Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
October,  1914.  J 
Red  Gum. 
449 
carried  out  it  does  not  appear  that  either  method  has  any  marked 
advantage  over  the  other.  If  haematoxylon  or  curcuma  be  present, 
results  may  be  obtained  more  quickly  by  the  proposed  iodine  method, 
since  the  colors  from  these  substances  are  destroyed  (or  removed)  by 
the  iodine  treatment,  hence  it  is  unnecessary  to  wait  over  night  for  the 
destruction  of  the  coloring  matters  by  treatment  with  ammonia. 
Summary. — The  presence  of  phenolphthalein  in  medicines  inter- 
feres with  the  detection  of  the  emodin-bearing  drugs. 
Phenolphthalein  may  be  removed  by  treating  the  ether  (or 
acetone)  extract  with  sodium  hydroxide  and  iodine  solutions,  adding 
hydrochloric  acid  and  filtering. 
After  removal  of  the  phenolphthalein  the  emodin  may  be  de- 
tected in  the  usual  way,  using  a  fixed  alkali  hydroxide  for  its  solution. 
The  method  was  tried  on  several  emodin-bearing  drugs  and  gave 
satisfaction,  except  in  the  case  of  aloes. 
Laboratory  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
RED  GUM. 
By  John  K.  Thum,  Pharmacist  at  German  Hospital,  Philadelphia. 
Eucalyptus  rostrata  yields  the  extract  Australian  Kino,  and  more 
popularly  known  by  the  name  "  Red  Gum."  The  latter  is  found 
on  the  market,  pharmaceutically,  in  the  form  of  troches  and  in  a 
fluid  form,  misleadingly  termed  by  the  manufacturers  a  fluidextract. 
Like  Kino  of  the  U.  S.  P.,  it  contains  considerable  tannin,  which 
makes  it  extremely  valuable  as  an  astringent.  The  so-called  fluid- 
extract  has  obtained  some  vogue  among  throat  specialists  as  a  local 
application  in  place  of  the  well-known  Glyceritum  Tannin,  it  being 
much  more  agreeable  and  pleasant  to  the  patient,  and  just  as  efficient 
as  the  latter  preparation. 
While  all  the  manufacturers  who  market  a  fluid  form  of  red  gum 
have  it  listed  in  their  price  lists  as  a  fluidextract,  some  have  an 
asterisk  placed  alongside  the  word,  -and  on  referring  to  the  footnote 
one  finds  these  words :  "  those  fluids  which  do  not  represent  the 
crude  drug,  minim  for  grain  ";  which  is  a  tacit  confession  that  it  is 
impossible  to  make  a  100  per  cent,  solution  of  this  drug. 
On  looking  over  the  literature  relating  to  this  drug — and  the 
literature,  by  the  way,  is  scant — one  is  informed  that  it  is  soluble 
in  cold  water  to  the  extent  of  80  to  90  per  cent.   This  is  wrong.   It  is 
