THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[May 20, 1871. 
(C n H O r L It is white, inodorous, and so intensely 
bitter that it can he distinctly tasted w hen dissolv ed 
in 200,000 parts of water. It is much more soluble 
in alcohol and ether. . 
When sulphuric acid is added to digitalin, it hist 
blackens it and changes it into a brown liquid, after¬ 
wards becoming crimson. When this brown liquid 
is dropped into a small quantity of vatei it pioduces 
a rich green colour. 
The dried leaves yield *78 per cent., the seeds 
o per cent, and the seed-capsules *3 per cent, of 
■digitalin. . . 
When digitalin is boiled with sulphuric acid, it is 
■converted into glucose and another base, called 
digitaliretin, (C 15 H 25 0 5 ). 
^- 27-^45 O15 
Digitalin. 
+ 
h 2 o = c 15 h 25 o 5 
Digitaliretin. 
+ 2(C 6 H 12 0 6 ). 
Glucose. 
M. Labourdais says that the digitalin may be re¬ 
moved from the infusion by animal charcoal, from 
which it may be recovered by means of boiling 
alcohol. 
The Foxglove is said to contain a large number of 
bases and acids, but further researches are neces¬ 
sary. 
(To be continued.) 
ORIENTAL SPICES. 
BY JAMES PATON, 
Assistan t-Keeper in the Museum of Science and Art , 
Edinburgh. 
(Continued from page 902.) 
Nutmegs and mace are the products of a tree, 
' Myristiea moschata, belonging to the Natural Order 
Myristicacece. The nutmeg-tree, which is dioecious, 
having the male or barren flowers on one tree, and 
the female fertile flowers on another, is described as 
in appearance somewhat like the clove, though rather 
loftier, averaging 30 but reaching to 50 feet. The 
leaves are shaped like those of the pear-tree, but 
larger and of a beautiful glossy green upper surface, 
and soft grey below. The fruit is exceedingly like a 
nectarine or large plum; but furrowed all round in¬ 
stead of on one side only, as in the case of the nectarine. 
When the fruit is ripe, this furrowed exterior, which 
is a thick fleshy covering, bursts open and discloses 
what is undoubtedly the most beautiful fruit in the 
world. Surrounding an oval nut of a dark coloured 
glossy surface, are seen the broad veins of mace, an 
arillus of the brightest vermilion. Within tliis glossy 
shell is the nutmeg of commerce, and the vermilion 
arillus is what we receive as yellow mace. Here is 
the quaint Sir Thomas Herbert’s description of the 
fruit:—“ The nut is clothed with a defensive husk 
like those of a baser quality, and resembles the thick 
lind of a walnut, but at full ripeness discovers her 
naked purity, and the mace chastely entwines (with 
a vermilion blush) her endeared fruit and sister, 
which hath a third coat, and both of them breathe 
out most pleasing smells. The mace in few days 
(like choice beauties), by the sun’s flames, becomes 
tawny; yet in that complexion best pleases the rustic 
gatherer.” 
The nutmeg-trees are in constant bearing,—flowers 
and fruit in all stages of advancement, being at all 
times found on the same tree. But in its native 
haunts, there are three harvests from the tree an- 
nuall}', first in April, when the finest spice is gathered; 
next in the end of July, producing the largest quantity, 
and finally in November, which Mr. Crawford says 
is a supplementary gathering. A good tree yields 
steadily about 10 lb. of nutmegs and mace; but 
taking plantations overhead, including male and 
female trees, the produce will not exceed 4 lb. 
The Dutch made the same strenuous efforts to limit 
the production of nutmegs which they applied to the 
clove-tree; but with this they had greater difficulty. 
Originally of somewhat wider distribution, they en¬ 
deavoured to confine the trees to the three small 
islands forming the Banda group, and for that pur¬ 
pose organized annual expeditions for the extermina¬ 
tion of all other trees. The efforts of two species of 
pigeon to spread the tree constantly baffled the 
watchfulness of the Dutchmen. The pigeons swal¬ 
lowed the nutmegs, the mace of which was easy of 
digestion; but the shell enclosing the nutmeg was 
too much even for the all-absorbing maws of pigeons; 
consequently they took their flight to neighbouring 
shores, and there safely planted the uninjured nut¬ 
megs, in defiance of the most stringent and threaten¬ 
ing proclamations of the governor-general of the 
Dutch East Indies. 
The Dutch guarded their nutmeg parks in Banda 
with greater jealousy than did the Hesperides their 
fabled golden apples. It was not till these islands 
passed first for a short time into the hands of the 
French under the first republic, and next into our 
own possession, till the settlement of the then existing 
European turmoils, that an opportunity was fairly 
afforded of attempting the propagation of the valued 
fruits away from these islands. The difficulty, though 
long apparently surmounted, has proved more insu¬ 
perable than in the case of cloves; and it may be 
said that now no nutmegs are grown, on a commer¬ 
cial scale, beyond the east part of the Archipelago. 
Under our East India Company the first apparently 
successful introduction of nutmegs into the Straits 
settlements took place about the beginning of this 
century. The company expended great sums on the 
transport and care of the trees; but in their impa¬ 
tience at the little progress the plants appeared to 
make, they ordered the plantations to be abandoned 
or sold. They were handed over to private enter¬ 
prise, and soon they began to yield productively. 
The commercial success was immense, and a nutmeg 
mania seized upon the inhabitants. Everywhere 
nutmeg-trees were planted; flower-gardens were dug 
up, and the prized trees, which were with no trouble 
to heap wealth upon their fortunate possessors, were 
substituted. The jungle was cleared and planted 
with nutmegs, and their overshadowing kanary trees, 
according to the most approved method, when in the 
height of the planting fever, a sickly yellow patch 
was seen on the topmost boughs of some of the 
hitherto flourisliing trees. Steadily it descended, 
and steadily it spread ; attacked plants were rooted 
out, and healthy ones stimulated with manures, yet 
the blight continued its deadly progress. Plantations 
were even cleared and renewed, and again the fatal 
patch appeared, and no power of man was able to 
stay its progress. A great revulsion then occurred; 
plantations were abandoned, and the fruit of many 
healthy trees was left to rot on the ground; the in¬ 
duction steadily declined till it has well-nigh ceased; 
and now amidst the tangled hiding-places of the 
deadly snake, and the lair of the equally dreaded 
tiger, may be found many blasted stems, and some 
