LACTUCARIUM  AND  ITS  PREPARATIONS. 
225 
tainly  very  simple.  Place  a  little  of  the  suspected  rhubarb  in  a 
glass,  or  on  a  plate,  and  drop  on  it  two  or  three  drops  of  some 
essential  oil,  either  bergamot,  aniseed,  or  fennel,  then  add  a 
little  magnesia,  and  rub  them  together  for  three  or  four  minutes. 
If  the  rhubarb  be  pure  Turkey  or  Russian,  the  powder  remains 
of  a  yellowish  color;  but  if  it  contain  a  mixture  of  French 
(Rheum  rhaponticum)  it  assumes  a  tint  which  will  vary  from  a 
salmon  to  the  brightest  rose-color,  according  as  there  is  little  or 
much  of  the  adulterating  ingredient.  We  can  by  this  means, 
says  M.  Billot,  discover  the  least  trace  of  fraud,  and  the  test 
can  be  used  by  anybody,  as  it  requires  neither  study  nor  manip- 
ulatory skill.- — Chem.  News,  London,  Feb.  4,  1860,  from  Science 
pour  Tous. 
The  Comparative  Value  of  different  Species  of  Aconite. — The 
various  species  of  aconite,  like  the  various  species  of  cinchona, 
are  known  to  contain  different  proportions  of  the  active  principle. 
The  aconitum  paniculatum  is  found  to  possess  the  least,  and  the 
aconitum  napellus,  which  resembles  in  all  points,  in  its  botanical 
characters  as  well  as  its  energetic  properties,  the  aconitum  ferox 
of  the  Himalaya,  is  found  to  yield  the  most  aconitine. 
The  alcoholic  extract  furnished  by  an  equal  weight  of  fresh 
leaves  of  the  two  sorts  differ  notably.  The  aconitum  panicula- 
tum yields  a  third  more  product;  but  the  extract  of  the  aconitum 
napellus  furnishes  a  considerable  quantity  of  aconitine,  while 
that  of  the  paniculatum  gives  only  a  trace.  The  aqueous  ex- 
tract of  the  aconitum  napellus  is  almost  inert,  the  reason  being 
that  tannate  of  aconitine,  which  water  alone  will  not  dissolve,  is 
formed  in  the  marc  during  the  preparation  of  the  extract. — 
Chem.  News,  London,  Feb.  4,  1860,  from  Rep.  de  Pharm.,  Nov., 
1859. 
NOTES  ON  LACTUCARIUM  AND  ITS  PREPARATIONS. 
By  Edward  Parrish  and  William  C.  Bakes. 
Sixty  years  have  elapsed  since  the  now  venerable  Dr.  J. 
Redman  Coxe,  of  Philadelphia,  announced  through  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  the  preparation  of 
a  concrete  exudation  from  the  mature  lettuce  plant,  having  nar- 
cotic properties  and  so  nearly  resembling  the  product  obtained 
from  the  poppy  as  to  be  denominated  Lettuce  Opium. 
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