berry-like fruits, and the latter to the Solanea-Hyoscyamine, or plants with funnel-shaped corollas and transversely dehiscent capsular fruits. To this latter sub-group also belongs the genus Hyoscyamus, and botanically Scopolia appears to be more closely allied to Hyoscyamus than to Belladonna.

According to v. Wettstein,' Atropa Belladonna is found throughout Europe, extending to the Caucasus Mountains and Persia. The plant is also cultivated in Europe, and in some localities in the United States. The leaves and flowering tops are official in probably all of the pharmacopoeias, while the roots are official in only some of these standard authorities. Both the roots and herb have been carefully investigated microscopically and chemically, but the subject cannot be considered to be exhausted, particularly in view of the necessity of differentiating them from other drugs which are mixed with or substituted for them.

While Scopolia carniolica was described by the earlier botanists, and while it has been used medicinally for many years, it is only recently that the drug has come into prominence, the rhizome and roots now being official in the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. The habitat of the plant, according to v. Wettstein,' includes the region of the Eastern Alps, the Carpathian Mountains, and the adjoining country, the plant therefore being much more limited in its range than that of Atropa Belladonna. The natural history of the drugs derived from Scopolia carniolica has heen given by Holmes, Maisch,' and Nevinny. Greenish" has compared the histological characters of the rhizome of Scopolia carniolica with those of the root of Atropa Belladonna, and Moeller has made a comparative study of the leaves of these two plants.

Having occasion the past summer to examine belladonna roots and herb, and scopola rhizome, roots and herb, and owing to the need of more definite comparative information for identifying and differentiating these drugs in both the crude and powdered condition by reason of their frequent admixture, it seems to me to be desirable to present my results at this time. Belladonna Root. The following tissues and elements are found in belladonna root: Parenchyma containing starch and cryptocrystalline crystals of calcium oxalate, which is by far the most abundant tissue present; tra

LITERATURE Cited.

1 R. v. Wettstein: Engler and Prantl's Pflanzenfamilien.

2 Tschirch and Oesterle's Anatomischer Atlas; Vogl's Pharmakognosie; Moeller's Pharmacognostischer Atlas; Kraemer's Botany and Pharmacognosy (3rd edition).

E. M. Holmes: Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions, 20, (1889), p. 468. John M. Maisch: American Journal of Pharmacy, 62, (1890), p. 107.

5 Joseph Nevinny: Pharmaceutische Post, 27, (1894), p. 333.

"Thomas Greenish: Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions, 20, (1889), p. 471. Citation by Maisch from Moeller's Pharmakognosie, loc. cit.

cheæ or ducts; wood fibers; cork, and occasionally bast fibers. The starch grains are single or 2- to 3- compound, from 5 to 25 in diameter and vary from spherical to ellipsoidal, ovoid, frequently with a cleft at the point of origin of growth. The crystals of calcium oxalate are deltoid or arrow-shaped, and vary from 4 to 15 in diameter. They are packed in the cells in which they occur, and are readily distinguished in the powdered drug by means of the micro-polariscope. The trachea are strongly lignified, and are of two kinds,-those with simple pores and those with bordered pores. The trachea with the simple pores are the ones that have been most frequently described. The pores are slit-like and are from 10 to 17 long, being usually transverse. The trachea with bordered pores, Fig. 77, B, have not been heretofore described. They vary from 50 to go in width. In radial-longitudinal section the bordered pores are elliptical or circular in outline, and vary from 5 to 8.5 in diameter. The pore itself is narrow, bi-convex and transverse to the long diameter of the border. With phloroglucin and hydrochloric acid, and chloral solution the wall swells to such an extent as to obscure the border. The wood fibers are lignified and have simple oblique pores, but pass into tracheids having bordered pores. The cork cells are similar to those usually found in plants, the younger ones being sometimes somewhat lignified.

Scopolia Rhizome and Roots. Practically the same tissues are present in scopolia rhizome and roots as are found in belladonna root except wood

FIG. 77-A, longitudinal section of portion of rhizome of Scopolia carniolica showing reticulate trachea: B, longitudinal section of portion of the root of Atropa Belladonna showing wood fibers (w) with simple, oblique pores, trachea (s) with simple pores, trachea (t) with bordered pores and parenchyma cells (p) containing starch.

and bast fibers. The starch grains are mostly spherical and on an average smaller than those in belladonna root, being from 3 to 13 in diameter.

