Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  1887. 
Analysis  of  a  Cure  for  Cancer.  547 
tained  after  filtration,  thus  indicating  the  absence  of  plants  or  parts  of 
plants.  This  solution  on  evaporation  and  heating  failed  to  char;  an- 
other indication  of  the  absence  of  vegetable  matter.  However,  on 
testing  for  arsenic,  by  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid  and  hydrogen  sul- 
phide, a  copious  yellow  precipitate  was  obtained.  The  yellow  pre- 
cipitate of  arsenite  of  silver  was  gotten  by  the  use  of  an  aqueous  solu- 
tion of  the  powder  and  silver  nitrate  with  a  small  quantity  of  am- 
monium hydrate. 
Insoluble  in  water  and  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  was  a  black  pow- 
der, now  entirely  free  from  white  particles,  having  the  appearance 
and  properties  of  charcoal ;  on  ignition  this  left  only  a  trace  of  ash. 
Another  experiment  was  made  to  prove  the  presence  of  both  carbon 
and  arsenious  oxide;  this  was  to  introduce  a  small  quantity  of  the 
sample  into  a  small  bulb-tube,  and  heating,  a  metallic  mirror  and  a 
ring  of  small  crystals  formed  beyond  the  part  heated. 
The  sample  was  now  examined  quantitatively  as  follows: 
A  weighed  quantity  was  dried  at  100°  C.  Loss  due  to  moisture, 
0.99  per  cent.  The  residue  was  digested  with  three  consecutive  por- 
tions of  hydrochloric  acid,  filtered  through  a  weighed  filter  and  thor- 
oughly washed  into  a  tared  beaker.  The  insoluble  portion  on  the 
filter  consisted  of  a  purified  charcoal  amounting  to  26.07  per  cent. 
The  solution  in  the  beaker  was  evaporated  to  dryness,  in  doing  so 
the  arsenious  oxide  was  volatilized,  possibly  as  arsenious  chloride. 
The  residue,  which  was  free  from  arsenic,  equaled  10.75  per  cent.,  of 
which  6.40  per  cent,  was  extractive  and  4.35  was  ash.  The  amount 
of  arsenic  was  taken  by  difference. 
The  result  of  the  analysis  is  that  the  powder  contains 
Moisture   0.99 
Charcoal   36.82 
Carbon  26.07 
Extractive   6.40 
Ath   4  35 
Arsenious  oxide   62.19 
100.00 
In  a  number  of  books  examined,  I  found  no  mention  ot  charcoal 
containing  or  yielding  organic  matter  to  solvents,  so  I  thought  it  of 
sufficient  interest  to  examine  this  point.  Some  willow  charcoal  was 
exhausted  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  and,  on  evaporation  was  ob- 
