310 
GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
The  author,  by  distilling  several  portions  of  root  with  the  same 
water,  obtained  an  odorous  liquid,  entirely  transparent,  and  not 
rendered  milky  by  chloride  of  sodium,  though  less  transparent. 
No  particles  of  oil  separating  on  standing. 
A  hydro-alcoholic  tincture,  on  evaporation  to  dryness,  was 
dissolved  in  six  fluidounces  of  water,  and  the  solution  treated 
with  subacetate  of  lead  until  it  ceased  to  produce  a  precipitate. 
When  the  filtered  liquid  was  deprived  of  lead  by  sulphuretted 
hydrogen,  and  evaporated,  a  residue  of  pure  bitter  extract  re- 
mained. 
A  concentrated  tincture,  made  with  alcohol  sp.  gr.  -817  from 
eight  ounces  of  the  root,  when  reduced  to  four  fluidounces  by 
distillation,  and  set  aside,  deposited  numerous  acicular  crystals 
of  a  bright  yellow  color,  arranged  in  clusters,  inodorous,  agreea- 
bly bitter,  insoluble  in  water,  sparingly  so  in  cold  alcohol,  but 
freely  in  alcohol  when  hot.  These  crystals,  when  laid  on  moist 
litmus  paper,  reddened  it  decidedly.  Nitric  acid  dissolves 
them,  producing  a  blood-red  solution.  They  are  not  acted  on 
by  hydrochloric  acid,  but  sulphuric  and  chromic  acids  both  de- 
compose them. 
When  the  root  was  treated  by  the  process  for  berberina,  it  did 
not  afford  an  alkaloid,  but  only  a  resinous,  acrid,  bitter  substance, 
insoluble  in  water,  but  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether. 
The  alcoholic  extract  contains  saccharine  matter,  and  the 
ashes  contain  potassa,  lime,  magnesia,  and  oxide  of  iron. 
From  these  results  it  is  evident  that  Frazera  is  constituted 
quite  differently  from  Columba,  containing  neither  albumen, 
starch,  nor  berberina. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  Prof.  John  M.  Maisch. 
On  the  Detection  of  Strychnia.  Rieckher  has  isolated  strych- 
nia from  a  mixture  of  the  heart,  liver  and  lungs  of  a  steer  which 
had  been  kept  in  loosely  covered  bottles  for  eleven  years  and 
five  weeks,  and  undergone  putrefaction  during  that  time.  He 
gives  the  following  results  of  his  investigations  : 
1.  The  presence  of  strychnia  may  be  proven  by  its  intensely 
