186 
Spiegel, L., discusses the chemistry of the mydriatic alkaloids, their 
composition and relation. — Biochem. Centralbl., Leipz., 1906-7, v. 5, 
pp. 156-159. 
Forsberg (Pharm. Post) discusses the estimation of alkaloids in 
belladonna leaves and records his experiments with several processes. 
He recommends a method in which the finely powdered leaves are 
dried on a water bath in the presence of equal parts of a 20 per cent 
solution of sodium carbonate. This product is then treated with a 
mixture of ether, chloroform, and caustic soda. The ethereal solution 
obtained is distilled until its volume is reduced to three-quarters of 
the original, and titrated. — Am. Druggist, N. Y., 1906, v. 48, p. 228. 
Caesar and Loretz outline a method for the assay of belladonna 
leaf, and suggest the advisability of determining the moisture con- 
tent. — Geschafts. Ber. v. Caesar & Loretz, 1906, p. 102. 
Philipp Boder, Wien, outlines a method of assay for belladonna leaf 
and reports finding 15.69 per cent of ash and 0.294 per cent of alka- 
loids in the leaf, and 16.18 per cent of ash and 0.405 per cent of 
alkaloids in the herb. — Pharm. Post, Wien, 1906, v. 39, pp. 263-264. 
Gordin, H. M., thinks the assay method requires only a few modi- 
fications in order to make it simple and exact, (1) the percolation 
ought to be continued to exhaustion, as indicated by Wagner’s re- 
agent ; (2) the cause of error liable to result from transferring the 
“ creeping ” ethereal mixture from one vessel to another and the 
adhering of drug particles to the sides of the first vessel could be com- 
pletely eliminated by carrying out the shaking and the percolation 
in one and the same vessel specially constructed for the purpose; (3) 
as these drugs are rather poor in alkaloid, at least 20 gm. of the 
leaves or the root ought to be taken for the assay. — Am. J. Pharm., 
Phila., 1906, v. 78, p. 454. 
For extract of belladonna leaves he thinks it would be preferable 
to put an indefinite amount of extract directly into a fared separating 
funnel and determine the amount of extract taken by weighing the 
funnel together with the extract. — Ibid., p. 456. 
The method for the fluid extract of the root he thinks good, and it 
could be made still better by shaking out the first chloroformic solu- 
tion once or twice more with acidulated water. 
Belladonna leaves can not be exhausted if sodium carbonate be 
used. — Ibid., p. 461. 
For belladonna plaster he thinks it preferable to introduce the 
plaster cut into strips into a separating funnel for the extraction 
with chloroform. When completely extracted the strips could be 
removed by means of a hooked copper wire. — Ibid., p. 455. 
Dieterich, Karl, has made a comparative study of the Ph. Ausfr. 
VIII assay process for extract of belladonna and hyoscyamus, com- 
pared with the Ph. Germ. IY and the potassium bismuth iodide 
