REMARKS   ON  ERGOT. 
541 
ethereal  tincture,  exposed  to  spontaneous  evaporation,  yielded  an 
oily  residue  of  2840  grains,  which  included  a  small  portion 
of  matter  soluble  in  water  and  diluted  alcohol,  taken  up  by  the 
ether,  and  deposited  with  the  oil. 
The  dried  residue  of  the  ergot  was  mixed  with  water  (contain- 
ing six  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  to  retard  fermentation,)  macerated 
until  each  particle  was  saturated,  introduced  into  a  percolator 
and  the  same  menstruum  added  gradually,  until  the  passing 
liquid  possessed  but  little  taste  or  color.    The  liquid  thus  ob- 
tained was  carefully  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consistence,  then 
thrown  into  it  five  times  its  bulk  of  rectified  alcohol,  and  the 
liquid  filtered  from  the  gummy  albuminous  precipitate.  The 
alcoholic  filtrate  was  then  evaporated  to  six  fluid  ounces,  poured 
into  a  tall  glass  alembic,  and  four  ounces  of  liquid  hydrate  of 
lime  (containing  half  an  ounce  of  quick  lime)  added  and  mixed, 
A  receiver  containing  a  fluid  ounce  of  water  and  ten  minims  of  sul- 
phuric acid,  was  accurately  adapted  and  well  refrigerated.  The 
acidulated  water  was  intended  to  fix  the  first  vapors  of  secalin, 
which  otherwise  cause  considerable  tension  in  the  atmosphere  of 
the  apparatus.    The  elimination  of  secalin  was  so  rapid  at  first 
as  to  cause  the  contents  of  the  alembic  to  boil  over,  and  the 
receiver  had  to  be  changed,  with  some  considerable  loss  from 
the  escape  of  vapors,  the  room  being  strongly  charged  with  the 
ergot  odor  of  the  secalin.    On  again  distilling,  with  the  receiver 
arranged  as  before,  the  process  was  pushed  until  the  distillate 
amounted  to  six  fluid  ounces.    This  liquid  had  an  alkaline  re- 
action, all  the  acid  having  become  saturated  by  the  alkali : 
sufficient  acid  was  then  added  to  give  an  acid  reaction,  and  one 
third  of  it  set  aside  for  therapeutical  experiments.    If  a  drop  of 
this  liquid  is  placed  in  a  watch  glass,  and  a  drop  of  liquor  potassa 
added,  the  odor  of  ergot  is  instantly  produced,  and  if  then  a  glass 
rod,  moistened  with  hydrochloric  acid,  is  held  over  it,|abundant 
visible  vapors  of  muriate  of  secalin  will  be  observed.    The  resi- 
due of  the  acidulated  distillate  was  placed  in  an  evaporating  dish 
and  suffered  to  evaporate  spontaneously  until  reduced  to  one 
eighth,  and  then  finished  at  a  temperature  of  130°  Fahr.,  (owing 
to  a  slight  empyreuma  having  occurred  near  the  close  of  the  dis- 
tillation, the  evaporated  distillate  was  colored  brownish  ;)  a  crys- 
