AmAprii;iP398rm'}    Rhizome  and  Rootlets  of  Plantago  Major,  189 
All  samples  responded  readily  to  Vitali's  test  for  solanaceous 
alkaloids  except  No.  11,  the  foreign  sample,  which  failed  to  do  so, 
probably  through  presence  of  some  interfering  impurity  not  removed 
by  ordinary  means.  The  alkaloid  separated  from  it,  however, 
showed  a  feeble  midriatic  effect  on  the  eye  of  a  cat  in  a  dilution  of 
1  in  12,000.  This  plaster  differs  from  the  others  also  in  other 
respects.  It  contains  very  little  rubber,  although  stated  to  be  "  India 
rubber  plaster."  While  all  others  are  black,  it  is  light-brown, 
although  it  is  evidently  made  from  leaf  extract,  judging  from  the 
presence  of  chlorophyll.  Only  one  other  of  the  number  examined, 
No.  2,  was  made  from  the  leaf  extract. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  table,  the  plasters  are  not  all  spread 
with  uniform  thickness.  No.  8,  although  containing  twice  as  much 
alkaloid  as  No.  6  on  the  basis  of  the  mass,  actually  contains  less 
than  the  latter  on  the  basis  of  square  measure. 
The  work  comprised  in  this  paper  was  undertaken  at  the  instance 
of  Dr.  Charles  Rice  and  Dr.  Virgil  Coblentz,  to  both  of  whom  the 
writer  is  much  indebted  for  valuable  aid  and  suggestions. 
Pharmaceutical  Laboratory  of  the  New  York 
College  of  Pharmacy,  March,  1898. 
ANALYSIS  OF  THE  RHIZOME  AND  ROOTLETS  OF 
PLANTAGO  MAJOR,  LINNE. 
By  J.  Frank  Stkawinski. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy,  Xo.  175. 
The  results  of  an  analysis  of  the  leaves  of  this  plant  were  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Rosenbaum  in  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy 
in  1886. 
The  proximate  analysis  of  the  rhizome  and  rootlets  described 
herein  was  undertaken  with  the  view  of  adding  to  the  results  of  the 
foregoing  work,  and  of  contributing  to  the  knowledge  of  the  con- 
stituents of  this  well-known  plant. 
The  rhizome  and  rootlets  used  in  the  work  were  collected  from 
wild-growing  plants  by  the  writer.  The  two  parts  were  carefully 
separated,  cleaned  and  dried.  The  relative  proportions  of  the  two 
parts  as  they  occur  in  nature  are  30-5  of  rhizome  and  19  5  of  rootlets. 
