Qualities. Form, curled pieces, or rolled up into short quills; its fracture is smooth and close, of a dark brown colour; Odour, light and agreeable; when burning, it emits a smell resembling that of musk, which at once distinguishes it from all other barks. Taste, moderately bitter, with some aromatic warmth. Chemical Composition. Mucilage, bitter extractive, resin, volatile oil, and a large proportion of woody fibre; neither Cinchonia nor Quina has hitherto been discovered in it. Solubility. Its active constituents are partially extracted by alcohol and water, and completely by proof spirit. Medicinal Uses. Carminative and tonic; it is an excellent adjunct to cinchona, rendering it by its aromatic qualities more agreeable to the stomach, and increasing its powers. It is valuable in dyspepsia and flatulent cholic, in dysentery and diarrhœa, and in the gangrenous thrush peculiar to children. Forms of Exhibition. It is most efficacious in substance; it may however be given in the form of infusion, or tincture. Decoction dissipates its aromatic principle; the extract therefore merely acts as a simple bitter. See Infus. Cascarillæ. Dose of the powder, grs. xij to ʒss. Officinal Preparations. Infus. Cascarill. L. Tinct. Cascarill. L.D. Extract. Cascarill. D.

The fruit is a cylindrical pod scarcely an inch in diameter, but a foot or more in length; the exterior is a hard brown bark; the interior is divided into numerous transverse cells, each of which contains an oval seed imbedded in a soft black pulp. Qualities. Odour, faint and rather sickly. Taste, sweet and mucilaginous. Solubility. Nearly the whole of the pulp is dissolved by water, partially by alcohol and sulphuric ether. Chemical Composition. Sugar, gelatine, glutine, gum, and a small portion of resin, extractive, and some colouring matter. Uses. It is gently laxative, and is adapted for children and very delicate women, but it should be always given in combination with manna or some other laxative, or it is apt to induce nausea, flatulence and griping. Officinal Preparations. Confectio Cassiæ. L.E.D. Confectio Sennæ (B.O.) L.E.D.^[453] There are two kinds of this drug in the market; that from the West Indies, the pods of which are generally large, rough, thick rinded, and contain a nauseous pulp; and that from the East Indies, which is to be preferred, and which is distinguished by smaller and smoother pods, and by their containing a much blacker pulp. The pulp ought not to have a harsh flavour, which arises from the fruit having been gathered before it was ripe, nor ought it to be sour, which it is very apt to become by keeping. The heaviest pods, and those in which the seeds do not rattle, are to be preferred.

This substance is secreted by the beaver, in bags near the rectum.^[454] Qualities. Odour, strong and aromatic. Taste, bitter, sub-acrid, and nauseous. Colour, reddish brown. Chemical Composition. Volatile oil, resin, mucilage, extractive, iron, and small portions of the carbonate of potass, lime and ammonia. It contains also, according to the analysis of Laugier, a small quantity of Benzoic acid. The Canadian variety is also stated by Laugier to contain benzoic acid both free and combined. Solubility. Its active matter is dissolved by alcohol, proof spirit, and partially by water; the tincture made with alcohol is the least nauseous, and the most efficacious; the spirit of ammonia is also an excellent menstruum, and in many cases improves its virtues. Forms of Exhibition. It may be given in substance, as a bolus, or in the form of tincture, but its exhibition in the form of extract or decoction is chemically incorrect. Dose, grs. x to ℈j, and, in clysters, to ʒj. Medicinal Uses. It is antispasmodic, and seems to act more particularly on the uterine system. It certainly proves beneficial as an adjunct to antihysteric combinations; it was highly esteemed by Van Swieten, De Haen, and many other German practitioners. Baglivi states that it counteracts the narcotic powers of opium, but this is not the case. Officinal Preparations. Tinct. Castorei.^[455] L.E.D. Adulter: It is sometimes counterfeited by a mixture of dried blood, gum ammoniacum, and a little real castor, stuffed into the scrotum of a goat; the fraud is detected by comparing the smell and taste with those of real castor; and by the deficiency of the subaceous follicles, which are always attached to genuine specimens. There are two kinds in the market, the Russian and Canadian, the former however, which is the best, has become extremely scarce; it may be distinguished from the latter, by being larger, rounder, heavier, and less corrugated on the outside.

