285 



whether the common idea of the growing root being exposed 

 to the sun, rendered it poisonous, John L. Russell remarked 

 that if there were any super abundance of poisonous principle 

 in such potatoes, it might be accounted for on the ground 

 that the stem could contain possibly the most solanine, 

 and that such potatoes had returned to their typical forms, 

 the roots so called being only substerranean and blanched, 

 swollen stems. 



On motion of B. F. Mudge the following vote was unan- 

 imously adopted, viz : 



Voted, that the thanks of the Essex Institute be presented 

 to the cit}^ of Newburyport for the kindness of the city offi- 

 cers in tenerding the use of the City Hall, for the holding of 

 this meeting, also to Messrs. Thomas B. Lawson, Alfred Os- 

 good and Alfred Horton for their kind and polite attentions 

 to the members and their friends during this day's excursion 

 to the several places of interest in the vicinit}^ 



After some business had been transacted it was Voted to 

 adjourn. 



SOLANINE IN THE POTATO, 



BY L. M. DORNBACH. 



The following are the results of a chemical examination 

 of some potatoes, (Solarium tuberosiini) made at the request 

 of my friend Mr. F. W. Putnam, in the early part of the 

 summer of 1857, at the Chemical Laboratory of the Law- 

 rence Scientific School, Cambridge. 



The potatoes examined were taken from a lot supplied by 

 a provision dealer to a number of inhabitants in Salem, and 

 were suspected to contain some poisonous principle, because 

 of the universal evil effects produced on the health of all, 

 who used them as food. The examination was accordingly 

 conducted with a view of discovering the noxious element. 



