]83 APJPENlHif. 



by side on four of the most troublesome sami:)les of tindnve^ and the 

 Results in each case were exactly concordant, 



The alkaloid as obtained by either of these processes is In the form 

 of a perfectly colourless, transparent fused mass. It is soluble in 

 water and dilute acids, and the reactions generally corxcBpond with 

 those of the alkaloidal rosidne obtained from the beUadonna tinctures. 



A glance at tlie table will show that the most perfect exhaustion of 

 stramonium seeds is effected by the use of a 60 or 70 per cent, men- 

 Btruum, the average yield of alkaloid by the tinctures prepared with 

 menstrua of these strengths being equal. It is open to question, 

 however, whether a better preparation could not be obtained from 

 the leaves. The chief objections to the tinctm-e prepared from the 

 seeds are that it almost invariably becomes tm'bid and deposits when 

 keptj and also becomes opaque on dilution j which objections do not 

 apply to a 50 per cent, tincture of tlie leaves. 



The results of the esamination of the leaf -tinctures are appended to 

 the table. The leaves from which No- 1 series was prepared were 

 gathered from plants grown by one of us (Farr)^ and the deficiency 

 of alkaloid is doubtless accounted for by the persistent rain and lack 

 of sunshine which characterized the past season. The tinctures made 

 from the other two specimens, however^ gave the same average of 

 alkaloid as the seed tinctures. Lyons' results, referred to above, 

 go to show that the alkaloidal strength of the seeds and leaves is the 

 same, and should this fact be established as the result of further 

 work upon the subject, we should recommend that this tincture, like 

 those of henbane and belladonna, be prepared from the leaves, on the 

 groimd that a 50 per cent, tincture of the leaves is a more elegant 

 phannaceutical product than a 60 per cent, tincture of the seeds. 



The results tabulated go to prove that the alkaloidal content of 

 stramonium seeds does not vary to anything like the same extent as 

 does that of most other drugs, the yield of the tinctures varying 

 between the limits of -020 and '034, with an average of '026 per cent. 



This tincture, like those of lienbanc and belladonna, readily admits 

 of standardization, and the standard should be fixed not lower than 



•025 per cent. 



Tlie average amount of alkaloid contained in the seeds, calculate 

 Uj^^oii th(^ bu^is of ouv vesvilts, is about '2 per cent. 