Qualities. There are two varieties of catechu in the market, the one of a light yellowish, the other of a chocolate colour; they differ only in the latter having a more austere and bitter taste. Chemical Composition. Tannin, a peculiar extractive matter, mucilage, and earthy impurities. Solubility. It is almost totally dissolved both by water and spirit. Incompatible Substances. Its astringency is destroyed by alkaline salts; and precipitates are produced by metallic salts, especially by those of iron; and with gelatine it forms an insoluble compound. Medicinal Uses. It is a most valuable astringent. Forms of Exhibition. In infusion, tincture, or powder. (Form. 51, 52, 58, 151.) In the form of a lozenge, from its gradual solution, it may be very advantageously applied in relaxed states of the uvula and fauces; I have found this remedy successful in cases where the sulphate of zinc was inefficient. From its great astringency it also forms an excellent dentifrice, especially when the gums are spongy; for this purpose I have employed equal parts of powdered catechu, and Peruvian bark, with one-fourth the quantity of the powder of myrrh. Dose, grs. x to ℈i. Officinal Prep. Infus. Catechu, Tinct. Catechu, L.E.D. Electuarium Mimosæ Catechu, E.D.

Qualities. Odour, none; Taste, intensely bitter. Chemical Composition. Mucilage, resin, and bitter matter. Solubility. Alcohol and water dissolve all its active matter. Medicinal Uses. All its value depends upon its bitterness. It entered into the composition of the once celebrated Portland Powder for the gout, for an account of which see page 32. Dose, of an infusion, made in the proportion of ℥j to oj of boiling water, f℥ij; of the dry powder ʒi.

Qualities. Odour, faintly honey-like; it is brittle yet soft; when chewed, it does not, if pure, adhere to the teeth; it melts at 142°, and burns entirely away. Chemical Composition. It is the honey-comb of the bee melted with boiling water, pressed through cloth bags, and ultimately cast into round cakes for the market. Whether it be an animal product, or a vegetable substance merely collected by the bee, has been a question of dispute; the former opinion is probably correct, although wax is certainly produced as a secretion by many plants. The yellow wax contains a portion of pollen which imparts its colour to it, and increases its fusibility. Solubility. It is insoluble in water, and in cold alcohol or ether, but it is soluble in boiling alcohol and ether, in fixed oils, and in alkalies. Uses. It is chiefly employed in the composition of external applications. Adulterations. Earth or peas-meal may be suspected when the cake is very brittle, and the colour inclines to grey; Resin is detected by putting it in cold alcohol, which will dissolve the resinous part without acting on the wax. Tallow is discovered by the greater softness and unctuosity of the cake, and by its suffocating smell when melted; when this latter substance is employed, turmeric is added to disguise its paleness.

2. Cera Alba. White, Bleached, or Virgin’s Wax.

Qualities. This substance differs only from the former, in being colourless, harder, heavier, and less fusible. Uses. It is said to be demulcent, and very useful in dysentery, but it is rarely used. Forms of Exhibition. It may be formed into a mixture by melting it with one-third of its weight of soap, and then gradually adding to it any mucilaginous liquid. Adulterations. White Lead may be detected by melting the wax in water, when the oxide will fall to the bottom of the vessel; tallow may be suspected when the cake wants its usual translucency.

These compositions are characterized by a degree of consistence, intermediate between that of plasters, and that of ointments. As this consistence is obtained from the wax which they contain, they very properly derive from that substance the generic appellation of Cerates.

Ceratum Calaminæ. L. (Ceratum lapidis Calaminaris. P.L. 1787. Ceratum epuloticum. P.L. 1745). Ceratum Carbonatis Zinci Impuri. E. Unguentum Calaminare. D.—These preparations have been long known under the name of Turner’s Cerate; they form the basis of many extemporaneous cerates, in some of which nitric oxide of mercury, in the proportion of ʒj of the oxide to ℥j of cerate, and in others, the liquor of sub-acetate of lead, are introduced. By the former combination we obtain a very useful application to indolent and ill-conditioned ulcers, a valuable stimulant for inducing an action conducive to the regeneration of parts. By the latter combination we derive a remedy highly extolled by our most experienced surgeons, in the cure of burns and scalds.

Ceratum Cantharidis. L. The basis of this preparation is spermaceti cerate six parts, to which is added, of powdered flies one part: as it is intended to promote a purulent discharge from a blistered surface, it may be reduced in strength according to circumstances.

