218     SYEUP  OF  LACTUCARIUM  AND  SOME  OTHER  SYRUPS. 
the  increase  of  the  apothegm  to  the  decomposition  of  the  tannin  by  the 
action  of  the  air,  yet  at  the  same  time  he  made  the  mistake  to  consider 
it  as  oak  tannin,  which  is  not  thus  alterable  by  atmospheric  action. 
Mr.  Smith  considers  that  the  tannin  also  contributes  to  the  increase  of  the 
sugar,  but  in  what  way  is  not  distinctly  made  out.  He  also  showed  that 
a  part  of  the  lignin  disappears  in  the  ripe  fruit,  and  is  found  in  the  shape 
of  sugar.  He  also  found  that  persimmons,  which  by  dropping  from  the 
tree  rupture  their  epidermis,  lose  their  astringency  much  more  rapidly 
than  those  which  remain  whole  on  the  tree,  which  he  attributes  to  the 
direct  action  of  the  atmosphere  on  the  juices. 
Mr.  Smith  found  malic  acid  in  small  quantity  and  also  proved  that  the 
saccharine  matter  by  exposure  in  a  moist  state  yields  malic  acid  by  a  sort 
of  fermentation.  But  he  was  not  able  to  find  pectin,  one  of  the  substances 
detected  by  Mr.  Bryan. — Ed.  Am.  Journ.  Pharm.] 
ON  SYKUP  OF  LACTUCARIUM  AND  SOME  OTHER  SYRUPS. 
By  William  Procter,  Jr. 
The  attention  of  medical  practitioners  has  of  late  been  turned 
to  the  syrup  of  lactucariuio,  and  the  preparation  usually  sold  by 
apothecaries  in  this  city  is  that  known  as  Aubergier's,  a  French 
preparation,  made  by  dissolving  30  parts  of  alcoholic  extract  of 
lactucarium  in  500  parts  of  boiling  water,  straining  the  liquor 
and  adding  it  to  15,000  parts  of  boiling  simple  syrup,  which  is 
kept  boiling,  and  albuminous  water  added  from  time  to  time  till  it 
is  clarified.  It  is  then  skimmed,  and  15  parts  of  citric  acid  dis- 
solved in  it ;  and  when  sufficiently  reduced  by  evaporation  500 
parts  of  orange-flower  water  are  added  and  the  whole  strained. 
This  syrup  is  too  dilute,  containing  but  two  grains  of  lactu- 
carium to  the  fluid  ounce,  and  besides  is  troublesome  to  make, 
and  apt  to  be  turbid. 
By  the  following  process  a  syrup  can  be  obtained  much  more 
easily,  of  four  times  the  strength,  and  quite  transparent.  It  is 
an  adaptation  of  Finley's  process  for  syrups  of  oleoresinous  sub- 
stances to  this  drug. 
Syrupus  Lactuearii. 
Take  of  Lactucarium,  half  an  ounce, 
Carbonate  of  Magnesia,  two  drachms, 
Sugar,  in  coarse  powder,  fourteen  ounces, 
Alcohol,  Water,  each,      a  sufficient  quantity. 
