428 
The  Fruit  of  lUicium  Animtum. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1885. 
up,  indicated  the  possible  presence  of  saponin,  hence  the  necessary 
tests  were  made  as  follows :  To  a  portion  of  the  aqueous  extract, 
baryta-water  was  added,  and  this  allowed  to  stand  in  a  cool  place  for 
forty-eight  hours.  This  caused  quite  a  large  precipitate,  which  was 
removed  to  a  filter,  and  repeatedly  washed  with  saturated  baryta- 
water.  The  precipitate  was  tlien  removed  from  the  filter,  mixed  with 
a  little  distilled  watei-,  and  carbonic  acid  gas  passed  into  it.  This 
broke  up  the  compound,  which  had  been  formed  with  the  baryta,  and 
the  principle  remained  in  solution.  The  filtrate  was  shaken  up  with 
chloroform,  which  took  up  the  principle  from  its  watery  solution,  and 
on  evaporating  left  it  in  an  amorphous  condition.  In  contact  with  a 
few  drops  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  after  some  time  it  gradually 
assumed  a  reddish  color.  A  portion  of  the  principle  in  solution  was 
boiled  with  a  little  acid,  and  then  treated  with  freshly  prepared 
Fehling's  solution  ;  the  blue  color  immediately  changed  to  green,  and  a 
brownish-red  precipitate,  consisting  of  cuprous  oxide  resulted.  A  por- 
tion of  the  solution  formed  an  insoluble  compound  with  basic  acetate 
of  lead.  All  these  reactions  go  to  show  that  the  principle  in  question 
was  the  glucoside  saponin. 
Syzygium  Jambolanum,  De  Ccmd.  The  fruit  of  this  tree  is 
stated  by  Banetrala  to  have  been  used  with  good  results  in  glycosuria, 
causing  within  48  hours  after  its  administration  a  considerable  decrease 
in  the  amount  of  urine,  and  a  complete  disappearance  of  sugar.  The 
rind  of  the  fruit  is  said  to  contain  the  activ^e  principle  ('^  Rev.  de 
Therap.;"  "  Lond.  Med.  Record"). 
The  medicinal  uses  of  this  tree  have  been  briefly  referred  to  in  this 
Journal,  1882,  p.  351.  Its  leaves  differ  from  those  of  most  other 
myrtles  in  not  being  pellucid  punctate;  they  are  short  petiolate,  3  or 
4  inches  long,  smooth,  leathery,  varying  between  oval  and  obovate- 
oblong,  and  bet^yeen  acuminate  and  very  obtuse,  the  West  Indian 
•form  being  rounded  at  the  apex.  The  flowers  are  in  lateral  paniculate 
cymes,  clustered  and  have  the  calyx  limb  truncate  or  nearly  entire. 
While  the  ovary  is  two-celled  and  multovulate,  the  berry  is  one-celled 
and  contains  only  one  or  a  few  seeds.  The  seed  is  globular  and  the 
embryo  consists  of  two  fleshy  hemispherical  peltate  cotyledons,  the 
short  radicle  being  attached  to  their  lower  half,  and  concealed  between 
them.  J.  M.  M. 
