﻿138 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  TH:e 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIEINCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  5 
  

  

  glyceride, 
  and 
  represents 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  chief 
  constituents. 
  Although 
  chaul- 
  

   moogric 
  acid 
  is 
  isomeric 
  with 
  HnoHc 
  acid, 
  it 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  absorbing 
  but 
  two 
  

   atomic 
  proportions 
  of 
  iodine 
  or 
  bromine, 
  and 
  therefore 
  must 
  contain 
  in 
  its 
  

   structure 
  a 
  closed 
  carbon 
  ring, 
  as 
  has 
  indeed 
  been 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case. 
  

   A 
  lower 
  homologue 
  of 
  this 
  acid 
  was 
  subsequently 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  oil, 
  and 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  having 
  first 
  been 
  isolated 
  from 
  the 
  oils 
  expressed 
  from 
  seeds 
  of 
  two 
  

   species 
  of 
  Hydnocarpus, 
  viz. 
  H. 
  Wightiana, 
  Blume 
  and 
  H. 
  anthelmintica, 
  

   Pierre, 
  it 
  was 
  designated 
  hydnocarpic 
  acid. 
  This 
  acid 
  possesses 
  the 
  formula 
  

   C16H28O2, 
  melts 
  at 
  60° 
  C, 
  and, 
  like 
  chaulmoogric 
  acid, 
  is 
  optically 
  active, 
  

   having 
  [a]D 
  + 
  68°. 
  Many 
  derivatives 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  these 
  acids, 
  including 
  

   their 
  methyl 
  and 
  eth}^ 
  esters, 
  and 
  their 
  constitution 
  was 
  completely 
  eluci- 
  

   dated. 
  

  

  "In 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  

   Gynocardia 
  odorata, 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  fresh 
  material 
  was 
  specially 
  collected 
  for 
  

   us 
  in 
  India. 
  The 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  oil 
  showed 
  it 
  to 
  possess 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  

   characters 
  of 
  true 
  chaulmoogra 
  oil, 
  thus 
  completely 
  confirming 
  the 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  vSir 
  David 
  Prain 
  respecting 
  the 
  botanical 
  source 
  of 
  chaulmoogra 
  

   seeds. 
  The 
  gynocardia 
  oil 
  at 
  ordinary 
  temperatures 
  is 
  a 
  liquid, 
  whereas 
  

   chaulmoogra 
  oil 
  is 
  a 
  soft 
  solid. 
  It 
  is, 
  furthermore, 
  optically 
  inactive, 
  and 
  

   contains 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  chaulmoogric 
  acid 
  series, 
  but 
  more 
  closely 
  

   resembles 
  linseed 
  oil 
  in 
  its 
  composition. 
  Both 
  the 
  true 
  chaulmoogra 
  seeds 
  

   and 
  gynocardia 
  seeds 
  develop 
  hydrogen 
  cyanide 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  water, 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  cyanogenetic 
  glucoside. 
  This 
  substance 
  has 
  been 
  iso- 
  

   lated 
  from 
  the 
  gynocardia 
  seeds, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  handsomely 
  crystalline 
  compound, 
  

   possessing 
  the 
  formula 
  C1.3H19O9N, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  designated 
  gynocardin. 
  

   It 
  is 
  accompanied 
  in 
  the 
  seed 
  by 
  an 
  enzyme 
  termed 
  gynocardase. 
  

  

  "The 
  literature 
  pertaining 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  investigations, 
  to 
  

   which 
  several 
  years 
  were 
  devoted, 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chemical 
  Society 
  of 
  London, 
  1904, 
  85, 
  838; 
  1905, 
  87, 
  349, 
  884, 
  896; 
  1907, 
  91, 
  

   557. 
  

  

  "Inasmuch 
  as 
  several 
  articles 
  have 
  recently 
  been 
  published 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   and 
  abroad, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  medical 
  press, 
  indicating 
  that 
  some 
  new 
  derivatives 
  

   of 
  chaulmoogra 
  oil 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  modern 
  treatment 
  of 
  leprosy, 
  it 
  

   seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  such 
  statements 
  are 
  evidently 
  incorrect. 
  The 
  

   preparations 
  employed 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  ethyl 
  esters 
  of 
  chaulmoogric 
  and 
  

   hydrocarpic 
  acids, 
  which 
  were 
  first 
  made 
  and 
  fully 
  described 
  nearly 
  twenty 
  

   years 
  ago 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  investigations 
  above 
  cited. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  these 
  compounds 
  by 
  intramuscular 
  injection, 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  administration 
  

   and 
  external 
  application 
  of 
  crude 
  chaulmoogra 
  oil, 
  that 
  has 
  recently 
  led 
  to 
  

   such 
  successful 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  treatment 
  of 
  leprosy." 
  

  

  Fruit 
  and 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  chaulmoogra 
  oil 
  tree 
  were 
  exhibited. 
  One 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  ten 
  persons 
  were 
  present. 
  

  

  Following 
  the 
  meeting 
  was 
  a 
  social 
  hour 
  with 
  refreshments. 
  

  

  Roy 
  G. 
  Pierce, 
  Recording 
  Secretary. 
  

  

  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  

  

  The 
  158th 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Academy, 
  held 
  at 
  the 
  Public 
  Library 
  the 
  even- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  Thursday, 
  October 
  20, 
  1921, 
  was 
  devoted 
  to 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  Readable 
  

   Books 
  in 
  Science, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  "One 
  Hundred 
  Popular 
  Books 
  

   in 
  Science," 
  prepared 
  at 
  the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Georgk 
  F. 
  Bowerman 
  by 
  a 
  

   committee 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  and 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  Journal. 
  (11: 
  353-366. 
  

  

  