208 
Crab' Orchard  Salt, 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1     May  1, 1871. 
apotheme.  This  was  separated  by  filtration,  and  strong  alcohol  added 
to  the  filtrate,  which  precipitated  gum.  On  again  filtering,  the  infu- 
sion was  evaporated  to  the  consistence  of  a  syrup  and,  on  cooling, 
washed  with  strong  ether,  which  took  up  erythrocentaurin  and  de- 
posited it  on  spontaneous  evaporation.  Erythrocentaurin,  as  thus 
obtained,  is  a  non-nitrogenous  principle,  in  small  acicular  crystals, 
which  are  transparent,  but  in  this  case  were  contaminated  with  yellow 
coloring  matter,  and,  being  in  such  a  small  quantity,  the  experimenter 
feared  losing  them  in  decolorizing. 
The  crystals  have  a  sharp  acrid  taste,  reminding  one  of  tobacco, 
and  are  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  water,  alkalies  in  solution,  and 
acids,  but  insoluble  in  fixed  and  volatile  oils,  being  also  slightly  vola- 
tilized by  heat. 
The  only  proofs  that  they  are  similar  to  erythrocentaurin  of  the 
Tiuropean  Centaury  are :  1st,  that  they  exist  in  the  same  minute 
•quantity.  2d,  that  they  are  reddened  by  solar  light,  but  if  dissolved 
and  recrystallized,  regain  their  original  color.  Therefore  there  is  not 
n  doubt  but  that  these  principles  are  similar  in  composition  and  cha- 
racter. 
[The  author  made  a  series  of  experiments  to  determine  the  proximate 
composition  of  American  Centaury,  and  found,  besides  erythrocen- 
taurin, resin,  chlorophyll,  fatty  matter,  gum,  albumen,  pectin,  bitter 
extractive,  trace  of  volatile  oil,  an  organic  acid,  red  coloring  matter 
and  salts.  The  author  was  unsuccessful  in  his  attempts  to  isolate 
and  crystallize  the  bitter  principle. 
The  author  regards  the  aqueous  extract  as  the  most  concentrated 
pharmaceutical  preparation  ;  he  gave  ten  grains  of  it  to  a  half  grown 
cat,  which  in  a  short  time  appeared  to  be  under  the  influence  of  a 
narcotic  sedative  ;  after  sleep,  lasting  for  two  hours,  violent  purga- 
tion set  in,  causing  death  in  24  hours. — Editor.] 
CRAB  ORCHARD  SALT. 
By  John  T.  Yiley. 
(From  the  Author's  Inaugural  Essay.) 
This  salt  is  obtained  from  the  mineral  waters  near  Crab  Orchard, 
a  small  town  in  Lincoln  County,  Kentucky,  from  which  place  it 
derives  its  name.  In  the  year  1824  or  1825,  a  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  James  Dollins  first  noticed  on  his  farm  a  crystalline  salt. 
