THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MARCH,  1866. 
ON  VERATRUM  VIRIDE. 
By  Charles  Bullock. 
"(Continued  from  page  325  of  Vol.  37th.) 
Note. — Since  the  publication  of  my  previous  article,  Prof.  Samuel  R. 
Percy,  M.  D.,  has  kindly  furnished  me  with  a  copy  of  his  essay  on  Vera- 
trum  viride.  Finding  that  I  have  not  given  Prof.  Percy  proper  acknow- 
ledgments for  his  elaborate  investigations,  I  would  refer  to  his  essay  pub- 
lished in  the  transactions  of  the  American  Medical  Association  for  1864. 
A  full  inquiry  into  the  physiological  and  medicinal  properties  of  the  plant 
will  there  be  found. 
The  object  of  the  present  investigation  was  to  obtain  information  whether 
the  alkaloid  obtained  from  the  plant  was  identical  with  veratria,  and 
whether  the  resinoid  of  Prof.  Percy  contained  any  proximate  principle  to 
which  its  great  activity  could  be  attributed. 
The  resin  from  Yeratrum  viride,  obtained  b y  pouring  the  fluid 
extract  into  water,  has  a  dark  brown  color,  and  contains  so  much 
fatty  matter  that  it  dries  but  imperfectly* 
The  resin  was  treated  with  ether  until  exhausted,  it  was  then 
dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  the  tincture  concentrated  by  evapora- 
tion poured  into  acidulated  water,  maintaining  constant  agita- 
tion. 
The  resin,  which  precipitated  in  a  finely  divided  condition,  was 
collected  on  a  filter  and  washed  with  acidulated  water  until  the 
washings  were  no  longer  disturbed  on  addition  of  an  alkaline 
carbonate. 
The  washings  were  concentrated,  and  carbonate  of  soda  added 
to  alkaline  reaction.  The  precipitate  obtained  was  washed,  re- 
dissolved  in  dilute  acid,  partially  decolorized  by  digestion  with 
