FOOTNOTES:
[1] The historical part of Dr. Tschirch’s great work on Pharmakognosie is in course of publication while the proofs of this book are being read. It promises to be very thorough and modern in regard to drugs.
[2] Labdanum or ladanum is a resinous substance which exudes from the leaves and branches of a shrub found in the Isle of Candy—Cistus creticus of Linnæus. It was formerly collected by combing the beards of goats which fed on these leaves. A commoner kind was brought from Spain. It was an ingredient in an anti-hysteric nerve cordial called Theriaque Cœleste. It was also combined in a plaster designed to cure rupture.
[3] The footman story is also told of the owner of Murray’s Specific for Gout, of whom it was probably true.
[4] Synthetic cocaine and other artificial alkaloids differ from the natural products only in being without action on polarised light.
[5] John Lydgate, a monk of Bury, born 1370, left some amusing poems, very valuable on account of the insight they give into the customs of his period. One of them is an application to the Duke of Gloucester for money. Lydgate says he is dressed in black “’cause my purs was falle in grete rerage”; while his “guttes were out shake, Only for lak of plate and coyngnage.” So he “sought lechis for a restauratif, In whom I fonde no consolacione, To a poticary for confortatyf, Drugge nor dya was none in Bury towne.”
Transcriber’s Note:
1. Obvious printers’, spelling and punctuation errors have been silently corrected.
2. Errata have been silently corrected.
3. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have been retained as in the original.