Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
April,  1876.  j 
Veratrum  Viride. 
H7 
worthless  article  is  used  by  a  physician,  and  he  does  not  perceive  the 
desired  effect,  he  will  increase  the  dose  until  obtained,  and  conse- 
quently give  much  larger  doses  than  if  he  were  dealing  with  an 
extract  of  good  quality ;  but  when  he  obtains  the  extract  of  good 
quality,  the  continuation  of  the  same  large  doses  might  prove  fatal. 
In  closing  this  paper,  I  would  suggest  a  similar  examination  of  the 
extracts  of  hyoscyamus  and  conium,  as  this  is  a  subject  of  interest 
and  importance  to  the  medical  and  pharmaceutical  profession. 
DOES  VERATRUM  VIRIDE  CONTAIN  AN  ALKALOID  OTHER 
THAN  JERVIA? 
BY  CHARLES  BULLOCK,  PHILADELPHIA. 
While  engaged  on  the  experiments  with  jervia,  published  in  Vol.  47, 
page  449,  of  this  Journal,  my  attention  was  directed  to  the  circum- 
stance that  the  portion  of  the  alkaloid  taken  up  by  ether  (veratroidia), 
when  dissolved  in  acetic  acid  gave  a  copious  precipitate  on  addition  of 
a  solution  of  nitrate  of  potassium.  This  reaction  appeared  to  indicate 
that  the  greater  part  of  this  product  was  jervia,  which,  under  some 
favoring  conditions,  had  dissolved  in  the  ether. 
With  a  view  of  investigating  the  subject,  as  also  to  look  more  care- 
fully for  veratria,  if  any  existed  in  the  drug,  the  old  method  of  obtain- 
ing the  alkaloid  as  described  in  my  paper,  Vol.  37,  page  321,  was 
retraversed,  with  some  modifications  which  afforded  better  results  in 
the  amount  of  product  obtained. 
The  fluid  extract  of  veratrum  viride  was  poured  into  water,  acid- 
ulated with  acetic  acid  (free  from  sulphuric  and  hydrochloric  acids), 
the  resin  separated  by  filtration,  and  the  clear  liquid  concentrated  by 
evaporation  until  all  the  alcohol  was  expelled.  Precipitation  was  then 
effected  by  caustic  soda  (in  place  of  carbonate  of  soda). 
The  resin  was  dried,  powdered  and  digested  in  warm  water  acid- 
ulated with  acetic  acid,  and  the  filtered  solution  precipitated  by  soda. 
Finding  the  resin  still  contained  some  alkaloid,  it  was  treated  with  a 
warm  solution  of  caustic  soda,  which  dissolved  the  resin  readily,  leav- 
ing a  sediment,  which  was  thrown  on  a  filter  and  washed  until  the 
washings  were  without  color.  This  precipitate  was  dissolved  in  dilute 
acetic  acid  and  reprecipitated  by  caustic  soda.  From  the  resin  repre- 
senting one  pound  of  the  root  eight  grains  of  impure  alkaloid  were 
