322 
ON  ANACAHUITE  WOOD. 
out  finding  anything  of  importance.  He  found  it  free  from 
glucosides,  neutral  crystalline  bodies,  alkaloids,  chromogenes, 
amides  and  volatile  oil,  and  obtained  from  1000  grammes  5-12 
grm.  dry  ethereal,  41-34  alcoholic  and  52*00  aqueous  extract,  or 
5-01  grm.  resin,  16-98  gum,  3-11  gallic  acid,  52-84  tannin, 
21-17  bitter  extractive,  758-84  lignin,  and  148-10  water  and 
loss. 
1000  grms.  wood  yielded  18-05  grms.  ashes,  composed  of  -92 
chloride  of  sodium,  2-02  sulphate  of  potassa,  88-50  carbonate  of 
lime,  2-71  carbonate  of  magnesia,  8-02  ferric  oxide  with  traces 
of  phosphoric  acid  and  2-04  silicic  acid. 
What  appears  to  me  to  be  worthy  of  attention  in  this  new 
drug,  is  the  large  quantity  of  oxalate  of  lime,  which  is  present 
in  the  form  of  a  very  fine  powder,  apparently  in  the  same  con- 
dition as  obtained  from  the  solution  of  a  lime  salt  by  oxalic  acid 
or  an  oxalate.  Dr.  Otto  Berg,  of  Berlin,  remarked,  what  has 
been  corroborated  by  Prof.  Radlkofer,  that  the  parenchyma  and 
the  medullary  rays  owed  their  characteristic  reddish  white  color 
to  a  crystalline  powder,  filling  the  parenchymous  cells  :  on  tear- 
ing them,  thin  lamellse  are  obtained  covered  with  a  fine  roughish 
powder,  causing  considerable  dust. 
Several  experiments  prove  that  this  powder  is  pure  oxalate  of 
lime  ;  it  is  best  separated  by  pouring  ether  on  the  bruised  bast, 
and  agitating,  when  the  powder  will  remain  suspended  in  it  for 
a  longer  time  than  the  cells,  and  finally  be  deposited  from  the 
liquid  after  straining  through  linen.  It  is  dissolved  by  muriatic 
acid,  and  may  likewise  be  extracted  by  it  from  the  bark.  Chloride 
of  barium  causes  no  turbidity  in  this  solution,  ammonia  produces 
a  pulverulent  precipitate  insoluble  in  acetic  acid  ;  the  same  pre- 
cipitate appeared  on  adding  acetate  of  potassa. 
On  account  of  this  compound,  the  bast  leaves  on  incineration 
a  large  quantity  of  white  ashes,  retaining,  like  tobacco  ashes,  the 
original  form  of  the  bast,  and  consisting  of  carbonate  of  lime. 
The  dried  wood  leaves  but  2-98  per  cent,  ashes,  while  the  paren- 
chyma yields  about  20  per  cent,  containing  18-90  carbonate  of 
lime,  equivalent  to  24-19  oxalate  of  lime,  or  about  J  of  its 
weight. 
Such  a  large  quantity  of  oxalate  of  lime  can  scarcely  be 
found   in  another  plant  of  so  high  organization.    Might  it 
