402  Aralia  Sptnosa.  { ^""p^^l^X"^' 
mydriatic  action,  but  in  a  lesser  degree  than  atropin  or  hyoscyamin  i 
while  oxytoluyl-tropein^  or  because  of  its  analogy  to  atropin,  called  homa' 
tropin  by  the  author,  possessed  this  power  quite  strongly. 
The  author  has  had  it  tested  in  the  eye-clinics  at  the  University  of 
Kiel  and  reports  more  particularly  upon  its  action.  Although  j  ist 
about  as  energetic  as  atropin  it  acts  much  quicker,  so  that  its  effect 
passes  off  in  I2  to  24  hours  instead  of  8  days  as  in  the  case  of  atro- 
pin. The  homatropin  is  then  much  to  be  preferred  in  eye-clinics  to 
atropin.  Prof.  Quincke  has  also  found  that  homatropin  is  a  much 
weaker  poison  than  atropin,  so  that  for  this  rearon  it  is  again  to  be 
preferred. — Ber,  der  Chem,  Ges.^  xiii,  p.  1088. 
ARALIA  SPINOSA. 
By   Charles   William  Elkins. 
Extract  from  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
The  Aralia  spinosa  is  a  small  tree  cultivated  to  some  extent  in  the 
Northern  States  for  ornamental  purposes,  but  is  indigenous  to  the 
Southern  States,  where  it  often  attains  the  height  of  from  thirty  to 
sixty  feet.  All  parts  of  this  plant  are  employed,  particularly  in  the 
South,  for  medical  purposes,  but  the  bark  alone  is  officinal  in  the 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia. 
I  submitted  the  bark  to  an  examination  and  obtained  the  following 
results : 
A  decoction  of  the  bark,  prepared  by  boiling  a  half  ounce  in  eight 
fluidounces  of  water,  gave,  upon  the  addition  of  iodine  to  a  portion  of 
it,  the  characteristic  blue  color,  denoting  the  presence  of  starch. 
By  Trommer's  test  glucose  was  detected  in  this  decoction. 
A  portion  of  the  decoction,  after  being  acidified  with  muriatic  acid, 
gave,  upon  the  addition  of  a  small  quantity  of  Mayer's  solution  (iodo- 
hydrargyrate  potassium),  a  white  precipitate,  thus  showing  the  presence 
of  an  alkaloid  ;  but  this  could  not  be  obtained  in  a  crystalline  state,  as 
will  be  shown  presently. 
There  was  also  obtained  from  this  decoction  gum,  which  was  pre- 
cipitated from  solution  by  subaceta'te  of  lead. 
The  absence  of  tannin  was  proven  by  appropriate  tests,  as  was  also 
albumen  in  the  cold  infusion,  by  not  being  coagulated  upon  being 
heated.  In  the  hot  infusion  the  sanie  principles  were  found  as  in  the 
decoction. 
