Am*May?i89iarm"}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  221 
ably  as  a  remedy  in  epilepsy,  since  solanine  has  been  recommended 
for  alike  diseases  as  far  back  as  1854.  Dr.  T.  Otto  (U.  S.  Dispensatory 
16  edit,  p.  516)  found  that  1  grain  of  solanine  killed  a  rabbit  in  6 
hours. 
Judging  by  this  statement,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  to  hear  of 
reports  of  cattle  feeding  on  the  horse  nettle  leaves  or  berries  being 
poisoned. 
Laboratory,  Mansfield  Drug  Co., 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  April  16,  1891. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  Frank  X.  Moerk,  Ph.G. 
Safran  Algeri  {extra). — Under  this  name  has  appeared  from  a 
French  source  a  substitute  for  saffron.  It  is  an  orange  yellow 
powder  of  faint  saffron  odor,  soluble  in  water,  producing  a  solution 
identical  in  color  with  one  made  from  pure  saffron  ;  under  the  micro- 
scope small  quantities  of  powdered  saffron  can  be  recognized.  A 
careful  examination  proved  this  substitute  to  be  a  mixture  of  Martius- 
yellow  (dinitro-naphthol),  and  tropseolin  000  N.2,  with  a  small 
quantity  of  saffron.  The  following  method  will  serve  for  the  isola- 
tion of  the  foreign  coloring  matters:  To  the  filtered  aqueous 
solution  are  added  some  woollen  fibres ;  these  are  removed  and 
replaced  by  others  until  no  more  color  is  extracted  ;  the  dyed  fibres 
are  washed  with  cold  water  and  then  warmed  with  ammoniacal 
water  until  the  coloring  matter  has  gone  into  solution  ;  after  filtering, 
the  solution  is  boiled  until  free  from  ammonia  and  acidified  with 
hydrochloric  acid  (if  the  solution  be  sufficiently  concentrated  a 
yellowish-white  precipitate  of  dinitro-naphthol  is  here  produced), 
after  cooling,  agitation  with  ether  will  remove  the  dinitro-naphthol ; 
the  aqueous  solution  of  a  red  color,  neutralized  with  ammonia  and 
evaporated  to  dryness,  will  give  on  addition  of  sulphuric  acid  a 
bright-red  color,  and,  upon  dilution  with  water,  a  yellow  solution 
(tropseolin). — Dr.  G.  Possetto,  Ztschr.  f.  Nahrungsm.-Untcrs.u.Hyg. 
1 891,  45- 
Empyreumatic  substances  in  acetic  acid  may  be  removed  by  adding 
3  per  cent,  manganese  dioxide  (or  a  manganate  or  permanganate) 
with  the  calculated  quantity  of  sulphuric  acid,  allowing  to  stand  12 
to  18  hours,  then  warming  moderately  until  evolution  of  gas  ceases 
