Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1886. 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
407 
GLEANINGS  IN  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
By  the  Editor. 
Quinine  Hydrates. — The  only  crystallized  quinine  hydrate  now 
known  is  prepared  by  Prof.  Fluckiger  (Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans., 
April  24,  1886,  p.  897)  by  adding  ammonia  to  an  aqueous  solution  of 
the  officinal  quinine  sulphate  saturated  at  about  15°  C.  (59°  F.)  until 
the  precipitate  is  reclissolved ;  after  some  clays  fine  tufts  of  crystals 
make  their  appearance,  which  at  120°  C.  (248°  F.)  lose  14,24  per 
cent.,  or  3  molecules,  of  water.  By  precipitating  the  same  quinine 
solution  with  just  sufficient  ammonia  water,  an  amorphous  hydrate  of 
the  same  composition  is  obtained.  An  amorphous  hydrate  with  2  H20 
(10.13  per  cent.)  is  precipitated  by  ammonia  from  a  concentrated  solu- 
tion of  quinine  sulphate  prepared  with  the  aid  of  sulphuric  acid.  The 
existence  of  Fletcher's  monohydrate  seems  to  be  doubtful.  A  hydrate 
with  8  H20  was  prepared  by  Hanamann  in  1863,  and  one  with  9  H20 
by  Oudemans  in  1873.  The  benzol  compound  (C20H24N2O2)2+C6H6 
+  2  OH2,  described  by  Wood  and  Barret  in  1883,  has  also  been  ob- 
tained by  Fluckiger. 
Labdanum  of  Cyprus. — W.  T.  Thiselton  Dyer  procured  from  H. 
L.  Thompson,  the  Commissioner  of  Papho,  for  the  Kew  Museum  the 
instrument  used  for  the  collection  of  labdanum,  and  which  is  substan- 
tially the  same  as  the  Cretan  ladanisterion,  though  differing  in  some 
slight  details  as  to  form,  and  having  strings  instead  of  leather  thongs. 
—Phar.  Jour.,  1886. 
Minnesota  Opium. — During  the  year  1885  Emil  Weschcke  experi- 
mented on  the  cultivation  of  different  species  of  Papaver  at  New  Ulna, 
Minn.,  and  from  the  unripe  capsules  of  P.  somniferum  prepared  a 
quantity  of  opium  which,  in  the  air-dry  condition,  contained  2.8  per 
cent,  of  moisture,  and,  after  drying,  yielded  15.230  per  cent,  of  mor- 
phine, 0.325  per  cent,  of  narcotine,  0.416  of  codeine  and  3.500  per 
cent,  of  meconic  acid.  The  author  does  not  believe  that  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  poppy  for  the  production  of  opium  in  this  country  would 
be  attended  with  profit. — Contrib.  Dep.  Phar.,  Univ.  Wise,  1886, 
pp.  10-18. 
Yelloio  Opium  Mold. — Prof.  Wm.  Trelease  examined  the  bright 
yellow  fungus  which  is  sometimes  observed  on  opium.  It  is  the 
Eurotium  herbariorum,  Link,  and  this  was  shown  in  1854  by  DeBary 
to  be  the  ascosporic  fruit  of  one  of  the  common  green  molds,  Asper- 
