ON  THE  BARK  OF  EUONYMUS  ATROPURPUREUS. 
491 
met  with  in  gardens,  it  is  more  abundant  as  an  indigenous  pro- 
duct in  the  Western  States.  Its  local  n3>mes  a^re  wahoo,  spindle 
tree,  and  burning  hush. 
The  bark  was  introduced  to  notice  by  the  late  George  W. 
Carpenter,  of  this  city,  as  a  remedy  for  dropsy,  for  which  pur- 
pose it  had  been  employed  in  the  West.  The  infusion,  made  an 
ounce  to  the  pint,  is  used  in  wineglassful  doses  for  dropsy.  A 
fluid  extract  has  also  acquired  some  celebrity,  and  the  ^'  Eclec- 
tic "  practitioners  employ  a  resinoid  product  of  the  bark  under 
the  name  of  "Eaonymine  "  as  a  tonic,  cathartic  and  alterative. 
The  taste  of  the  bark  is  intensely  bitter  and  persistent.  The 
bark  was  subjected  to  a  partial  qualitative  examination  with  the 
following  results: — 
The  cold  infusion  contains  much  gummy  matter,  but  is  not 
coagulated  by  heat,  nor  is  it  affected  by  the  liquid  tests  for  al. 
bumen.  Starch,  however,  is  present ;  but  neither  sesquichloride 
of  iron,  gelatin,  or  a  solution  of  quinia  give  any  indication  of 
tannic  or  gallic  acids. 
The  decoction,  when  subjected  to  Trommer's  test  for  grape 
sugar  afforded  evidence  of  the  presence  of  that  substance  as  a 
constituent  of  the  bark. 
The  bark,  after  exhaustion  by  diluted  alcohol,  yielded  pectin 
ov  pectic  acid  to  an  alkaline  solution  of  carbonate  of  soda,  from 
which,  by  the  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid  it  was  precipitated. 
The  bark  in  powder  was  treated  by  percolation  with  alcohol, 
sp.  gr.,  -835,  the  tincture  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consistence, 
and  thrown  into  water.  An  oleo-resinous  matter  precipitated 
consisting  of  resin,  fixed  oil  and  fatty  matter,  and  which  pos- 
sessed a  dark  yellow  color  and  bitter  taste.  This  is  the  so- 
called  *'Euonymine"  of  the  Eclectics.  Six  grains  were  taken 
at  a  dose,  and  in  a  few  hours  brisk  purgation  was  produced, 
without  any  attendant  griping  effect ;  its  action  resembles  that  of 
castor  oil. 
When  the  tincture  of  the  bark,  made  with  diluted  alcohol,  is 
agitated  with  chloroform,  and  the  chloroformic  liquid  separated 
and  evaporated  spontaneously,  a  small  product  of  yellow  acicular 
crystals  is  obtained.  These  are  bitter,  soluble  in  chloroform 
and  boiling  alcohol,  which  deposits  them  on  cooling.  The  so- 
lution of  this  substance  is  neutral  to  test  paper.    It  was  ob- 