Ceratum Cetacei. L. (Ceratum Spermatis ceti. P.L. 1787. Ceratum Album, P.L. 1745). Ceratum Simplex. E. It furnishes a soft and cooling dressing, and constitutes a convenient basis for more active combinations, as in the following instance.

Ceratum Plumbi acetatis. L. (Unguentum Cerussæ Acetatæ, P.L. 1787.) This is cooling for burns, excoriations, and inflamed surfaces.

Ceratum Plumbi Compositum. L. (Cerat: Lithargyri acetati compositum. P.L. 1787.) This is “Goulard’s Cerate” and is applicable to the same cases as the former cerate; the camphor which enters into its composition imparts a gently stimulating power to it; it proves extremely serviceable in chronic opthalmia of the tarsus, and for the increased secretion of tears, which so frequently affects the eyes of persons advanced in years.

Ceratum Resinæ. L. (Ceratum resinæ flavæ, P.L. 1787. Ceratum citrinum. 1745. Yellow Basilicon). Unguent: Resinosum, E. Unguent: Resinæ albæ. D. It is stimulant, digestive, and cleansing, and affords a very excellent application for foul and indolent ulcers.

Ceratum Sabinæ. L. Savine Cerate. It is intended to keep up a purulent discharge from a blistered surface; in practice however it is often found to fail from the difficulty of obtaining it good, since the acrid principle of the plant is injured by long boiling, and by being previously dried; the ointment also loses its virtue by exposure to the air.

Ceratum Saponis. L. This preparation was much used and recommended by the late Mr. Pott; in preparing it the greatest possible caution is required; the fire should never be too rapidly applied, the stirring should be uniform and incessant, and the heat should only be sufficient to keep the two compositions liquid at the time when they are united. The original intention of the cerate was to afford, when spread upon linen, a mechanical support to fractured limbs, and to keep the points of the bone in due apposition, while in consequence of the acetate of lead which is formed in the first stage of the process for its preparation, it possesses the virtues of a saturnine dressing. As a mechanical agent it may prove at once effectual and dangerous, for if it be applied before all inflammation and swelling have entirely disappeared, the inflamed vessels may be completely strangulated by its unrelenting pressure, and high erysipelatous inflammation, and a rapid state of gangrene may be the result.

Ceratum Simplex. A useful application to excoriations and sores.

Besides the above cerates, there are many magistral^[458] preparations, of great practical value, and I must refer the surgical student for an account of them to that very useful little manual, entitled “Pharmacopœia Chirurgica.”

Qualities. Form, flakes, which are unctuous, friable, and white. Odour and taste, scarcely perceptible. Sp. Grav. 9·433. It melts at 112°. Chemical Composition. It is a peculiar modification of fatty matter. Solubility. It is insoluble in water and cold alcohol, but soluble in hot alcohol, ether, and oil of turpentine, but it concretes again as the fluids cool; in the fixed oils it is completely soluble. The alkaline carbonates do not affect it, but it is partially dissolved in the pure alkalies, and with hot ammonia it forms an emulsion which is not decomposed on cooling. Uses. It is demulcent and emollient, but it possesses no advantages over the bland oils. Forms of Exhibition. It may be suspended in water by means of mucilage or yolk of egg. (Formulæ 76, 78, 79.) Officinal Preparations. Ceratum Simplex. E. Ceratum Cetacei. L. Unguent. Cetacei. L.D. From exposure to hot air, it becomes rancid; but it may be again purified, by being washed in a warm solution of potass.

Notwithstanding the labours of the Spanish botanists, the history of this important genus is still involved in considerable perplexity, and owing to the mixture of the barks of several species,^[459] and their importation into Europe under one common name, it is extremely difficult to reconcile the contradictory opinions which exist upon the subject, nor indeed would such an investigation be consistent with the plan and objects of this work. Under the trivial name officinalis, Linnæus confounded no less than four distinct species of cinchona, and under the same denomination the British Pharmacopœias, for a long period, placed as varieties the three barks known in the shops; this error indeed is still maintained in the Dublin Pharmacopœias, but the London and Edinburgh colleges have at length adopted the arrangement of Mutis, a celebrated botanist, who has resided in South America, and held the official situation of Director of the exportation of bark for nearly forty years.

Cinchonæ Cordifoliæ Cortex. L.E. Cortex Peruvianus. D. Heart-leaved Cinchona Bark, commonly called Yellow Bark.

