^"ApriAssr"""}  Gleanings  in  Mate7'{a  Medica,  177 
mann's  cottonseed-blue  (Gmeliii's  Handbook,  xxi,  p.  459)  the  follow- 
ing differences  are  observed : 
Cottonseed  Blue.  Thevetin  Blue. 
Reducing  agents,  Not  altered,  Not  altered. 
Oxidizing  agents.  Decomposed.  Decomposed. 
Water,  Insoluble,  Insoluble. 
Hydrochloric  acid,  Insoluble,  Soluble. 
Acetic  acid,  Insoluble,  Soluble. 
Phosphoric  acid,  Insoluble,  Slightly  soluble. 
Sulphuric  acid,  Soluble,  Soluble. 
Aqueous  alkalies,  Insoluble,  Soluble, 
— Fhar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Nov.  19,  1881,  p.  417. 
Fixed  Oil  and  Poisonous  Princijyle  of  Thevetia  nereifolia. — Dr.  J. 
E.  de  Vrij  ascertained  in  1863  that  1,500  grams  of  air  dry  seeds 
weighed  after  complete  drying  1,378  grams,  and  these  yielded  by 
expression  490  grams,  or  35*5  per  cent,  of  fixed  oil,  which  is  limpid, 
almost  colorless,  of  a  mild  taste,  solidifies  at  13°C.,  and,  according 
to  Ondemans  (1866),  consists  of  63  per  cent,  olein  and  37  per  cent, 
palmitin  with  stearin.  The  presscake  yielded  4  per  cent,  of  white 
crystallized  bitter  thevetin,  a  glucoside  which  like  its  derivative  theve- 
resin  is  a  narcotic  poison.  The  chemical  investigation  was  made  by 
Dr.  C.  Bias  in  1868,  and  published  in  "Bulletin  de  TAcad.  roy.  de 
mM.  de  Belg.^'  (3),  ii,  No.  9.— Ibid.,  Dec.  3,  p.  457. 
Rhododendron  occidentale. — Chas.  M.  Troppman  found  in  the  leaves 
an  acid  resin  soluble  in  ether,  resin  soluble  in  alcohol,  chlorophyll, 
fat,  tannin,  glucose,  wax,  albumen  and  pectin ;  neither  arbutin  nor 
volatile  oil  could  be  detected.  Two  grains  of  the  alcoholic  extract 
produced  upon  the  author  a  burning  sensation  in  the  mouth  and  throat, 
continued  cough,  pain  in  the  stomach,  nausea  and  flushed  countenance.- 
Ten  grains  given  to  a  dog  induced  vomiting  and  purging,  and  7J  grs. 
administered  subcutaneously  killed  a  rabbit  in  three  hours. — ProCr 
Calif.  Coll.  Phar.,  1882,  p.  58. 
California  Raisins. — We  learn  from  exchange  papers  that  during 
the  past  year  150,000  boxes  of  raisins  have  been  put  up  in  California. 
Gentianose,  CggHgeOgj,  is  a  saccharoid  isolated  by  Arthur  Meyer 
from  gentian  root,  by  adding  f  volume  of  alcohol  to  the  freshly 
expressed  juice  and  then  precipitating  fractionally  with  ether.  The 
last  precipitates  were  free  from  gum,  dissolved  in  boiling  strong  alcohol 
and  the  solution  crystallized  in  an  exsiccator  over  burned  lime.  When 
pure  the  crystals  are  scaly,  white,  of  a  scarcely  sweet  taste,  n^adily 
soluble  in  water,  fusible  at  210^0.,  readily  fermentable  with  yeasty 
12 
