120 FINE CHEMICALS AND PHARMACEUTICS. [IV. 



powdered, and digested "wUli alcohol of .935, which removes 

 brucin and coloring matter, and then displaced with spirit 

 of .838. This tincture, relieved of four-fifths of its alcohol 

 by distillation, will drop strychnin in granules, which may be 

 rendered perfectly pure by washing in alcohol of .935 and 

 recrystallization. 



Thein. — Heijnsius (Scheidk. Onderzoek, and Ch. Gaz. viii.) 

 recommends an easy method for preparing thein by sutilima- 

 tion. For this purpose, damaged tea is placed in an iron pot, 

 covered with filtering-paper, and surmounted by a paper 

 cylindric cap. Cautious application of heat insures the suc- 

 cess of the operation. 



OenanfJiin. — A resinous principle, obtained by Gerding 

 (Journ. f. Prac. Chem. 1848) from the plant Oenanthe fistulosa. 

 Its efi"ect upon the system is very decided and powerful, pro- 

 ducing hoarseness and even vomiting, when taken in the dose 

 of a half to one grain. 



Cedron. — This remarkable substance is, according to Hooker 

 (Lond. Pharm. Journ. x. 344), the cotyledon of the seed of 

 the Simaha Cedron, a plant indigenous to Panama, New Gre- 

 nada. The seed, as well as the bark and wood, are bitter and 

 tonic. So highly is it esteemed by the natives, as an antidote 

 for bites of venomous reptiles, and as a specific in intermittents 

 and diseases of the stomach generally, that it commands, fre- 

 quently, an enormous price. Herran (Comptes Rendus, 1850), 

 who administered it in eight cases, attests its eiBcacy. He 

 gave it in doses of 5 or 6 gr., mixed with a spoonful of brandy, 

 and at the same time dressed the bitten part with linen saturated 

 with some of the spirituous liquor. After repose, the patient 

 recovered without any repetition of the dose. A similar treat- 

 ment was equally successful in cases of fever, where quinin 

 had failed. 



G-ithagin. — A poisonous principle, obtained by Scharling 

 (Central Blatt, 1850) from the seeds of the Agrostemma 

 Githago, or corncockle. It is a starch-like inodorous sub- 

 stance, soluble in water and dilute alcohol, and insoluble in 

 ether. 



