398        Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  {Kmj^*m™ 
walls  of  the  phelloderm.  The  bark  contains  an  alkaloid — not, 
however,  quinine  or  cinchonine.  Moreover,  it  does  not  respond  to 
Grahe's  test.  The  second,  called  "  china  cuprea,"  while  closely  re- 
sembling cuprea  bark,  is  not  the  product  of  a  Remijia,  but  seemed  a 
species  of  Buena,  It  contained  no  alkaloids,  had  the  red  brown 
color  of  cuprea  barks,  but  differed  microscopically  by  the  form  of  the 
milk  vessels  in  the  primary  bark,  by  the  two  sizes  of  sclerotic  cells 
in  the  secondary  bark  and  by  the  spindle-shaped  cells  in  the  base. 
The  third,  which  came  from  St.  Domingo,  was  astringent  and 
contained  no  alkaloid.  Its  microscopical  structure  indicated  it  did 
not  even  belong  to  the  N.  O,  Rubiaceae,  as  shown  by  the  presence 
of  large  quadratic  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate.  The  peculiar  medul- 
lary rays,  occasionally  but  one  cell  wide  and  then  at  times  greatly 
broadened,  suggested  its  relationship  to  the  genus  Bucida,  N.  O. 
Combretaceae. 
The  fourth  was  introduced  as  "  cortex  chinae  von  Colombia."  It 
contains  neither  tannin  nor  alkaloids,  is  in  the  form  of  quills,  of 
yellowish-gray-brown  externally  and  dark  brown  on  the  inner  sur- 
face.   Its  origin  could  not  be  traced  by  microscopical  means. 
Mixed  with  it  was  another  bark  resembling  it  closely,  but  astrin- 
gent. The  axillary  lengthened  secretion  receptacles,  the  calcium 
oxalate  glands  in  the  medullary  rays  and  the  primary  bast  bundles 
— all  point  to  its  origin  from  the  genus  Croton,  possibly  C.  Mal- 
ambo.  H,  V.  Arny. 
CONSTITUENTS  OF  FRANGULA,  RHUBARB  AND  SENNA. 
At  the  last  meeting  of  the  pharmaceutical  section  of  the  Swiss 
Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  Dr.  Aweng  reported 
investigations  on  the  three  drugs  above  mentioned  (Schw.  Wochen- 
sch.  fur  Client,  tmd  Pharm.,  1898,  445). 
Frangula,  by  extraction  with  60  per  cent,  alcohol,  evaporation  and 
treatment  of  extract  with  water,  yielded  two  glucosides;  one 
(primary)  soluble  in  water,  the  other  (secondary)  insoluble.  The 
yield  of  these  was  20  per  cent,  and  12  per  cent.,  respectively. 
Both,  on  hydrolysis,  yielded,  besides  sugar,  chrysophanic  acid, 
emodin  and  a  substance  resembling  Liebermann's  rhamnetin,  in  all 
save  greater  solubility  in  alcohol.  This  body,  which  was  crystal- 
lizable  from  alcohol  and  acetone,  and  sublimed  in  yellow  needles, 
the  author  names  Frangularhamnetin.     The   fourth   product  of 
