THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 209 



bromides of American manufacture with certain products, that a scale of reason- 



the limits of chlorides officially demanded, able variations should be affixed by the 



for the reason that the bromine of Amer- Revision Committee to diflferent pharma- 



ican origin contains chlorine, from which copoeial preparations, not only in justice 



the German is free, and the erection of to pharmacists, but also in justice to 



plants in this country for the purification those whose duty it is to enforce the food 



of bromine from chlorine, is not, we are and drug laws. In this opinion he will 



informed, commercially practicable, be- doubtless be supported by the mass of 



cause the salt-wells are small in output, American pharmacists, who, while they 



and distant from each other. During the are desirous of having the highest possi- 



past ten years it has been found that the ble standards in the Pharmacopoeia, are 



percentages of potassium chloride in not in favor of having them unreasonably 



American potassium bromide have been, high, and without a certain flexibility to 



in different lots, as follows: 5.52,4.59, meet reasonable variations in strength. 



4.67, 6 58, 4 8, 6.2,5.4, 4.1, 5.6, 5.76 and With some of the standards too high, the 



5.5. During the same period, analysis remedy would seem to be not as has been 



of sodium bromide have shown the fol- proposed, to repeal the laws that have 



lowing percentages of sodium chloride : accepted the Pharmacopoeia as an auth- 



6.48, 6.23, 7, 7.28, 6.1 and 5.8. Analysis ority, but to modify or qualify the ob- 



of ammonium bromide have shown these jectionable standards, so as to make them 



percentages of ammonium chloride: 2.62, comport fairly with existing conditions. 



3-.S2, 3-45. 3-13. 2.61 and 3.4. _ , 



These analyses represent many thou- SOME CONSTITUENTS OF THE ROOT OF 



sands of pounds of the best alkaline bro- "POLYGONUM CUSPIDATUn. 

 mides that have been commercially ob- 

 tainable, and show how impossible it has 



been for pharmacists to get bromides of Polygonum cuspidatum is a native of 



the pharmacopoeial standard, if the pro- China and Japan, and flourishes in parts 



ducts be made from American bromine. of India and Russia. The freshly gath- 



If the Revision Committee wishes to dis- ered roots consist of a thick, succulent 



criminate against American chemical bark of an orange-red color, and a cen- 



manufacturers in favor of the foreign tral, woody portion of a light yellow 



then, possibly; bromides of the official tint. 



standard may be had ; but, we are in- The principal constituent of the root 



formed, bromides of the official standards bark was found to be a glucoside, C21H- 



are not commercially made with Ameri- 30O10, crystallizing in lustrous, yellow 



can bromine. needles melting at 202 — 203°. On hy- 



Prof. lyloyd observes that conditions drolysis, this yielded 61.82 per cent, of a 



have arisen to develop "the curious fact product which was recognized as eniodin, 



that the very precision and thoroughness the reaction C^iHjoOio + HoO:^Ci5Hio05H- 



of the Pharmacopoeia may furnish a CeHuOg requiring 62. 5 per cent of emodin. 



scource of hardship to those whom it was This glucoside, for which the name cuspi- 



intended to aid, on account of its being datin is proposed, differs considerably in 



looked upon as the legal code by persons properties from frangulin, CnHjoOg, the 



appointed to enforce laws regulating the glucoside of emodin which is contained 



purity of drugs." He believes in view of in the bark of the Rham7uis frangula . 



the unavoidable variation in strengths of A second glucoside was also isolated, 



»> 



By a G. PERKIN. 



