6  Extraction  of  ColcMcia from  the  Seed.  {^"^'A'^^'imi''^' 
since,  with  the  exception  of  only  a  few,  it  either  employs  a  gentle 
heat  (90°  to  100°  F.)  or  none  at  all.  Furthermore,  it  is  obvious  that 
the  use  of  heat  would,  in  some  of  the  syrups,  totally  destroy  the 
medicinal  properties  for  which  they  are  generally  prescribed,  and  in 
some  which  have  flavors  of  extreme  volatility  these  would  be  more  or 
less  impaired. 
Lowell,  iV.  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Dec,  1880. 
EXTRACTION  OF  COLCHICTA  FROM  THE  SEED. 
By  Lemuel  I.  Morris. 
Read  at  the  Pha7^maceutical  Meeting,  December  21st. 
The  po\vdering  or  grinding  of  colchicum  seed  has  always  been  a 
source  of  much  labor  and  annoyance  to  the  pharmacist,  and  to  over- 
come the  difticulty,  the  purchasing  of  seed  already  ground  has  often 
been  resorted  to,  a  practice  which  does  not  commend  itself  to  the  pro- 
fession, for  the  reasons  that  the  pow^Ier  is  more  expensive  and  can  be 
very  easily  adulterated. 
Dannenberg  ("  Phar.  Ztg.,"  Oct.  30,  1880)  has  recently,  in  answer 
to  an  article  by  Dr.  Molz  Deutsch.  Amer.  Phar.  Ztg.^'),  shown  that 
he  obtained  results  contradicting  the  conclusions  of  the  latter,  who 
stated  that  colchicum  seed,  when  more  than  a  year  old,  ^^^as  nearly 
worthless,  and  that  colchicia  could  be  extracted  only  by  a  strong  alco- 
holic or  acidulated  menstruum,  while  he  (Dannenberg) -obtained  the 
alkaloid  reaction  after  boiling  the  seed,  which  M'^as  not  less  than  five 
years  old,  for  only  a  few  moments  in  pure  water.  These  different 
statements  have  led  to  some  discussions  on  the  subject  and  a  desire  to- 
further  investigate  the  matter. 
To  Dr.  Hlibler  ("Arch,  der  Pharm.,"  1865),  it  seems,  belongs  the 
credit  of  making  the  first  statement  that  colchicia  could  be  w^holly 
extracted  without  powdering  the  seeds,  by  digesting  them  for  some 
time  in  a  hot  90  per  cent,  alcoholic  menstruum.  When  afterwards 
powdered,  and  treated  like  the  Avhole  seed,  it  was  found  that  the  alka- 
loid had  been  entirely  removed,  and  that  very  little  if  any  soluble 
matter  was  extracted  by  the  menstruum  from  such  powdered  seed. 
Mr.  Rosenwasser,  in  1877  ("Amer.  Jour.  Phar."),  after  some  experi- 
ments, found  that  only  one-third  of  the  colchicia  was  removed  by 
macerating  the  whole  seed,  in  officinal  menstrua,  for  some  time.  Had 