Cinchonæ Lancifoliæ Cortex. L.E. Cortex Peruvianus. D. Lance-leaved Cinchona Bark, common Quilled bark—Pale bark.

Cinchonæ Oblongifoliæ Cortex. L.E. Cortex Peruvianus. D. Oblong-leaved Cinchona Bark, called Red bark.

Qualities. The odour and taste of these three species are essentially the same, although they differ in intensity. They are all bitter, sub-astringent and aromatic, but the flavour of the Yellow bark is incomparably the most bitter, although less austere and astringent, whilst the red bark has a taste much less bitter, but more austere and nauseous than either of the other species. Chemical Composition. Few vegetable substances have been more frequently, or more ably submitted to chemical analysis than the Peruvian bark, and yet but few results of any great practical utility had been obtained previous to the recent experiments of Pelletier and Caventou, communicated to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, since the publication of the fourth edition of the present work.

Dr. Maton^[460] had several years ago observed, that an infusion of nutgalls produced a precipitate with the decoctions of Bark; a fact which necessarily produced considerable speculation. Seguin was induced to regard it as arising from the presence of gelatine, (see p. 56,) an opinion which Dr. Duncan proved to be erroneous, and shewed that it depended upon a new proximate principle, to which M. Gomez of Lisbon had previously assigned the name of Cinchonine. Besides which, bark was considered as containing resin, extractive, gluten, tannin, a small portion of volatile oil, and some salts with a base of lime; one of which however had been only found in Yellow bark, and had been discovered to contain a peculiar vegetable acid, denominated by Vauquelin Kinic, a name which Dr. Duncan very judiciously superseded by that of Cinchonic acid.

In the Red bark, Fourcroy detected also a portion of citric acid, some muriate of ammonia, and muriate of lime. Upon which of these principles the tonic and febrifuge virtues of bark depends, has ever proved a fruitful source of controversy. Deschamps attributed them to Cinchonate of Lime, and asserted that two doses of thirty-six grains each, would cure any intermittent. Westering considered Tannin as the active constituent; while M. Seguin assigned all the virtues to the principle which precipitates gallic acid, and which, as it has been before stated, he mistook for gelatine. Fabroni concluded from his experiments, that the febrifuge power of the bark did not belong exclusively and essentially to the astringent, bitter, or to any other individual principle, since the quantity of these would necessarily be increased by long boiling, whereas the virtues of the bark are notoriously diminished by protracted ebullition. This argument however will not go far, when we consider the chemical changes which the liquid is known to suffer during that operation, and by which a considerable portion of its matter is rendered insoluble. Such was the state of our knowledge respecting the composition of the Cinchona, when Pelletier and Caventou, guided by analogy, were led to infer the presence of an alkaline element of activity in its composition. The merit, belonging to the researches of these eminent chemists, does not so much consist in the discovery of new elements, as in the proofs which they have furnished of the well known principle, Cinchonine, being a salifiable base,^[461] and in demonstrating the peculiar states of combination in which it exists in the different species of Cinchona.

Their analysis of the Pale Bark, furnished the following principles.

1.

Acidulous Kinate of Cinchonia.^[462]

2.

A green fatty matter.

3.

Red Colouring matter, slightly soluble.

4.

Ditto soluble. (Tannin.)

5.

Yellow colouring matter.

6.

Kinate of Lime.

7.

Gum.

8.

Starch.

9.

Lignin.

Cinchonia, when obtained in an isolated form,^[463] is distinguished by the following characters and habitudes.

It is white, transparent, and crystallizes in the form of needles; it has but little taste, circumstance depending upon its comparative insolubility, as it requires no less than 7000 parts of cold water for its solution; in boiling water it is soluble in 2500 times its weight, but a considerable part separates, on cooling. In alcohol and the acids it is much more soluble, and imparts to such menstrua the characteristic bitter of the bark; it dissolves only in small quantities in the fixed and volatile oils, or in sulphuric ether. Cinchonia restores the colour of litmus which has been reddened by an acid. With acids it combines and forms neutral salts, of which the solubility and crystalline form vary with the acid employed.

Sulphate of Cinchonia, easily crystallizable and moderately soluble, has been found to consist of Cinchonia 100, Sulphuric acid 13·02.

Nitrate of Cinchonia, uncrystallizable, and sparingly soluble.

Muriate of Cinchonia, crystallizes in very beautiful needles, and is more soluble than the preceding salts.

