115 ECBALLIUM ELATERIUM 



But in practice some pressure must be employed ; because the 

 fruits must not be too ripe when gathered, otherwise they are apt 

 to burst either at that time or when carried away ; and in this 

 imperfectly ripe state the juice does not readily flow from them 

 until lightly pressed. The process ordered for the preparation of 

 Elaterium in the British Pharmacopoeia is founded upon these 

 principles, and is as follows : " Cut the fruit lengthwise, and 

 lightly press out the juice. Strain it through a hair sieve ; and set 

 it aside to deposit. Carefully pour off the supernatant liquor ; pour 

 the sediment on a linen filter ; and dry it on porous tiles with a 

 gentle heat. The decanted fluid may deposit a second portion of 

 sediment, which can be dried in the same way." The amount of 

 elaterium obtained will vary very much according to the mode of 

 preparation. Thus, by operating on the fruits without pressure, 

 forty cucumbers, as the fruits are commonly termed, only yielded 

 Dr Clutterbuck six grains of elaterium; but by using slight 

 pressure, the average quantity of elaterium obtainable is about 

 half an ounce from a bushel or forty pounds of the fruits. If 

 greater pressure be employed a larger quantity may be obtained, 

 but the product is deteriorated in quality in proportion to the 

 amount of force used in expressing the juice. It seems, however, 

 certain that in very warm dry seasons the produce is larger than 

 just mentioned, for in the very fine summer of 1868, 240 Ibs. of 

 fruits gathered at Mitcham, according to Hanbury, yielded 4f 

 ounces of elaterium = 0'123 per cent. 



No directions are given for the preparation of elaterium in the 

 United States Pharmacopoeia, the plant not being, at present, 

 cultivated to any extent in that country, hence the official elaterium 

 is understood to be that found in commerce, and which is princi- 

 pally obtained from England, although to some extent also, of late 

 years, from Malta. 



General Characters, Varieties, and Composition. Elaterium when 

 of good quality occurs in light, friable, opaque, flat or very slightly 

 curved cakes, about T g of an inch thick ; these are frequently marked 

 on one of their surfaces by the impression of the paper, linen, or 

 muslin, on which they were dried. Elaterium has a pale green 



