56 
Christofoletti (Pharm. Zentralh., y. 45, p. 725), reviews Tschirch’s 
method for the determination of ox}miethylanthraquinone and sug- 
gests a modification of the process for the examination of aloes. — 
Abstr. Year Book, Pliarm., Bond., 1905, p. 123. 
Caeser and Loretz include a number of suggestions on the compo- 
sition and the methods for estimating the value of drugs. — Geschafts 
Bericht v. Caeser & Loretz, i. Halle a. S., 1905, p. 1. 
An unsigned article reviews several of the papers that have recently 
appeared bearing on the quantitative estimation of tannin and tannin- 
like substances in drugs and galenical preparations.— Pharm. Prax., 
1905, v. 4, pp. 291-300. 
ALKALOIDS. 
Pictet, Aime, in an exhaustive study on the origin of alkaloids in 
plants (originally published in Arch, des sc. phys. et nat., v. 19, p. 
329, ff) presents a number of observations and facts and in conclu- 
sion paraphrases his findings as follows : 
(1) Alkaloids are Y-containing extracts of plant cells, which result 
from the decomposition of complicated bodies. 
(2) They frequently undergo chemical change in that they con- 
dense with other plant products. 
(3) The most frequent change of this kind is methylization, which 
is produced by means of the formaldehyde derived from the green 
plant. 
(4) The alkaloids with a pyrolidin or an indol nucleus are derived 
from a partial decomposition of albumenoid materials. 
(5) The same is true of alkaloids containing the pyridin, piper - 
idin, or chinol nucleus, with the exception that these nuclei are not 
contained in the albumen molecule itself. They are formed after 
previous methylization through a change in the indol or pyrrol 
nucleus. — Pharm. Post, Wien., 1905, v. 38, p. 782; also Pharm. Ztg. 
Berlin, 1905, v. 50, p. 896. 
Felclhaus, Julius, records a comparative study of the alkaloid con- 
tent of the several parts of the stramonium plant, under varying 
conditions. — Arch. d. Phar., Berlin, 1905, v. 243, p. 328. 
Kircher, Adolph, records some observations on the alkaloids of 
several varieties of datura. The report includes a description of the 
methods that were followed and a detailed account of the material. — 
Ibid., p. 309. 
Schmidt, Ernst, records a study of the mydriatic solanaceous alka- 
loids, including an introduction by the author himself and reports 
on studies of the alkaloids of Datura metel , Datura arborea , Datura 
quercifolia , Datura stramonium , and Atropa belladonna , made with 
the collaboration of several students. — Ibid., p. 303. 
He also reports on the examination of the mydriatic alkaloids of 
the seeds of Datura alba. — Apoth. Ztg., Berlin, 1905, v. 20, p. 669. 
