AFebJruaryT?8a9r9m'}    Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  87 
extracted  by  precipitation  from  infusion  with  lead  acetate — a  method 
admitting  possibility  of  the  substance  being  a  decomposition  prod- 
uct and  not  a  constituent  of  the  fresh  root — he  disarmed  criticism 
by  employing  an  elaborate  method  of  extraction,  limiting  the  agents 
to  alcohol  and  ether  and  the  temperature  to  400  C.  This  method 
also  yielded  the  glucoside,  which,  differing  from  the  other  constitu- 
ents of  senega,  is  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol  and  ether. 
H.  V.  A. 
COCAINE  AND  CHERRY  LAUREL  WATER. 
C.  Gliicksmann  (Ph.  Rundschau,  1898,  473)  opposes  the  statement 
of  L.  Declin,  that  cocaine  hydrochlorate  is  incompatible  with  genu- 
ine cherry  laurel  water,  while  soluble  in  a  water  made  from  hydro- 
cyanic acid,  suggesting  the  alkaloid  as  a  test  for  the  spurious  water. 
He  states  that  the  pharmacopceial  cocaine  salt  will  make  a  clear 
solution  (even  5  per  cent.)  with  cherry  laurel  water,  which  shows 
on  standing,  no  greater  change  than  does  a  distilled  water  solution. 
H.  V.  A. 
TOXICOLOGICAL  EXAMINATIONS  FOR  ALKALOIDS. 
The  investigations  of  Hulsebosch,  on  alkaloidal  assays  of  extracts, 
by  means  of  Smetham's  extraction  apparatus,  suggested  to  J.  A. 
Mjoen  (Apoth.  Zeit.,  1898,  591)  an  application  in  toxicological  work 
and  that  with  much  success. 
The  method  consists  in  extracting  the  food  (milk,  beer,  meat)  or 
the  organs  (stomach  contents,  decayed  flesh,  etc.)  with  alcohol  and 
tartaric  acid,  solution  of  the  evaporated  extraction  in  water,  and 
treatment  of  this  with  ether  or  chloroform  in  the  extraction  appar- 
atus in  a  manner  similar  to  the  extraction  of  fat  in  the  Soxhlet's 
apparatus. 
This  extraction  removes  fat  and  coloring  matter  which  drops  into 
the  flask,  wherein  the  ether  is  heated.  When  all  the  fat  is  removed 
the  acid  solution  is  made  alkaline  and  extraction  continued  with  a 
new  supply  of  ether  in  a  new  flask.  The  free  alkaloid  is  now  dis- 
solved and  flows  into  the  flask  in  which  it  can  be  weighed.  The 
method  is  applicable  to  most  poisonous  bitter  principles  (like  picro- 
toxin)  as  well  as  to  alkaloids.  For  application  to  morphine,  chloro- 
form must  be  the  solvent.  H.  V.  A. 
ACONITE  IN  TORMENTILLA. 
A  fatal  case  of  poisoning  is  reported  (Ph.  Zeit.,  1898,  339)  from 
Ejuda  Pesth,  caused  by  administration  of  Tormentilla  mixed  with 
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