202    CRYSTALLIZED  NITRATE  OF  MERCURY  IN  PHARMACY. 
while  the  ethereal  portion  had  the  soft  consistence  of  an  oleo- 
resin  and  remained  so,  all  efforts  to  dry  it  being  unsuccessful. 
Dissolved  in  alcohol  and  boiled  with  purified  animal  charcoal, 
the  resin  was  obtained  of  a  light  brownish-yellow  color  and  a 
slight  bitter  and  very  disagreeable  taste. 
This  purified  resin  was  taken  in  doses  as  large  as  eight  grains, 
without  producing  any  other  effect  than  slight  headache. 
A  portion  of  the  tincture  of  the  leaves,  after  concentration,  was 
mixed  with  boiling  water  and  boiled  for  ten  minutes ;  the  resin 
was  then  obtained  in  very  dark  masses  and  entirely  free  from 
bitterness,  while  the  liquid  had  a  dark  orange  brown  color,  an 
extremely  permanent  bitter  taste  and  an  acid  reaction. 
■This  was  concentrated  to  about  one  half,  and  when  cold  acid- 
ulated with  muriatic  acid,  evaporated  to  dryness  and  treated 
with  boiling  alcohol. 
On  cooling,  the  alcoholic  solution  deposited  a  quantity  of  -^hat 
appeared  to  be  yellow  powder,  but  which  had  a  grittiness  when 
rubbed  between  the  fingers,  and  when  examined  with  a  magnify- 
ing glass  was  found  to  consist  of  small  yellow  crystals. 
These  crystals  were  again  dissolved  in  boiling  alcohol  and 
were  obtained  with  less  color.  They  were  nearly  insoluble  in 
cold  alcohol  and  water,  freely  soluble  in  both  liquids  when  boiling, 
and  their  solution  was  darkened  by  ammonia,  thus  presenting 
characteristics  similar  to  muriate  of  berberina. 
From  the  preceding  experiments  it  appears  that  there  exists 
in  the  leaves  of  May-apple  a  resinous  substance,  similar  in  its 
chemical  relations  to  podophyllin,  but  without  its  carthartic  prop- 
erties, and  that  the  bitterness  is  caused  by  the  presence  of  ber- 
berina. 
It  would  also  seem  that  no  poisonous  properties  exist  in  the 
dried  leaves. 
CRYSTALLIZED  NITRATE  OF  MERCURY  IN  PHARMACY. 
By  Hamilton  Hutchison. 
The  author  in  an  inaugural  essay  states  that  this  salt  has 
been  prescribed  considerably  of  late,  by  Dr.  John  Neill,  of  Phila- 
delphia, in  solution  in  glycerin  as  a  substitute  for  citrine  oint- 
