438  Gallic  and  Tannic  Acid  in  the  Organism.  {AmAug"if92arm' 
Tidore,  one  of  the  Moluccas,  in  1 821.  The  nutmegs  can  scarcely 
be  distinguished  from  those  of  M.  fragrans,  and  they  are  very 
aromatic.  The  leaves  and  flowers  of  this  variety  are,  however, 
quite  different  from  those  of  M.  fragrans. 
In  New  Guinea  there  is  a  great  number  of  varieties  of  nutmeg 
plants,  the  produce  of  which  possess  some  aroma,  but  though  per- 
manent it  is  generally  too  feeble  to  admit  of  these  kinds  being  used 
to  any  extent  as  substitutes  for  true  nutmegs. 
As  an  adulteration  of  true  mace  the  arillus  of  M.  malabaricay 
Lam.,  known  under  the  name  of  Bombay  mace,  has  been  used  dur- 
ing the  last  two  centuries.  It  is  much  larger  and  more  cylindrical 
than  the  arillus  of  true  nutmeg,  and  the  several  flaps  are  united  at 
the  apex,  forming  a  conical  structure.  The  anatomical  structure  is 
also  different,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  aid  of  a  microscope.  When 
moistened  with  hydrochloric  acid  the  Bombay  mace  presents  the 
marked  peculiarity  of  assuming  a  greenish  color. 
-ON  THE  BEHAVIOR  OF  GALLIC  AND  TANNIC  ACID 
IN  THE  ORGANISM."1 
By  Dr.  C.  F.  Morner. 
It  has  been  long  known  that  when  gallic  acid  is  taken  internally 
it  can  be  found  unchanged  in  the  urine,  and  Wbhler  and  Frerich  stated 
that  when  tannic  acid  is  ingested  it  is  excreted  in  the  urine,  as  gallic 
and  pyrogallic  acid.  Lewen  afterwards  showed  that  in  the  rabbit 
at  least  some  tannic  acid  is  met  with  in  the  urine  after  its  ingestion 
as  well  as  gallic  acid,  and  six  years  ago  Stockman  proved  that  whilst 
in  man  some  of  the  gallic  acid  taken  passes  unchanged,  some  of  the 
tannic  acid  is  excreted  in  the  urine  as  gallic  acid,  and  neither  pyro- 
gallic acid  nor  tannic  can  be  found  in  the  urine  after  tannic  acid  has 
been  taken.  In  dogs  and  rabbits,  however,  the  tannic  acid  is  excreted, 
partly  as  gallic  acid  and  partly  unchanged,  or  at  least  in  combination 
with  alkalies.  Morner  has  made  investigations  which  completely 
confirm  Stockman's  results,  and  has  further  estimated  the  amount 
of  gallic  acid  present  in  the  urine  after  definite  doses  of  gallic  and 
tannic  acids.  For  this  purpose  he  has  employed  a  modification  of 
a  plan  similar  to  that  suggested  by  Wolkow  and  Baumann  for  the 
1  Zeits.  fur  Physiol.  Chemie,  XIV,  Heft  4  and  5  ;  reprinted  from  The  Medi- 
cal Chronicle,  July  1892. 
