418  Examinations  of  American  Drugs.  {Amsi™.^886?rm"' 
coarsely  powdered,  boiled  with  water,  the  decoction  precipitated  with 
basic  lead  acetate,  the  filtrate  treated  with  H2S,  again  filtered  and 
evaporated ;  the  soft  extract  was  treated  with  alcohol,  and  the  filtrate 
on  evaporation  yielded  an  extract  like  mass  in  which  minute  crystals 
could  be  seen  with  a  magnifying  glass,  and  which,  dissolved  in  water, 
yielded  with  ammonia  and  phosphomolybdic  acid  a  beautiful  blue 
color.    The  mass  probably  contained  arbutin. 
Exhausted  with  benzin  the  leaves  yielded  a  soft  sticky  extract,  con- 
taining wax,  resin  and  fixed  oil ;  it  did  not  give  a  blue  color  with  am- 
monia and  phosphomolybdic  acid.  The  leaves,  previously  treated  with 
benzin,  gave  an  alcoholic  tincture  containing  considerable  tannin,  and 
subsequently  yielded  an  infusion  in  which  gummy  matters  were  pres- 
ent.   The  air-dry  leaves  yielded  3J  per  cent  of  ash. 
Plantago  major,  Lin. — The  leaves  of  this  plant  were  examined  by 
David  Rosenbaum.  Petroleum  benzin  extracted  4  per  cent,  of  wax 
and  chlorophyll,  the  extract  fusing  at  83°  C.  Ether  dissolved  4*4 
per  cent,  of  resin  and  chlorophyll.  The  alcohol  extract  weighed  10  per 
cent.,  6  per  cent,  being  soluble  in  water,  this  portion  containing  con- 
siderable sugar ;  the  remaining  4  parts  were  dissolved  by  ammonia. 
The  soluble  matter  taken  up  by  water  weighed  13  per  cent.,  7*2  of 
which  was  insoluble  in  66  per  cent,  alcohol.  Soda  solution  dissolved 
6  per  cent.,  and  diluted  acid  10  per  cent.,  the  latter  containing  a  nota- 
ble quantity  of  calcium  oxalate.  The  bleached  lignin  weighed  35.5 
per  cent.  The  powdered  leaves  contained  8  per  cent,  of  moisture  and 
yielded  12*85  per  cent,  of  ash,  2*85  of  which  was  soluble  in  water  and 
9*50  soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid.  Tannin,  saponin,  alkaloid,  etc.,. 
were  not  found. 
It  will  be  of  interest  to  mention  in  connection  with  the  above  the 
results  obtained  by  Th.  Koller,  in  1868  {N.  Jahrb.  d.  Phar.,xxx,  139), 
with  the  leaves  of  Plantago  major,  lanceolata  and  media ;  he  found 
them  to  contain  chlorophyll,  resin,  wax,  albumin,  pectin,  citric  acid 
and  oxalic  acid. 
Hamamelis  virginica,  Lin. — Witchhazel  bark  has  been  subjected  to 
analysis  by  Walter  B.  Cheney,  Ph.G.,  with  the  following  results :  The 
yield  of  ash  was  6*16  per  cent ,  and  it  consisted  of  sulphate,  chloride, 
phosphate  and  carbonate  of  potassium,  sodium  and  magnesium,  man- 
ganese and  silica.  The  air-dry  powder  contained  9*75  per  cent,  of 
moisture  and  yielded  1*15  per  cent,  of  benzin  extract,  which  was  also 
soluble  in  ether,  absolute  alcohol,  benzol,  chloroform  and  oil  of  tur- 
