  fusion  of  the  United  States  and  British  Pharmacopoeias  would  be  an 
advantage, — a  suggestion  made  (we  believe)  without  due  consideration  of 
the  premises  involved,  and  which  would  certainly  not  improve  our  own 
code  in  the  direction  of  American  ideas  of  pharmaceutical  reform. 
The  metrical  system  of  weights  and  measures  is  advocated,  a  more  de- 
cided attention  to  preliminary  education  in  the  choice  of  ^tpprentices 
urged,  and  a  peroration  tending  to  stimulate  liberal  views,  and  to  suppress 
rivalry  and  jealousy  in  business.  There  is  also  appended  to  the  report  a 
list  of  queries  to  be  reported  on  at  the  next  meeting  (in  the  manner  of  the 
Association),  which  may  call  forth  much  useful  information.  So  good  a 
beginning  deserves  the  encouragement  of  all  well-wishers  of  pharmacy, 
and  our  mite  is  fully  and  cordially  extended.  The  Society  is  composed 
of  ninety-four  members  and  four  honorary  members.  All  but  eleven  of 
the  present  list  of  members  are  in  San  Francisco. 
On  the  effects  of  Opium  and  its  derivative  Alkaloids,  by  S.  Wier  Mitchell, 
M.D.  Published  in  the  American  Journal  of  the  medical  sciences  for 
January,  1870  ;  pp.  16. 
This  paper,  originally  read  before  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  is 
devoted  to  the  study  of  the  physical  action  of  the  opium  alkaloids  on 
birds,  more  especially  on  pigeons,  ducks  and  chickens,  describing  a  large 
number  of  experiments  on  these  animals  with  some  remarkable  results, 
which  may  be  summed  up  in  the  following  conclusions,  for  which  only  we 
have  space,  viz. : 
1.  "Birds:  namely,  ducks,  chickens  and  pigeons  are  never  poisoned  by 
crude  opium,  its  extract,  or  acetum  opii  (black  drop)  given  internally; 
whilst  the  salts  of  morphia  must  be  given  in  enormous  doses  to  produce 
fatal  effects  when  administered  in  the  same  manner. 
2.  Morphia  salts,  used  hypodermically  in  excessive  amounts,  never 
cause  sleep  or  stupor,  but  act  as  excitants  (convulsants)  upon  the  motor 
centres.  In  some  instances  the  spasms  are  tetanoid  in  character ;  but 
in  the  duck  they  approach  nearest  to  the  typical  strychnic  spasm. 
3.  Thebaia  is  a  tetanizing  agent,  only  inferior  in  energy  to  strychnia 
and  brucia. 
