^"^'11^1]^^^^^'^ Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations. 
somewhat  elevated  temperature,  it  remains  uncertain  whether  the  amorphous  yellow 
scales  were  pure  colchicia  or  contained  some  colchicein.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
the  author  omitted  to  prove  the  acicular  crystals  finally  obtained  from  a  concentrated 
solution  in  chloroform  to  be  pure  colchicia  and  not  colchicein^  which  latter,  however, 
according  to  Hiibler  and  Oberlin,  is  obtained  in  an  amorphous  condition  from  the 
chloroformic  solution. 
"Mr.  J.  Creuse's  essay  'On  Iron  by  Hydrogen'  is  deserving  of  commendation 
for  two  reasons  :  first,  for  establishing  the  true  character  of  what  is  usually  found  in 
commerce  under  this  name,  and,  second,  for  determining  the  comparative  value  of 
the  different  processes  that  have  been  recommended  for  estimating  the  amount  of 
metallic  iron  contained  in  this  preparation.  Its  quantitative  estimation  by  the 
amount  of  hydrogen  evolved  in  the  presence  of  dilute  muriatic  acid  appears  to  be 
feasible  J  but  further  experiments  are  necessary  to  determine  the  infiuence  which  the 
presence  of  the  various  oxides  mentioned  by  the  author  may  exert  upon  the  amount 
of  gas  obtainable. 
"  The  paper  entitled  '  The  Active  Principles  of  the  Officinal  Veratrums,'  by  Mr. 
Chas.  L.  Mitchell,  is  divided  into  three  parts,  entitled  'Botanical,'  '  ChemicaP  and 
'  Physiological.'  In  the  first  part  we  miss  a  sufficiently  critical  account  of  the  botan- 
ical origin  of  Sabadilla  seeds  5  although  attributed  by  the  United  States  Pharmaco- 
poeia to  Veratrum  Sabadilla,  Retzius,  the  seed,  according  to  all  modern  authorities, 
is  obtained  principally,  if  not  exclusively,  from  Asagraa  officinalis,  Lindley.  While 
the  close  similarity  in  appearance  and  structure  of  the  rhizomes  of  Veratrum  njiride 
and  album  is  particularly  dwelled  upon  in  this  part  of  the  paper  of  Mr.  Mitchell,  the 
second  part  does  not  produce  any  evidence  that  it  was  really  and  solely  the  rhizome 
of  the  former  which  was  used  for  the  experiments,  except  what  is  deducible  from  its 
physiological  results,  in  Part  III,  and  from  the  slight  differences  in  the  behavior  of 
the  two  alkaloids  obtained — besides  jervia — all  reactions  being  essentially  identical, 
except  the  fusing  point,  which  for  veratroidia  is  given  at  265*^  F,,  and  for  veratralbia 
at  340°  F.,  and  the  behavior  to  bichloride  of  platinum,  with  which  veratralbia  is 
stated  to  yield  no  precipitate,  while  veratroidia  produces  a  flocculent  precipitate  ; 
but  the  strength  of  both  solutions  has  not  been  given. 
"The  botanical  similarity  of  these  American  and  European  Veratrums  had  long 
since  suggested  the  idea  of  the  identity  oftheir  constituents,  and  this  belief  was  strength- 
ened by  the  positive  proof  of  the  absence  of  veratria  from  both,  and  by  the  physio- 
logical results  of  Schroff,  which  indicate  a  qualitative  similarity,  if  not  identity,  of 
composition.  The  recent  discovery  of  jervia  in  Veratrum  <viride  by  Dragendorff, 
which  result  has  been  corroborated  by  Mr.  Mitchell,  furnishes  further  proof  for 
this  assumption. 
"  The  main  results  of  Mr.  Mitchell's  investigations,  as  they  appear  to  the  Com- 
mittee, on  comparison  with  the  results  oi'  other  investigators,  may  be  summed  up  as 
follows : 
"  I.  The  alkaloid,  heretofore  named  viridia,  is  jervia,  and  is  found  in  both  Vera- 
trum album  and  V.  njiride. 
"  2  The  alkaloids  named  veratroidia  and  veratralbia  are  probably  different,  though 
positive  proof  of  this  fact  has  as  yet  not  been  adduced. 
"  3.  These  alkaloids  cannot,  probably,  be  profitably  extracted  for  medicinal  use  ; 
and, 
"4.  The  pure  resins  of  both  rhizomes  are  nearly,  if  not  entirely,  inactive. 
"  After  full  deliberation  upon  all  the  above  points,  and  considering  the  labor  in- 
volved in  the  experiments  of  the  subject  matters  of  the  three  papers,  the  Committee 
award  the  Ebert  Prize  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  for  the  year 
1874,  to  Mr.  Charles  L.  Mitchell  for  his  essay  'On  the  Active  Principles  of  the 
Officinal  Veratrums  I" 
"  In  conclusion,  the  Committee  desire  to  state  that  their  labors  would  have  been 
very  con>:iderably  lightened,  if  the  essays  in  question  had  been  accompanied  by  full 
lines  of  specimens. 
Chas.  Bullock, 
W.  H.  Pile,         I  Cotnmittee. 
^^Philadelphia,  March  c)th,  1875."  John  M.  Maisch,  ] 
