530  OBTAINING  SPIRITS,  ETC.,  FROM  WOOD. 
The  President  remarked  that  the  physiological  question  could 
not  be  followed  far  in  that  room,  from  its  merging  into  considera- 
tions that  were  more  within  the  province  of  the  physician. 
Mr.  Deane  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  sedative  effects  of 
even  small  doses  of  henbane  were  beyond  doubt  in  many  cases, 
and  he  could  not  help  thinking  that  some  peculiar  circumstances 
must  have  influenced  the  cases  in  which  very  large  doses  had  been 
taken  with  impunity. 
Mr.  Carteighe  had  made  some  preliminary  experiments  on 
the  active  principle  of  henbane,  and  as  far  as  they  went  they  con- 
firmed Mr.  Tilden's  results. — London  Pharm.  Jour.,  Sept.,  1866. 
'OBTAINING  SPIRITS,  &c,  FROM  WOOD. 
Lgtters  patent  to  William  Edward  Newton,  sealed  February  6, 1866,  and  dated 
August  31,  1865. 
This  invention  consists  in  obtaining  spirits  of  turpentine,  rosin, 
tar,  pitch,  pyroligneous  acid,  gas,  charcoal  and  wood  naphtha, 
directly  from  pine  wood  by  one  operation. 
The  wood  containing  the  resinous  gum  (pitch  pine  wood)  is 
placed  in  iron  retorts,  which  are  closed  up  steam  tight,  and  a 
stream  of  steam  is  let  into  the  retort,  which  may  at  the  same 
time  be  heated  externally  to  expedite  the  process.  As  soon  as* 
the  condensation  of  the  steam  ceases  or  partially  ceases,  the 
pressure  of  steam  in  the  retort  rapidly  forces  the  heat  through 
the  mass  of  wood  until  the  heat  reaches  from  300°  to  320°  F., 
when  the  valve  which  connects  the  retort  with  a  condenser  is 
opened,  and  the  vapors  containing  water  and  spirits  of  turpen- 
tine pass  .over  into  the  condenser  and  are  condensed,  the  spirits 
rising  on  to  the  top  of  the  water.  This  process  continues  several 
hours,  the  heat  being  gradually  raised  until  the  wood  begins  to 
char  and  forms  acid,  gas,  and  other  products,  at  which  time  a 
large  portion  of  the  turpentine  spirits  have  passed  through  the 
condenser.  This  process  is  hastened,  and  the  yield  of  spirits  in 
this  part  of  the  operation  much  increased,  by  reducing  the 
pressure  of  the  vapors  in  the  retort  to  two  or  three  pounds  per 
square  inch  by  the  aid  of  air  pumps  and  condensers,  or  other- 
wise.   When  the  pressure  is  thus  mainly  removed,  the  evapora- 
