EDITORIAL. 
91 
The  fourth  and  last  part  of  the  work,  which  occupies  but  three  pages, 
consists  of  practical  suggestions  in  reference  to  the  therapeutic  value  of 
cinchona,  favorable  to  its  employment.  The  authors  advocate  the  mixing 
of  the  barks  in  making  pharmaceutical  preparations.  So  as  to  get  a  due 
relation  of  quinia  and  cinchonia.  M.  Delondre  has  been  in  the  habit  of 
preparing  a  crude  quinine,  which  he  calls  Quinium,  by  lixiviating  a  mixture 
of  3  parts  of  powdered  bark,  and  one  part  of  lime  in  powder  with  alcohol 
36°  B. ,  and  distilling  off  the  alcohol  so  as  to  get  an  extract  like  the  calisaya 
extract  of  Mr.  Ellis.  This  extract  is  suggested  as  the  basis  of  various  pre- 
parations, and  by  knowing  the  alkaloid  value  of  the  several  barks,  the 
proportion  of  them  could  be  so  varied  as  to  keep  the  extract  at  about  the 
strength  of  33  per  cent,  of  alkaloid. 
The  execution  of  the  plates  in  the  work  deserves  the  highest  commenda- 
tion ;  so  exact  are  the  representations  that  the  several  barks  may  with 
readiness  be  recognized,  and  on  these  and  the  practical  observations  in  the 
text,  the  merit  of  the  work  mainly  rests.  In  a  scientific  point  of  view,  its 
claims  are  but  meagre ;  it  does  not  enter  into  either  the  botany,  microscopy 
or  abstract  chemistry  of  the  cinchonas  ;  yet  as  the  authors  lay  no  claim  in 
that  direction,  they  merit  the  thanks  of  pharmacologists  for  their  beautiful 
and  useful  addition  to  the  literature  of  Quinology. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Medical  Association.    Instituted  1847.  vol. 
vii.,  New  York.  Charles  B.  Norton,  1854,  pp.  661,  octavo. 
We  acknowledge  the  reception  of  this  volume  from  the  Committee  of 
Publication.  In  glancing  over  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  St.  Louis, 
we  find  them  so  exclusively  occupied  by  strictly  medical  subjects,  that  any 
notice  of  them  would  be  out  of  place  in  this  Journal,  except  the  following : 
"  On  motion  of  Dr.  C.  B.  Guthrie,  of  Memphis,. it  was 
Resolved,  That  in  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury's  recommendation  to 
Congress,  to  abolish  or  materially  modify  the  duty  on  such  crude  drugs, 
not  producible  in  this  country,  as  are  used  in  the  laboratories  of  the  country, 
in  the  manufacture  of  chemicals,  we  recognize  a  wise  provision  for  the 
future  protection  of  the  profession,  and  the  community  at  large,  from  impure 
and  sophisticated  medicines." 
"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  resolution  be  signed  by  the  proper  officers 
of  this  Association,  and  be  transmitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
and  to  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  in  Congress." 
We  hope  the  above  resolution  will  prove  influential.  The  present  tariff, 
in  many  particulars,  tends  to  discourage  the  home  manufacture  of 
chemicals. 
"Dr.  Edgar,  of  St.  Louis,  offered  a  resolution,  recommending  to  apothe- 
caries the  adoption  of  labels  of  particular  colors,  in  order  to  enable  patients 
and  others  to  distinguish  poisonous  from  other  compounds.  This  was 
laid  on  the  table." 
