496 
Ustilago  Maydis,  Cornsmut. 
(  Am,  Jour.  Pharm, 
t      Oct.,  1881. 
USTILAGO  MAYDIS,  Lev.,  CORNSMUT. 
By  John  H.  Hahn,  Ph.G. 
Abstract  of  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
This  drug  is  attracting  considerable  attention  as  a  substitute  for 
ergot  of  rye.  It  is  claimed  that  it  is  equal,  and  in  many  cases  supe- 
rior, to  ergot  of  rye,  producing  clonic  instead  of  tonic  contractions  of 
the  uterus,  and  thus  more  nearly  simulates  natural  labor.  Besides,  its 
cost  is  about  50  j^er  cent,  less  than  that  of  ergot  of  rye.  A  dozen  or 
more  years  ago  it  received  a  brief  notice  as  an  oxytocic  by  the  German 
profession,  but  for  some  unaccountable  reason  it  has  since  fallen  into 
disuse  by  the  regular  profession.  The  homoeopaths  have  dispensed  the 
drug  in  their  triturations  and  dilutions  since  the  year  1866,  when  it 
was  first  noticed  by  Professor  S.  M.  Hale  of  their  school. 
Microscopically  it  is  quite  a  curiosity.  The  whole  mass  is  found  to 
be  made  up  of  spores,  nodular  when  moist  and  of  a  very  minute  size^ 
held  together  by  a  few  threads  of  mycelium  or  binding  fibres. 
The  following  experiments  were  made  with  cornsmut : 
The  moisture  present  was  determined  to  be  10  per  cent,  by  gently 
heating  100  grams  for  several  hours.  Ether  took  up  2* 5  per  cent,  of 
dark-brown  fixed  oil,  having  an  acid  reaction  and  an  odor  similar  to 
that  of  the  drug  and  being  readily  soluble  in  petroleum  benzin,  car- 
bon bisulphide  and  chloroform,  but  insoluble  in  alcohol  and  pyroxylic 
spirit. 
The  powder,  exhausted  by  etlier,  was  percokited  with  carbon  bisul- 
phide, on  the  evaporation  of  which  a  fcNV  flat  crystals  were  obtained. 
Water  now  yielded  a  liquid  from  which,  by  alcohol,  1'5  per  cent,  of 
dark-brown  guuimy  matter  was  precipitated,  the  liquid  having  an  acid 
reaction ;  on  setting  it  aside  for  several  weeks,  3  per  cent,  of  yellowish 
crystals  were  separated  which  were  soluble  in  nitric  acid,  but  insoluble,, 
or  nearly  so,  in  ether,  chloroform,  water  and  alcohol,  either  hot  or 
cold,  and  which,  on  being  heated  upon  platinum  foil,  left  a  white  ash. 
By  boiling  the  drug  with  water,  a  small  amount  of  waxy  matter 
could  be  separated  and  the  distillate  had  a  very  disagreeable  odor. 
On  incinerating  the  drug,  4  per  cent,  of  gray  ash  was  obtained,, 
which  was  not  further  examined. 
