28 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
sisting for the greater part of teguments, swollen, torn, and 
gelatinized, and of a magnificent blue, indicating that the salep 
has not undergone a simple immersion in water, but has re- 
mained a certain time. 
Desirous of ascertaining, by experiment, how far salep 
would comport in its chemical properties with gum traga- 
canth, agreeably to the best existing analysis, I made the few 
following experiments, the results of which confirm the sup- 
posed analogy between the two substances, and at the same 
time corroborate the statement of Caventou. 
Thirty grains of powdered salep, mixed with four fluid 
ounces of water, rendered it highly mucilaginous; more water 
was added to it, and the whole set aside in a glass vessel for 
a short period, when an insoluble, thick, gummous portion 
was deposited, which, though it increased in volume, was not 
dissolved by further additions of hot or cold water. The 
transparent liquid portion, treated by reactives, gave copious 
flocculent precipitates with subacetate of lead and alcohol; 
was rendered blue by tincture of iodine, and became clouded 
with oxalate of ammonia. The insoluble portion treated with 
boiling water, and tested with nitrate of silver and corrosive 
sublimate, gave slight precipitates. Iodine produced a very 
deep color, depositing the iodide of starch soon after. 
Thirty grains of salep, boiled with four ounces of water, 
made a very thick, transparent jelly : cold water mixed with 
a portion of this jelly was rendered opalescent and mucilagi- 
nous; suffered to rest, the insoluble portion, inclosing black, 
fimbriated specks, (fibrous matter of De D.,) soon fell to the 
bottom. Chloride of tin produced a white precipitate with 
the decanted viscous liquid. 
One hundred grains of salep gave, by incineration, only 
four grains of fixed principles, composed, according to Ca- 
ventou,' of chloride of sodium, phosphate of lime, and some 
traces of a sulphate. Hence, it will be perceived that salep 
ranks more properly among the vegetable mucilages. 
Salep possesses analeptic virtues, and has been long known 
to the Orientals for its nourishing and restorative properties. 
