'^"'No?.?^8r"''}  Ergotin.  559 
what  I  long  had  reason  to  believe,  that  ergot  is  more  readily  extracted 
by  water  than  is  commonly  believed,  and  that  preliminary  extraction 
with  ether,  benzin,  etc.,  to  remove  fixed  oil  is  entirely  superfluous. 
After  discussing  the  uncertainty  of  the  directions  by  different  author- 
ities as  to  the  amount  of  concentration  of  the  infusion  by  evaporation 
and  the  effect  of  alcohol  upon  this  liquid,  the  different  formulas  are 
reproduced. 
JBonjean^s  original  process y  which  was  communicated  by  him  to 
^'Comptes  Rendus,"  July  17,  1843,  and  a  translation  of  which 
appeared  in  the  "Am.  Jour.  Pharm."  in  October  of  tliat  year  (vol.  xv^ 
p.  219)  is  as  follows: 
"Powdered  ergotized  rye  is  treated  with  water  in  a  displacement 
apparatus,  and  the  aqueous  solution  heated  on  a  water-bath.  By  the 
action  of  the  heat  this  solution  sometimes  coagulates  from  the  presence 
of  a  certain  quantity  of  albumen,  sometimes  not.  In  the  former  case 
the  coagulum  is  separated  by  filtration,  the  liquid  evaporated  over  a 
water-bath  to  the  consistence  of  a  clear  syrup,  to  which  a  large  excess 
of  alcohol  is  then  added,  which  precipitates  all  the  gummy  substances, 
the  liquid  is  then  placed  aside  until  all  the  gum  has  subsided  and  the 
solution  has  reassumed  its  transparency  and  brightness,  when  it  is 
decanted  and  reduced  over  a  water-bath  to  the  consistence  of  a  soft 
extract.  In  the  second  case,  the  aqueous  solution  is  brought  imme- 
diately to  a  semi-syrupy  state,  and  them  treated  as  above  with  alcohol 
in  order  to  obtain  the  extract. 
"By  this  process  a  very  homogenous  soft  ^extract  is  obtained,  of  a 
reddish-brown  color  and  of  an  ao^reeable  odor  of  roast  meat,  owing^  to 
the  presence  of  ozmazom,  and  of  a  slightly  piquant  and  bitter  taste, 
resembling  more  or  less  that  of  spoiled  wheat.  It  forms  with  water 
a  beautiful  red  solution,  perfectly  transparent.  Five  hundred  grams 
of  ergot  afford  70  to  80  grams  of  extract." 
Carles^  j^rocess^  is  as  follows:  One  kilogram  of  recently  collected 
(best  in  July)  ergot  is  dried  in  a  moderately  warm  place  during  24 
hours,  reduced  to  a  moderately  fine  powder,  moistened  with  one-third 
its  weight  of  water,  macerated  for  12  hours  and  exhausted  by  displace- 
ment with  water.  The  percolate  is  evaporated  on  a  water-bath  to 
one-third  the  original  weight  of  ergot  and  mixed  with  2  liters  of  90 
per  cent,  alcohol,  stirred  well  and  allowed  to  settle.    A  fresh  addition 
^"Proceed.  Am.  Pliarni.  Asso.,"  1878,  p.  96;  "Anier.  Jour.  Pliar.,"  1878, 
p.  385. 
