CERASUS VIRGINIAN A. 
101 
principle found in the bark of the apple, pear, and of some other allied 
trees, but Mr. Perot* * * § failed completely to detect any indications whatever of 
that principle. It is still a question, however, whether the bark does or does 
not contain a bitter principle distinct from amygdalin, and to which its tonic 
properties are essentially due. Dr. Woodf believes that it does, and his opinion 
is borne out by the experiments of Professor Procter ,% who found that an extract 
of the bark retained its bitterness after the whole of the amygdalin had been re¬ 
moved. It would appear, therefore, that the sedative properties of the bark de¬ 
pend upon the hydrocyanic acid which it yields; and its tonic properties essen¬ 
tially, upon some undiscovered bitter principle, assisted probably by some un- 
decomposed amygdalin. The more valuable therapeutic properties are said by 
Dr. Grover Coeij to reside in a neutral proximate principle called Prunin. The 
author of ‘Positive Medical Agents’j| says that “primin, the active resinoid 
principle of Primus virginiana , is a snuff-coloured powder, with a pleasant, 
rather aromatic odour, and a rather unpleasant feeble taste, which becomes 
bitter as the article is held for a longer time in the mouth.” Nothing of a sa- 
tisfactory nature is known among reliable authorities, however, of the nature 
of this so -called active principle. 
An infusion of the wild-cherry bark, bruised, in the proportion of one ounce 
to twenty-four ounces of boiling water, and allowed to macerate for twenty- 
four hours, had a pale reddish-yellow colour, resembling that of Madeira 
wine, a somewhat opalescent appearance; an agreeably bitter, faintly aromatic 
taste; and an odour resembling that of a weak solution of the essential oil 
of bitter almonds, or that of bruised peach-leaves. It exhibited the following 
reactions :— Blue litmus paper was slightly reddened by it, but the change 
was not very evident; tincture of iodine produced a dirty-yellow turbidity, 
and an abundant cinnamon-brown precipitate; solution of persulphate of 
iron caused a deep greenish-bluish-black coloration, and an abundant dirty- 
brown, light precipitate ; solution of perchloride of iron a deep bluish-black 
coloration, and a very abundant dirty-brown precipitate; solution of ferrocya- 
nide of potassium only slightly deepened the colour of the infusion ; solution of 
ferridcyanide of potassium formed slowly a yellowish, light precipitate ; solution 
(f chromate of potash perceptibly reddened the colour of the infusion, but caused 
no precipitate ; solution of potash also changed the colour to a deep brownish- 
red, but without forming a precipitate; solutions of antimoniate of potash , and 
carbonate of potash also reddened the colour, but caused no precipitate; solution 
of baryta reddened the colour, and ultimately produced a plentiful reddish- 
yellow, light precipitate ; solution of nitrate of silver had no marked effect at 
first, but ultimately a dirty yellowish-brown precipitate was formed; solution of 
gelatine changed the colour to a milk-white, and produced an abundant curdy, 
somewhat pinkish-coloured precipitate ; solution of acetate of lead caused the 
infusion at first to assume a milky appearance, but it ultimately became quite 
clear and colourless from the deposition of an abundant yellowish-white, very 
light, gelatinous-looking precipitate ; solution of basic acetate of lead produced 
a yellowish-brown milky appearance in the infusion, which slowly deposited a 
very light, plentiful precipitate ; solution of bichloride of mercury turned the in¬ 
fusion milky, and produced slowly, a plentiful, whitish, very light precipitate; solu¬ 
tion of chloride of lime changed the colour at first to a deep brownish-black, but 
afterwards the colour became slowly discharged, and a plentiful, whitish-brown 
* Araer. Journ. Pkarm., new ser. vol. xviii. p. 111. 
f Wood’s ‘ Therapeutics and Pharmacology/ vol. i. p. 291; and Wood and Baclie’s 
‘ United States Dispensatory/ 11th edit. p. 628. 
£ Amer. Journ. Pharm., vol. xxviii. p. 108. 
§ ‘ Concentrated Organic Medicines/ p. 391. 
jj e Positive Medical Agents/ p 223. 
