Du Mez—The Galenical Oleoresins. 
1005 
material has been identified by Boehm 1 as crystalline filix acid 
and a wax-like substance. Kraft, 2 in a later investigation, con¬ 
firmed the findings of Boehm insofar as they concerned the 
presence of filix acid. The wax-like material, however, he 
found to be composed of a number of substances, decomposi¬ 
tion products of the therapeutically active constitutents, which 
he designated as filixnigrin. As the deposit has been found to 
be active 3 in the expulsion of tapeworm, although in a much 
lesser degree than the oleoresin proper, the United States Phar¬ 
macopoeia directs that it be mixed with the liquid portion be¬ 
fore dispensing. 
Special Qualitative Tests 
A number of the European pharmacopoeias prescribe tests 
for the determination of the quality of this preparation. These 
tests are of two kinds, namely, those which have for their object 
the establishment of the presence of the constituents of thera¬ 
peutic value, i. e. the substances of an acid character known 
collectively as crude filicin, and those which serve to identify 
starch when present. The former are based on the fact that 
the above mentioned constituents of an acid character may be 
precipitated directly by means of certain solvents, or from 
alkaline solutions by means of acids. The following are the 
official tests of this nature: 
Tests for Filicin. 
Austrian Pharmacopoeia (1906): Upon adding an excess of petroleum 
ether to the oleoresin dissolved in a small quantity of ethyl ether, a white 
precipitate should be produced. 
1 Netherlands Pharmacopoeia (1905): If 0.025 gram of the oleoresin dis¬ 
solved in 2 cubic centimeters of ether be shaken with 5 cubic centimeters 
of a saturated barium hydroxide solution and 5 cubic centimeters of water, 
the aqueous portion, when separated and filtered, should give a floccu- 
lent precipitate on being acidified with hydrochloric acid. 
Hungarian Pharmacopoeia (1909): If 0.25 gram of the extract be dis¬ 
solved in 2 cubic centimeters of ether and shaken with 10 cubic centi¬ 
meters of lime water, the aqueous portion filtered and acidified with hydro¬ 
chloric acid, a copious white precipitate should be formed. 
J Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Fharmak:. (1897), 38, p. 35. 
3 Kraft (1902). 
3 Reuter, Pharm. Ztg\ (1891), 36, p. 245; Straub, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. 
Pharmak. (1902), 48, p. 1. 
