^°'Aprn'''i885''"'" }        Commercial  Extract  of  Calabar  Bean.  Idt 
jected  them  to  the  method  of  examination  adopted  by  Mr.  Gibson,  to 
whom  I  beg  to  express  my  obb'gations  for  a  perusal  of  tlie  paper  which 
has  just  been  read. 
The  extracts  differed  considerably  in  consistence,  but  their  color  was 
the  same,  a  brown-black  and  not  the  pale  brown  noted  by  Mr.  Gibson. 
I  presume  that  the  darker  color  is  an  unavoidable  consequence  of  manu- 
facture on  the  large  scale.  Extract  No.  1  was  quite  granular,  minute 
black  granules  being  imbedded  in  a  brown  fatty  extract.  This  extract 
was  further  peculiar  in  the  naphtha  odor  which  it  possessed,  the 
residuum  evidently  of  methylated  spirit  used  in  its  manufacture. 
From  Nos.  2,  3  and  5,  a  film  of  oil  exuded  on  standing.  This  separa- 
tion of  oil  is  not  inconsistent  with  careful  manufacture,  because  the 
bean  contains  oil,  which  is  extracted  by  the  proper  menstruum.  No.  5 
was  semi-liquid  when  received.  Nos.  6,  7  and  8  were  easily  miscible 
with  water ;  the  others  were  not.  On  subjecting  the  samples  to  Mr 
Gibson's  method,  I  obtained  the  following  results : 
Extract  No.  1.    Taken  0-525  gram,   which  yielded 
Extractive  0*27  "  =     51-42  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0-055  "  =  10-47 
No.  2.    Taken  0-53  "  which  yielded 
Extractive.....  0-195  "  =     36-79  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0-03  "  5-66 
No.  3.    Taken  0-55  "  which  yielded 
Extractive  0*3  "  =     54-54  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0*03  "  =  5*45 
No.  4.    Taken  0-38  "  which  yielded 
Extractive  0-135  "  =     35-52  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0-015  "  =  3-94 
*'       No.  5.    Taken  0-155  "  which  yielded 
Extractive  0-07  "  =     45-15  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0-006  "  3-87 
No.  6.    Taken   0-45  "  which  yielded 
Extractive  0-315  "  =        70  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0-08  =-      6*6  " 
"       No.  7.    Taken  0  5  "  which  yielded 
Extractive  0*255  "  =        52  per  cent. 
Alkaloid  0-008     "  =      1-6  " 
"       No.  8.    Taken  0-54  "  which  yielded 
Extractive  0-42  "  =     77-7  percent. 
Alkaloid  0-006  "  =  1-1 
The  most  noteworthy  feature  about  these  figures  is  the  indication 
which  they  afford  of  the  extensive  variety  at  the  disposal  of  the 
pharmacist. 
