identity of the resin of scammony from the gum-resin with that prepared from the root, the author has little or no doubt. Reagents reveal no difference whatever.-Chem. and Drug., January, 1882, pp. 12-13.

Jamaica Jalap-Chemical Examination.-Mr. D. Morris, director of the Botanical Gardens, Jamaica, sent to Mr. Holmes two samples of the officinal jalap, Exogonium purga, cultivated in that island. The one consisted of small whole tubers, the other of slices of larger tubers. Both were subjected to chemical examination by Mr. Thomas Greenish, who found the whole tubers to contain 7.55 per cent. of resin and 17.3 per cent. of moisture, and the slices 8.17 per cent. of resin and 14.1 per cent. of moisture. As a result of these analyses it would appear that Jamaica-grown jalap yields considerably less resin than the average of good Mexican jalap (12-18 per cent.), and that the samples approach more nearly that grown in the Botanic Gardens, Trinity College, Dublin, which yielded 9.2-11.97 per cent. of resin. In his letter accompanying the above samples Mr. Morris states that it was impossible to dry the tubers whole or gashed without artificial heat, but that sliced tubers can be dried without artificial heat, and thus save nearly 2d. per pound on the cost of production. He found the tubers. to lose over 70 per cent. in drying.-Yearbook of Phar., 1881, pp. 444446.

Jalap-Percentage of Resin.-Mr. William A. Wrenn obtained from very heavy pieces of "Vera Cruz" jalap 16.5 per cent., and from a second sample, taken indiscriminately from the bale, 11 per cent. of resin. The powder was first exhausted with hot water, allowed to dry, and then exhausted with alcohol. Some resin was also prepared from "Tampico" jalap, and the three, numbered in the order stated, subjected to examination, with the following results: No. 1, soluble in ether, 3.5 per cent.; soluble in alcohol, 93.5 per cent. No. 2, soluble in ether, 4.2 per cent.; soluble in alcohol, 91.8 per cent. No. 3, soluble in ether, 36.5 per cent.; soluble in alcohol, 45.2.-Chem. and Drug, January, 1882, p. 13.

Factitious Jalap.-Dr. Edward R. Squibb recently received several samples of what was offered for entry at the (New York) custom-house as jalap. The substance had somewhat the appearance of jalap, and was evidently prepared with some pains and care to imitate the drug. On closer examination, however, the larger pieces were found to be a dried and compressed saccharine fruit. Other pieces were roots, having the appearance of false jalap, but not a single tuber or part of a tuber of true jalap could be found in any of the samples.-Ephemeris, No. 3, 1882, p. 86.

Ipomea Pandurata-Proximate Examination. Mr. Constanz Manz has subjected the root of the wild jalap (syn., man-root, man-of-theearth, wild potato) to proximate examination, and has determined, besides a coloring body (giving a greenish-blue coloration with ferric chloride, but no precipitate with gelatin), sugar, and starch, two resins, both of which are glucosides. The one appears to be brittle and acid in its characters, soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, methylie alcohol, and hydrate of potassium, insoluble in benzol, benzin, acetic acid, and turpentine; the other is soft, neutral, and has similar solubilities to the first-named, except that it is insoluble in methylic alcohol. The mixture of the two resins has cathartic properties.-Amer. Jour. Phar., August, 1881, p. 385-387.

BIGNONIACEE.

Jacaranda procera, Sprengel; s. Bignonia Copaia, Aubl.; s. Kordelestris syphilitica, Arruel; s. Bignonia Càroba, Vellos. This handsome little tree is known in Brazil as caroba, carobinha, caroba miuda, and caroba mirim, and grows frequently in the provinces of Rio de Janeiro, Minas, and Espirito Santo. Th. Peckolt has examined both the leaves and bark, with the following results, obtained from 1000 grams:

Carobin crystallizes in feltlike silky needles, is inodorous, has a faint alkaline and bitterish taste, infusible, insoluble in ether, readily soluble in boiling water and boiling alcohol, and is precipitated by tartar emetic and ammonium carbonate, the latter precipitate being soluble in an excess of the reagent. Tannin and metallic chlorides and iodides cause no precipitate. It is not a glucoside, does not show any striking color

reactions, and yields with acetic acid a compound crystallizing in fine needles.

Carobic acid forms stellate fusible needles, of an aromatic odor and acid taste, is soluble in water and dilute alcohol, and is precipitated by the acetates of lead and copper.

Steocarobic acid is pale-brown, of a tonka-like odor, of an acid and balsamic taste, and soluble in cold absolute alcohol and ether.

Carobone is greenish, amorphous, aromatic, soluble in alcohol, sp. gr. .815, in caustic alkalies and in boiling solution of sodium carbo

nate.

Caroba balsam is dark-brown, syrupy, agreeably aromatic, resembling tonka, and by heat may be evaporated to a nearly inodorous resin.

Caroba leaves have lanceolate, often sub-obovate leaflets, and are used in Brazil in place of sarsaparilla, in cutaneous affections and as an antisyphilitic, usually in the form of infusion, 120 grams to 1 liter, in doses of a teaspoonful three times daily. An electuary known as "massa de Dr. Alves Carneiro" is composed of the powders of caroba leaves 90 grams, sarsaparilla and senna each 30 grams, calomel 2 grams, and simple syrup q. s., and is given in cutaneous syphilitic affections in doses of a teaspoonful morning and evening, together with caroba

tea.

