16 On.the ligneous Part of Gray Ipecacuanka. 
same properties, although there.is a wery small iidicdase 
between the proportions of resin'and of extract they furnish, 
+» The cortical part, exposed to the action of boiling water, 
swells wp like Bassora gum; tredted with the nitric acid, am 
the proportion of six parts of acid, of thirty degrees, to one 
of the bark, there is a good'deal of nitrous vapours liberated, 
and malic acid is obtained as.the residue: this leads us to 
regard this matter not as’a resin, but as a particular gum 
mixed with resin and extract, which alone give it an emetic 
property; for I am certain that this matter has no property 
at all, after experienced the action of alcohol and 
water. 
But there is a fact of which no author, to my knowledge, 
has spoken: Every time we hoil the cortical part, the de- 
coction becomes turbid, and a. kind of cloud is formed in 
the liquor: if it is filtered a whitish matter is deposited, 
which at first I took for glue, but when well examined it 
presented some of the properties of caoutchouc. It becomes - 
coloured \after some time without experiencing any altera- 
tion; is easily dissolved in ether and alcohol: at 60 degrees. 
This particular matter, which I am certain ts an elastic gum, 
retains a great quantity of feculum. 
An ani ftisiond of the cortical part i088 by the re-agents 
the following results : 
It strongly reddens the colour of turnsole. 
The solution of glue does not change the transparency a 
the liquor. 
The sulphuric acid makes it very turbid. 
The nitrate of silver forms a white precipitate. 
The muriate of barytes forms no precipitate. 
The tartrites of potash and of antimony form no precipi- 
. tate. 
The oxalate of ammonia furnishes a slight precipitate. 
The same results are got from an infusion of the ligneous 
. part, 4 
Decoctions of the ligneous and cortical parts act in the 
game manner. 
These experiments seem to prove that the root of ipeca= 
cuanha contains, 1st, free acid of a vegetable nature decom 
posable 
