GOTO 277 



it crystallises in pale yellow prisms (melting point 130) which 

 colour nitric acid blood red. 



The following simple test is the only definite means of distinguish- 

 ing these two varieties of coto bark : Shake 10 grammes of the 

 powdered bark with 100 grammes of ether frequently during an 

 hour. Pour off the ethereal solution, add 50 grammes of water and 

 distil off the ether. Cool, shake with 30 grammes of petroleum 

 spirit, transfer to a separator (disregarding the resin which adheres 

 to the sides of the flask), filter the aqueous solution into a porcelain 

 dish, evaporate to dryness, dissolve the residue in a little glacial 

 acetic acid, and add a drop of fuming nitric acid. True coto thus 

 tested will afford a blood red coloration (Caesar and Loretz). 



Resaldol, the ethyl ester of resorcinol-benzoyl carbonic acid is a 

 synthetic product allied to cotoin and having a similar action. 



MEZEREON BARK 



(Cortex Mezerei) 



Source, &C. Mezereon bark may, according to the British Phar- 

 macopoeia 1898, be obtained from either of the following species of 

 Daphne (N.O. Thymelceacce] : 



1. Daphne Mezereum, Linne, Mezereon, a small shrub attaining a 

 metre in height, growing in moist woods in hilly parts of Europe, 

 and found also in the southern counties of England. It bears in 

 early spring, before the leaves appear, purple, sweet-scented flowers 

 on the preceding year's shoots. The bark is collected chiefly in 

 Thuringia. 



2. Daphne Laureola, Linne, " Spurge Laurel, a small indigenous 

 evergreen shrub, not uncommon in woods ; it bears inconspicuous 

 green odourless flowers in the axils of the leaves, the latter being 

 crowded towards the summit of the stem. The bark is seldom 

 collected. 



3. Daphne Gnidium, Linne, a small shrub with numerous straight 

 slender branches and small white flowers ; it is a native of the south 

 of France and the north coast of Africa, and is found generally on 

 the shores of the Mediterranean. It is largely collected in Algeria 

 and the south of France, and has been long known and used as an 

 irritant. 



The bark of all these plants is collected in the winter or early spring, 

 when it separates readily from both stem and root in long flexible 

 strips. These are dried, and either sold loose or made into small 

 bundles or flat disc-like rolls. 



Description. The bark of Daphne Mezereum sometimes occurs 

 in quills of varying length, but more usually in long, thin, more or 