Oxalate of Cinchonia, nearly insoluble; hence by pouring oxalic acid, or oxalate of ammonia into solutions of any of the soluble salts of cinchonia, we obtain a very white and abundant precipitate, which might be mistaken for oxalate of lime; it is however soluble in an excess of acid, and in alcohol.

Gallate of Cinchonia, equally as insoluble as the Oxalate, whence the precipitate occasioned by pouring an infusion of galls into the decoctions of genuine cinchona.

Cinchonia, when heated, does not fuse before decomposition. Its ultimate elements are oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon; the latter being predominant.

The Kinic acid, which exists in native combination with the Cinchonia, amongst several other peculiar properties, is convertible by means of heat into a substance (acide pyrokinique,) which is crystallizable, and capable of producing with iron a most beautiful green colour.

In the Yellow Bark, these chemists discovered also a salifiable base, quite distinct however in its character and habitudes from Cinchonia; they accordingly have designated it by another name, viz. Quinine, but which we shall hereafter call Quina. In speaking of these two bases, the authors compare them, in point of dissimilarity, to the fixed alkalies, potass and soda. Quina is distinguished from Cinchonia by the following characters. It cannot, like this latter body, be crystallized by evaporation from its alcoholic solution, although it may be obtained in transparent plates. It is very soluble in æther; in water it is as insoluble as cinchonia, but its taste is much more bitter. The salts which it forms are different from those of cinchonia, both in the proportion of their elements, and in the properties which they possess, being generally much more bitter. In comparing their composition, Quina will appear to have less capacity of saturation^[464] than cinchonia.

Sulphate of Quina. It forms crystals quite remarkable for their satin-like and pearly lustre. It is soluble in cold water, a property which is very considerably increased by an excess of acid.^[465] It appears from the observations of M. Callaude, apothecary at Annecy, that Sulphate of Quina exposed to a gentle heat, becomes highly luminous; and M. Pelletier has since found that Sulphate of Cinchonia, when exposed in a capsule to the steam of boiling water, exhibits the same phenomenon, but that neither Quina nor Cinchonia, by themselves, nor their acetates, possess this phosphorescent quality. This appears to be the most efficient of all the salts of Bark, and is the one from which I have frequently derived much advantage. In its exhibition we must be careful not to combine it with substances that form insoluble compounds with it. The Infusum Rosæ compositum is objectionable as a vehicle, on account of the astringent matter which it contains, and which therefore precipitates the Quina from its solution. I have lately seen a prescription, in which the salt is directed to be rubbed with a few grains of Cream of Tartar, and then to be dissolved in mint water. This is obviously injudicious, since Tartaric acid decomposes the sulphate, and occasions an insoluble Tartrate, which is precipitated. The form in which I have usually prescribed it is in that of solution, with a small quantity of sulphuric acid, in the proportion of a minim to every grain of the salt. A Wine of Quina may be made by adding five grains of the sulphate to a pint of Sherry; a Tincture, by dissolving the same quantity in eight fluid-ounces of Rectified Spirit. The sulphate is to be preferred to the pure Quina in these cases, because, when the tincture is made by using the alkali, not saturated by an acid, a precipitate is formed on adding it to aqueous liquors. Dose of the Sulphate, gr. i.–v.

Having thus furnished a sketch of this curious discovery, we have next to enquire whether the alkaline bases in question do actually concentrate all the virtues of the barks in which they reside? M. Majendie^[466] informs us that Pelletier had very early after the discovery transmitted to him a portion of the new substances for trial, and that he has unequivocally determined that they do not possess any deleterious qualities,^[467] and are therefore essentially different from the principles of Nux vomica, (Strychnine,) Opium, (Morphia,) &c. According to the testimony of Dr. Double, as related in the same journal, they would seem to possess the medicinal properties of the cinchona.

In the third number of Majendie’s Journal we receive a report from M. le docteur Renauldin, of an intermittent cured by the Sulphate of Cinchonia, in doses of six grains.

As the discovery of an alkaline element in Opium led the way to the detection of salifiable bases in other active vegetables,^[468] it has seemed to me preferable that I should introduce those general observations which I wish to offer upon the subject of those bodies, under the history of that narcotic. It is only necessary in this place to caution the practitioner against the hasty generalizations of the too sanguine chemist; it has already been observed that those vegetable remedies, whose value has been established by the sober experience of ages, consist of different principles of activity, or, at least, owe a modified power to the compound effect of their several ingredients. (p. 154, note.)

