468 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      Sept.,  1883. 
generally  rounded,  some  acute ;  texture  silky ;  form  nearly  flat,  some 
irregular,  few  concavo-convex ;  cotyledons,  2  outer  veins  small ;  alka- 
loids, 3*14  per  cent. 
Cochin. — Diameter  like  preceding;  thickness,  4"0-6*0,  average, 
5*0  mm. ;  circumference,  57-79,  average,  68  mm. ;  edge  round,  few 
acute  ;  texture  silky ;  form  nearly  flat,  some  concavo-convex,  many 
irregular ;  cotyledons,  2  outer  veins  small ;  alkaloids,  3*04  per  cent. 
Madras. — Diam.,  12'5-23"0,  average,  18"0  mm.;  thickness,  4*0-5'0, 
average,  4' 5  mm.;  circumference,  38'0-71'0,  average,  57*0  mm.;  edge 
generally  round,  seldom  acute ;  texture  dull ;  form  nearly  flat,  some 
slightly  concavo-convex,  some  irregular;  cotyledons,  2  outer  veins 
small,  albumen  resinous;  alkaloids,  2*74  per  cent. 
Second  Series,  ISSS— Bombay,  like  Bombay  fine,  above,  but  largest 
diameter  28  mm. ;  average  thickness,  3*5  mm. ;  average  circumference, 
73  mm. ;  cotyledons,  2  lateral  veins  small,  and  sometimes  indistinct ; 
alkaloids,  3*90  per  cent. 
Cochin. — Like  above,  but  average  diameter  25  mm. ;  average  thick- 
ness, 4'5  mm. ;  average  circumference,  74  mm. ;  cotyledons,  2  lateral 
veins  indistinct;  alkaloids,  3*60  per  cent. 
Madras. — Like  above,  but  average  diameter  19  mm. ;  average  thick- 
ness, 4*75  mm. ;  largest  circumference,  65  mm. ;  cotyledons,  2  lateral 
veins  indistinct;  alkaloids,  3*15  per  cent. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans., 
June  23,  1883,  p.  1055. 
Constituents  of  EricacecE. — Rich.  Thai  prepared  ericolin  from  300 
pounds  of  the  herb  of  Ledum  palustre  by  boiling  it  in  a  still  with 
water,  precipitating  with  acetate  and  subacetate  of  lead,  freeing 
the  precipitate  from  lead,  evaporating  to  an  extract  and  exhausting 
this  with  spirit  of  ether.  Ericolin,  CggHsgOg,  is  inodorous,  brown 
yellow,  sticky,  hygroscopic,  strongly  bitter,  very  soluble  in  alcohol 
and  ether-alcohol,  very  sparingly  soluble  in  ether,  chloroform  and 
benzin,  and  gradually  decomposed  when  in  contact  with  water,  the 
odor  of  ericinol  being  developed,  sugar  dissolved,  and  a  brown  powder 
separated,  which  aggregates  into  a  blackish-brown  mass.  This  decom- 
position is  rapidly  effected  by  heating  with  dilute  mineral  acids  and 
ericinol,  C20H26O,  by  combining  with  water,  is  further  converted  into 
hydroericinol,  C10H20O4.  The  latter  is  a  thick  fluid,  brown  yellow,  of 
a  peculiar  strong  odor,  and  a  balsamic,  not  bitter,  taste ;  on  keeping 
even  in  vacuo  it  becomes  partly  insoluble  in  ether. 
Ericolin  prepared  from  Calluna  vulgaris  diflered  somewhat  from 
