AnASus't,i88™*}        Investigations  on  Strophantus.  425 
the  reaction  for  a  glucoside;  and  to  water  7*67  per  cent,  of  a  very 
bitter  extract,  which  has  not  yet  been  examined. 
H.  Helbing  (Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  March  12, 1887,  p.  747),  has 
found  the  quality  of  the  Konibe  seeds  to  vary  considerably ;  the  best 
are  J  5  to  25  mm.  long,  and  4  to  5  mm.  broad,  somewhat  rounded  at 
the  base,  narrowed  at  the  apex  and  prolonged  into  the  stalk  of  the 
hairy  crown,  somewhat  twisted  lengthwise,  flattened,  on  one  side  with 
a  much  more  prominent  keel-like  ridge  than  on  the  other,  of  a  gray- 
ish-green to  brown  color,  and  covered  with  appressed  silvery  silky 
hairs;  100  seeds  weigh  about  62  grains.  Another  variety  of  seeds  is 
similar  to  the  preceding  in  shape,  but  densely  covered  with  loose, 
longer,  silky,  white  hairs  like  a  fur;  100  seeds  weigh  about  57  grains. 
The  least  heavy  of  the  commercial  strophanthus  seeds  have  a  dusky, 
dirty  color,  the  kernel  is  not  white,  the  hairs  of  the  crown  are  dingy 
yellow,  and  100  seeds  weigh  about  33  or  34  grains. 
On  drying  the  Kombe  seed  at  120°  F.  they  lose  upwards  of  5  per 
cent,  of  moisture,  and  give  with  ether  32*45  per  cent,  of  dark  green 
fixed  oil,  sp.  gr.  *925,  and  becoming  brownish-red  when  heated  on  the 
water  bath.  The  white  strophanthus  seed  yielded  23 '33  per  cent,  oil, 
which  was  a  little  paler  in  color,  but  otherwise  like  the  preceding. 
Mr.  Helbing  likewise  found  that  the  seeds  freed  from  oil  cannot  be 
completely  deprived  of  bitterness  by  the  use  of  rectified  spirit  sp.  gr. 
*838.  A  tincture  thus  prepared  is  of  a  very  pale  color,  has  the  sp. 
gr.  -840,  and  a  fluid  ounce  of  it  yields  about  120  nigra,  of  residue 
on  evaporation.  Three  commercial  tinctures  had  nearly  the  same 
density,  but  yielded  respectively  88,  124  and  180  mgm.  of  residue. 
Four  other  tinctures  were  probably  made  with  a  weaker  alcohol,  were 
of  a  green  or  yellow  color,  varied  between  *870  and  *900  in  density, 
and  yielded  from  170  to  242  mgm.  of  residue. 
H.  D.  Eolleston,  B.  A.,  (Ph.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  March  19,  1887,  p. 
761),  observed  that  the  ethereal  extract  of  the  seed  gave  with  distilled 
water  a  solution,  which  on  being  filtered  from  the  oil,  had  a  bitter  taste 
and  the  physiological  effects  of  strophanthin.  Similar  results  were  ob- 
tained with  the  ethereal  extract  of  strophanthus  seeds  prepared  by 
different  experimenters  from  white  and  green  strophanthus  seeds  with 
absolute  ether,  showing  that  strophanthin  is  soluble  in  ether  when  the 
oil  is  present,  and  that  the  ethereal  extract  is  not  without  value. 
A.  W.  Gerrard,  (Ph.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  May  14,  1887,  p.  923),  ob- 
tained from  strophanthus  seeds  by  treatment  with  petroleum  spirit,  31 
