38 
ESSENCE OF JARGONELLE PEAR. 
The Egyptians imagine the immature fruit far superior to that 
collected when perfectly ripe, and by the dealers the smaller pods 
are preferred. 
[There is some ambiguity in the author's enumeration of the 
varieties of Cassia pods, which are the produce of two distinct 
species, namely : — 
1. Cassia fistula Lin., Catharto carpus fistula, Persoon. The 
pods of this species may be distinguished according to their place 
of growth, as Cassia fistula orientalis and Cassia fistula occiden- 
talism — See Hill's History of the Materia Medica* London, 1751. 
By some writers, as Pomet, two varieties of Cassia fistula orienta- 
lis are noticed, namely, Cassia fistula of the Levant, and Cassia 
fistula of Egypt. 
2. Cassia Brasiliana, Lam. This produces the horse cassia of 
Jamaica. It is not used in Europe. 
The dried leaves of Cassia Marylandica, Linn., a plant of the 
United States, are there employed as senna, but we are not aware 
that the pods of this plant are used in medicine.] — Lon. Pharm, 
Jour. November 1, 1851. 
ESSENCE OF JARGONELLE PEAR. 
BY THE EDITOR OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
The liquid sold under this name, and which has been for some 
time in use by confectioners, is the acetate of the oxide of 
amyle. 
It is prepared with great facility by submitting to distillation a 
mixture of one part of amylic alcohol (better known by the name 
of oil of grain,) two parts of acetate of potash, and one part of oil 
of vitriol. The distilled liquid is to be washed with alkaline water, 
dehydrated by chloride of calcium, and afterwards rectified by dis- 
tillation from protoxide of lead. 
Its properties are thus stated by Dumas : — In the state of purity 
it is a colorless, very limpid, volatile liquor, which boils at 257° F. 
It possesses an ethereal aromatic odor, somewhat resembling acetic 
ether ; its sp. gr. is less than that of water. It is insoluble in water, 
but soluble in alcohol, ether, oil of grain, &c. Concentrated sul- 
