560  Growth  and  Development  of  Claviceps  purpurea.  {AmN^:if^^ 
brown  resin,  albumen,  papayotin,  extractive  matter,  malic  acid,  pectin 
and  moisture. 
Papayotin,  the  active  principle,  is  best  obtained  without  heat  by  pre- 
cipitating it  directly  from  an  aqueous  solution  of  the  milk-juice  with 
alcohol ;  it  is  an  amorphous,  snow-white  powder,  not  hygroscopic,  odor- 
less, almost  tasteless,  slightly  sweetish  and  astringent,  is  insoluble  in 
ether,  alcohol,  chloroform,  petroleum-ether,  in  volatile  and  fatty  oils, 
but  very  soluble  in  glycerin  and  water. 
Uses  of  Carica  Papaya. — The  ripe  fruits  are  eaten  with  or  without 
sugar,  or  are  made  into  a  confection  or  fruit  butter  with  sugar  and  a 
little  lemon  juice.  The  unripe  fruits  are  peeled,  the  seeds  removed  and 
the  fruits  grated  and  boiled  with  sugar  to  a  pulp  ;  or  they  are  sliced 
and  preserved  with  hot  vinegar  like  pickles.  A  syrup  is  made  from  the 
expressed  juice  in  the  Province  of  San  Paulo  which  is  recommended 
as  a  sedative  and  expectorant,  and  is  given  in  tablespoonful  doses.  The 
milky  juice,  taken  internally,  is  said  to  produce  inflammation  of  the 
bowels,  but  is  given  successfully  in  small  doses  as  a  vermifuge.  An 
aqueous  solution  of  it  is  highly  recommended  as  a  lotion  for  skin 
diseases  and  freckles.  The  seeds  are  also  used  as  a  vermifuge,  while 
the  leaves  are  utilized  by  the  Indians  who  roll  their  meat  in  them, 
claiming  that  it  becomes  tender  and  acquires  a  pleasant  taste  ;  reduced 
to  a  paste,  they  are  used  as  a  cataplasm.  The  stems  are  used  as  pipe- 
stems. 
THE  GROWTH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  CLAVICEPS 
PURPUREA  (Tulasne). 
By  W.  W.  Stoddart,  F.C.S  ,  F.G.S.,  etc.,  Lecturer  on  Forensic  Medicine  at 
University  College,  Bristol. 
Read  before  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference. 
At  the  end  of  the  year  1877,  a  farmer  residing  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Bristol  requested  me  to  investigate  the  death  of  some  sheep,  which 
had  taken  place  every  autumn  without  any  assignable  cause,  so  much  so 
that  a  heavy  loss  was  annually  incurred.  Many  visits  were  conse- 
quently paid  to  the  farm  for  the  purpose  of  finding  out  the  cause  of 
disease.  I  noticed  that  the  sheep  were  fed  only  on  the  natural  herbage 
grown  on  the  spot.  It  consisted  of  two  kinds  of  clover,  the  ordinary 
Dutch  [Trifolium  repens  L.)  and  the  common  purple  [T,  pratense,  L.). 
With  these  were  the  ray  grass  (Lolium  perenne,  L.),  or  as  it  is  com- 
