'^'^jan''e!'i88^8^''°''}  Ipecacuanha  Wine,  299 
NOTES  OX  IPECACUANHA  WINE.^ 
By  C.  a.  MacPheeson. 
The  more  important  of  previous  publications  on  the  subject  were 
reviewed,  and  numerous  experiments  by  the  author  himself  were 
recorded  in  detail.  First,  referring  to  the  nature  of  the  extract  of 
ipecacuanha  which  is  obtained  in  the  course  of  the  pharmcopoeial  pro- 
cess, it  was  shown  as  the  result  of  five  experiments  that  the  amount  of 
the  extract  varies  with  the  root  employed.  Thus,  three  specimens  of 
root  gave  (1)  86,  (2)  95 J,  and  (3)  99  grains  of  the  extract  per  oz.  The 
first  of  these  when  used  in  finer  powder  (No.  40)  gave  90  j  grains  of 
extract ;  both,  however,  were  nearly  alike  as  to  the  percentage  of 
matter  insoluble  in  sherry — viz.,  25*58  and  25*61.  No.  2  extract  con- 
tained 21*72  per  cent,  of  insoluble  matter,  and  No.  3,  23*74  per  cent. 
Slight  modification  of  the  manner  of  percolating  the  drug  Avas  found 
to  materially  affect  the  nature  of  the  extract. 
The  author  then  proceeded  to  show  the  result  of  percolating  8  oz. 
of  the  drug  ;  the  first  3  J  oz.  of  percolate  yielded  38 9 J  grains  of  extract, 
the  next  7  oz.  gave  34J  grains,  the  next  5  oz.  40  grains,  other  6  frac- 
tions of  5  oz.  each  gave  quantities  diminishing  from  10  grains  to  f  grain. 
Still  other  ten  fractions  sufficient  to  make  the  whole  gallon  of  percolate  re- 
quired by  the  Pharmacopoeia  were  collected  and  evaporated,  but  the  whole 
of  them  yielded  only  5  grains  of  extract.  Obviously  the  Pharmacopoeia 
carries  percolation  to  a  ridiculous  excess.  Further  tests  showed  that 
the  bulk  of  the  emetine  was  removed  from  the  root  by  the  first  por- 
tions of  the  menstruum,  and  that  the  ipecacuanhicacid  is  not  destroyed 
by  heat  of  careful  evaporation — viz.,  150°  Fahr.  The  pectin  sub- 
stance which  is  found  in  the  extract  is  derived  from  the  first  portion 
(40  oz.)  of  the  percolate,  which  also  contains  all  the  acetic  acid  used. 
As  to  evaporation,  the  author  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  advisable 
to  evaporate  each  portion  of  the  percolate  by  itself,  and  to  stir 
frequently  so  as  to  facilitate  the  escape  of  the  acid  and  water 
vapors. 
The  extract  should  be  mixed  with  the  wine  by  adding  the  latter 
gradually  to  the  former  contained  in  a  mortar,  and  rubbing  them  to- 
gether so  as  to  diffuse  the  extract  through  the  liquid  in  the  finest  pos- 
^  Abstract  of  a  paper  read  before  the  North  British  Branch  of  the  Pharma- 
ceutical Society  of  Great  Britain;  reprinted  from  The  Chemist  and  Druggisi,'M.SLrch 
31,  1888,  p.  419. 
