NOTE  ON  A  FALSE  JALAP. 
391 
named  as  occasional  adulterations  of  true  jalap,  such  as  Mirabilis 
jalapa  [Radix  metalistce),  Asclepias,  and  Bryonia. 
"  For  the  above  reasons  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  origin  of 
this  tuber,  which  might  be  called  mealy  jalap,  comes  from  a 
convolvulaceous  plant,  probably  nearly  related  to  the  true  jalap 
plant. 
"  Some  eight  years  ago  a  jalap  was  imported  into  New  York? 
which,  as  far  as  I  can  remember,  agrees  in  structure  with  the 
specimen  now  before  me  ;  but  the  former  cannot  at  present  be 
examined.  I  remember,  however,  that  at  the  time  of  its  im- 
portation it  was  supposed  to  be  true  jalap  deprived  of  its  re- 
sin, whilst  an  examination  made  by  me,  of  which  I  kept  no 
record,  showed  the  absence  of  resin  cells,  but  a  general  agree- 
ment in  structure  with  true  jalap.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  false 
tuber  now  shown  is  not  new  in  our  market. 
"  Yours,  truly,  John  M.  Maisch." 
The  tubers,  from  their  shrivelled  appearance,  may  have  been 
collected  at  the  wrong  season,  and,  as  it  is  well  known  in  the 
case  of  sanguinaria,  podophyllum,  etc.,  the  proximate  constitution 
of  such  samples  is  very  much  altered  from  that  of  the  drug  col- 
lected in  the  autumn. 
One  hundred  grains  of  the  tuber  were  reduced  by  bruising  and 
cutting  sufficiently  fine  to  be  extracted  by  alcohol,  95  per  cent., 
to  which  it  yielded  22  per  cent,  of  its  weight.  The  alcoholic  ex- 
tract possessed  the  jalap  odor  of  the  root  very  decidedly.  The 
tincture  affording  it  had  a  decided  acid  reaction,  a  brown  color, 
and  the  odor  of  the  root.  The  alcoholic  extract  was  then  treated 
with  ether  by  repeated  malaxations,  until  it  was  exhausted.  The 
ethereal  tincture  of  the  extract  was  brown-colored,  had  a  decided 
acid  reaction,  and  on  evaporation  afforded  two  grains  of  a  soft 
extract,  strongly  odorous  of  jalap,  with  a  decided  acid  reaction. 
The  residue,  undissolved  by  ether,  when  treated  with  water  was 
largely  dissolved,  leaving  a  brownish  pulverulent  residue  un- 
dissolved, weighing  two  grains,  which  was  soluble  in  liquor  po- 
tassse  with  heat,  and  not  precipitated  by  hydrochloric  acid.  The 
watery  washings  of  the  alcoholic  extract,  after  treatment  by 
ether,  were  dark  brown  colored,  and  contained  the  larger  part 
of  the  matter,  extracted  by  alcohol  from  the  root.    When  boiled 