Solubility of the Bark.^[469] Cold water extracts its bitter taste, with some share of its odour; when assisted by a moderate heat, the infusion is stronger, but becomes turbid as it cools; the infusion cannot be kept, even for a short time, without undergoing decomposition, and being spoiled; wine also extracts the virtues of bark, and is prevented by this substance from becoming sour, a fact which probably depends upon the avidity with which some of the principles of bark combine with oxygen, and which may throw some light upon the cause of its antiseptic virtues. The colouring matter of wine is precipitated by bark, as it is by charcoal, in the course of a few days. By decoction the active matter of cinchona is in a great degree extracted, but if the process be protracted beyond eight or ten minutes, it undergoes a very important chemical change, the precise nature of which is not well understood; the balance of affinities, however, by which the different elements are united, is evidently overthrown, and a considerable precipitation ensues; oxygen would also appear to have been absorbed; whether the Cinchonia becomes insoluble has not yet been ascertained, but experience has shewn that the general loss of solubility, produced by such a process, is accompanied with a corresponding loss of medicinal activity; on which account, the extract is necessarily a very inefficient preparation; if we attempt to redissolve it, not more than one half is soluble in water. Vinegar is a less powerful solvent than water; the active matter of bark is rendered more soluble by the addition of mineral acids, and by the earths and alkalies; these latter bodies deepen its colour, and precipitate the Cinchonia, for which reason, when they are employed, the decoction ought not to be filtered; see Form. 41, 42, and note thereon. Lime water has been recommended as a solvent, and it affords an excellent form for children and dyspeptic patients; for the same reason we obtain a stronger and perhaps a more efficient preparation, by triturating it with magnesia, previous to the process of infusion. Alcohol is a very powerful solvent, but the great activity of this menstruum so limits its dose that we are prevented from exhibiting a sufficient quantity of the bark in the form of tincture; it furnishes however an excellent adjunct to other preparations.

Incompatible Substances. Precipitates are produced by the salts of iron, sulphate of zinc, nitrate of silver, oxy-muriate of mercury, tartarized antimony, solutions of arsenic, &c. Any considerable portion of a tincture produces also a precipitation, which sometimes does not immediately take place, and the medicinal value of the bark is probably not impaired by it. As the infusions of nut galls and some other vegetable astringents precipitate the cinchonia from bark, it becomes a question how far such liquids are medicinally compatible; saline additions, as alum, muriate of ammonia, &c. have been frequently proposed, but in many such mixtures decompositions arise which must deceive us with regard to the expected effects. Forms of Exhibition. No form is so efficient as that of powder, a fact which would seem to argue against the exclusive value of the Cinchonia; even the ligneous fibre which the chemist pronounces to be inert and useless, may produce its share of benefit by modifying the solubility of the other ingredients, or by performing some mechanical duty which we are at present unable to understand or appreciate; but where the stomach rejects it, it must be administered in infusion or decoction, with the addition of its tincture. In cases where it is necessary to join cordials, an infusion of bark in Port wine^[470] is a popular and very useful form for its administration. Dose of the powder, gr. v to ʒij or more, of the infusion or decoction ℥ij. Medicinal Uses. It is powerfully tonic and antiseptic; it was introduced into practice for curing intermittent fevers, but since that period it has been generally used in diseases of debility, in fevers of the typhoid type, and in gangrene. It was first conjectured to be useful in gout by Sydenham, and Dr. Haygarth has strongly recommended its exhibition in acute rheumatism; when however it is used in these diseases, the greatest attention ought to be paid to the state of the bowels, and purgatives should be occasionally interposed. In Dyspepsia, the use of the purer bitters is to be greatly preferred to that of the bark. Officinal Preparations. Infus. Cinchonæ, L.E.D. Decoct. Cinchon. L.E.D. Extractum Cinchon. L.E. Extract. Cinchonæ resinosum. L.D. Tinct. Cinchonæ, L.E.D. Tinct. Cinchonæ comp. L.E.D. Tinct. Cinchon. Ammoniat. L. Magistral Formulæ, 31, 37, 40, 44, 127. Adulterations. The frauds committed under this head are most extensive; it is not only mixed with inferior barks, but frequently with genuine bark, the active constituents of which have been entirely extracted by decoction with water. In selecting cinchona bark, the following precautions may be useful; it should be dense, heavy and dry, not musty, nor spoiled by moisture; a decoction made of it should have a reddish colour when warm; but when cold, it should become paler, and deposit a brownish red sediment. When the bark is of a dark colour between red and yellow, it is either of a bad species, or it has not been well preserved. Its taste should be bitter, with a slight acidity, but not nauseous, nor very astringent; when chewed, it should not appear in threads, nor of much length; the odour is not very strong, but when bark has been well cured, it is always perceptible, and the stronger it is, provided it be pleasant, the better may the bark be considered. In order to give bark the form of quill, the bark gatherers not unfrequently call in the aid of artificial heat, by which its virtues are deteriorated; the fraud is detected by the colour being much darker, and upon splitting the bark, by the inside exhibiting stripes of a whitish sickly hue. In the form of powder, cinchona is always found more or less adulterated. During a late official inspection of the shops of apothecaries and druggists, the Censors repeatedly met with powdered cinchona having a harsh metallic taste, quite foreign to that which characterizes good bark.^[471] The best test of the goodness of bark is afforded by the quantity of Cinchonia, or Quina that may be extracted from it; and the manufacturer should always institute such a trial before he purchases any quantity, taking a certain number of pieces indiscriminately from the bulk. Much has been said of late concerning the probability of the genuine species of the cinchona tree becoming extinct; in consequence of which some succedaneum has been anxiously sought for; the bark of the broad-leaved willow, Salix Caprea, has been proposed for this purpose. Vogel recommends the root of Geum urbanum avens; others propose that of the Dastisca canabina.

