ON  CASSIA  MARILANDICA. 
301 
the  attention  of  physicians  who  have  used  the  American  senna,  and  induce 
them  to  give  their  experience  in  regard  to  its  activity  as  a  cathartic,  com- 
pared with  the  imported  drug. — Editor  Am,  Jour.  Pharm.] 
In  order  to  test  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  American  senna, 
I  thought  best  to  do  so  by  making  a  fluid  extract,  and  comparing 
its  virtues  with  those  of  a  preparation  from  the  imported  article. 
Two  different  collections  of  the  plant  were  made,  one  in  the 
month  of  August  and  the  other  in  September.  The  first  was  in 
full  bloom,  and  the  other  had  ripened  and  bore  its  fruit  in  fine 
clusters,  which  was  a  pendulous  legume,  several  inches  in  length, 
and  of  a  dark  color.  From  these  two  collections  two  preparations 
were  made  according  to  the  officinal  formula,  as  follows  : 
JL    American  senna,  August  collection,  8J  oz. 
The  leaves  were  macerated  in  the  diluted  alcohol  for  twenty-four 
hours,  and  then  displaced  until  Oiij.  of  liquid  were  obtained ;  these 
were  evaporated  to  f.^v.,  filtered,  and  §vss.  of  sugar  added,  which 
was  dissolved  by  the  aid  of  a  gentle  heat.  To  the  fluid  extract 
thus  obtained,  I  then  added  f.^ss.  of  Hoffman's  Anodyne  with 
f.5j  of  oil  of  fennel  dissolved  in  it.  ■  A  similar  preparation  was 
made  from  the  September  gathering,  and  one  also  from  some 
leaves  obtained  from  the  Shaker  settlement. 
Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Martin,  of  the  Philadelphia  Dis- 
pensary, I  am  enabled  to  state  the  relative  virtues  of  these  dif- 
ferent collections,  as  follows  :  The  first  case  in  which  this  extract 
was  tried  was  that  of  a  married  man  suffering  with  an  acute  attack 
of  pleurisy;  his  bowels  were  moved  with  calomel  and  rhubarb  on 
the  first  day  of  the  treatment,  and  followed  with  ten  grains  of 
Dover's  powder  at  bed  time.  The  next  morning  one  tablespoon- 
ful  of  the  fluid  extract  made  from  the  August  gathering  was  ad- 
ministered, and  in  six  hours  another,  without  producing  an 
evacuation,  and  it  required  a  full  dose  of  a  purgative  medicine 
to  produce  the  desired  effect. 
The  second  case  was  that  of  a  married  woman  who  was  suffering 
from  catarrh  ;  for  her,  one  fluid  ounce  of  the  extract  from  the 
September  collection  was  prescribed,  with  directions  for  taking 
the  same,  but  she  returned  the  next  day  without  having  had* an 
evacuation. 
Alcohol 
Water, 
Oiss. 
Qj. 
