456  Japanese  Belladonna.  \  ^'seiTi^so""" 
In  the  July  number  of  this  journal,  page  356,  we  published  a  very 
interesting  paper  upon  the  histology  of  the  Japanese  belladonna.  The 
following  paper  upon  the  chemical  constitutents  most  admirably  sup- 
plements the  former. 
THE  CONSTITUENTS  OF  JAPANESE  BELLADONNA 
(Scopolia  japonica). 
Scopolia  japonica.^  which  is  called  by  the  Japanese  roto,  or  onishirikusa, 
or  omisikusa,  or  omekikusa,  or  hashiridokoro  (which  last  term  is  the 
most  usual  one),  is  a  member  of  the  natural  family  Solanaceae,  and  is 
highly  poisonous.  Its  root  has  been  employed  for  a  very  long  time  by 
Japanese  physicians,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  possesses  valu- 
able therapeutic  properties. 
The  latter  reside  in  two  alkaloids,  which  were  obtained  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  The  dried  root  was  "powdered  and  several  times 
extracted  with  alcohol,  the  alcohol  was  distilled  off  from  the  united 
tinctures,  the  residue  dissolved  in  water  and  filtered  to  remove  the 
separated  fat.  The  clear  filtrate  was  now  precipitated  with  solution  of 
acetate  of  lead,  the  precipitate  removed  by  filtration,  the  filtrate  freed 
from  excess  of  lead  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  and  after  again  filtering 
the  solution  concentrated,  at  a  moderate  heat,  on  a  water-bath.  The 
thin  liquid  residue  was  niixed  with  sulphuric  acid,  the  mixture  shaken 
with  chloroform  and  the  chloroformic  solution  separated.  On  evapora- 
tion the  latter  left  behind  slender  colorless  needles,  which  were  con- 
taminated with  a  yellow,  smeary  mass.  The  whole  residue  was  boiled 
with  water,  the  liquid,  after  cooling,  was  filtered,  the  filtrate  concen- 
trated on  the  water-bath  at  a  low  temperature  and  cautiously  mixed 
with  ammonia.  This  produced  a  white  precipitate,  which  was  col- 
lected on  a  filter,  washed  with  a  little  water  and  then  dissolved  in  alco- 
hol, which,  on  evaporation,  left  behind  colorless  crystals.  These  had 
the  characteristics  of  an  alkaloid.  Owing  to  the  minute  proportion  in 
which  this  alkaloid  exists  in  the  root,  the  quantity  obtamed  was  insuffi- 
cient for  an  accurate  investigation  of  its  properties  and  nature.  A  few 
drops  of  the  aqueous  solution  of  the  sulphate  of  this  alkaloid  dropped 
into  the  eye  of  a  rabbit  produced  dilatation  of  the  pupil.  I  propose  to 
name  this  alkaloid  rotoine  (from  the  Japanese  name  roto),  and  reserve 
to  myself  its  further  study. 
The  second  alkaloid,  which  I  term  scopoleine,  exists  in  the  root  in 
larger  proportion.    It  is  obtained  by  adding  an  excess  of  soda  solution 