The Cinchona Caribæa of the Edinburgh Pharmacopœia is said, by Dr. Wright, to whom we are indebted for our knowledge of it, to have satisfactorily answered in all cases where the Peruvian bark was indicated. The Geoffræa Intermis is often sold for it.

M. Ré, Professor of the Materia Medica at the Veterinary School at Turin, has announced that the Lycopus Europæus of Linnæus, called by the peasants of Piedmont the Herb China, is a complete succedaneum for Peruvian Bark.^[472] The success with which bark has been imitated by medicinal combination, has already been noticed in the first part of this work.

The qualities of Cinnamon depend upon the presence of an essential oil. Benzoic acid has been found in it. It is principally employed to cover the taste of nauseous medicines, and to correct the griping quality of different purgatives. It is, however, in itself, astringent and tonic, whence it has been found efficacious in the relief of alvine fluxes. Adulterations. It is sometimes intermixed with cinnamon from which the oil has been drawn; the fraud is detected by the weakness of the odour and taste of the specimen; sometimes it is mixed with cassia, but this is soon discovered, for cassia is thick and clumsy, breaks short, and smooth, and has a remarkable slimy taste, whereas the fracture of cinnamon is shivery, and its flavour warm and clean. Cinnamon ought not to leave a mawkish taste in the mouth; this circumstance denotes an inferior quality. There is an inferior kind imported into Europe from China, through the hands of private merchants; this is distinguished by being darker coloured, rougher, denser, and by breaking shorter; the taste is also harsher, more pungent, and ligneous, without the sweetness of Ceylon cinnamon. Dose of the cinnamon in powder is from grs. x. to ℈j. Officinal Prep. Aqua Cinnamomi, L.E.D, Spir Cinnamomi, L.E.D. Tinct. Cinnamomi, L.E.D. Tinct. Cinnamom. co. L. Pulv. Cinnamom. comp. L.E.

Cinnamomi Oleum. It is principally imported from Ceylon: it has a whitish yellow colour, a pungent burning taste, and the peculiar fine flavour of cinnamon in a very great degree.^[473] It should sink in water, and be entirely soluble in alcohol. It is one of the most powerful stimulants which we possess. Dose, ♏︎i to iij, on a lump of sugar.

