196  Poke-Root— Poisonous  Effects,  ^c.  {^'^■il'^^-J^.l'''''- 
sence  of  saponin,  which  was  obtained  pure  or  nearly  so  in  the  follow- 
ing manner  : 
One  pound  (7,000  grs.)  of  the  powdered  bark  was  carefully  packed 
in  a  percolator,  and  exhausted  with  strong  alcohol,  the  percolate  was  a 
clear  reddish-brown  liquid,  having  a  bitter  taste  and  odor  of  the  bark, 
and  yielding,  on  evaporation,  1,750  grains  or  25  per  cent,  of  extract, 
which  has  an  extremely  bitter  taste,  is  perfectly  soluble  in  alcohol  and 
water,  partially  soluble  in  ether,  and  insoluble  in  chloroform. 
From  this  extract,  saponin  was  prepared,  according  to  Rochleder's 
process,  by  dissolving  240  grains  of  it  in  water,  and  adding  to  the  solu- 
tion'baryta  water  till  no  further  precipitation  occurred.  The  precip- 
itate was  collected  on  a  filter,  washed  thoroughly  with  baryta  water, 
and  redissolved  in  water.  Through  the  filtered  solution,  carbonic  acid 
gas^was  passed  till  the  baryta  was  entirely  precipitated,  and  the  clear 
filtrate  was  then  evaporated,  spread  on  glass  and  dried  at  low  tempera- 
ture. The  result  of  the  experiment  was  a  straw-colored  powder,  per- 
fectly soluble  in  water,  the  solution  producing  froth  when  shaken. 
This  saponin  was  not  changed  in  color  by  sulphuric  acid  ;  nitric  acid 
colored  it  reddish-brown,  caustic  potassa  red  and  ferric  chloride  greenish. 
It  deseives  further  investigation  ;  likewise  the  bitter  principle  contained 
in  the  bark. 
*'POKE-ROOT^^    [PHTTOLACCA   DECANDRA)—FOlSO^OVS  EFFECTS 
FROM  INHALATION  OF  THE  POWDER. 
BY   CHARLES   H.   CRESSLER,   CH AMBERSBURG,  PA. 
On  the  evening  of  January  28th,  a  package  of  poke-root,  gathered 
early  in  November  last,  properly  sliced  and  dried,  and  weighing  seventy- 
eight  troy  ounces  was  opened,  and  seventy-two  ounces  set  aside  to  be 
prepared  for  percolation  in  the  morning,  six  ounces  coarsely  ground  and 
put  in^store  drawer.  A  clerk  and  myself,  who  handled  the  drug,  ex- 
perienced some  slight  dryness  of  the  throat  during  the  night.  In  our 
next  morning  salutations  we  recognized,  that  each  had,  as  we  supposed, 
a  cold,  our  voices  being  quite  husky.  At  about  half-past  eight  o'clock 
the  porter  proceeded  to  prepare  the  root  for  percolation,  and  in  about 
two  hours  it  was,  by  means  of  an  Enterprise  drug  mill  and  a  tin  cased 
sieve,  prepared,  moistened  and  packed  in  a  percolator.  By  this  time 
we  experienced  something  like  an  endemic  coryza,  which  we  attributed 
to  the,  dust  of  the  poke  root.  The  floor  was  sprinkled  and  all  dust 
carefully  removed  with  damp  towels.  Three  clerks,  porter  and  myself 
seemed  aff'ected  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  coughed  violently.  There 
