ON  THE  ALKALOIDS  OF  HYDRASTIS. 
499 
briefly  reported  the  result,  when  Prof.  Parrish,  in  his  letter  of 
March  8th,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  specimens,  says  : 
"  The  Hydrastina,  and  Muriate  of  *  Hydrastia',  (Berberina,)  and 
the  salt  of  Sanguinarina  are  very  acceptable,  and  are  placed  in 
the  College  cabinet,  and  adds,  « I  suppose  you  have  seen  the  late 
analysis  of  a  Chicago  chemist,  transferred  to  the  American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy  for  the  current  month.  This  whole  subject 
of  the  proximate  principles  of  the  hydrastis  requires  further 
ventilation." 
In  fact,  however,  I  had  not  seen  the  article  of  Dr.  Mahla  re- 
ferred to,  and  the  above  word  in  parenthesis  was  the  first  inti- 
drastin.  Subsequently  to  this — August,  1857 — Mr.  H.  A.  Tilden,  of  New 
Lebanon,  sent  us  some  samples  of  vegetable  principles,  and  among  them 
two  labelled  as  follows:  "  Hydrastia,"  in  silky  crystals,  and  "  Hydrastina 
alkaloid,"  a  yellow  amorphous  powder.  At  that  time  we  supposed  it  also  was 
Durand's  alkaloid,  with  yellow  coloring  matter,  in  a  pulverized  condition,  but 
now,  on  trial,  it  is  soluble  in  water  to  a  considerable  extent,  coloring  it  yel- 
low, and  the  solution  restores  the  color  of  reddened  litmus,  and  it  is  pro- 
bably berberina. 
Mr.  Merrill's  allusion  to  the  specimens  sent  to  Mr.  Parrish,  therefore, 
have  nothing  to  do  in  deciding  the  case,  as  pure  specimens  of  the  same  had 
been  in  our  private  cabinet  for  five  years  previously,  as  will  be  seen  above. 
It  will  be  observed  that  Mr.  Merrill  recedes  from  his  position  in  his 
former  paper,  that  hydrastin  is  not  berberina,  he  having  been  misled  by 
the  impurity  of  his  sample  of  berberina. 
We  also  wish  to  remark  on  Mr.  Merrill's  views  in  regard  to  the  naming 
of  those  principles.  He  calls  Durand's  alkaloid  Hydrastina,  and  the 
berberina  alkaloid  Hydrastia.  We  protest  against  this  suggestion. 
Durand  distinctly  claims  for  his  alkaloid  (see  page  117,  vol.  23d,  of  the 
Amer.  Journ.  Pharm,,)  if  his  assertion  of  its  alkaline  nature  is  corrobo- 
rated, the  name  of  hydrastia.  Now,  as  it  is  the  only  peculiar  alkaloid  in 
hydrastis,  it  is  entitled  to  that  name,  1st,  because  it  was  given  to  it  by  Du- 
rand in  1851,  and  2d,  because  it  is  the  proper  derivative  for  an  alkaloid 
from  the  name  hydrastis.  Mr.  Merrill  argues  that  because  berberina  is 
more  abundant  in  the  hydrastis  than  in  other  sources,  it  should  be  called 
hydrastia.  This  will  not  do,  because  berberina  is  fpund  in  at  least  four 
distinct  drugs,  and  Columbo  has  equal  claims..  He  also  suggests  "  Xanthia" 
from  its  color.  This  is  a  beautiful  name,  and  might  have  been  appro- 
priately used  at  first,  but  it  is  not  probable  that  this  name  will  be  adopted, 
as  M.  Buchner,  Sr.  and  Son,  in  1835,  described  this  alkaloid  in  great  de- 
tail, and  gave  it  its  present  name,  (see  Journ,  de  Pharm.,  vol.  xxi.  page  408.) 
Lastly,  injustice  to  Mr.  Durand,  we  wish  to  remove  the  impression  con. 
