Am'oc0tu,ri8^oarm'}  Aloes  in  Curacao.  505 
ether,  and  to  some  extent  in  boiling  alcohol,  solidifying  in  the  cold. 
It  softened  a  little  above  yo°  C,  at  the  temperature  of  boiling  water 
melted  to  a  brown  liquid,  and  with  sufficient  heat  it  burnt  away  on 
platinum  foil  with  a  smoky  flame.  The  soluble  portion  of  the  ether 
extract  was  evaporated ;  the  residue  was  acid  in  reaction,  and  .pro- 
duced a  numbing  sensation  on  the  tongue,  and  at  the  same  time 
caused  a  copious  flow  of  saliva.  This  fatty  residue  was  treated  with 
petroleum  ether,  which  dissolved  some  fatty  acid,  crystalline  and 
fragrant,  and  left  a  brown  resin.  The  resin  had  the  properties  of 
pyrethrin.  Besides  its  action-  on  the  tongue,  it  was  soluble  in  proof 
spirit,  ether,  chloroform  and  bisulphide  of  carbon;  insoluble  in 
ammonia,  caustic  and  carbonated  alkalies,  and  but  slightly  soluble 
in  cold  petroleum  ether.  It  dissolved  in  nitric  acid  with  evolution 
of  gas,  and  in  sulphurjc  acid  with  a  reddish  brown  color  and  evolv- 
ing the  odor  of  butyric  acid. 
The  alcoholic  extract  contained  an  organic  acid  in  addition  to 
some  saccharine  matter  reducing  Fehling's  solution,  and  no  traces 
of  an  alkaloid.  The  organic  acid  was  darkened  in  color  with  ferric 
salts,  gave  an  orange  precipitate  with  plumbic  acetate,  and  caused 
no  deposit  in  gelatin  solution.  The  water  extract  contained  1 5  per 
cent,  of  a  carbohydrate  precipitated  in  a  pulverulent  form  with  three 
volumes  of  alcohol. 
Pellitory  root  contains  5  per  cent,  of  pyrethrin,1  with  certain  oily 
and  fatty  matters,  about  half  its  weight  of  inulin,  and  a  small 
quantity  of  tannin  (?).  The  sweet  pellitory  contains  a  minute  pro- 
portion of  pyrethrin  (the  entire  ether  extract  amounting  to  only  one 
per  cent.),  with  fat  and  wax,  an  organic  acid  possessing  pigmental 
properties,  glucose  and  inulin.  The  sweet  pellitory  is  so  named 
not  so  much,  I  should  consider,  from  the  amount  of  sugar  it  con- 
tains as  from  the  small  amount  of  the  acrid  and  pungent  principle. 
THE  PREPARATION  OF  ALOES  IN  CURACAO.2 
The  curacao  aloes  of  commerce  is  produced  principally  in  the 
three  islands  of  Curacao,  Aruba  and  Bonaire,  Dutch  possessions  in 
the  Caribbean  Sea  north  of  the  coast  of  Venezuela.  The  majority  of 
the  plants  belong  to  the  species  Aloe  vulgaris,  although  it  is  prob- 
able that  occasionally  the  A.  spicata  is  also  met  with  ;  but,  even  if 
1  C.  J.  S.  Thompson,  Pharm.  Journ.,  [3],  xvii,  567. 
2  From  the  Chemist  and  Druggist. 
