Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1891. 
Cannabis  Indica. 
387 
In  1846,  T.  and  H.  Smith,  of  Edinburgh,  published  in  Pharm. 
Jour.,  vol.  6,  p.  171,  a  method  for  the  preparation  of  hemp  resin, 
which  they  claim  is  the  active  principle. 
In  1857,  Personne  published  an  article  in  Jour,  de  Pharm.,  vol. 
39,  p.  48,  which  states  that  he  received  a  volatile  oil  by  distillation 
of  the  plant  with  water.  This  volatile  oil  was  composed  of  two 
hydrocarbons ;  one  (C18H20)  a  light  hydrocarbon,  the  other  (C18H22) 
a  solid  crystalline  substance.  To  the  former  he  gave  the  name  can- 
nabene,  to  the  latter  hydride  of  cannabene.  This  oil  he  claims  to 
be  the  only  active  principle. 
In  1883,  Dr.  Mathew  Hay  made  a  chemical  examination  of  this 
drug,  and  claimed  to  have  found  an  alkaloid,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  tetano-cannabine.    {Pharm.  Jour.  Trans.,  vol.  13,  p.  998.) 
In  1884,  Warden  and  Waddell,  of  Bengal  Medical  Service,  after 
diligent  search,  failed  to  isolate  Dr.  Hay's  alkaloid.  (Pharm.  Jour. 
Trans.,  vol.  15,  p.  574-) 
In  1884,  Merck  of  Darmstadt  applied  the  term  cannabin  tannate 
to  a  glucoside  contained  in  Indian  Hemp,  which  he  combined  with 
tannin.  Dr.  Dornmuller  asserts  that  this  tannate  of  cannabin  has 
soporific  effects,  but  Dr.  H.  C.  Wood  has  found  it  to  be  inert  phys- 
iologically.   {Pharm.  Jour.  Trans.,  vol.  15,  p.  574). 
In  1876,  Preobraschensky  operated  on  hashish  obtained  from 
Turkestan.  He  asserted  that  the  active  principle  was  not  a  resin 
but  an  alkaloidal  body  which  he  recognized  as  nicotine.  {Pharm. 
Zeit.f.  Russian d,  p.  705.) 
In  1886,  Kennedy  made  a  search  for  nicotine  in  Indian  hemp 
without  success,  but  obtained  indications  of  the  presence  of  another 
alkaloid.     (Proceedings  Am.  Phar.  A.,  1886,  p.  119.) 
In  1 88 1,  Louis  Siebold  and  T.  Bradbury  examined  Indian 
hemp  for  nicotine.  They  failed  to  find  the  same,  but  separated 
what  they  stated  to  be  a  volatile  alkaloid,  and  gave  it  the  name 
cannabinine.    An  outline  of  their  method  is  as  follows : 
Ten  pounds  of  Indian  hemp  were  placed  in  a  still,  with  a  suitable 
quantity  of  water,  rendered  powerfully  alkaline  with  caustic  soda, 
treated  with  steam  until  one-half  of  the  water  was  carried  over. 
This  aqueous  solution  was  neutralized,  treated  with  ether,  the  ether- 
eal liquid  rejected,  the  aqueous  solution  then  made  alkaline,  and 
shaken  out  with  ether  several  times ;  the  united  ethereal  solutions 
were  allowed  to  evaporate  to  dryness  at  an  ordinary  temperature, 
