Am"jSy^£7arm'}       Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  343 
ing.  Dr.  Geo.  Kassner,  of  Breslan,  reports  (Zeitschr.  f.  Nalirungs  Tint, 
u.  Hygiene,  1887,  p.  22,)  that  he  succeeded  in  proving  its  presence 
and  isolating  weighable  quantities  from  potatoes  which  had  been  in- 
jured, and  had  afterwards  been  kept  for  some  time  in  a  cellar.  In 
such  cases  the  wound  becomes  covered  with  a  kind  of  scurf,  beneath 
which  dark  colored  spots  and  stripes  are  usually  observed  in  the  white 
tissue,  and  the  potato  has  generally  a  disagreeable  taste.  It  has  not 
been  ascertained  whether  under  this  circumstance  the  presence  of  so- 
lanine  is  due  to  the  vital  functions  of  the  tuber,  as  is  the  case  while 
sprouting,  or  whether  it  must  be  referred  to  the  action  of  the  fungoid 
mycelium  appearing  upon  the  wound,  and  regarded  as  a  decomposi- 
tion product  of  the  nitrogenated  constituents  of  the  potato.  It  would 
be  of  interest  to  ascertain  whether  the  different  varieties  of  cultivated 
potatoes  will  always  generate  solanine  under  the  conditions  mentioned 
above. 
Commercial  Jalapin  has  been  examined  by  Edmund  White,  (Phar. 
Jour,  and  Trans.,  Feb.  12,  1887,  p.  651,)  who  found  seven  samples  to 
contain  between  3*5  and  7*3  per  cent,  of  ether-soluble  resin,  Avhile  an 
eighth  sample  was  completely  soluble  in  ether,  and  was  probably  de- 
rived from  Tampico  jalap.  The  moisture  present  in  the  samples 
which  were  in  powder  and  nearly  white,  amounted  to  between  2  and  5 
per  cent.,  and  the  alcohol-soluble  resin,  between  87*8  and  94*8  per 
cent. 
Commercial  jalap  resin  was  likewise  examined,  six  samples  yielding 
the  following  results  : 
7'8  sol.  in  ether,      88*2  sol.  in  alcohol,      trace  sol.  in  water. 
7'2   «         "  89-2    "  "  none  " 
8-4    "  "  72-4    "  "  166  " 
77-8   "         "  166   "  "  3-1  « 
25-6   "         "  72-0   "  "  trace  " 
46-0   "         "  50-4   "  "  none  " 
The  ether-soluble  resins  were  in  all  cases  plastic  and  tenacious.  Only 
two  of  the  six  resins  correspond  to  the  requirements  of  the  pharma- 
copoeia. 
The  chr ornate  test  for  quinine,  as  recommended  by  Dr.  De  Yrij,  con- 
sists in  dissolving  5  gm  of  quinine  sulphate  in  500  cc.  of  hot  water, 
adding  1*2  gm.  of  normal  potassium  chromate  dissolved  in  a  little 
water,  cooling  for  twelve  hours,  washing  the  crystals  of  quinine  chrom- 
ate upon  a  filter  with  distilled  water,  weighing  the  crystals  and  adding 
for  every  100  cc.  of  filtrate  0*05  gm.  of  quinine  chromate  remain- 
