AmMi°rch,Ii89a3rm'}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  127 
species  mentioned,  these  bitter  principles  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  subjected  to  chemical  research ;  in  fact,  but  very  few  analyses 
of  yam  have  been  placed  on  record.  The  earliest  one  found  by  me 
was  published  in  1802,  in  Scherer's  Journal  on  Dioscorea  sativa  by 
Suersen  (I)  ;  one  in  1852  by  Payen  on  D.  alata  in  Compt.  rend. 
XXXV  (II) ;  one  credited  to  Boussingault,  species  not  mentioned  in 
Jahresbericht,  1855  (III);  one  by  Fremy  on  the  tuberous  roots  of  D. 
Batatas  in  Compt.  rend.  XL  (IV) ;  those  by  Heckel  and  Schlagden- 
hauffen  mentioned  above  on  the  subterraneous  (V)  and  on  the  aerial 
(VI)  tubers  of  D.  bulbifera  and  finally  the  present  one  by  Meink 
on  the  aerial  tubers  of  D.  Batatas  (VII).  For  convenience  of  com- 
parison the  results  may  be  tabulated  as  follows  : 
I. 
11. 
in. 
IV. 
v. 
VI. 
VII. 
Water,  .  .  .  . 
67'58 
77*05 
82-6 
79'3 
69-234 
67-445 
61-62 
Salts,  
1*90 
i'3 
1*1 
0-3076 
1*913 
1-62 
Cellulose,     .  . 
6'5i 
1 '45 
0*4 
I'O 
18-4113] 
Starch,  .  .  .  . 
22'66  ^ 
1676 
i6-o 
3'695o 
Mucilage,     .  . 
2-94  f 
Sugar,    .  .  .  . 
0*26 
a6-9223  ! 
I  31-542 
36-76 
Fat,  
0-30 
0'2  J 
0-1584. 
Resin,    .  .  .  . 
0-05 
Albuminoids,  . 
2'54 
2-4 
1 '5 
I -2750  J 
The  detailed  results  of  (VI)  calculated  for  the  anhydrous  sub- 
stance were  as  follows  :  Wax  and  chlorophyll,  0-70  ;  saccharose, 
yellow  color  and  bitter  toxic  principle,  3-30  ;  resinous  matter,  0-50  ; 
albuminoids,  5-31  ;  starch,  52  22;  cellulose  and  lignin,  34  81  ;  fixed 
salts,  3-16. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Chocolate  pastilles. — V.  J.  Pequart  recommends  chocolate  in  pas- 
tilles for  exhibiting  disagreeable  and  difficultly  administered  medica- 
ments, and  gives  the  following  procedure,  taking  calomel  as  an 
instance  of  insoluble  medicaments,  and  santonin  of  those  which  are 
soluble  : 
(1)  Beat  the  chocolate  in  a  warm  mortar  and  incorporate  the 
calomel,  either  alone  or  mixed  with  aromatized  sugar.  Excessive 
heat  will  cause  partial  oxidation,  blanching  the  pastilles  and  alter- 
1  Includes  also  glutin-casein. 
