294         PREPARATION  OP  CITRATE  OP  IRON  AND  QUINIA. 
contain  albumen,  tannic  acid,  gum,  fixed  oil,  resin,  volatile  oil, 
chlorophylle,  coloring  matter,  conia,  and  a  peculiar  acid,  proba- 
bly the  coniic  acid  of  Peschier.  The  tops  and  leaves  were  treated 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  seeds  for  conia,  but  it  existed  in  such 
a  small  quantity  that  I  could  only  detect  it  by  the  odor,  and  by 
the  production  of  white  vapors  when  subjected  to  the  action  of 
hydrochloric  acid  gas. 
The  flowers  when  immersed  in  water  and  subjected  to  distilla- 
tion, yielded  a  very  small  quantity  of  volatile  oil,  analogous  to 
that  obtained  from  the  seeds. 
The  cicuta  root,  in  taste  and  odor,  very  much  resembles  the 
common  parsnip.  In  drying,  three-fourths  of  its  weight  is  dis- 
sipated in  moisture.  The  hot  infusion,  when  treated  with  solution 
of  acetate  of  lead  does  not  sustain  any  reaction ;  but  the  pre- 
sence of  starch  is  indicated  in  the  same  by  a  bluish  black  preci- 
pitate, when  treated  with  the  tincture  of  iodine.  The  presence 
of  conia  could  not  be  detected  in  the  root,  but  this  may  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  fact,  that  the  specimen  examined  was  collected 
late  in  October,  when  the  vital  force  of  the  plant  had  probably 
been  exhausted  in  seed  bearing. 
PREPARATION  OF  CITRATE  OF  IRON  AND  QUINIA,  AND  ITS 
CONSTITUENTS. 
By  Edward  R.  Squibb,  M.D.  Passed  Assistant  Surgeon,  U.  S.  Navy.* 
The  experience  of  this  laboratory  with  these  preparations 
having  become  sufficiently  definite  to  be  useful,  I  offer  the  for- 
mulae to  the  Journal  for  publication,  under  the  conviction  that  the 
irregularity  and  uncertain  constitution  of  the  commercial  article 
prevents  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  value  of  citrate  of  iron  and 
quinia. 
I  have  ma4e  this  preparation  seventeen  times,  in  quantities 
varjVng  between  one  ounce  and  five  and  a  half  pounds  at  a  time. 
The  proportions  adopted  in  the  formulae  are  the  result  of  experi- 
ment and  practice,  and  were  verified  by  calculation  afterwards. 
For  general  pharmaceutical  application  the  formulae  are  all 
[*  Dr.  Squibb  is  the  Assistant  Director  of  the  United  States  Naval  Labo* 
ratory  at  Brooklyn,— Editor,] 
