AmMa0ich,S.rm'}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  135 
oil. — (Ztschr.  f.  Nahrungsm.-Unters.  Hyg.  u.Waarenk.)  Pharm.  Ztg., 
11893,  40. 
The  alkaloids  of  Corydalis  nobilis  Pers.  were  extracted  by  treating 
the  powdered  root  with  96  per  cent,  alcohol,  evaporating  and  pro- 
ceeding by  Dragendorff's  method.  The  root  collected  in  summer 
gave  1  -95  per  cent,  total  alkaloids;  collected  in  autumn  1*46  per 
cent.,  while  the  herb  yielded  only  012  per  cent.  Benzol  extracts 
from  the  acid  solution  an  amorphous  white  base,  which  may  also  be 
obtained  in  colorless  crystals,  and  the  salts  of  which  have  a  bitter 
taste;  its  composition  is  C21H21N06;  by  oxidation  products  are 
obtained  resembling  in  some  respects  those  obtained  from  hydro- 
berberine,  also  from  a  base  of  C.  cava  (Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1890, 
396).  On  rendering  the  acid  solution  alkaline,  a  brown  resinous 
mass  is  separated,  from  which  benzol  extracts  a  base,  crystallizing 
from  boiling  water  in  fine  needles,  having  the  formula  C22H25N05. 
This  corydalnobiline  gives  with  concentrated  nitric  acid  a  blood-red 
color ;  inorganic  acids  form  no  well-crystallized  salts ;  bitter  taste 
resembling  quinine.  The  alkaline  solution  obtained  as  above  yields 
to  chloroform  several  bases,  of  which  four  were  obtained  in  crystals 
and  distinguished  as  «,  y  and  d  alkaloid.  Indications  of  the 
presence  of  hydroberberine  and  berberine  were  also  obtained.  The 
3  alkaloid,  berberine  and  a  fluorescent  substance  were  obtained  from 
the  herb. — Ernst  Birsmann  (Dorpat  Dissert.),  Phar.  Post,  1892, 
1304. 
The  activity  of  male-fern  has  been  ascribed  by  Poulson  to  filicic 
acid,  which  also  is  the  poisonous  constituent  (Amer.  Jour.  Phar., 
1 89 1,  288  and  487).  Prof.  R.  Kobert  now  calls  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  activity  of  the  male-fern  is  partly  due  to  volatile  oil  and 
that  the  removal  of  the  fixed  oil  would  also  include  the  removal  of 
the  volatile  oil.  One  of  the  reasons  for  this  statement  is  that  the 
pure  filicic  acid  given  in  very  large  doses  without  the  addition  of 
the  oil  did  not  accomplish  what  a  much  smaller  dose  of  the  acid 
mixed  intimately  with  the  fixed  and  volatile  oils  of  filix  accom- 
plished.— Pharm.  Post,  1892,  1325. 
The  microscopic  recognition  of  coriamyrtin,  the  poisonous  gluco- 
•side  of  Coriaria  myrtifolia  L.,  succeeds  by  placing  a  section  or  particle 
of  the  leaf  in  an  old  solution  of  potassio-mercuric  iodide  ;  in  a  short 
time  the  object  appears  almost  black,  due  to  the  reaction  of  the 
cell  contents  with  thereigent;  on  now  suspending  the  object  in 
