ADAuS,i9(»!m"}      Histology  of  Hyoscyamus  Muticus.  361 
contains  the  strength  of  oae  ounce  of  beef,"  "  each  fluidounce  con- 
tains one  ounce  of  essence  of  beef,''  and  one  tablespoonful  con- 
tains the  equivalent  of  1  y2  ounces  of  lean  meat."  One  sample 
bears  two  directly  contradictory  labels;  the  main  label  claims  that 
"  each  fluidounce  contains  all  the  strength  of  2  ounces  of  prime,  fresh, 
lean  beef;"  the  other  label  claims  that  "  each  fluidounce  contains 
the  extractive  strength  of  y2  ounce  of  prime,  fresh,  lean  beef." 
To  summarize  the  results  of  my  analyses,  sixty-nine  samples  are 
below  N.  F.  strength  in  nitrogen,  twenty-nine  are  misbranded,  and 
all  but  one  of  the  misbranded  samples  are  likewise  low  in  nitrogen. 
Only  twenty-two  samples  out  of  ninety  two  satisfy  the  calculated 
N.  F.  requirement  of  7  milligrammes  of  nitrogen  per  fluidrachm. 
The  responsibility  Tor  these  deficiencies  rests  partly  upon  the 
Formulary  itself,  partly  upon  the  quality  and  very  largely  upon  the 
quantity  of  meat  extract  used  in  their  preparation. 
Analytical  Laboratory,  Connecticut 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
New  Haven,  Conn. 
HISTOLOGY  OF  HYOSCYAMUS  MUTICUS. 
By  Charges  M.  Sterling. 
Ever  since  the  nature  of  the  alkaloid  occurring  in  Hyoscyamus 
muticus  was  determined,  the  plant  has  attracted  considerable  atten- 
tion. According  to  Engler  and  Prantl  (Natiirlichen  Pflanzenfami- 
lien,  volume  4,  part  3,  page  18),  the  plant  grows  abundantly  in 
Egypt,  and  extends  eastward  into  southern  Asia  to  the  East  Indies. 
As  shown  by  Mr.  Edwin  Dowzard  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy  for  May,  1908,  several  excellent  assays  of  the  drug  have 
been  made,  and  its  superior  quality  well  established. 
As  the  drug  appears  on  the  market,  it  consists  chiefly  of  fruiting 
stalks  gathered  after  the  corollas  have  withered  and  fallen  off.  As 
the  leaves  are  very  fragile,  only  the  smaller  ones  remain  unbroken. 
Usually  both  stems  and  leaves  are  in  much  broken  fragments.  The 
calyces  are  of  much  firmer  texture  than  the  leaves,  and  often  retain 
their  structure  intact;  and  as  they  closely  surround  the  partly 
matured  fruits,  these  also  are  frequently  well  preserved. 
The  specimen  of  drug  used  in  the  preparation  of  this  article  was 
imported  from  Egypt. 
