Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
May,  1881.  J 
Reviews,  etc. 
271 
ipecacuanha,  its  structure  and  adulterations,  which,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
is  illustrated,  like  two  or  three  other  papers.  We  believe  that  there  can 
scarcely  be  a  question  as  to  the  desirability,  if  not  necessity,  of  a  journal 
specially  devoted  to  the  application  of  the  microscope  in  medicine  and 
pharmacy,  and  the  projectors  and  editors,  being  well  known  in  this  line  of 
investigation,  will  doubtless  make  the  "  Microscope  "  a  welcome  visitor  to 
.all  who  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  instrument  that  has  opened  a  new 
world  to  the  inquiring  scientist,  and  the  im])ortaiice  of  which  is  being  con- 
tinually more  appreciated. 
On  Quebracho  Bark  {Aspidosperma  Quebracho),  Botanic-pharmacog- 
nostic  essay.  By  Dr.  Adolph  Hansen,  Assistant  at  the  Botanic  Institute 
of  Erlangen.    Detroit :  Geo.  S.  Davis. 
This  essay  is  referred  to  in  the  paper  on  Quebracho  bark  by  Prof.  E. 
Schaer  which  we  publish  in  the  present  number.  The  pamphlet  before  us 
is  a  translation  of  Dr.  Hansen's  paper,  covers  13  quarto  images  and  is  illus- 
trated by  three  plates  containing  25  lithographic  figures  of  a  flowering 
twig  of  the  plant,  of  the  bark  (colored)  and  of  microscopical  views  of  the 
histological  structure  of  the  bark  and  wood. 
€hemlsches  iiber  die  Sainen  von  Xanthium  strumarium.     Von  Arthur 
Zander.    Dorpat,  1881.    8vo,  pp.  36. 
Chemical  investigation  of  the  seeds  of  Xanthium  strumarium. 
The  fruit  of  this  plant,  commonly  known  as  cocklebur,  has  been  used  in 
1879  near  Ssaratow,  Russia,  as  food,  and  also  for  expressing  the  fixed  oil. 
The  use  of  the  fruit  and  oil  caused  serious  illness,  and  in  four  cases  death, 
which  results  were  attributed  to  the  cocklebur  and  induced  Dr.  Zander  to 
endeavor  the  isolation  of  the  supposed  poisonous  princii:»le.  Experiments 
with  the  different  principles  made  on  frogs  and  cats  gave  no  results  ;  the 
author  swallowed  1"5  gram,  equal  to  about  50  of  the  akenes,  in  the  form  of 
powder,  likewise  without  any  unusual  effect. 
The  results  of  the  analysis  were  moisture,  5*44;  ash,  5*18 ;  fat,  38"60; 
resin,  containing  some  fat,  2'38 ;  saccharose,  3*31 ;  albuminoids,  36*64  (of 
which  9'43  were  soluble  in  water,  24*41  soluble  in  caustic  soda  and  2*81 
insoluble  in  both  menstrna);  nitric  acid,  0*68 ;  ammonia,  0*06;  xanthos- 
trumarin  and  organic  acids,  1*27;  extractive  substances,  1 '56 ;  cellulose, 
1*52;  cuticular  substances,  loss  2*40. 
Owing  to  the  readiness  with  which  it  is  decomposed  at  a  moderate  heat 
with  the  production  of  an  odor  resembling  that  of  valerianic  acid,  the 
whole  amount  of  xanthostrumarin  could  not  be  obtained.  In  the  purest 
state  obtainable  it  was  light  yellow,  amorphous,  free  from  nitrogen,  soluble 
in  water,  alcohol,  methylic  alcohol,  amylic  alcohol,  ether,  benzol  and 
chloroform,  colored  dark-yellow  by  alkalies,  not  i)recipitated  by  tannin  or 
gelatin,  and  yielded  precipitates  with  ferric  chloride  dark-green,  with 
oupric  acetate  green-blue,  with  lead  acetate  lemon-yellow,  with  platinic 
chloride  red-yellow,  with  auric  chloride  brown,  with  mercuric  chloride 
light-colored  dirty,  with  potassio-mercuric  iodide  l:>rownish-3^ellow,  with 
iodine  in  potassium  iodide  dark-yellowish  brown,  with  potassio-bismuthic 
