88  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica 
thy  line  has  an  ansesthetic  action  similar  to  cocaine.  The  author  in- 
tends to  investigate  other  homologous  alkaloids. 
Poisoning  by  Bryonia. — Dr.  C.  Dickson  reports  (Austral.  Med. 
Gaz.),  a  case  of  poisoning  by  the  homoeopathic  tincture,  which  is  made 
from  the  expressed  juice  of  bryonia  root,  mixed  with  an  equal  bulk  of 
alcohol.  80  minims  were  taken,  producing  symptoms  resembling 
those  from  excessive  doses  of  veratrum.  The  treatment  consisted  in 
giving  stimulants  like  ammonia,  coffee,  and  amyl  nitrite,  and  in  apply- 
ing heat  to  the  extremities. 
Myristica  surinamensis,  Roland. — C.  L.  Reimer  and  W.  Will  (Ber. 
D.  Ch.  Ges.j  1885,  p.  2011),  describes  the  fruit  (seed?)  as  being  of  the 
size  and  shape  of  a  cherry,  and  invested  with  a  dark-gray  ribbed  and 
very  fragile  shell,  enclosing  a  light  brown  hard  kernel  which  is  in- 
ternally marbled  white  and  brown ;  odor  faint,  aromatic ;  taste  pecu- 
liar, somewhat  resembling  that  of  cocoanut  oil.  The  shells  weigh 
about  16  per  cent.,  and  the  kernels  yield  with  hot  ether  73  per  cent, 
of  fat  which  is  light  brown-yellow,  hard,  crystalline,  melts  at  45°  C, 
possesses  a  slight  not  disagreeable  odor,  and  is  readily  soluble  in  ether, 
benzol  and  chloroform,  but  only  partially  so  in  petroleum  benzin  and 
hot  alcohol,  the  latter  solvents  leaving  6'6  per  cent,  of  a  yellowish 
translucent  caoutchouc-like  substance.  The  fat  now  contains  about 
6*5  per  cent,  of  free  acid.  It  gives  with  strong  sulphuric  acid  a 
fuchsin-colored  solution  which  gradually  becomes  colorless  with  the 
separation  of  brown  flocks.  The  pure  fat  consists  almost  entirely  of 
myristin  and  the  free  acid  of  myristic  acid. 
Myristica  Bicuhyba,  Schott. — The  seeds  have  a  black  fragile  testa 
with  broad  furrows,  and  a  kernel  resembling  nutmegs  in  form,  struc- 
ture and  size,  and  having  an  agreeable  cacao-like  odor,  and  a  taste 
resembling  that  of  butter  of  cacao,  somewhat  suet-like  and  with  a 
bitter  after- taste.  The  kernel  is  readily  scratched  with  the  finger-nail, 
and  by  trituration  in  a  mortar  is  easily  converted  into  a  soft  mass. 
H.  Noerdlinger  (Ber.  B.  Ch.  Ges.,  1885,  2617),  determined  the  seeds 
to  contain  water  6  per  cent.,  and  fat  59*6  per  cent.;  the  shells  consti- 
tute 15*5  per  cent,  of  the  weight  and  contain  11*2  water  and  2  fat, 
while  the  dried  kernels  contain  73.7  fat.  The  crushed  seeds  subjected 
to  hydraulic  pressure  yielded  47*56  per  cent,  of  fat,  and  the  press 
cake  contained  8*86  water,  4-50  ash,  17'74  fat,  30-62  tissue,  17'62 
protein  and  20*66  non-nitrogenous  extractive.  The  fat  extracted  by 
ether  is  light  yellow,  and  its  ethereal  solution  yields  shining  white 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I        Feb.,  1886. 
