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researches, that gentian contains a soft, fatty matter, having 
some resemblance to wax, sugar, gum, and a resinous substance 
of insupportable bitterness, which they regard as the active 
principle, mixed with substances from which they could not 
separate it. 
Among the inorganic products, they have pointed out 
the presence of lime, alumina, silica, magnesia, and iron, 
united with carbonic, muriatic, and sulphuric acids. The fol- 
lowing year, MM. Henry & Caventou resumed their labours 
upon gentian, and published a memoir, in which they an- 
nounced, that they had isolated the active principle, to 
which they gave the name of gentianin. They there state, 
moreover, the presence of the following substances: glue, a 
fixed oil, an undetermined acid, an odoriferous principle not 
isolated, uncrystallizable sugar, gum, a yellow colouring mat- 
ter, and lignin. It should be added that, in 1814, M. Planche 
had made known a volatile principle, capable of producing 
nausea, and a species of intoxication. 
Finally, very recently, M. Denis has demonstrated in gen- 
tian the presence of pectic acid, which undoubtedly is the 
mucoso-gummy matter, in the first instance spoken of by 
M. Henry. 
The memoir of MM. Henry & Caventou, and the therapeu- 
tic experiments made with gentianin appear so precise, that 
the conclusions of these chemists had to be admitted, and all 
that has since been written, in works upon Chemistry, Materia 
Medica, and Pharmacy, has been drawn from this memoir. 1 
certainly should not have conceived the idea of making re- 
searches upon a subject, which has passed through the hands 
of masters so distinguished, if having been eleve interne of the 
Pharmacie contrale, I had not been charged by M. Soubeiran 
with the preparation of gentianin, according to the received 
method. In the first instance, I encountered some difficulties, 
and at length succeeded in obtaining this product, but with less 
ease than had been stated by the authors of the discovery; and 
I was very much astonished, when, upon wishing to purify and 
deprive it of its yellow colouring matter, had this been prac- 
