THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
MARCH,  i8gg. 
THE  ASSAY  OF   BELLADONNA  LEAVES  AND  SOME 
OF  ITS  PREPARATIONS.1 
By  Frank  X.  Moerk. 
The  results  recorded  in  this  paper  were  obtained  in  an  investi- 
gation made  for  the  J.  Ell  wood  Lee  Company,  of  Conshohocken, 
Pa.,  to  determine  the  alkaloidal  strength  of  belladonna  plaster, 
U.S.P.,  1890.  After  a  survey  of  the  work  done  by  others  in  a 
similar  direction,  it  was  decided  to  purchase  several  pounds  of  the 
different  commercial  varieties  of  belladonna  leaves,  have  these 
examined  by  a  pharmacognocist  for  adulterations  or  admixture, 
then  grind  and  use  them  for  assay  and  manufacturing  purposes. 
Accordingly,  the  three  following  commercial  varieties  were  pur- 
chased: (1)  English  cultivated,  Allen's;  (2)  German  cultivated;  and 
(3)  German  wild. 
These  were  submitted  to  Professor  Henry  Kraemer  for  examina- 
tion ;  his  report,  addressed  to  me,  is  as  follows : 
"  I  have  carefully  examined  the  three  lots  of  belladonna  leaves 
you  sent  me,  and  find  them  to  be  as  follows : 
"(1)  The  English  drug  is  made  up  mostly  of  belladonna  leaves 
with  a  few  stems.  Numerous  mature  and  immature  flowers  are 
present,  indicating  that  the  drug  was  collected  in  early  summer. 
The  leaves  are  of  a  uniform  green  color,  and  the  drug  has  a  heavy 
narcotic  odor. 
"  (2)  The  German  cultivated  drug  consists  chiefly  of  leaves  with 
1  Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy, February  21,  1899. 
(105) 
