N. 0. VIOLACEiE. 



113 



soaked in a pint of boiling water for 24 hours and the liquid 

 poured off, divided into 2 parts, 1 part being taken internally 

 during the 24 hours, and the other used as a fomentation. An 

 apparent recovery from a presumably malignant growth of the 

 mouth resulted. 



An examination of the leaves of the common violet (viola 

 odorata) in the Lancet laboratory (L. '05, i, 1085) showed 

 the presence of two crystalline bodies, one glucosidal and 

 the other alkaloidal in character, and also a dark green oil. 

 Alcohol was found a much more effective solvent than an aqueous 

 menstruum ; in view of the employment of an aqueous infusion, 

 the latter point is of interest. 



The alkaloid isolated behaved, chemically, much in the 

 same way as Emetine, the principal alkaloid of Ipecacuanha. It 

 has been stated (Y. B P. '05, 467 ; C. D. '05, ii. 977 ; P. 

 J. '05, ii. 869) that any activity which violet leaves possess 

 is due either to the glucoside, the product of its decomposition, 

 or a natural ferment associated with it. Reckoned as viola= 

 quercitrin, the glucoside from Princess of Wales violet leaves 

 amounted to 5 p. c. of the weight of the fresh leaves. A fresh 

 infusion was found to extract nine-tenths of the glucoside 

 present in the leaves. No volatile constituent was isolated, 

 no alkaloid could be detected, no salicylic acid was found. The 

 presence of a glucoside was proved, but the glucoside was not 

 isolated. Objection has been taken to the evidence of the uses 

 of violet leaves having been unfortunately collected chiefly by 

 unskilled persons, and that it has therefore been lacking in 

 definiteness, and consequently in value. After the definite 

 expression of the opinions mentioned in the above reference, 

 it is disappointing to find in a paper read before the Therapeu- 

 tical Society, October 30th, 1906, and reported in the Lancet, 

 '06, ii. 1318, that all attempts to isolate and identify a glu- 

 coside from violet leaves have failed ; similarly, there was no 

 evidence of a ferment being present ; the only positive facts 

 resulting from the experiments being that the leaves and their 

 preparations yield under certain conditions glucose. 



It has been pointed out that the reputation of Violets for 

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