PTELEA  TKIFOLIATA. 
337 
tough  and  ropy.  It  finally  becomes  so  tough  as  to  be  very  dif- 
ficult to  stir  properly,  and  when  a  small  thread  of  it  on  cooling 
becomes  very  brittle  and  capable  of  being  rubbed  or  crushed 
into  small  particles  between  the  thumb  and  finger,  the  heating 
may  be  finished.  When  cold  and  brittle  it  should  be  rubbed  to 
fine  powder,  and  this  powder,  according  to  the  extent  to  which 
the  drying  has  been  carried,  will  contain  from  8  to  10  grains  in 
the  hundred  of  caustic  lime. 
The  process  is  simple  and  easy,  and  requires  so  little  skill  and 
dexterity  that  any  ordinary  pharmaceutist  of  the  most  limited 
acquirements  will  be  able  to  make  it  without  difficulty. 
With  this  statement  and  the  samples  sent  you  by  express  to- 
day (expense  paid)  you  can  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  it  made 
by  any  one  of  the  many  good  pharmaceutists  in  Boston. 
Yours,  &c. 
E.  R.  Squibb. 
The  Boston  Med.  and  Surg.  Journ.,  April,  1867. 
PTELEA  TKIFOLIATA. 
By  Justin  Steer,  Ph.  D. 
This  tall  shrub,  belonging  to  the  family  of  Rutaceas,  is  a  very 
common  plant  in  many  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  gener- 
ally abounds  in  rocky  places.  Its  flowers  have  a  peculiar,  dis- 
agreeable odor,  and  its  fruit  is  said  to  be  sometimes  used  as  a 
substitute  for  hops.  The  bark  of  the  root  has,  of  late  years, 
acquired  considerable  reputation  among  physicians  of  the 
Western  States,  as  a  remedy  for  dyspepsia,  and  also  as  a  general 
tonic*  The  bark  of  the  root  was  subjected  to  the  following 
experiments,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  its  bitter  and  tonic 
properties  were  dependent  upon  berberin ;  this  alkaloid  having 
been  found  in  a  number  of  plants  belonging  to  this  same  family. 
In  connection  with  obtaining  the  alkaloid,  a  few  preliminary  ex- 
periments were  performed  in  order  to  ascertain  some  of  the  con- 
stituents of  the  bark  of  the  root. 
I.  A  small  quantity  of  the  bark  of  the  root  was  thoroughly 
*See  an  article  on  Ptelea  Trifoliata,  by  0.  F.  Potter,  M.  D.,  in  Vol. 
1,  No.  1,  page  9,  St.  Louis  Medical  Reporter. 
22 
