Am"oc°",ri9^8.arm')      Alleged  Poisoning  by  Potatoes.  725 
After  making  alkaline  with  ammonia  the  liquid  was  evaporated 
almost  to  dryness,  and  the  residue  boiled  with  alcohol  and  filtered. 
This  treatment  with  alcohol  was  repeated  twice. 
The  pressed  solid  portion  of  the  potatoes  was  also  boiled  with 
alcohol  in  successive  portions  and  filtered. 
The  united  alcoholic  solutions  were  evaporated  to  small  bulk,  al- 
lowed to  stand  overnight,  filtered  from  any  asparagin  which  had 
separated  out,  and  the  filter-paper  washed  with  alcohol. 
The  filtrate  was  evaporated  to  dryness  and  digested  overnight, 
at  the  ordinary  temperature  with  250  Cc.  of  water  containing  about 
3  Cc.  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  in  which  the  solanine  is  readily 
soluble.  After  filtration  and  washing  the  insoluble  portion  with 
water  the  solanine  was  precipitated  with  excess  of  ammonia,  the 
solution  raised  to  about  500  C,  filtered  and  washed,  and  the  solanine 
dissolved  by  pouring  hot  alcohol  through  the  paper.  The  alcoholic 
solution  was  received  in  a  weighed  crystallizing  dish,  the  alcohol 
evaporated  off,  and  the  solanine  weighed  after  treating  with  small 
quantities  of  ether  and  drying  in  the  steam  oven. 
The  sample  of  potatoes  from  the  household  in  which  the  fatal 
case  occurred  showed  the  presence  of  0.41  part  of  solanine  per  1,000 
parts  of  potatoes,  whilst  a  sample  from  the  store,  supposed  to  be 
from  the  same  consignment,  gave  0.079  Part  per  1,000  parts.  Wint- 
gen5  gives  the  normal  content  of  solanine  for  potatoes  in  the  month 
of  November  as  0.0892  and  0.0880  part  per  1,000  parts  potatoes. 
These  latter  results  were  obtained  by  a  method  which  differs  from 
that  of  Meyer  in  only  a  few  details. 
Meyer6  found  in  pared,  sound,  unsprouted  potatoes  0.024  part 
per  1,000,  whilst  in  potatoes  which  had  commenced  to  sprout,  but 
were  still  sound,  he  found  0.040  to  0.066  part  per  1,000. 
The  solanine  was  identified  by  the  following  tests : 
(a)  Its  solution  in  hot  amyl  alcohol  became,  on  cooling,  a  solid 
jelly.7  '  . 
(b)  Dissolved  in  a  drop  of  strong  sulphuric  acid  containing  a 
little  Frohde's  reagent  the  color  changed  to,  first,  light  brown,  then 
reddish,  and  finally  a  deep  violet  color.7 
(c)  On  heating  a  minute  quantity  with  a  solution  of  telluric 
5  Zeitsch.  fur  Unters.  dcr  Nahr.  und  Genussm.,  1906,  p.  113. 
6  Arch'w  fur  Exper.  Path,  und  Pharmakol.,  1895,  p.  361. 
7  "  Poisons,"  A.  W.  Blyth,  fourth  edition,  p.  397. 
