N. 0. VTOLAOE/E. 
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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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