ABSORPTION OP SALINE SUBSTANCES BY CHARCOAL. 149 
All these substances lost their bitter taste except nux 
vomica. 
M. Weppen somewhat extended these experiments, and 
succeeded in causing the bitterness of decoctions of columbo, 
quassia, cascarilla, and buckbeanto disappear. 
At the same period, M. Chevalier announced that the 
salts furnished by organic substances are removed more or 
less readily and entirely by treatment with charcoal and the 
assistance of heat ; that in some cases the absorbing prop- 
erty of charcoal might be turned to account for isolating the 
poisonous substances held in solution. 
Subsequently, Dr. Garrod proposed charcoal as a certain 
antidote for all the vegetable alkalies. 
Lastly, in a very recent communication, M. Lebourdais 
has employed charcoal to obtain certain vegetable alkalies: 
thus, after having deprived a decoction of ilex of its bitter- 
ness, he was able, by treating the dried charcoal with boil- 
ing alcohol, to redissolve the bitter principle ; and then, by 
distilling to a syrupy consistence to remove the greater 
proportion of the alcohol, and evaporating to dryness, to ob- 
tain an amorphous neutral substance, to which he gave the 
name of ilicine. By treating infusions of Scilla, flowers of 
Arnica, a decoction of the root of Colombo and of Colocynth 
in the same manner, M. Lebourdais obtained what he has 
called Scillitine, Arnicine, Columbine, and Colocynthine. 
I have also deprived, by the same means, aqueous solu- 
tions ofstrychnine,sulphate of quinine, decoction of box, root 
of Rumexpcttientia,o( Simaruba, the tinctures of columbo, 
sarsaparilla, dulcamara, cinchona and rhubarb, &c. of their 
bitter taste. 
The tinctures of benzoin, kino, and gamboge, were de- 
prived of their resinous principle to such an extent, as to be 
no longer rendered turbid by the addition of water. 
I was desirous of ascertaining whether any other porous 
substances possessed this property of charcoal. I tried 
pumice-stone, and obtained no good result ; but by means of 
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