Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
May,  1888.  / 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
235 
Physiological  action. — The  medicinal  properties  of  the  drug  were 
experimented  with  fully.  The  ethereal  and  alcoholic  extracts  were 
taken  internally,  representing  in  each  case  up  to  20  gm.  of  the  drug; 
the  latter  produced  some  griping  effects,  but  neither,  cathartic  results- 
An  aqueous  infusion  produced  cathartic  effects,  but  in  half  times  larger 
dose  than  the  officinal  senna.  The  active  principle  obtained  from  the 
drug  was  also  taken,  producing  decided  cathartic  effects. 
In  conclusion,  the  writer  would  state  as  his  belief,  that  American 
senna  does  contain  an  active  principle,  which  responds  to  the  cathartic 
acid  of  Alexandria  senna  in  all  respects,  existing  in  the  former  drug 
only  in  smaller  quantity. 
GLEANINGS  IN  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
By  the  Editor. 
Scopolia  japonica. — Martin  stated  in  1878  that  Japanese  bella- 
donna root  contains  solanine,  but  does  not  yield  atropine.  In  1880 
Langgaard  announced  the  presence  of  two  alkaloids  resembling  atro- 
pine in  physiological  action,  and  which  were  desiginated  as  scopoleine 
and  rotoine.  Eykman,  in  1883,  regarded  scopoleine  as  probably 
identical  with  one  of  the  alkaloids  of  the  atropine  group,  and  isolated 
the  glucoside  scopolin  and  its  derivative  scopoletin.  E.  Schmidt  and 
H.  Henschke  have  recently  examined  the  alkaloids  (Archiv  d.  Phar.y 
March,  1888,  p.  185-202)  which  were  with  difficulty  separated  by 
fractional  precipitation  with  gold  chloride  into  atropine,  hyoscyamine 
and  hyoscine,  the  mother  liquor  containing  tropine;  choline  was  like- 
wise isolated  from  the  extract.  The  three  mydriatic  alkaloids  are 
present  in  the  commercial  root  in  very  variable  proportion,  and  in 
some  of  the  samples  hyoscine  was  wanting.  Commercial  scopoleine 
was  ascertained  to  consist  of  the  same  alkaloids  varying  in  proportion 
and  not  entirely  soluble  in  ether. 
Henschke  (^?'cte,1888,  p.  203-211)  has  also  isolated  the  fluorescent 
compound  scopoletin  which  is  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform, 
acetic  acid  and  in  boiling  water.  The  aqueous  and  alcoholic  solutions 
show  a  quinine-blue  fluorescence,  changing  to  bright  blue-green  on  the 
addition  of  alkalies.  Scopoletin  melts  at  199°C.  and  is  identical  with 
the  chrysatropic  acid  of  Kunz.  The  aqueous  solutions  of  both  com- 
pounds are  colored  black-green  by  strong  nitric  acid ;  by  gold  chloride 
