AmFe°b.yi887arm'}        Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  77 
probably  identical  with  that  of  the  stem  and  leaves,  this  consisting  of 
salicylic  aldehyde. 
Boldoglucin.  Dr.  Rene  Juranville  has  given  in  his  graduation 
thesis  the  experiments  and  results  with  this  glucoside,  the  preparation 
and  properties  of  which  were  described  in  the  Amer.  Jour.  Phar., 
1884,  p.  580.  On  account  of  its  strong  odor,  boldoglucin  cannot 
readily  be  given  in  the  form  of  mixtures  ;  but  it  was  best  administered 
to  insane  patients  enclosed  in  gelatin  capsules  or  by  means  of  clysters. 
In  doses  of  1.5  to  4.0  gm.  it  produced  a  decided  hypnotic  effect,  and 
occasionally  cessation  of  the  hallucinations  •  but  these  as  well  as  sleep- 
lessness returned  on  discontinuing  the  use  of  the  remedy.  Though  it 
cannot  supplant  other  reliable  hypnotics,  it  appears  to  be  useful  in  cer- 
tain forms  of  insomnia. 
Action  of  caffeine  and  theine.  Leven  in  1868,  showed  that 
theine  produced  convulsions  in  frogs,  while  caffeine  did  not;  and  that 
the  lethal  dose  of  theine  was  larger  than  that  of  caffeine.  This  is  con- 
firmed by  the  experiments  on  frogs,  made  by  Dr.  Thos.  J.  Mays,  from 
which  the  following  conclusions  are  drawn  : 
Theine  and  caffeine  agree  in  the  following — 
1.  They  first  affect  the  anterior  extremities. 
2.  They  diminish  respiration. 
3.  They  produce  hyperesthesia  during  the  latter  stage  of  the  pois- 
oning process. 
They  differ  in  the  following — 
1.  Theine  principally  influences  sensation,  while  caffeine  does  not. 
2.  Theine  produces  spontaneous  spasms  and  convulsions,  while 
caffeine  does  not. 
3.  Theine  impairs  the  nasal  reflex  early  in  the  poisoning  process, 
while  caffeine  does  not,  if  at  all,  until  in  the  very  last  stage. 
4.  The  lethal  dose  of  theine  is  larger  than  that  of  caffeine. — 
Therap.  Gazette,  September  '86. 
China  bicolor,  Tecamez  bark  or  Pitoya  bark  is  stated  by  Vogl  (1876) 
to  be  very  similar  in  anatomical  structure  to  cuprea  bark.  O.  Hesse 
(Liebig's  Annalen,  vol.  234  p.  380)  finds  the  bast  cells  of  the  former 
to  be  in  groups  of  8  or  10  cells  (not  arranged  in  densely  packed  rows), 
some  of  the  cells  being  oval,  lignified  and  with  a  small  cavity,  while 
others  are  polygonal  and  almost  completely  lignified.  Its  origin  is  un- 
certain ;  Karsten  believed  it  to  be  derived  from  a  Pinckneya.  J. 
Hodgkin  (Yearbook  of  Pharmacy,  1884  p.  545 ;  see  Amer.  Jour. 
