AmjJu^,ri7h8arm*}     The  Active  Constituents  of  Ergot.  335 
E  ACTIVE  CONSTITUENTS  OF  ERGOT. 
By  Phil.  H.  Dilg. 
Ergot  has  been  frequently  the  subject  of  investigation  previous  to 
the  discovery,  by  Wenzell,  of  the  alkaloids  ergotina  and  ecbolina,  to 
the  last  of  which  the  effects  of  ergot  were  supposed  to  be  due  ("Am. 
Jour.  Pharm.,"  vol.  xxxvi,  p.  193,  1864).  Since  then  the  same 
author,  in  1872,  has  published  a  modified  process  for  obtaining  his 
alkaloids,  and  a  host  of  other  investigators  have  made  known  their 
results.  The  most  recent  publications  are  two  interesting  and  exhaus- 
tive papers,  throwing  much  light  upon  the  hitherto  somewhat  obscure 
and  rather  complicated  literature  of  ergot,  viz.,  "  Ueber  die  wirksamen 
und  einige  andere  Bestandtheile  des  Mutterkorns  "  (on  the  active  and 
some  other  constituents  of  ergot),  by  Dragendorff  and  Podwissotzky, 
reprint  from  the  uArchiv  fur  experim.  Pathol,  und  Pharmacol.,"  vol.  vi, 
1876,  and  an  inaugural  essay  for  the  degree  of  "  Master  of  Pharmacy," 
by  Theo.  Blumberg,  entitled  "  Ein  Beitrag  zur  Kenntniss  der  Mutter- 
korn-Alkaloide"  (a  contribution  to  the  knowledge  of  the  ergot  alkaloids) 
Dorpat,  1878.  The  following  is  a  brief  summary  of  what  appears  to 
me  to  be  the  principal  results  obtained  by  these  authors  with  the  most 
important  constituents  of  ergot : 
Though  long  known  that  ergot  yields  its  active  principle  to  cold 
water  its  precise  nature  has  for  many  years  been  a  subject  of  continued 
controversy.  It  is  principally  due  to  the  united  efforts  of  Prof.  Dra- 
gendorff and  von  Podwissotzky,  of  the  Pharmac.  Institute  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Dorpat,  that  it  has  now  been  proven  that  the  most  active 
constituent  is  an  acid  termed  sclerotic  acid,  which  is  present  in  combina- 
tion with  K,  Na  and  Ca,  which  salts  are  freely  soluble  in  water.  It 
is,  however,  rivaled  in  action,  both  qualitatively  and  quantitatively,  by 
a  colloidal  substance,  scleromucin,  which  is  obtained  in  connection  with 
the  acid  in  the  following  manner  :  Digest  ergot,  previously  exhausted 
by  ether  and  absolute  alcohol,  with  water,  dialyze,  evaporate  the  dialy- 
zate  to  a  syrupy  consistence,  and  treat  with  sufficient  alcohol  to  obtain 
a  mixture  containing  40  to  45  per  cent,  alcohol,  which  precipitates  the 
potassium  phosphate  ;  while  more  alcohol  added  until  the  strength  is 
increased  to  75  or  80  per  cent.,  precipitates  the  salts  of  sclerotic  acid, 
which  are  soluble  in  dilute  but  insoluble  in  stronger  alcohol,  and  leave 
about  19  per  cent,  of  ash. 
The  filtrate,  upon  which  alcohol  has  no  further  effect,  produces  with 
