4^c  Jervia — Its  History ^  etc. 
lung  von  Giften,"  published  in  St.  Petersburg,  in  1868,  mentions 
veratria  as  one  of  the  constituents  of  Veratrum  album.  In  1869  Prof. 
Maisch  wrote  to  Prof.  DragendorfF  informing  him  of  the  investigation 
•made  of  Veratrum  viride.,  and  suggested  that  the  alkaloids  of  the  two 
Veratrums  were  probably  identical,  and  that  Veratrum  album  contained 
110  veratria.  In  reply,  Prof.  Dragendorff  informed  Prof.  Maisch  that 
Veratrum  album  contained  an  alkaloid  which  is  not  identical  with  veratria 
(jervia  of  course,  excepted),  appears  to  me  very  probable.  Veratrum 
nigrum  likewise  contains  an  alkaloid  which  deserves  investigation." 
Prof.  Dragendorff  was  not  then  acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  ex- 
amination of  Veratrum  vir'ide.  Copies  of  the  paper  were  sent  to  him  by 
Prof.  Maisch,  accompanied  with  some  of  our  Veratrum  v'lride. 
Under  date  of  January,  1870,  Prof.  Dragendorff  writes:  "The  in- 
vestigation which  my  friend,  Dr.  Brunner,  has  made  here  with  Verat- 
rum v'lride  harmonize  with  the  results  of  Mr.  Bullock." 
Prof.  Theo.  G.  Wormley,  M.D.,  in  his  work  on  "  Michro-chemis- 
try  of  Poisons,"  published  in  1869,  also  overlooks  the  examination  made 
of  Veratrum  virlde  in  1865. 
Mr.  Charles  L.  Mitchell,  in  the  "  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy," 
for  March,  1874,  announced  that  he  had  isolated  jervia  from  the  root 
of  Veratrum  viride,  Mr.  Mitchell  was  probably  anticipated  in  his  result 
by  Prof.  Dragendorff. 
In  September,  1874,  Mr.  Mitchell  presented  to  the  American  Phar- 
maceutical Association,  a  paper  prepared  with  much  patient  labor  and 
commendable'zeal,  which  was  an  exhaustive  examination  of  the  officinal 
Veratrums.  Mr.  Mitchell  demonstrated  that  the  alkaloid  heretofore 
called  viridia,"  was  in  reality  jervia.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Mitchell  I  received  a  specimen  of  jervia,  and  on  examining  it  found 
that  it  did  not  entirely  dissolve  in  acetic  acid.  0*38  grains,  incinerated  to 
whiteness  in  a  platinum  capsule,  left  a  residue  weighing  0*05  grains, 
equal  to  about  13  per  cent.;  this  inorganic  matter  dissolved  in  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  and,  on  addition  of  ammonia  and  oxalate  of  ammonia, 
gave  the  characteristic  reaction  for  lime.  The  acetic  solution  of  the 
alkaloid  responded  to  Simon's  description  of  jervia. 
The  presence  of  jervia  in  Veratrum  viride  being  established,  the 
attempt  was  made  to  obtain  it  by  a  process  based  on  Simon's  experience. 
To  this  end  the  fluid  extract  of  the  root*  (U.  S.  P.)  was  poured  into 
three  times  its  volume  of  water  previously  acidulated  with  two  fluid- 
*  The  root  was  collected  in  Ashe  Go.,  N.  C. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
■j       Oct.  1875. 