The above analysis was completed in 1866; a manuscript in French sent to the Paris Exposition was never published; but a catalogue was published by the author in Rio in the Portuguese language in 1868. An analysis credited to C. W. Zaremba in "Phar. Centralhalle," June 23d, 1881, gives figures identical with the above.

The following plants are also known in Brazil as caroba:

Jacaranda Subrhombea, 'D. C., s. Bignonia obovata, Vellos., caroba preta or carob-assú; a furrowed crisp dark-green leaf, not aromatic, apparently less efficacious.

Bignonia Nodosa, Manso, caroba do campo, slightly aromatic, grows in the prairies, esteemed to be equal to true caroba.

Jacaranda Oxyphylla, Cham., s. Big. antisyphilitica, Martius, caroba des paulistas; leaflets dark-green, nearly inodorous, reputed to be also laxative; grows in the province of San Paulo.

Bignonia Purgans, caroba guyra, in Amazonas; leaves used as an antisyphilitic, the root-bark as a purgative.

Sparattosperma Lithontripticum, Mart., caroba branca; leaves lightgreen, mealy, aromatic, acrid and bitter; diuretic.

Cybistax Antisyphilitica, Mart., s. Big. quinquefolia, Vellos.; used in dysury, dropsy, chronic liver complaints, syphilitic ulcers, etc.-Am. Jour. Phar., March, 1882, p. 134; from Zeitsch. Oest. Apoth. Ver., 1881, No. 30, 31.

Sesamum Orientale-Uses of the Seeds in Greece.-According to Prof. X. Landerer the Lenten food of Orientals, salled chalba, or chalwa, is prepared from the seeds of the white sesame. Many thousands of wooden chests of this chalwa are sent to Athens from Syra, where great manufactories have been established. Bakers bestrew bread with the seeds, and when beaten with a few almonds and a little sugar and water, the white sesame forms an agreeable sumada, or emulsion, called sesame and almond milk.-Chem. and Drug., July, 1881, p. 293.

GENTIANACEÆ.

Gentiana Lutea.-Isolation and character of a peculiar sugar (Gentianose) from the root. See Carbohydrates, under "Organic Chemistry."

Spigelia Marilandica.-Presence of a volatile alkaloid "Spigeline," which see under "Organic Chemistry."

ASCLEPIADACEÆ.

Asclepias Tuberosa-Proximate Examination.-Mr. Alton Clabaugh has made a proximate examination of "the drug," by which he evidently means the root. He finds it to yield by distillation with water a small quantity of volatile oil and some stearoptene, the latter being crystallizable in prismatic needles, and melting in water heated to 106° F. A saponifiable fixed oil, some starch and gum, were also determined. The other substances, among which were some of resinous nature, are not well determined. The drug yields on incineration 5.4 per cent. ash, of which 21.5 per cent. is soluble in water.-Am. Jour. Phar., Jan., 1882, p. 5.

Asclepias Cornuti, Decaisne-Characters of the Rhizome and Constituents. Mr. Walter L. Hinchman gives the following description of the rhizome of this plant: It is long and comparatively slender, reaching from one to six feet in length, from one-half to one inch in diameter, and runs horizontally about six inches below the surface of the ground. It is thickened at intervals of ten or twelve inches, where the overground stems shoot out, otherwise it is uniform in size and at the end has generally three rootlets. It has a thick bark, externally brown, the interior white, and contains a number of laticiferous ducts, somewhat scattered, but principally placed in two irregular lines. In drying the bark shrinks very much and is finely wrinkled longitudinally, and somewhat fissured at intervals, leaving the wood exposed. The wood, of a yellow color, is hard and brittle, breaking with a resinous fracture; it contains a large number of medullary rays and also ducts, which are visible to the naked eye. In the accompanying cut (Fig. 39), 1, shows a portion of the rhizome; 2, a transverse section

of the same, natural size; 3, a transverse section, magnified; 4, bast fibres; 5, laticiferous vessels; 6, starch-granules.

The fresh rhizome in air-drying loses 70 per cent., the air dry in complete drying 10 per cent., and when completely dried yields 6 per

Asclepias cornuti: 1. Portion of rhizome; 2, 3. Transverse section, natural size and magnified; 4. Bast fibre; 5. Laticiferous vessel; 6. Starch-granules.

cent. of ash. Proximate analysis revealed the presence of asclepion, caoutchouc, fixed oil, tannin, glucose, a bitter principle, gum, starch, and volatile oil.-Am. Jour. Phar., September, 1881, pp. 433-435.

APOCYNACEÆ.

Apocynum Androsæmifolium and A. Cannabinum-Microscopic Structure.-Mr. E. A. Manheimer, in view of the close botanical relations of the two plants, and the fact that the drug furnished in the market as A. Androsæmifolium is, in his experience, invariably a substitute, identified to be either the root of a cannabinum or of a closely allied species, has subjected authentic specimens of the two roots to microscopic examination, transverse sections of them being shown in the accompanying cut (Fig. 40), that on the right being A. Androsamifolium. This, under the microscope, shows in the pith a few vessels and much starch; the cells are largest near the centre, and are more or less compressed towards the wood, which is traversed by many medullary rays, and contains, chiefly in the outer portion, a number of vessels. The bark is composed of oblong cells, differing in size and