'^^''ecTS'^"''}  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  627 
leave  the  sides  free.  The  cakes  have  an  exceptionally  strong  narcotic 
opium  odor^  are  externally  brown^  internally  lighter,  very  dry  (moist- 
ure 7*63  per  cent.),  and  show  upon  the  fractured  surface  a  large  num- 
ber of  small  tears  of  the  size  of  a  millet  grain  to  that  of  a  lentil.  The 
taste  is  very  bitter ;  water  takes  up  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  weight  of 
the  opium,  yielding  a  clear  broAvn  solution  of  an  acid  reaction  and 
acquiring  a  dark  red  color  with  ferric  chloride.  The  ash  amounts  to 
2' 6 9  per  cent. 
Opium  from  Lowtscha  is  in  irregular  oblong  or  quadrangular  cakes, 
weighing  100  to  200  gm.,  and  covered  with  green  leaves  ;  the  tears 
upon  the  fracture  are  less  distinct,  and  the  powder  is  of  a  lighter  color 
than  the  preceding.    Moisture  10*39,  ash  2*36  per  cent. 
Opium  from  Hatitz  is  in  round,  somewhat  convex  cakes,  about  13 
centimeters  in  diameter,  and  2  centimeters  thick  near  the  centre.  The 
cakes  are  covered  with  small  leaves  and  are  of  a  rather  light  brown 
color ;  the  aqueous  solution  is  of  a  lighter  color,  has  a  less  distinct  acid 
reaction,  and  filters  less  readily  than  the  two  preceding  samples.  Moist- 
ure 10*86,  ash  2*85  per  cent. 
Calculated  for  dry  opium,  the  different  varieties  yield  for  100  parts : 
Kuestendil.      Lowtscha.  Hatitz. 
Ash,  .  .  2-63  2-63  3*2 
Morphine,       .  .  .         .      20-73  13'28  8*13 
Other  principles  soluble  in  water,        .  47*54  50 '58  40*85 
Insoluble  in  water,  .         .       31*73  36*14  51.02 
—Phar.  Zeits.  RussL,  1882,  Oct.  3,  747-752. 
Madeya  cor  data ,  a  papaveraceous  plant  of  Japan,  contains,  according 
to  Eykman,  two  alkaloids,  of  which  one  is  identical  with  sanguinarine, 
the  other  apparently  with  protopine. — Ibid.,  p.  757,  Arch.  d.  Phar. 
Wine  made  from  Unripe  Grapes  was  found  by  F.  Musculus  and 
C.  Amthor  to  contain  abnormally  large  proportions  of  extractive  mat- 
ter, acids,  ash,  and  phosphoric  acid  and  a  small  amount  of  alcohol. 
The  extractive  is  gelatinous  and  probably  contains  pectin  compounds. 
The  authors  conclude  that  during  the  ripening  of  the  fruit  the  greater 
portion  of  the  mineral  constituents  pass  into  the  stem. — Zeitschr.  Anal. 
Chem.,  xxi,  192. 
Pistacia  Resin ^  which  has  recently  appeared  in  commerce,  is  obtained 
from  Pistacia  terebinthus  and,  according  to  Christy,  is  well  adapted 
for  varnishes.  It  is  light-yellow,  soluble  in  fixed  oils,  oil  of  turpen- 
tine and  alcohol,  has  a  mastich-like  odor  and,  mixed  with  common 
