614  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  {Am'DSaS.arm' 
which  is  nearly  insoluble  in  water  and  petroleum  benzin,  sparingly 
soluble  in  ether  and  carbon  bisulphide,  and  freely  soluble  in  alcohol, 
acetone,  chloroform  and  glacial  acetic  acid.  Sulphuric  acid  colors  it 
brown  and  afterward  purplish  red ;  hydrochloric  acid  produces  a  rose 
color,  and  nitric  acid  forms  with  it  a  red  resin.  It  has  been  found 
efficient  by  Dr.  Isnard  in  intermittent  fever,  in  doses  of  01  to 
0-2  gm. 
A  similar  principle  has  been  obtained  by  Fliickiger  from  the  gray 
seeds  of  Guilandina  Bonducella.  Linne  (see  Pharmqcographia, 
p.  212). 
Sumbul  root. — Angelic  acid  does  not  pre-exist  in  this  root ;  for  ac- 
cording to  Ernst  Schmidt  (Archiv  d.  Phar.,  June  1886,  p.  528)  it  is 
not  extracted  by  boiling  the  root  with  a  weak  solution  of  sodium  car- 
bonate, acetic  acid,  probably  mixed  with  some  fatty  acids,  being  found 
in  the  distillate.  But  on  treating  the  balsam  obtained  with  hot  pre- 
troleum  benzin,  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of  potassa,  angelic  acid  is 
formed,  together  with  the  isomeric  methylcrotonic  acid,  probably  by 
the  decomposition  of  one  of  the  constituents  of  the  root. 
Cacumis  myriocarpms,  Oliver,  is  known  in  southern  Africa  as  caeur. 
The  medicinal  portion  of  the  plant  is  the  fruit,  which  is  yellow,  sub- 
globose,  about  the  size  of  a  large  gooseberry,  somewhat  soft-prickly, 
weighs  from  60  to  100  grains,  and  contains  numerous  seeds.  The  pulp 
has  a  faint  cucumber-like  odor  and  a  decidedly  bitter  taste,  is  soft  and 
viscid,  and  becomes  more  fluid  on  being  warmed.  The  Kaffirs  use 
the  green  fruit  as  an  emetic,  heating  it  first  and  then  squirting  the  pulp 
of  two  fruits  into  the  mouth,  when  emesis  occurs  in  about  fifteen 
minutes.  The  rind  of  the  fruit  and  the  testa  of  the  seed  are  slightly 
bitter;  the  embryo  is  tasteless.  Dr.  G.  Armstrong  Atkinson  (Edinb. 
Med.  Jour.,  July,  1886)  found  the  pulp  to  act  as  a  cholagogue  pur- 
gative when  given  in  non-emetic  doses.  Its  emetic  action  appears  to 
be  local,  and  to  be  followed  by  purgation  in  case  a  sufficient  amount 
of  the  pulp  had  been  retained. 
Cyclamen  europceum,  Lin. — The  tubers  contain  a  peculiar  left-rota- 
ting sugar,  cydamose,  C12H22On  which  was  obtained  by  Michan  |  Chem. 
News)  from  the  concentrated  tincture  by  precipitating  with  absolute 
alcohol,  dissolving  the  precipitate  in  water  with  the  aid  of  lime,  again 
precipitating  by  alcohol,  and  decomposing  the  lime  compound  with 
carbonic  acid  gas ;  the  watery  solution  of  the  sugar  is  then  evaporated 
over  sulphuric  acid. 
