October 1, 1870.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
265 
This fungus abounds in the dense forests to the west¬ 
ward in Tasmania, and was freely eaten by the aborigines 
Cyttaria Gunnii , Bert. 
In their wild state. It has also a reputation amongst 
the settlers for its esculent qualities. 
Hooker’s Beech Morel, Cyttaria Hookeri , B.—Found 
on the living branches of Fag us antarctica , at Cape 
Horn. The common receptacle does not exceed an inch 
in height, with a diameter of from half to three-quarters 
of an inch, attenuated at the base, and obtusely papillae - 
form at the apex, universally smooth. The cups are 
few in number, at first filled with a gummy matter, and 
.at length empty. The asci are somewhat linear, inter¬ 
mixed with lineal’, sometimes forked, paraphyses. Whe¬ 
ther this small and rather singular species is at all used 
as an article of food has not apparently been ascertained. 
Chilian Beech Morel, Cyttaria disciformis , Lev.— 
The smallest species yet discovered, scarcely exceeding a 
quarter of an inch in diameter. It is flattened like a 
button, with a convex upper surface, on which are scat¬ 
tered a few point-like cells at some distance from each 
other. These cells have, at present, only been found to 
contain long filaments, with a layer of compressed cel¬ 
lules, terminating in globular swellings, each of which 
contains an opaque and irregular body. Of course this, 
species, which is found in Chili, is too small to be of any 
value as an esculent. 
Allusion having been made in a previous number of 
ihis Journal to esculent fungi, it has not been consi¬ 
dered out of place to give a short account of these sin¬ 
gular Beech Morels of the south. As food products, 
they do not seem to differ much from our own Morels, 
although botanically and generically distinct. Unfor¬ 
tunately, we have very little information regarding 
their edible qualities beyond the fact that they are em¬ 
ployed as food. No medicinal virtues appear to have 
been assigned to them. It is a remarkable fact that the 
practice of eating some species of fungus seems to be 
almost universal in all countries where fleshy fungi are 
found, and in all to be confined to a very few species. 
Only very recently we have been enabled to identify 
the Morels which are eaten at Kashmir, and much still 
remains to be learnt of the esculent fungi of other parts 
of the world. Certainly some are esteemed in Persia 
and other parts of Asia, of which we know nothing. 
In the course of time we hope to record something of 
these; meanwhile, we wait and hope. 
MUSTARD. 
BY M. COMMAILLE. 
White mustard possesses medicinal properties which 
•are very difficult to be explained. Our knowledge of its 
chemical composition, like that of many other organic 
substances, leaves much to be desired. Let us glance 
first at the actual state of science concerning this sub¬ 
stance. 
White mustard, Sinapis alba , belongs to the important 
family of the Crucifera, which furnishes products for use 
in medicine, food and the arts. Like all its congeners, 
it contains sulphur among its constituent elements, 
which sulphur readily manifests its presence when pu¬ 
trefaction takes hold of a plant of this family. 
It is admitted that one part at least of the sulphur 
present in the crucifers, and consequently in white mus¬ 
tard, is in a form which gives easily hydrosulphocyanic 
acid, represented by the chemical formula H Cy S.„ or 
hc 2 ns 2 ._ 
This acid is rich in sulphur, containing 54 per cent, of 
its weight, and is very poisonous in its free state. It 
was discovered by Kinck in 1804. The same acid is met 
with normally in human saliva. 
_ In white mustard the hydrosulphocyanic acid is com¬ 
bined with a particular base, sinapine, which has not yet 
been obtained in the dry state. When attempts are 
made to do so, it splits up into an acid, sinapic acid, 
C^HjoOjq, and a new base, sincaline, C 10 H 14 NO 2 . But 
as the formula for sinapine is C 32 H 24 N O 10 , it follows that 
in the separation it has taken up two equivalents of 
water. The sinapine, it will be observed, is not sulphu¬ 
rized, but is nitrogenized, as are nearly all the organic al¬ 
kalies. It gives well-crystallized salts. The formula for 
sulphocyanate of sinapine is HC 2 NS 2 . C 32 H 24 N O 10 . 
Black mustard, Sinapis nigra, is distinguished from 
white mustard by the absence of sinapine. The sulpho- 
cyanic acid is also found there united to another sub¬ 
stance, allyle, which exists also in garlic. It is an alco¬ 
holic radical, of which a great number of combinations 
are known. The sulphocyanate of allyle is represented 
by C 2 NS 2 . C g H.. It is much more rich in sulphur than 
allyle. 
the sulphocyanate of sinapine. 
This difference explains how it is that white mustard 
in contact with water gives off, upon putrefaction, an 
odour, disagreeable no doubt, but very far from the hor¬ 
rible stench given off by black mustard under the same 
conditions. 
But the sulphocyanate of sinapine does not pre-exist 
in the white mustard any more than the sulphocyanate 
of allyle in the black. They are both the result of a 
reaction between the natural principles of these seeds 
in contact with water by a fermentation that is deve¬ 
loped very quickly. So likewise the odoriferous and 
sapid principle in black mustard, which is so well 
known, the volatile oil, is produced by the action of a, 
certain substance named myrosine upon the myronic 
acid combined with the potash in the seed. 
The myronate of potash ought, according to MM. Will 
and Koermer, to be considered as the essence of mustard, 
sugar and the acid sulphate of potash. Thus, we have— 
KC m H 18 Q 20 S 4 K = CjHsNS^ + Ct^O.2 
Myronate of potash. Essence of mus¬ 
tard or sulpho¬ 
cyanate of allyle 
= c 0 h 5 c 2 ns 2 . 
Sugar. 
4-ko.so 3 hoso 3 . 
Acid sulphate of 
potash. 
A fermentation, possible only in the presence of water, 
is absolutely necessary in order that black mustard may 
acquire its pungent properties. 
Further research is necessary upon this subject, since, 
according to received opinions, fermentation is never 
produced except under the influence of organized liv¬ 
ing bodies. Now, myrosine, the presumed ferment of 
mustard, does not fulfil this condition. However that 
may be, myrosine is met with in white mustard, but 
myronic acid is not, hence the absolute impossibility of 
its furnishing essence of mustard. Myrosine in the 
presence of water and sinapisine gives a principle very 
different from the essence of black mustard. This prin¬ 
ciple is the sulphocyanate of sinapine before spoken of.. 
Sinapisine, discovered by MM. Henry and Garot, is 
sulphurized, crystallizable and soluble in alcohol. It is 
a crystalloid, like myronic acid; whilst myrosine, which 
does not crystallize, and is coagulated by alcohol, warmth 
