290 



DRUGS, NEW. 



strong enough to lower the temperature, keeps 

 it thus tor six to eight hours, and causes no 

 stomach disturbance. The wholesale cost is 

 about four dollars per pound in Germany 

 where, only, it has thus tar been made. It is 

 administered mixed with water, or wine, or 

 in wafers. 



Arekaims reported to be a constituent of be- 

 tel-nut, is a colorless, volatile, oily alkaloid, 

 smelling like weak meat-broth, and having a 

 strong alkaline reaction. Its use retards the 

 pulse, purges, and increases the flow of saliva. 



Asimtaine, lately discovered and named by 

 Prof. J. U. Lloyd, is derived from Asimina 

 triloba. Its use on animals is followed by a 

 state of excitement followed by one of sleep, 

 passing into stupor and insensibility, respira- 

 tion becoming rapid in the first and slow dur- 

 ing the second stage. It is a possibly valuable 

 addition to the list of hypnotics" and anodynes. 

 The alkaloid is prepared from the seeds, and is 

 white, colorless, tasteless, and practically in- 

 soluble in water ; freely soluble in ether and 

 alcohol, and less freely in chloroform and ben- 

 zol. The usual alkaloidal salts are freely sol- 

 uble in water, excepting the hydrochiorate, 

 which is less soluble, but the most available 

 owing to facility of production. The hydro- 

 chlorate is white, odorless, and has at first a 

 sweetish, then a bitter flavor. Solutions of all 

 its salts are bitter. 



Buxine, the active principle of Buxus sem- 

 permrens, is found to be identical with the 

 berberine of Nectandra, and pelosine, of Pe- 

 reira. It is bitter, colors litmus-paper blue; 

 is soluble in alcohol, less so in ether, and al- 

 most insoluble in water, and is decomposed by 

 nitric acid. Oourbe prepared it by boiling with 

 magnesia a watery solution of alcoholic ex- 

 tract of box, dissolving the precipitate in al- 

 cohol, decolorizing with animal charcoal, fil- 

 tering, and evaporating. JBarbaglia's process 

 is to treat the leaves and stalks with dilute 

 sulphuric acid ; precipitating with excess of 

 carbonate of soda or of lime, and drying the 

 precipitate at moderate temperature, when it 

 is acted upon by absolute alcohol ; the alcohol 

 is distilled off, and the residue again treated 

 with dilute sulphuric acid, and again precipi- 

 tated by an excess of carbonate of soda or lime 

 at a temperature of 40 to 50 C. A current 

 of carbonic-acid gas being then passed through 

 the mixture, redissolves buxine as bicarbonate, 

 and separates a resinous substance. The solu- 

 tion is neutralized by ammonia, and the buxine 

 separates in perfectly white condition. It is 

 used as a remedy for ague. Its salts are very 

 bitter, and form gelatinous precipitates with 

 alkalies. 



Caeur is an African fruit derived, it is be- 

 lieved, from Cucumis myriocarpus (Naudin). a 

 green annual common to Cape Colony and the 

 Free States. The plant produces fruit abun- 

 dantly, in form sub-globose, about the size of 

 a large gooseberry, and weighing sixty to one 

 hundred grains. It is beset with soft and 



short prickles. A section shows three parie~ 

 tal placenta), numerous seeds imbedded in a 

 soft, viscid pulp, which becomes mere fluid 

 when warmed. The pulp is bitter and has the 

 odor of cucumber. It is one of the most com- 

 monly employed of the many emetics used by 

 Caffres, who heat the green fruit, and squirt 

 the contents into the mouth, vomiting occur- 

 ring about fifteen minutes after swallowing. 



Chrysophan, according to Dr. Kubli, is present 

 in some varieties of rhubarb ; and chrysophanic 

 acid, heretofore believed to be a constituent, is 

 really the product of a chemical change pro- 

 duced by water. This accounts for the depo- 

 sition of the acid in dilute alcoholic extracts. 



Conessine has lately been produced from the 

 bark of ffolarrhena Africana (I). C.), in con- 

 siderable quantities, the conessa-bark (or Cor- 

 tex antidysentericua) containing about ten per 

 cent. Aside from the value of the bark as a 

 remedy for dysentery, the alkaloid is peculiar 

 (like aribine) in containing no oxygen. 



Francisceine, an alkaloid derived from the 

 manaca-root of Brazil (Franciscea uniflora, et 

 al.), is reputed to be a stimulant to the action 

 of the bowels, kidneys, skin, and uterus. 



Gelosine is the name given to the jelly made 

 from a Japanese alga (Gelidinum corneum), and 

 used as a vehicle for external medication, rather 

 than on account of inherent medicinal proper- 

 ties. It mixes with all pharmaceutical sub- 

 stances soluble in alcohol or water. It is pro- 

 cured in the market in the shape of whitish 

 leaves or tilrns, and absorbs an immense propor- 

 tion of water (550 times its weight), which it 

 extrudes as it dries. In practice it is soaked 

 in an equal weight of hot water, and the me- 

 dicinal element is then incorporated with it; 

 when, on cooling, it reaches a sirupy consist- 

 ence, it is poured into molds. It is not liable 

 to putrefaction. 



Idithyol, a peculiar product obtained from 

 bituminous rock found near Seerfed, in Tyrol. 

 A tarry product, of offensive odor, results from 

 dry distillation in iron retorts, and separates, 

 by standing, a fluid, dark-colored oil. This, be- 

 ing treated with sulphuric acid, liberates sul- 

 phurous acid. The product is neutralized with 

 an alkali, and the resulting salt contains about 



10 per cent, of sulphur in combination. The 

 ammonium salt, which is the one now gener- 

 ally used, is really the sulpho-ichthyolate of 

 ammonia, and is employed as a local applica- 

 tion in skin-diseases. It is a reddish-brown, 

 clear, sirupy liquid, with empyreumatic, bitu- 

 minous odor and taste. Soluble in water, and 

 in a mixture of equal volumes of alcohol and 

 ether, but slightly soluble in pure alcohol or 

 ether. Oil of lavender is said to disguise its 

 odor best. 



lodol is at present prepared from the volatile 



011 known as " Dippel's Animal Oil." The 

 pyrrol, which this oil contains, is freed as much 

 as possible from accompanying substances, and 

 its solution is then treated with a solution of 

 iodine and iodide of potassium. Tetra-iodo- 



