Earth  Sugar  Root  of  the  Tamils.  139 
I  am,  however,  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  it  possesses  very  little, 
if  any,  medicinal  action,  and  that  if  any  benefit  resulted  from 
the  use  of  the  above  prescription,  it  would  more  likely  be  due  to  the 
mutton  broth  than  the  root  of  Mczrua  arenaria. 
Sections  of  the  root  examined  by  the  microscope  exhibited  no 
starch  or  crystalline  matters  in  the  cells,  but  yellow,  granular 
matter  and  oil  globules  were  present.  The  central  woody  column 
and  woody  bundles  in  the  cortical  portion  were  made  up  of  large 
lignified  cells. 
The  finely  powdered  root  lost  11-26  per  cent,  of  moisture,  and  left 
6-6  per  cent,  of  mineral  matter  when  ignited.  The  ether  extract 
amounted  to  4*22  per  cent.,  and  consisted  of  fatty  acids  of  a  brownish 
color  and  fluid  consistence.  After  standing  a  few  days,  white 
crystals  formed,  which  were  collected  and  pressed  between  folds  of 
blotting  paper,  and  recrystallized  from  boiling  alcohol.  This  insolu- 
ble portion  had  the  properties  and  melting  point  (620  C.)  of  palma- 
tic  acid.    Oleic  acid  was  present  in  the  fluid  portion  of  the  extract. 
The  alcoholic  extract  contained  a  large  quantity  of  saccharine 
matter,  which  reduced  Fehling's  solution  to  a  very  slight  extent.  A 
small  quantity  of  an  organic  acid  was  removed  from  solution  by 
plumbic  acetate,  but  no  substance  similar  to  glycyrrhiz  could  be 
detected.  The  absence  of  an  alkaloidal  principle  was  proved  after 
the  application  of  the  usual  reagents. 
The  aqueous  extract  contained  an  additional  quantity  of  sugar, 
and  when  heated  to  the  boiling  point  threw  out  an  abundance 
of  white  flocks  of  albumin.  A  large  quantity  of  the  root  was 
exhausted  directly  with  water,  and  the  extract  heated  to  separate  the 
insoluble  albumin,  and  filtered.  The  syrup  was  then  boiled  in  an 
inverted  condenser  with  1  per  cent,  sulphuric  acid  for  three  hours. 
The  sulphuric  acid  was  removed  with  barium  hydrate  solution,  and 
the  syrup,  estimated  with  Fehling's  test,  indicated  the  presence  of 
41-2  per  cent,  of  invert  sugar.  This  sugar  showed  no  disposition 
to  crystallize,  and  when  examined  in  a  Laurent's  polarimeter,  it  had 
no  action  on  polarized  light. 
Asafetida  has  been  successfully  administered  in  Italy  in  threatened  abor- 
tion (Centralbl '.  f.  Gynak.\  1892,  No.  9).  Dr.  Turazza  followed  Negri's  treat- 
ment, giving  in  the  beginning  of  pregnancy,  asafetida  o*i  gm.  twice  daily 
gradually  increasing  the  dose  to  ten  pills,  and  then  slowly  reducing  it  till  con- 
finement. 
