304 
ON  ANEMONE  LUDOVICIANA. 
poeias  of  Germany,  had  a  sweetish,  astringent  taste  and  a  reddish 
brown  color,  very  closely  resembling  in  all  its  physical  proper- 
ties a  specimen  of  the  genuine  European  Extractum  Pulsatilla, 
obtained  from  Mr.  F.  L.  John. 
An  aqueous  extract  presented  nearly  the  same  appearance, 
but  differed  in  consistence,  being  much  softer,  and  also  in  taste, 
evidently  containing  a  large  proportion  of  grape  sugar. 
An  examination  of  the  dry  leaves  was  then  instituted.  A  cold 
infusion  was  prepared  by  macerating  250  grains  in  6  ounces  of 
water  for  twenty  hours,  and  expressing.  It  was  of  a  clear,  red- 
dish-brown color,  herbaceous  taste  and  odor.  After  standing 
for  a  short  time,  a  precipitate  appeared,  which  was  removed  by 
filtration.  Grape  sugar  and  tannic  acid  were  easily  detected, 
but  no  traces  of  vegetable  albumen  could  be  found.  Acetate  of 
lead  threw  down  much  gummy  matter. 
The  same  leaves  were  subsequently  digested  with  a  hot  so- 
lution of  carbonate  of  soda  and  strained.  A  light-colored,  yel- 
lowish gelatinous  mass  was  precipitated  from  this  by  dilute  sul- 
phuric acid.  On  cooling,  the  liquid  itself  was  observed  to  gela- 
tinize, showing  the  presence  of  some  compound  of  the  pectin 
series. 
Two  thousand  grains  of  the  bruised  leaves  of  Anemone  lu. 
doviciana  were  placed  in  the  still  of  a  Beindorff's  apparatus, 
and  steam  was  passed  through  them,  until  three  pints  of  dis- 
tilled liquid  had  been  condensed.  This  became  slightly  opales- 
cent on  standing,  depositing  on  the  sides  of  the  vessel  a  very 
thin  film  of  camphoraceous  matter.  It  had  an  acid  reaction  on 
litmus  paper,  but  not  in  any  very  marked  degree. 
Another  portion  of  one  thousand  grains  of  the  leaves  was 
then  placed  in  the  still  after  the  former  contents  had  been  re- 
moved, and  was  subjected  to  cohobation  with  the  liquid  previous- 
ly obtained.  The  properties  of  this  distillate  were  analogous  to 
those  of  the  first,  but  recognized  more  readily.  The  peculiar 
taste  and  camphoraceous  odor  were  very  perceptible,  the  acid 
reaction  on  litmus  paper  stronger.  A  very  thin  iridescent  film 
was  observed  floating  on  the  surface. 
The  liquid  was  then  placed  in  an  air-tight  vessel,  and  suffer- 
ed to  remain  at  rest  for  twenty  days  in  a  cool  cellar.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  time,  traces  of  a  whitish  deposit  were  observed, 
