228 
LACTUCARIUM  AND  ITS  PREPARATIONS. 
cent,  of  extract  still  lighter  in  color,  some  portions  separating 
during  the  process  in  nearly  white  granules  destitute  of  bitter- 
ness, probably  the  so-called  Lactucone  rendered  soluble  by  a 
portion  of  the  menstruum  having  been  added  hot,  and  then 
precipitated  on  its  cooling.  Of  the  dregs  left  after  the  thorough 
exhaustion  by  alcohol,  only  25  per  cent,  were  soluble  in  benzine. 
Considerable  importance  attaches  to  the  temperature  at  which 
these  evaporations  are  conducted,  the  most  soluble  extracts  re- 
sulting when  the  temperature  does  not  rise  above  160°  F.  The 
manipulation  pursued  in  the  extraction  of  specimens  consisted 
in  first  reducing  them  to  as  fine  a  powder  as  practicable  by  tritu- 
ration and  then  percolating  with  the  menstruum  as  long  as  it 
continued  to  be  charged  with  the  color  and  taste.  Very  con- 
siderable amounts  of  the  alcoholic  menstruum  were  necessary, 
while  by  this  process  water  seemed  to  exert  but  little  solvent 
action  on  the  German  variety. 
Acting  on  the  suggestion  of  William  Hodgson,  Jr., 
(American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  Vol.  xxx.  p.  116,)  a  puri- 
fied Lactucarium  was  prepared  by  depriving  the  crude  drug 
of  its  "  Caoutchoucoid  matter."  Benzine  was  selected  as  the 
best  and  cheapest  solvent  for  this  inert  and  very  objectionable 
constituent  :  the  German  variety  by  this  means  yielded  42  per 
cent,  which  was  left  on  evaporation  as  a  nearly  white  tenacious 
mass  without  odor  or  taste.  The  purified  lactucarium  obtained 
was  just  half  the  weight  of  the  drug  ;  it  was  found  to  yield  to 
diluted  alcohol  66  per  cent.  ;  to  strong  alcohol  40  per  cent. ;  to 
boiling  water,  25  per  cent.  ;  and  to  boiling  water  acidulated 
with  citric  acid,  30  per  cent.,  of  its  weight.  It  was  readily  re- 
duced to  fine  powder,  and  after  complete  drying  was  free  from 
the  odor  of  benzine.  Almost  the  whole  of  the  odorous  princi- 
ple is  extracted  by  Benzine,  and  as  this  is  stated  to  be  a  sulphur- 
etted oil,  and  the  distilled  water  of  lettuce  is  reputed  to  possess 
sedative  properties,  the  purified  lactuarium  thus  obtained  can 
hardly  be  said  fully  to  represent  the  drug. 
The  principal  preparation  of  lactucarium  now  employed  is 
Aubergier's  syrup  made  by  triturating  45  grs.  of  the  Extract  of 
English  Lactucarium  with  15  grs.  of  citric  aeid,*  and  sufficient 
*  Some  recipes  for  Aubergier's  syrup  omit  the  citric  acid,  which,  how- 
ever, exerts  a  very  favorable  influence  on  the  solvent  action  of  water  and 
furnishes  a  clear  syrup  where  the  preparation  would  be  turbid  without  it. 
