ON  THE  ACTIVE  PRINCIPLE  OF  HYOSCYAMUS.  529 
and  the  whole  distilled  in  a  water-bath.  The  acid  solution  re- 
maining gave  an  abundant  yellowish  precipitate  with  Sonnen- 
schein's  reagent ;  neutralized  with  bicarbonate  of  soda,  a  dirty 
white  precipitate  with  tannin,  soluble  in  acetic  acid ;  a  yellow 
flocculent  precipitate  with  chloride  of  gold ;  a  brown  precipitate 
with  solution  of  iodine  in  hydriodic  acid ;  an  orange-yellow  pre- 
cipitate with  protochloricle  of  iodine  ;  no  precipitate,  however, 
was  observable  either  with  perchloride  of  platinum  or  with  solu- 
tion of  corrosive  sublimate. 
The  base  itself  is  a  substance  very  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether, 
chloroform,  and  even  in  water.  Its  aqueous  solution  possesses 
a  strong  acrid  and  bitter  taste,  and  when  suffered  to  evaporate 
spontaneously  over  oil  of  vitriol,  has  been  observed  to  crystallize 
in  radiating  groups  of  needles,  though  this  is  not  always  the  case, 
and  it  is  generally  obtained  as  a  colorless  gummy  mass.  It  has 
a  slight  odor  quite  different  from  that  of  the  plant,  and  is  very 
decidedly  alkaline  to  test-paper.  Caustic  alkalies  destroy  it 
rapidly,  especially  on  application  of  heat,  the  solution  becoming 
brown,  and  an  alkaline  vapor,  probably  ammonia,  being  evolved. 
Several  of  the  characters  here  described  agree  with  those  given 
by  Geiger,  and  mentioned  in  the  "  Organic  Chemistry  "  of  Ger- 
hardt. 
•   . 
Mr.  Groves  had  made  some  experiments  upon  this  alkaloid  a 
few  years  since.  His  method  of  operation  had  differed  from  the 
author's.  He  boiled  the  leaves  of  hyoscyamus  with  olive-oil,  and 
then  agitated  the  product  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  water.  „ 
From  this  he  obtained  a  small  quantity  of  a  liquid  principle  with 
alkaline  properties,  which  he  regarded  as  the  active  constituent 
of  this  drug. 
Dr.  Attfield  thought  that  after  this  statement  we  must  re- 
cognize two  principles  as  being  present. 
Mr.  Reynolds  suggested  that  the  root  should  be  used  in  future 
experiments. 
Mr.  Sutton  alluded  to  Professor  Donovan's  experiments  as 
showing  that  the  tincture  of  henbane  was  an  inert  preparation. 
He  had  swallowed  it  in  doses  of  half  an  ounce  without  finding 
any  inconvenience. 
