126  Ferrum  Albuminatum  Solutum.  \Km'&'tS^' 
and  benzin,  very  little  in  ether  and  almost  insoluble  in  petroleum. 
When  pure  it  is  dissolved  by  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  with  a  yellow 
and  finally  light-green  color.  Concentrated  muriatic  and  nitric  acids 
cause  no  change  in  the  color  \  but  muriate  of  jervia,  thrown  into 
concentrated  nitric  acid,  produced  an  evanescent  rose  color.  Potassium 
nitrate  indicates  jervia  already  when  in  dilution  of  one  in  1200. 
The  elementary  analyses  of  veratroidia  points  to  the  formula 
C51H78N2016  or  C24H37N07.  Its  action  upon  frogs  is  similar  to  vera- 
tria, but  much  more  energetic  than  either  sabadillia  or  sabatrina. 
The  composition  of  the  above  alkaloids,  as  ascertained  by  Weigelin 
and  Tobien,  is  the  following  : 
Veratria, 
Veratroidia,  C51H78N2016, 
or  C24H37N07,  T. 
Sabatrina,  C51H86N2017,  W . 
Sabadillia,  C41H66N2013,  W. 
Jervia,  C27H47N208,  T*. 
Even  if  the  molecular  values  of  the  formulas  should,  on  further 
investigation,  be  altered,  this  is  evidently  a  natural  group  of  alkaloids, 
somewhat  similar  to  those  of  opium  and  cinchona.  The  first  four  show 
a  great  similarity  in  their  behavior  to  sulphuric  acid  ;  but  with  sugar 
and  sulphuric  acid,  pure  veratria  yields  a  green,  afterwards  blue  colora- 
tion, while  veratroidia  gives  a  black-brown  color,  which  lasts  for  some 
time. 
Veratria,  sabatrina  and  sabadillia  agree  in  their  behavior  to  muriatic 
acid  ;  but  veratroidia  and  jervia  differ  very  widely  from  it.  In  their 
action  veratria,  veratroidia  and  perhaps  jervia  are  nearest  related  to  each 
other ;  but  the  latter  is  distinctly  characterized  by  its  behavior  to 
sulphuric,  muriatic  and  nitric  acids.  M. 
FERRUM  ALBUMINATUM  SOLUTUM.1 
By  C.  Bernbeck. 
Dr.  Triese,  of  Illingen,  near  Saarbriicken,  has  added  a  very  valu- 
able and  therapeutically  important  preparation  to  the  Materia  Medica 
by  publishing  a  formula  for  the  preparation  of  Ferrum  albuminatum  in 
the  "  Berliner  Klinische  Wochenschrift."  His  formula  reads  as  fol- 
lows:  Mix  the  white  of  an  egg  intimately  with  10  grm.  liq.  ferri  ses- 
quichlorati  by  triturating  them  in  a  mortar  ;  remove  the  excess  of  chlo- 
1  Translated  by  L.  v.  Cotzhausen  from  "Archiv  der  Pharmacie,"  Dec,  1877. 
