458 
Glcan'nu/H  ni  Mdteria  Mediea. 
(  Am. .lour.  I'liarmv 
'(       S«»pt.,  1882. 
examined  several  lots  of  belladonna  root  hy  exhanstino-  with  verv 
diluted  sulphnric  aeid,  addino-  baiyta,  and  evaporatino;  to  a  syrnpy 
liquid  ;  this  was  taken  nj)  with  aleohol,  again  evaporated,  dissolved  in 
dilute  sidphnrie  aeid,  agitated  with  petroleum  heiizin  to  reniovi^  tat, 
then  rendered  alkaline  by  anunonia  and  agitated  with  chlorofoi-in ;  the 
chloroform  solution,  when  evaporated,  left  the  atropine,  and,  after 
weighing,  this  was  titrated  with  tenth-normal  solution  of  Mayer's  test: 
1.  Fresh  belhidomia  root,  free  from  starch,  yielded  '125  per  cent, 
atropine,  or  '625  per  cent,  calculated  for  the  dried  root. 
2.  Fresh  root,  containing  starch,  yielded  '2  per  cent,  of  atropine,  or 
1  per  cent,  for  dry  root. 
3.  Root,  free  from  starch,  collected  in  187<S,  yielded  "29  per  cent, 
atropine. 
4.  Root  like  preceding,  collected  1879,  yielded  '15  per  cent,  alkaloid, 
5.  Very  starchy  root,  collected  1879,  yielded  '41  per  cent,  atropine. 
6.  Xon-starchy  root,  collected  1881,  gave  •143  per  cent,  atropine. 
The  author  concludes  that  starchy  belladonna  roots  contain  mor(^- 
atropine  than  non  starchy  roots,  and  explains  the  diflterence  between 
samples  1  and  5  by  the  latter  having  been  on  hand  for  over  a  year 
when  analyzed.  He  is  also  inclined  to  regard  the  non-starchy  roots  a> 
having  been  derived  from  young  plants. — Arcli.  d.  P/iar.,  June,  1882, 
pp.  414-416. 
Falsijimtlon  of  Arnica  Flowers. — Ch.  Menier  has  examined  a  com- 
mercial sample  of  what  was  offered  as  arnica  flowers,  and  was  found  to 
consist  altogether  of  the  flowers  of  Inula  britannica,  Lin.  When  seen 
in  bulk  these  flowers  somewhat  resemble  those  of  arnica,  but  the  two 
may  be  readily  distingnished  by  the  folloAving  characters : 
Arnica  montana.  Inula  britannica. 
Heads,  large,  single.  Heads  smaller,  2  or  8  in  a  lax 
corymb. 
Involucral  scales  TG  or  IS,  equal,  Involucral   scales  equal,  narrow, 
imbricated  in  two  rows,  lanceolate,  linear,  loiij^-poi  nted . 
hairy. 
Receptacle  finely  alveolate,  chalfy,  Receptacle  flat,  naked. 
Ligules  orange.yellow,  with  9  to  11  Lingules  yellow,  4-veined. 
veins. 
Anthers  naked  at  base.  Anthers  with  two  tiliform  appen- 
dages at  the  base. 
Akenes  brown,  stiff'  hairy.  Akenes  hairy. 
Odor  characteristic.  Odor,  none,  or  very  feeble. 
This  substitution  appears  to  have  been  practiced  for  a  long  time,  and 
