So much has lately been said on this subject that one almost requires to apologize before making any additional contribution. There are some points, however, upon which I feel tempted to offer an opinion, and, at the same time, would take the opportunity of modifying, amending, or confirming certain statements made in a former paper, published about five years ago,* in which was advocated the use of acid of a much greater degree of strength than that usually employed for the oxidation of the phosphorus. During two years of the intervening period the process indicated was followed, and frequent operations on comparatively large quantities of material afforded ample opportunity for experience. I am still of the opinion that nitric acid of sp. gr. 1.24 may be safely used. The closest attention of the operator is, however, required throughout, and should the action become violent, by reason of the too great concentration of the acid, or too high a temperature, cold distilled water must be at once added. The frequent addition of cold water, sometimes in unnecessary quantity, forms *Can. Jour. Pharm., Vol. v., p. 19. an objection to the process, as the acid becomes too dilute, and loss of time is the result. Another objection is that open vessels—or at least nothing more than an inverted funnel, placed over the phosphorus-must be employed. The loss of acid, by evaporation, is, therefore, considerable. In view of these objections I have modified the process, and for about three years have worked it successfully. The improvements may be thus stated, and relate to an operation upon ten pounds of phosphorus :-The employment of a partially or almost closed vessel resembling a tubulated long-necked mattrass, and of ten gallons capacity. The use of a water-bath, the temperature of which can be quickly reduced by the addition of cold water: the action may thus be checked without diluting the acid. At the commencement I pound of phosphorus, 24 pounds of nitric acid sp. gr. 1315, and 6 pounds of water, are used. Further quantities of phosphorus of like amount are successively added as dissolved, together with additions of 8 pounds of acid sp. gr. 1.315. Further additions of water are seldom or ever required. The quantity of acid of 1.315—50 per cent. HNO-consumed during an operation, ranges from 72 to 78 pounds. The quantity required, theoretically, is 67.72 pounds. In regard to the concentration of the phosphoric acid, I have found it best to drive off as much as possible of the water and nitric acid in the same vessel in which the oxidation has been carried on, merely removing the upright head or neck. In this way an acid of oily consistence may be obtained which may be further evaporated in platinum or porcelain. Berlin ware and enamelled ware are both sensibly attacked. Previous to reading the paper presented by Mr. L. Dohme* at the meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1874, I had been in the habit of carrying the heat as far as incipient redness, allowing the acid to cool, and, next day, dissolving the solid mass in water. Acid so prepared always mixed, without precipitation, with solution of ferric chloride. Mr. Dohme's statement that the concentration should not be carried beyond 450° occasioned, therefore, some surprise. On the next occasion on which ten pounds of phosphorus were oxidized, a thermometer was kept in the acid during concentration, and the temperature carefully kept under the *Proc. Amer. Pharm. Assoc., Vol. xxii., p. 431. point indicated. On testing a sample of the product it was found that ferric chloride produced an instantaneous precipitate. The entire product, after cooling, was therefore diluted with water and reduced again, by heat, to the syrupy condition, as directed by Mr. Dohme and others,* and on further dilution mixed in all proportions with the test indicated. From this experiment I infer that the conclusion arrived at by the gentleman referred to will not always hold good, but is dependent on certain conditions not yet perfectly understood. The process devised by Mr. Markoe, and described at the last meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association,† is a very ingenious one, and may possibly be of use when economy of time. is an object. It is not, however, free from danger, as the sequel has proved; and though the late accident could not be charged to the process, yet in inexperienced or careless hands the liability to danger is considerable. There is also a possibility that other compounds than those desired might, under certain conditions, be formed. On the score of economy the process will not compare favourably with that described above. Toronto, Jan. 11, 1876. NOTES ON SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE BY JOHN R. JACKSON, A.L.S. No natural order has such distinct botanical characters as have the Compositæ, and no other order perhaps with the exception of Leguminosa has so wide a distribution over the surface of the globe. The properties of the order also vary considerably, for while some species abound in a very bitter aromatic principle, others are tonic and stimulant, while others again abound in a milky poisonous juice. The aromatic principle is notably present in the common Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) and the Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) both of which are used as stimulant tonics. It is not so *Proc. Am. Pharm. Assoc., Vol. xxii., p. 511. much to these and other plants that are well known for their medicinal properties and which are used occasionally in European practice, as to those that have properties imputed to them but are nevertheless but little known, that we wish now to draw attention. Amongst officinal Compositæ included in the Pharmacopoeias either of Britain or India are the Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), Santonica Artemisia sp., probably a variety of A. maritima), Élecampane (Inula Helenium), Arnica (Arnica montana), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Pellitory of Spain (Anacyclus Pyrethrum), and Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca virosa). Amongst other plants having medicinal properties, and which are occasionally used or have been recommended, may be mentioned the Artemisia indica, a plant with a strong aromatic smell and a bitter taste, occurring frequently on the mountains of India. An infusion of the leaves and tops of the plants are said to form a mild but efficient stomachic tonic, and it has been administered successfully in nervous and spasmodic affections arising from debility. The common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is too well known as the source of Absinthe, to need more than a mere mention of its use for the preparation of that beverage. At one time it was very highly esteemed as a tonic, febrifuge and anthelmintic. It is said to impart a strong bitter taste to the flesh of sheep which feed upon it; many of the species possess similar properties to the above, and are used in a like manner. The Southern wood (Artemisia Abrotanum) for instance, at one time so common in English gardens, and originally a native of the South of Europe, was formerly used as a tonic and vermifuge; it was also considered to be obnoxious to insects and was often placed with clothes to keep away moths, the old French name of Garde-robe having arisen from this fact. The Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), a well-known weed growing in hedgebanks in this country and distributed over Europe, North Africa, Siberia, Western Asia to the Himalayas, was at one time strongly recommended as an emmenagogue. The dried leaves bruised, rubbed between the hands and formed into small cones, were considered a good substitute for Chinese moxa, which was prepared from Artemisia moxa. Under the name of Wormseed the herbalists sell the flower stalks and heads of several species of Artemisia. In the genus Vernonia, one of the largest of the Composite order, V. anthelmintica, common in waste places throughout India, furnishes from its seeds by pressure a green-coloured oil or fat. These seeds are seen in most of the Indian bazaars; they are of a brown colour and have a bitter nauseous taste. Amongst the natives they are highly valued as an anthelmintic, being bruised and administered in honey in doses of about a drachm and a half,divided equally and taken at an interval of a few hours, followed by an aperient. Their effect is said to be to expel the worms in a lifeless state. "In Travancore, the bruised seeds ground up in a paste with lime juice are largely employed as a means of destroying pediculi." They were regarded by Dr. Gibson as a valuable tonic and stomachic, and besides this they are also said to possess diuretic properties. From the evidence in favour of their use as an anthelmintic, they would seem to warrant further and more careful trials. Another Indian plant, Notonia grandiflora, has been advocated as a remedy for hydrophobia. The manner of preparation and administration, as given in the Indian Pharmacopoeia, is as follows: "About four ounces of the freshly gathered stems, infused in a pint of water for a night, yield in the morning, when subjected to pressure, a quantity of viscid greenish juice, which, being mixed with the water, is taken as a draught. In the evening a further quantity of juice, made up into boluses with flour, is taken. These medicines are directed to be repeated for three successive days." The flowers of Chrysanthemum Roxburghii, also an Indian plant, have been used as a substitute for chamomiles in India. The root when chewed imparts a sharp tingling sensation to the tongue, and it has been suggested that it might be used as a substitute for pellitory. The genus Eupatorium, though at the present time furnishing no plants of really acknowledged medicinal value, was formerly considered of some importance, the common hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) being used for coughs, intermittent fevers, dropsy, etc. Externally it was applied in the form of a cataplasm to tumours, ulcers, etc., and the expressed juice mixed with vinegar was a favourite application in some forms of cutaneous diseases. For internal application it was recommended to boil a handful of the leaves and young tops in a quart of water or whey, which should be taken in frequent doses; or the expressed juice was also recommended in doses of from two to three ounces. The dried leaves were used in the form of tea, and the root boiled in water in the proportion of an ounce of the former to half a pint of the latter, was administered in dropsies. It is described by Boerhaave as being in very great use amongst the turf diggers of Holland, who use it in jaundice, scurvy, foul ulcers, and those swellings of the feet to which they are liable. A South American species, Eupatorium Ayapana, is very aromatic and has a slight bitter and astringent taste. It is generally used as an antidote for snake bites both for inward and outward application. In Mauritius an infusion is made which is used in dyspepsia and generally in affections of the bowels and lungs. In the cholera epidemics which visited the island in 1854 and 1856 this plant it is said "was extensively used for restoring the warmth of the surface and languid circulation." The plant has become naturalized in India, Ceylon, and Java. In the former country the bruised leaves have been used successfully in the case of foul ulcers; a decoction is made and used as a fomentation. Though the plant was formerly very highly extolled for its medicinal virtues, it has now |