Am0c°tu)ri92iharm' }  Atropine  Sulphate  715, 
understand  why  the  lipoid  neutralizes  the  antithrombin  very  quickly 
when  added  to  serum,  and  very  slowly  when  added  to  plasma.  I 
think  the  only  possible  explanation  of  such  a  difference  is  that  in 
serum  but  not  in  plasma,  as  was  said  before,  the  serozyme  is  capa- 
ble of  reacting  very  rapidly  with  cytozyme  to  generate  thrombin. 
However,  the  question  as  to  the  relation  of  cytozyme  to  the  antag- 
onistic function  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  in  the  whole  study  of 
coagulation  and  I  fully  realize  that  different  views  may  still  be  up- 
held. As  I  told  you  at  the  beginning,  coagulation  has  been  studied 
for  years  and  years  by  many  investigators;  none  of  them  can  pre- 
sume that  the  problem  is  yet  solved;  every  one  of  them  merely  in- 
dulges in  the  hope  of  gathering  some  complementary  data;  a  little 
more  information. 
ATROPINE  SULPHATE  FROM  DATURA  STRAMONIUM  * 
By  H.  W.  Rhodehamel 
and  E.  H.  Stuart. 
An  interesting  and  valuable  lot  of  data  concerning  the  prepara- 
tion of  atropine  from  Datura  Stramonium,  commonly  known  as 
Jimson  weed,  is  presented  by  the  authors. 
The  percentage  of  total  alkaloids  in  the  plant  is  said  to  vary 
from  0.15  to  0.6  per  cent.  The  seeds  contain  the  highest  amount, 
next  come  the  leaves,  and  the  lowest  amounts  are  found  in  the  stems, 
particularly  in  the  woody  portions,  where  the  figure  runs  below  0.10 
per  cent. 
The  method  of  extraction  was  by  the  use  of  0.2  per  cent, 
aqueous  solution  of  sulphuric  acid  preserved  with  0.5  per  cent,  of 
formaldehyde. 
The  dilute  solution  of  atropine  sulphate  was  treated  with  Lloyd's 
reagent,  which  consists  of  a  hydrated  siliceous  (Fuller's)  earth. 
Different  fractions  of  the  percolate  were  treated  with  appropri- 
ate amounts  of  Lloyd's  reagent,  after  which  the  reagent  was  allowed 
to  settle,  the  exhausted  percolate  was  decanted  and  the  precipitate 
drained  and  thoroughly  dried  at  a  temperature  of  about  500  C. 
The  percentage  of  alkaloidal  material  recovered  from  different 
*Abstract  of  a  publication  from  the  Research  Department  of  Eli  Lilly  & 
Co.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
