616  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medim.  {AmDe°c^iSTm' 
between  60°  and  70°C.,  it  turns  yellow,  melts  at  122°C.,  sublimes 
partly  undecomposed  on  being  carefully  heated  in  a  retort,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  the  solvents  mentioned  before,  dissolves  freely  in  petroleum- 
benzin,  amyl  alcohol  and  carbon  disulphide.  Ultimate  analysis  led  to 
the  formula  CnH18N".  On  mixing  a  trace  of  the  alkaloid  with  water 
and  adding  in  a  thin  stream  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  a  golden  yellow 
color  appears  at  the  bottom  of  the  dish,  and  after  twelve  hours  the 
whole  liquid  is  green.  The  colorless  solution  of  the  alkaloid  in  strong 
sulphuric  acid  gradually  becomes  yellowish  green  and  finally  light 
violet.  The  same  solution  heated  by  steam  changes  in  five  minutes  to 
dark  green,  and  on  the  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  water  becomes  blue- 
green.  The  same  solution  mixed  with  a  trace  of  nitric  acid  changes 
to  golden  yellow  and  orange  yellow. 
Prof.  PolstorfF  (Berichte,  1886,  p.  1682)  has  likewise  prepared  the 
alkaloid  from  the  seeds  of  Wrightia  antidysenterica  and  finds  it  to  agree 
with  conessine  in  melting  point  and  other  characters,  as  well  as  in  the 
behavior  to  acids  and  reagents ;  the  analytical  figures  agree  likewise 
well  with  the  first  formula. 
The  East  Indian  conessi  bark  is  known  in  Mauritius  as  u  remede 
Mauvis"  (Bull.  Soc.  med.  Maurice)  and  is  usually  prepared  by  mixing 
twenty  spoonfuls  of  the  powdered  bark  with  a  spoonful  of  a  mixture 
of  the  roasted  bark  with  arrowroot.  This  is  divided  into  doses  of 
25  gm.  each,  of  which  one  is  taken  daily,  infused  in  half  a  liter  of 
water. 
Anacharis  canadensis,  Planchon,  s.  A.  Alsinastrum,  Babington,  is 
declared  by  Mr.  Brandes  to  have  caused  the  disappearance  of  malaria 
and  diarrhoea  in  a  marshy  district  where  these  diseases  formerly 
appeared  yearly  in  a  sporadic  or  epidemic  form  (Med.  News,  Aug.  28, 
1886).  Whether  the  recommendation  to  plant  this  waterweed  in 
marshy  localities,  with  the  view  of  checking  malaria,  is  likely  to  be 
followed  by  the  desired  success,  may  probably  be  more  readily  ascer- 
tained in  malarial  districts  of  North  America.  The  plant  being 
quite  common  in  ditches,  ponds  and  slow  streams,  it  should  be  ascer- 
tained whether  it  is  absent  from  such  districts. 
Kauri  resin  is  considered  by  Dr.  B.  W.  Richardson  (Asclepiad, 
July,  1886),  to  be  useful  as  a  deodorizer  and  disinfectant,  either  com- 
bined with  iodine  or  by  burning  it,  when  it  gives  out  a  very  pleasant 
odor.  Water  mixed  with  the  powdered  resin  and  used  as  a  spray  in 
a  room  is  said  to  render  the  air  ozonic. 
