August G, 1870.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
115 
than that around the gasworks at Bow ; hut the inhabi¬ 
tants belong to a higher and wealthier class ; and when 
the Imperial Company, two years ago, attempted to 
adopt lime as a purifier in their Fulham works, the com¬ 
plaints made and the indictments threatened compelled 
the company at once to fall back upon the ordinary puri¬ 
fying process by oxide of iron. 
The other remark necessary for a right understanding 
of the above statistics is, that in 1867 an improvement 
was made in the Letheby sulphur-test, which was used 
in all the above recorded testings; consequently, at any 
time subsequent to that improvement, the testings would 
show a greater amount of sulphur, even when the gas re¬ 
mained of the same purity as before. 
“CINCHO-QUININE.” 
BY W. T. WENZELL, CHEMIST. 
[Read before the California Pharmaceutical Society, 
March 14 th, 1870.) 
The article sold under the above name is stated to 
represent all of the alkaloids naturally contained in Ca- 
lisaya bark. It is also asserted that all of the cinchona 
alkaloids possess equal febrifuge and tonic properties; 
and that quinia only acquired the rank of superiority as 
a febrifuge by reason of priority of discovery,—a state¬ 
ment which is also incorrect, inasmuch as cinchona was 
discovered as early as 1810 by Gomez, whereas quinia 
was discovered ten years later by Pelletier and Caventou. 
The “ cincho-quinine ” is said to be composed of bark 
alkaloids, as follows:—1. Quinia. 2. Cinchonia. 3. 
Quinidia. 4. Cinchonidia. 5. Other alkaloidal princi¬ 
ples present in the bark. 
The claims advanced as to its superiority over the sul¬ 
phate of quinia are, namely, that “cincho-quinine” con¬ 
tains the whole of the active febrifuge and tonic prin¬ 
ciples of Calisaya bark ; that it exerts the full effects of 
sulphate of quinia in the same dose, without causing 
cerebral disturbances; that it is nearly tasteless, and 
less costly than sulphate of quinia. The dose of the 
preparation is left to the discretion of the physician, with 
the direction that it may be administered in doses vary¬ 
ing from five to thirty grains. 
The apparent insolubility of the “ cincho-quinine,” its 
slight bitter taste and large medicinal dose (30 grs.), 
have led me to investigate the true nature of the article 
presents. “ Cincho-quinine” is put up in imitation of 
sulphate of quinia in ounce bottles. It appears in the 
form of white friable scales, which are almost tasteless, 
only a slight bitterness being perceptible. When placed 
upon reddened litmus paper, and a drop of alcohol added, 
the blue colour of the litmus was promptly restored. It 
proved combustible without residue. When dissolved 
in water, with the intervention of sulphuric acid, the 
solution tasted analogous to one of sulphate of cinchonia, 
and the solution, when strongly acidulated with the 
acid, possessed in very slight degree only the optical 
phenomena of fluorescence and epipolism. Dr. Bill’s 
test of ferrocyanide of potassium gave the known reac¬ 
tion for cinchonia. “ Cincho-quinine” was nearly inso¬ 
luble in ether. Twenty grains of the preparation w r ere 
dissolved in water with a sufficient quantity of sulphuric 
acid, and the solution subjected to Liebig’s ether test, 
which dissolves quinia, quinicia, and cinchonicia, also 
portions of quinidia and cinchonidia if a large excess of 
ether be employed. The etherial solution thus obtained 
by successive washings with ether, left on evaporation 
and drying a solid residue, weighing about half a grain, 
possessing alkaloidal properties. This residue, when 
dissolved in dilute sulphuric acid and water, and treated 
with Brande’s chlorine and ammonia test, will indicate 
by its green coloration the presence of quinia, quinidia, 
and quinicia. The test responded in this instance affir¬ 
matively. In order to determine which of the alkaloids 
produced the coloration, one portion of the solution w T as 
tested for quinidia by Yan Heijningen’s test of oxalate 
of ammonia, and another portion was tested for quinidia 
by Dr. Vry’s test of iodide of potassium, but both gave 
negative results. Therefore the alkaloid detected by 
Brande’s test is quinicia, which was confirmed by the 
application of Herapath’s optical and chemical tests of 
the iodo-sulphates of the cinchona alkaloids. One grain 
of the mixed alkaloids obtained by Liebig’s test from 
“cincho-quinine” by thorough exhaustion with ether, 
was dissolved in a fluid drachm of water sufficiently 
acidulated with sulphuric acid. The solution was then 
mixed with an equal bulk of alcohol, the mixture warmed 
to about 100° F., and treated successively with tincture 
of iodine. The several (7) precipitates which appeared 
on cooling were amorphous resinous substances soluble 
in alcohol, and did not exhibit in the least degree crys¬ 
talline structures. The precipitates first obtained were 
reddish in appearance, analogous to the salt of iodo- 
sulphate of quinicia ; the last precipitates possessed the 
purplish tint belonging to the iodo-sulphate of cinchoni¬ 
cia. The absence of all crystalline characteristics of 
iodo-sulphate salts thus obtained from the alkaloids ex¬ 
tracted by ether from “cincho-quinine” point conclu¬ 
sively to the absence of quinia, quinidia, and cinchonidia 
in the sample under examination; and we can safely 
assert that “cincho-quinine” is in reality only cin¬ 
chonia containing about 2 per cent, of quinicia and cin¬ 
chonicia. 
“ Cincho-quinine,” although having the advantage of 
being nearly tasteless, does not contain quinia, quinidia, 
and cinchonidia, and therefore does not represent the 
whole of the active principles of the bark. 
It cannot exert the full effects of sulphate of quinia in 
the same dose, inasmuch as the stated dose of “ cincho- 
quinine” is from 5 to 30 grains. 
Although “ cincho-quinine ” appears to cost less than 
sulphate of quinia, it does not follow that commercial 
“cinchonia,” sold at four times its value, is a desirable 
substitute for quinine in an economical point of view. 
And, lastly, one very important principle should by no 
means be lost sight of, namely, that a physician should 
always know what he is prescribing, and therefore the 
substitution of a remedy of less efficiency and uncertain 
medicinal value is altogether unwarrantable and often 
hazardous .—Pacific Med. and Surg. Journ ., April, 1870. 
SIMPLE APPARATUS FOR RAPID EVAPORIZATION 
AT LIMITED HEAT, UNDER REDUCED PRES¬ 
SURE, WITHOUT THE USE OF A PUMP. 
BY A. B. PllESCOTT, 
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY, ETC., UNIVERSITY 
OF MICHIGAN, U.S. 
The pump is not always at hand; its use is forbidden 
for transmission of corrosive vapours; and, moreover, 
the removal of liquids, in form of vapour, against the 
weight of the air by muscular power is liable to “ ex¬ 
haust” the operator more effectively than it does the 
material. I desire to ask attention to some uses of ordi¬ 
nary distilling apparatus for the production and mainte¬ 
nance of approximate vacuum over liquids during their 
vaporization, in cases where the heat of 120° to 150° F. 
may be applied. 
It is necessary that the distilling apparatus be made 
capable of air-tight closure, and that the air be removed 
from it to begin with. Then the degree of exhaustion 
in the apparatus is in direct ratio to the rapidity of con¬ 
densation of the vapour produced. And the rapidity of 
condensation is only limited by the degree and extent of 
refrigeration employed, w T ith a given extent of evapo¬ 
rating surface at a stated temperature. The air in the 
apparatus, to begin with, may be expelled through a 
suitable aperture by steam, which may be generated 
in the “ receiver” of the apparatus or in an attachment 
thereto. 
