1890.] A,hlre)is. 97 



•lo work perfectly; the bark is exhausteJ of tlie wliole of its alkaloid ; 

 and the quinine produced is professionally reported to be as pure 

 in quality and as satisfactory in appearance as quinine of the best 

 European brands. The report contains an interesting note on the 

 process by Mr. C. H, Wood, formei-ly Government Quinologist, to whom 

 the original conception of it is due. 



Pure sulphate of quinine is also manufactured at the Nadavatara 

 Cinchona Plantation in the Nilgiris, by the same process. 



The Monatsh. (77ie)?t. contains papers on the constitution of the Cin- 

 chona alkaloids by Z. H. Skraup., H. Schniderschitsch, and J. Wiirstl. 



In the Gomptes Benclus, Mons. E. Landrin descx-ibes his method of^ 

 analysis of Cinchonas and ascertaining the solubility of their active 

 principles in water, alcohol, and dilute hydrochloric acid. 



Mr. David Hooper has published in the Chemical News, further notes 

 on the chemistry of Gymnecic acid, the active principle obtained from the 

 leaves of the Gymnema sylvestre, which has the peculiar property of 

 destroying the power of the tongue to appreciate sweet substances. He 

 gives it the empirical formula Cg^H.^s^n- ^^^^ same acid is con- 

 tained in other species of Gymnema ; G. Jiirsnta contains a considerable 

 quantity and G. montana a smaller proportion. 



Mr. John Tsawoo White, of Rangoon, has published in the same 

 Journal papers on the estimation of Tea Tannin and on an analysis 

 of Indigo-stem ash." 



The Proceedings of the Royal Society contain a valuable investiga- 

 tion, by Drs. Sydney Martin and R. N. Wolfenden, into the physiolo- 

 gical action of the active principle of the seeds of Ahrus precatorius 

 (Jequirity) ; also a paper by Dr. Martin on the toxic action of the 

 albumose from the same seeds. 



The authors of the first paper find that the globulin of the seeds 

 of Ahrus has the same physiological action as the watery extract of the 

 seeds, and as the proteid body ' Abrin ' described by Drs. Warden and 

 Waddell. Its poisonous action is completely destroyed by momentarily 

 heating a solution to a temperature of 75° or 80° C, at which the glo- 

 bulin coagulates. 



The first author concludes that the Abrus poison is of the nature 

 ■ of a fei'ment attached to the proteids globulin and albumose. 



That the proteids develope by contact with living tissue a body or 

 bodies which are poisonous. The poisonous activity of the seeds re- 

 sides in the two proteids, a paraglobulin, and an albumose. Warden and 

 Waddell's " Abrin" being a mixture of both. 



Both of these proteids have practically the same toxic action on the 

 human economy, and their activity is destroyed by moist heat. In 



