582  Standardization  of  Piscidia  erythrina.    {Am-gTe°putr'  f^J™" 
means  of  solvents  but  without  success.  Recrystallization  of  the 
piscidin  from  alcohol  resulted  in  purification  of  the  piscidin  but 
this  method  is  not  applicable  quantitatively  to  the  small  amounts 
obtained  in  an  assay  process. 
In  order  to  ascertain  the  relation  of  the  piscidin  recovered  by 
this  process  to  the  activity  of  the  fluid  extract  from  which  it  was 
obtained,  the  amount  of  piscidin  yielded  by  100  Mils  of  a  fluid  ex- 
tract was  redissolved  in  hot  alcohol,  then  diluted  to  100  Mils  with 
the  weakest  strength  alcohol  which  would  keep  the  piscidin  in  solu- 
tion and  this  solution  was  then  tested  physiologically  in  comparison 
with  the  original  fluid  extract.  In  two  experiments  the  piscidin  re- 
covered by  assay  represented  55  per  cent,  and  62.5  per  cent,  re- 
spectively of  the  activity  of  the  fluid  extracts. 
Ten  samples  of  fluid  extracts  representing  all  of  the  larger 
pharmaceutical  manufacturing  houses  in  the  United  States  were 
assayed  by  this  lime  process  in  comparison  with  the  physiological 
assay  process  in  order  to  determine  whether  or  not  the  piscidin  con- 
tent paralleled  the  physiologic  activity.  The  results  of  these  assays 
follow : 
Sample  No.  Chemical  Assay. 
1    0.219  per  cent,  impure  piscidin      0.7  Cc.  per  kilo. 
2                         0.235  per  cent.      "  0.6  Cc.  "  " 
3                          0.450  per  cent.      "  0.5  Cc.  "  " 
4                          0.460  per  cent.      "  0.4  Cc.  "  " 
5                          0.507  per  cent.      "  0.7  Cc.  "  " 
6                        0.620  per  cent.      "  0.5  Cc.  " 
7                         0.620  per  cent.      "  0.4  Cc.  "  " 
8                          0.650  per  cent.      "  0.4  Cc.  " 
9                          0.670  per  cent.      "  "  0.5  Cc.  " 
10                         0.680  per  cent.      "  0.5  Cc.  " 
These  comparisons  show  that  the  piscidin  content  is  not  in  di- 
rect ratio  to  the  physiologic  activity  and  therefore  make  evident 
the  impossibility  of  using  the  lime  method  of  isolating  piscidin,  as 
a  means  of  chemically  standardizing  Jamaica  dogwood  preparations. 
We  have  made  some  experiments  with  the  view  of  employing  lead 
subacetate  in  place  of  lime  but  the  recovered  piscidin  is  likewise 
contaminated  with  other  substances,  but  to  what  extent  is  not  known 
at  present  and  will  be  reported  upon  in  a  later  communication  to 
this  Association. 
