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362  PREPARATIONS  OP  CONIUM,  ETC. 
It  will  be  observed  that  I  have  not  followed  the  usual  process 
(that  of  distillation)  for  the  extraction  of  conia  in  the  above  ex- 
periments. I  have  been  induced  to  adopt  the  above  method  in 
order  to  prevent  that,  decomposition  of  the  alkaloid  which  takes 
place  by  prolonged  heating  with  potash.  If  I  had  followed  the 
prescribed  processes,  I  should  no  doubt  have  been  led  to  the  same 
conclusion  as  Geiger,  viz.,  that  the  dried  leaves  are  destitute  of 
conia. 
I  am  now  brought  to  the  inquiry,  What  is  the  value  of  the 
Catajplmma  Conn,  P.  B.  ?  According  to  the  most  liberal  com- 
putation it  contains  only  half  a  grain  of  conia,  and,  as  far  as 
this  principle  is  concerned,  it  may  therefore  be  considered  value- 
less. It  is  stated  in  Wood  and  Bache's  "  Dispensatory  of  the 
United  States"  that  two  or  three  drops  of  conia  may  be  given  in 
the  form  of  enema. 
Succus  Conii. — I  now  turn  to  another  preparation  of  conium, 
the  Succus  Conii.  This  is,  indeed,  a  most  worthy  representative 
of  the  famous  hemlock,  as  I  have  most  satisfactorily  proved  by 
its  effect  upon  myself  and  others. 
The  drug  with  which  I  commenced  my  experiments  was  pre- 
pared by  Mr.  C.  F.  Buckle,  of  77  Gray's  Inn  Road.  W.  C.  He 
has  kindly  furnished  me  with  the  following  particulars  respecting 
the  herb  and  the  preparation  of  the  juice  : — 
"  June  1,  1866. — Received  from  Mr.  Gaines  56  lbs  of  Conium 
maculatum  grown  in  Essex.  The  plants  were  fresh  and  fine,  and 
just  coming  into  bloom.  The  process  of  pulping  between  finely- 
grooved  iron  rollers  was  commenced  at  once  ;  when  complete,  the 
pulp  was  subjected  to  the  pressure  of  a  very  powerful  hydraulic 
press,  and  75  per  cent,  of  juice  obtained.  This  was  immediately 
mixed  with  the  proportion  of  spirit  prescribed  by  the  British 
Pharmacopoeia,  and  the  mixture  set  aside  in  a  cellar.  The  whole 
of  the  process  occupied  ten  hours,  and  was  completed  in  one  day. 
The  mixture  was  subsequently  filtered,  as  directed,  and  bottled 
off."  The  resulting  preparation  was  of  a  dark  sherry-color, 
possessed  a  delicate  and  agreeable  herby  taste  and  odor  without 
acridity,  and  an  acid  reaction.  Sp.  g.  1002.  f£j  yielded  30  grs. 
of  extract,  and  042  grs.  of  pure  conia.  Heated  with  a  little 
caustic  potash,  it  evolved  suffocating  fumes  of  conia.  Heat, 
