4 ON LOBELINA. 
be an oil. By reference to experiments 4th, 5th and 6th, of 
my former essay on this subject, it will be seen that this point 
has been fairly tested. A saturated tincture of the leaves of 
lobelia was distilled, and the product was found to possess the 
odor but not the acrid taste of the plant. Again — lobelia 
was subjected to distillation with water, and the distilled liquid 
returned upon a fresh portion of the plant, but the result was 
merely an odorous water, without any acrimony or any taste 
that could be said to approach it. To place this matter in 
a clear light, the experiments just mentioned (which were 
originally intended to prove the presence of a volatile odorous 
principle j but not a volatile acrid principle,) were re- 
peated ; lobelia was distilled and redistilled, but the results 
have been as above detailed; hence, the inference follows, 
that some accidental cause must have influenced the product 
of Professor Pereira. 
2d. With regard to " lobelic acid" little can be learned from 
Professor Pereira's remarks above quoted. By referring to 
the first page of this article it will be seen, that the acidity of 
the decoction of lobelia was attributed to gallic acid. From 
an extended inquiry into the nature of this acid, which will 
be found in the sequel, it appears to be peculiar to the plant, 
but very like gallic acid in several of its reactions, which ac- 
counts for its having been mistaken for that acid. With these 
preliminary remarks, which have been made in justice to my 
own, and to the essays of the gentlemen respectively to whom 
they apply, the regular matter of this paper will be resumed. 
Fixed oil. One ounce of the seed of Lobelia inflata, finely 
bruised, was macerated in two fluid ounces of sulphuric ether, 
54° Baume, for eight days with occasional agitation. The 
ethereal liquor was then decanted, and the seed placed on a 
displacement filter, and treated with ether until exhausted. 
This product was mixed with the first and allowed to evapo- 
rate spontaneously. Two drachms and a half of a green fixed oil 
was thus obtained. Besides this oil about twenty grains of a 
brown substance was left after the evaporation of the ether, 
held in solution by the alcohol contained in the ether. This 
substance had an extremely acrid taste, owing to its containing 