Cryptocrystalline crystals of calcium oxalate are present and res mble those found in belladonna root, but are more elongated or pyramid-like, and occasionally form aggregates, which latter are about 15 in diameter. The trachea (Fig. 77, A) vary from 25 to 100" in diameter, and are

μ

FIG. 78.-Belladonna Herb: A, surface section of upper epidermis showing one stoma; B, surface section of under epidermis showing three stomata; C, 4-celled non-glandular hair; D, glandular hairs: E, crypto-crystalline crystals of calcium oxalate; F, longitudinal section of portion of stem showing wood fibers (w), trachea (s) with bordered pores, trachea (1) with reticulate markings, tracheæ (I) with annular and spiral markings; G, transverse section of portion of stem showing six bast fibers and a few parenchyma cells.

especially characterized by having reticulate markings. Trachea having simple, slit-like pores from 10 to 40 long, are also present. Both kinds of tracheæ are lignified.

Belladonna Herb. This drug has three principal distinguishing characteristics: (a) The calyx lobes are rather long and spreading, exposing the berry; (b) the hairs on the leaves, while not numerous, are of rela

FIG. 79.-Scopolia Herb: A, pyxis, about natural size; B, surface section of lower epidermis of leaf; C, transverse section of leaf through a vein showing irregular epidermal cells of the lower surface (e) collenchymatous cells (c), fibrovascular bundle (v), loose parenchyma (m), palisade cells (p) and upper epi dermis (e; D, portion of fibrovascular bundle of stem showing trachea with reticulate markings (r), trachea with simple pores (p) and trachea with annular markings (s); E, epidermal cells of lower surface of leaf have foldings due to the irregularity of the outer walls; H, glandular hairs which are occasionally found; K, crypto-crystalline crystals of calcium oxalate.

tively frequent occurrence (Fig. 78, C D); (c) some of the tracheæ have bordered pores (Fig. 78, F). In addition to the small cryptocrystalline crystals of calcium oxalate abundant in some of the cells, there are present in some of the cells of the petiole and stem polygonal crystals (Fig. 78) which are anisotropic and vary from 6 to 15 μ in diameter, and in still other cells narrow prisms which are in spherite aggregates resembling those of some of the carbohydrates. Besides the trachea with bordered pores there also occur in the stem trachea with annular, spiral and reticulate markings, and wood fibers and bast fibers. The elements of the fibrovascular bundle are all more or less lignified. The bast fibers are nearly a millimeter long; the ends are pointed; the walls on one side usually are undulate and about 6

μ thick.

Scopolia Herb. The calyx lobes are relatively short, and the capsular fruit (pyxis) is almost completely enclosed by the calyx tube (Fig. 79, A). A very few glandular hairs with a one- or two-celled stalk and two- to sixcelled head may with difficulty be found. In addition to trachea with annular and spiral markings, and simple pores, there are in the stem trachea with reticulate markings, but those with bordered pores do not occur. The crystals of calcium oxalate are of the cryptocrystalline character of those found in belladonna. In glycerin preparations spherite aggregates resembling those of carbohydrates are present, especially in the calyx. Acicular crystals sometimes separate in chloral preparations, but as they are isotropic they are not those of calcium oxalate. The epidermis of the leaves, particularly that of the under surface, is very irregular, giving a tuberculate appearance on transverse section (Fig. 79, C), and in surface view frequently having the appearance of folds (Fig. 79, E). As in the rhizome, bast fibers and wood fibers are apparently not present. There is, however, a strongly developed layer of collenchymatous cells in the stem, the thickening being more uniform and more marked than those in the collenchymatous cells of belladonna.

The Chair invited discussion on the paper just read, but none was offered. The paper was referred, to take the usual course.

The Chair stated that the next paper was on "The Estimation of Phenol," by Messrs. W. A. Puckner and A. H. Clark. Mr. Clark presented the paper, as follows:

THE ESTIMATION OF PHENOL.

BY W. A. PUCKNER AND A. H. CLARK.

The experiments here described were undertaken with a view of evolv ing a satisfactory method for the isolation and estimation of phenol in pharmaceutical products, such as tablets, powders, etc., when other substances which interfere with a direct estimation are present.

Most of the experiments were made on tablets containing bismuth, opium, aromatic powder, and phenol or on mixtures containing these sub