296  DEPOSITS  IN  EXTRACTS  FROM  ACONITE  &  VERATRUM  VIRIDE. 
also,  I  believe,  to  some  extent,  in  the  West  Indies.  The  fresh 
fruit  may  be  a  more  grateful  article  than  in  its  dried  state.  It 
is  used  also  to  prepare  cooling  drinks  in  febrile  and  bilious  af- 
fections. 
New  York,  June,  1864. 
ON  CRYSTALLINE  DEPOSITS  IN  EXTRACTS  FROM 
ACONITE  AND  VERATRUM  VIRIDE. 
By  Gustavus  Krehbiel. 
Among  several  preparations  from  different  kinds  of  aconite 
root  which  I  have  been  making  for  the  use  of  my  esteemed 
teacher,  Prof.  F.  F.  Mayer?  in  his  examination  of  the  active 
principles,  was  a  fluid  extract  of  an  English  aconite  root  of  very 
superior  quality. 
The  tubers  were  uniformly  of  a  pale  brown  color  within,  and 
apparently  unmixed  with  that  of  any  other  variety  but  that  of 
Aconitum  napellus.  The  fluid  extract,  by  a  misapprehension, 
was  prepared  with  alcohol  somewhat  stronger  than  the  oflicinal, 
and,  on  being  allowed  to  stand  for  some  days,  it  deposited  a  large 
number  of  well  developed  crystals  on  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the 
vessel.  To  these  Prof.  Mayer  called  my  attention,  stating  that 
the  formation  of  crystals,  especially  those  of  some  sugar,  had 
been  lately  observed  by  Prof.  Schroff  of  Vienna  in  several  nar- 
cotic extracts,  as  those  of  helleborus  and  various  species  of  aco- 
nitum ;  and  under  the  impression  those  found  by  Prof.  Schroff 
had  been  recognized  by  the  same  as  glucose,  the  appearance  of 
the  crystals  and  an  examination  with  Fehling's  solution  led  him 
to  assume  that  they  were  pure  cane-sugar  ;  while  the  fluid  extract 
itself  at  once  gave  the  reaction  with  the  copper  solution. 
Some  time  after,  I  had  occasion  to  prepare  a  concentrated 
tincture  of  Veratrum  viride,  in  which  I  employed  whole  roots 
of  the  best  quality,  using  alcohol  of  86  per  cent.  Richter ;  and, 
shortly  after  finishing  the  preparation,  there  appeared  in  the 
bottle  a  deposit  of  smaller  crystals,  but  of  the  same  kind  as 
those  observed  in  the  concentrated  tincture  of  Aconitum  napellus. 
On  communicating  these  facts  to  Prof.  Mayer,  he  showed  me 
