loo 
NEW AMERICAN REMEDIES. 
ture is close, although somewhat rough and fibrous, and of a more reddish hue 
than the longitudinal. The longitudinal and transverse fractures of the peri¬ 
derm are closer and denser than the similar fractures of the inner bark. The 
bark generally, has a somewhat spongy texture, particularly the inner layers; it 
is readily powdered, and the powder has a deep fawn colour. It has a bitter, 
somewhat aromatic, and rather agreeable taste; but scarcely any perceptible 
odour in a dried state, although, when fresh, it reminds one of that of the essence 
of bitter almonds, or of peach-leaves. 
Composition and Chemical Characteristics. —The first analysis of this 
bark of, in any degree, a satisfactory nature, was made by Mr. Stephen Proctor,* 
who found it to contain starch, resin , tannin, gallic acid, fatty matter, lignin , 
red colouring-matter, volatile oil, hydrocyanic acid, salts of lime and potassa, and 
iron. By repeated distillation of the same portion of water with several dif¬ 
ferent portions of the bark, Mr. Proctor obtained a volatile oil analogous in its 
properties to the volatile oil of bitter almonds, and like it associated with hy¬ 
drocyanic acid. This oil, in the dose of two drops, proved fatal to a full -grown 
cat in less than five minutes. Professor William Procter has since shown that 
the volatile oil and hydrocyanic acid do not exist ready formed in the bark, but 
are products of the decomposition of amygdalin, which he proved to be one of 
its constituents. - ! Hence it seems clear, that another principle analogous to, if 
not identical with emulsin, must be also present in the bark, as such a sub¬ 
stance is necessary for the above decomposition to take place. The sedative 
action which the bark exerts on the heart depends essentially upon the hydro¬ 
cyanic acid which it yields. The essential oil of wild cherry, when deprived of 
hydrocyanic acid by distillation with a mixture of protochloride of iron, potassa, 
and water, is without any poisonous properties.^ 
Hr. Lee,§ in an article on Indigenous Tonics, has given the following more 
elaborate analysis of wild-cherry bark, which he states was made in the labora¬ 
tory of the Messrs. Tilden, of New York State, North America :— 
Organic matters . 
. 6476 04 
Per cent. 
92-500 
Inorganic matters . 
. 523-96 
7-500 
Total. 
. 7000-00 
100-000 
Albumen . 
. 26300 
3757 
Gum.. 
. 131-57 
1-878 
Starch .!. 
. 164-00 
2-342 
Extractive . 
. 152-96 
2-185 
Tannin. 
. 70-56 
1-008 
Sugar . 
. 62-24 
0-889 
Colouring matter... . 
. 612-76 
8-742 
Particular nitrogenised principle. 
. 152-32 
2-716 
Red resin, soluble in alcohol . 
. 297-28 
5"675 
Red resin, soluble in ether . 
. 171-52 
2 450 
Soluble salts . 
. 38-72 
0 553 
Insoluble salts. 
. 486-24 
6-947 
Lignin, etc. 
. 4396-83 
60-858 
Total. 
. 7000-00 
100-000 
V» ild-clierry bark was at one time supposed to contain phloridzine, a bitter 
* Amer. Journ. Phavm. vol. vi. p. 8. 
f Amer. Journ. Pliarm. vol. x. p. 197; and Wood and Bache’s ‘United States Dispen¬ 
satory,’ 11th edit. p. 628. 
X Pereira’s e Materia Medica and Therapeutics,’ vol. ii. part 2, 4th edit. p. 281. 
§ Amer. Journ. Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 284. 
