374 RUBIACE^. 



Ipecacuanha, and differing from the Brazilian drug chiefly in being of 

 larger size. Thus, while the maximum diameter of the annulated roots 

 of Brazilian ipecacuanha is about -f^ of an inch, corresponding roots of 

 the New Granada variety attain nearly -f^^. The latter, moreover, has 

 a distinct radiate arrangement of the wood, due to a greater develope- 

 ment of the medullary rays, and is rather less conspicuously annulated. 

 Lefort (1869) has shown that the New Granada drug is a little less rich 

 in emetine than the ipecacuanha of Brazil. 



Mr. R. B. White, of Medellin in the valley of the Cauca, New 

 Granada, near which place the drug has been collected, has been good 

 enough to send us herbarium specimens of the plant with roots at- 

 tached ; they agTee entirely with Gephaelis Ipecacvianlta. 



Microscopic Structure — The root is coated with a thin layer of 

 brown cork cells ; the interior cortical tissue is made up of a uniform 

 parenchyme, in which medullary rays cannot be distinguished. In the 

 woody column they are obvious ; the prevailing tissue consists of short 

 pitted vessels. The cortical parenchyme and the medullary rays are 

 loaded with small starch granules. Some cells of the interior part of 

 the bark contain however only bundles of acicular crystals of oxalate 

 of calcium. 



Chemical Composition — The peculiar principles of ipecacuanha 

 are Emetine and Ipecacuanhic Acid, together with a minute propor- 

 tion of a foetid volatile oil. The activity of the drug appears to be due 

 solely to the alkaloid, which taken internally is a potent emetic. 



Emetine, discovered in 1817 by Pelletier and Magendie, is a bitter 

 substance with distinct alkaline reaction, amorphous in the free state 

 as well as in most of its salts ; we have succeeded in preparing a 

 crystallized hydrochlorate. 



The root yields of the alkaloid less than 1 per cent. ; the numerous 

 higher estimates that have been given relate to impure emetine, or 

 have been arrived at by some defective methods of analysis.^ 



The formula assigned to emetine by Reich (1863) was C^'H^ON^G', 

 that given by Glenard (1875) C^'H^^NO^ and lastly that found in 1877 

 by Lefort and F. Wurtz, C''H^N=^0°. 



The alkaloid may be obtained by drying the powdered bark of the 

 root with a little milk of lime, and exhausting the mixture with boiling 

 chloroform, petroleum-benzin or ether. It is a white powder turning 

 brown on exposure to light and softening at 70° C. Emetine assumes 

 an intense and permanent yellow colour with solution of chlorinated 

 lime and a little acetic acid, as shown by Power (1877). A solution 

 containing but -^-^^q of emetine still displays that reaction. We found 

 the alkaloid to be destitute of rotatory power, at least in the chloroform 

 solution. 



The above reactions may be easily shown thus : — Take 10 grains of 

 powdered ipecacuanha, and mix them with 3 grains of quick-lime and 

 a few drops of water. Dry the mixture in the water bath and transfer 

 it to a vial containing 2 fluid drachms of chloroform : agitate frequently, 

 then filter into a capsule containing a minute quantity of acetic acid, 



^ See the results obtained by Richard and chemist in Proceedings of the Briiush Phar- 

 Barruel, by Magendie and Pelletier, and by maceutical Conference for 1869. 37-39. 

 Attfield, as recorded by the last-named 



