as 
Selected Articles. 
obtained the same principle from both. I must, however, 
allow that the medullary part furnishes the smallest quantity. 
Although M. Thubeuf has not yet published an account of 
the method he employs to prepare salseparine, I am aware 
that he commences by obtaining an alcoholic tincture of the 
root; that he treats this tincture with animal charcoal, filters 
and crystallizes the salseparine. At all events, I followed 
this plan, and the substance I obtained possessed properties 
which did not differ from those of parigline. And I must 
also add, that this is by far the best mode of operating, as it 
requires less time, is less expensive, and affords a larger and 
more beautiful product than any other. 
I also prepared the pretended parallinic acid of M. Batka, 
following the method of that author. This plan is very com- 
plicated, and might certainly be rendered more simple if re- 
quired. I have prepared it by merely adding hydrochloric 
acid to a concentrated decoction of sarsaparilla. I shall, 
hereafter, notice the reasons which induced M. Batka to re- 
gard this substance as an acid, and will prove that they are 
■founded in error. 
I have stated that salseparine or parigline might be ob- 
tained bv several different modes of operating. I have pre- 
pared tnem by means of potash, magnesia, sulphuric acid 
&c. By boiling sarsaparilla for half an hour with calcined 
magnesia, drying the precipitate and treating it with alcohol, 
much parigline is obtained. This parigline is granulated and 
looks like potatoe starch. It does not present the physical 
properties of salseparine, but it nevertheless is identical with 
this substance, for by dissolving it in alcohol and carefully 
evaporating the solution, crystals are obtained precisely simi- 
lar to those of salseparine. I mention this fact, to give an 
idea of the influence exercised by the manner of operating, 
on the physical properties of this substance. 
It is owing to this circumstance that M.M. Thubeuf, Folchi 
and Batka were led to suppose that they had discovered a 
new principle in sarsaparilla. 
I will now proceed to the comparative examination of the 
four substances spoken of above, and I think that I can satis- 