It is an insect imported from Mexico and New Spain, and has the appearance of a wrinkled berry or seed of a deep mulberry colour, with a white powder between the wrinkles. Uses. Its medicinal virtues are now entirely discredited, and it is only employed for the sake of its colouring matter, for the purpose of a dye; it was known to the Phœnicians, and was the tolu of the Jews. Its watery solution is of a violet crimson, its alcoholic of a deep crimson, and its alkaline of a purple hue; the colour of the watery infusion is brightened by acids, cream of tartar, and alum, and at the same time partly precipitated. Dr. John has given the name of Cochenelin to this colouring principle, which M. M. Pelletier and Caventou have lately obtained in a perfectly pure state, as a very brilliant purple red powder with a granular crystalline appearance; these chemists propose to call it Carmine, but as Mr. Children very justly observes, if we adopt the term, its termination should be altered, to avoid confounding the pure colouring matter with the pigment in common use. It may be called Carmina, a more harmonious name than Cochenelin, (Ann: de Chimie, vol. viii). Incompatible Substances. The colouring matter is decomposed by sulphate of iron, sulphate of zinc, and acetate of lead. Officinal Preparations. Tinct: Cardamom: comp: L.D. Tinct: Cinchon: comp: L.D. Tinct: Gentian, comp: E. Tinct: Cantharid: D. Adulterations. It is invariably adulterated with pieces of dough, formed in moulds, and coloured with cochineal. I understand that this fraud gives employment to a very considerable number of women and children in this metropolis. A cargo of the counterfeit article was some time since exported, in order to obtain the drawback; by throwing a suspected sample into water, we shall dissolve the spurious ones, and ascertain the extent of the adulteration.

Qualities. When recent it has scarcely any odour, but its taste is bitter, hot and acrid. Chemical Composition. Its properties reside in a milky juice, and depend upon an alkaline principle; it contains also gum, starch, inulin, and extractive matter, which, when in solution, undergoes a chemical change, analogous, I apprehend, to that which takes place in the infusion of Senna, and it would appear with similar inconvenience. Sir Everard Home ascertained that this deposit, in the vinous infusion, excites nausea and griping, but that it may be removed without destroying the efficacy of the medicine. The alkaline element, similar to that of the Hellebore (Veratria), lately found in it, appears to exist in combination with gallic acid. (Annales de Chimie, tom. xiv. Mai, 1820.) This alkaline body would seem to display its greatest energies by its action upon mucous surfaces; in small portions it excites violent sneezing, and when applied to the membrane of the stomach, immediate vomiting and purging are the result.^[474] See Veratri radix. The virtues of the bulb of Colchicum are very variable, according to the place of growth and season of the year. Since the third edition of this work, I have been favoured with some valuable observations upon this subject by Mr. Alexander Gordon; he says that it is in its greatest perfection from the beginning of June until the middle of August.^[475] It is also necessary to extract the virtues of the bulb as soon as it is gathered, for although removed from the earth, the developing process of vegetation continues, and the substance undergoes a corresponding series of chemical changes, and finally becomes as inert as if it had remained in the ground. It is a problem of some importance to discover a method of destroying the vegetable life of the bulb, without at the same time injuring its virtues, for I apprehend that a want of attention to the above precaution frequently renders the vinous infusion inactive. The practitioner engaged in preparing this vegetable remedy will find some valuable directions in the third edition of Thomson’s Dispensatory. The flower of the meadow saffron is very poisonous to cattle. Solubility. Vinegar and wine^[476] are the best menstrua for extracting its active qualities; by decoction its essential oil is dissipated. Medicinal Uses. It has been much extolled on the continent as a remedy in dropsy, especially in hydro-thorax, and in humoral asthma; its operation however as a diuretic, is less certain than squill, although its modus operandi is analogous to it, as will be seen by referring to our new arrangement of Diuretic remedies. As a specific in gout its efficacy has been fully ascertained; it allays pain, and cuts short the paroxysm. It has also a decided action upon the arterial system, which it would appear to control through the medium of the nerves. Incompatible Substances. In my opinion, acids, and all oxygenated substances render the vinous infusion drastic; on the contrary, alkalies render its principles more soluble, and its operation more mild, but not less efficacious. Magnesia may judiciously accompany its exhibition. Dose of the saturated vinous infusion, the only form in which its successful operation can be insured, fʒss to fʒj, whenever the patient is in pain. See Vinum Colchici. Officinal Preparations. Acetum Colchici, L. Oxymel Colchici, D. Vinum Colchici, L. Spiritus Colchici Ammoniatus, L. Syrupus Colchici Autumnalis, E.

Colchici Semina. Dr. Williams of Ipswich has lately published an account of the efficacy of the Seeds of Colchicum, which he says possess all the virtues of the root, without its pernicious^[477] qualities; the form in which he administers them, is in that of vinous infusion.^[478] He also informs me that he has experienced considerable tonic effects from these seeds; and that unlike other narcotic remedies they do not appear to produce, or favour congestion in the head. The seeds ought not to be bruised, as their virtues reside chiefly in the husk, or cortical part.