ON A NEW KIND OF MATICO. 
295 
tico depended upon the volatile oil and soft resin. The resin obtained by Mr. 
Stell was of a ruby-red colour, and hence he concluded that the green colour 
of the resin of l)r. Hodges, was due to the admixture with it of chlorophyll. 
An infusion of the broken-up leaves reduced to coarse powder of the new hind 
of medico , in the proportion of one ounce to thirty ounces of boiling water, and 
allowed to macerate for twenty-four hours, had a dark clear reddisli-brown 
colour, somewhat resembling brown sherry, and not distinguishable in this re¬ 
spect from an infusion of true matico, made of the same strength and in a 
similar manner to it. It had an agreeably aromatic, and somewhat spicy, 
pungent odour; and an aromatic, agreeable, somewhat spicy, pungent taste. 
In the two latter respects it resembled the infusion of true matico; but 
was more agreeable than it, and somewhat more pungent. It exhibited 
the following reactions:— Tincture of iodine heightened the colour consi¬ 
derably, and produced a slight opacity, but no precipitate; solution of per¬ 
sulphate of iron caused a deep brownish-blue-black coloration, and a plentiful 
brown precipitate ; solution of perchloride of iron caused a deep bluish-green- 
black coloration, but no precipitate ; solution of ferrideyanide of potassium 
simply heightened the colour; solution of acetate of lead caused an abundant 
yellowish-brown, light precipitate; solution of baryta, an abundant, somewhat 
gelatinous-like, yellowish-brown precipitate ; solution of nitrate of baryta , a 
plentiful, whitish, light, flocculent precipitate; solution of nitrate of silver , a 
plentiful, flaky, gelatinous-like, yellowish-white-brown precipitate; solution of 
sulphate of copper , an abundant brownish, light flocculent precipitate ; solution 
of bichloride of platinum, an abundant yellowish-wliite, light precipitate ; solu¬ 
tion of protochloride of tin , a plentiful reddish-brown precipitate; solution of 
chloride of calcium produced no evident effect at first, but slowly an evident 
whitish light floating precipitate was formed ; solution of sulphate of lime also 
had no marked effect at first, but ultimately caused a slight whitish precipitate; 
solution of chloride of lime at first heightened the colour, which afterwards 
slowly lessened again, and a plentiful whitish precipitate was formed; tincture 
of galls caused an opaque muddy appearance, and a very slight precipitate ; 
hydrochloric acid caused an abundant, whitish, more or less floating precipitate; 
■nitric acid, a plentiful, brownish, light precipitate; and sulphuric acid an abund¬ 
ant brownish, light precipitate. Ho very evident effects were produced by the 
addition to the infusion of either blue or red litmus papers ; or by that of 
turmeric paper ; nor by acetic acid ; nor by any of the following solutions:— 
Solution of potash, chromate of potash, ferr ocyanide of potassium, antimoniate 
of potash, carbonate of potash, potassio-tartrate of antimony, gelatine, ammonia, 
oxalate of ammonia, sulphate of soda, and bichloride of mercury. 
An infusion of officinal matico was made at the same time as the above, of 
the same strength, and in other respects like it; and when it was submitted 
to the action of the various reagents just mentioned, the effects produced were 
in all cases almost identical with those caused in the infusion of the new kind of 
matico. I have given the action of the reagents in full, as the list is more ex¬ 
tended than any hitherto published. The reactions obtained by Dr. Hodges, so 
far as he investigated them, agree essentially with my own. 
From the similar action of the various reagents upon the two kinds of matico, 
I may fairly conclude that their composition must be nearly identical; and 
there can be little doubt therefore that, the medicinal properties of the new 
matico are also due to the presence of an essential oil and resin. The presence of 
the volatile oil is at once made evident by submitting the leaves previously ma¬ 
cerated in cold water, to distillation. Some of the product then obtained, which 
has been distilled for me by Mr. Tilden in our laboratory, is now on the table, 
and as may be noticed, it possesses the peculiar odour of the dried leaves. It is 
evident from the above that the best form of administration would be an alcoholic 
extract or tincture. 
