Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ") 
May,  1909.  J 
Chemical  Assay  of  Ergot. 
215 
At  least  two  observers  have  stated  that  the  seeds,  or  the  alcoholic 
extracts  of  the  seeds,  are  made  much  more  toxic  by  aqueous  macera- 
tion. Experiments  conducted  in  this  laboratory  are  not  in  accord 
with  this  statement,  for  we  know  that  the  glucoside  loses  in  toxicity 
when  the  aqueous  solution  is  allowed  to  stand. 
I  wish  here  to  express  my  indebtedness  to  Dr.  Robert  A.  Hatcher 
for  suggesting  this  investigation,  and  for  assistance  during  its 
execution. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
I  Pelikan  (1865)  :  Archives  Generates  de  Medicine,  p.  115. 
2Fraser,  T.  R.  (1873)  :  /.  Anat.  and  Physiol,  vol.  vii ;  British  Medical  Jour- 
nal, Nov.  14,  1885,  etc.  Reviews  of  Fraser's  articles  are  to  be  found  in 
the  Phar.  J.  and  Trans. 
3  Elborn,  Wm.  (1887)  :  Phar.  J.  and  Trans.  (3),  vol.  xvii,  p.  743  ;  Sept.  10, 
1887,  p.  219. 
4  Van  Hasselt  (1872)  :  Archives  Neerlandaises  des  Sciences,  vol.  vii,  p.  161. 
5  Baillon,  quoted  by  Polaillon  and  Carville,  Archives  de  Physiologic,  No.  5, 
1872,  p.  526. 
6  Hardy  and  Gallois  (1877):  Comptcs  Rendus,  vol.  84,  p.  261. 
7  Martindale  (1886):  Pharm.  Jour..  Nov.  20,  p.  411. 
8  Holmes  (    ?    -1906)  :  Pharm.  Jour.,  March  17,  p.  312. 
8  Beringer  (1889):  Am.  Jour,  of  Pharm.,  Sept.,  1889,  p.  454. 
10Gilg,  Thorns  and  Schedel  (1904):    Berichte  der  Dent.  Phar.  Geseli,  14 
(3),  90. 
II  Hatcher  and  Bailey  (1909)  :  /.  A.  M.  A.,  vol.  Hi,  p.  5. 
A  NEW  METHOD  FOR  THE  CHEMICAL  ASSAY  OF 
ERGOT. 
A  PRELIMINARY  COMMUNICATION. 
By  Horatio  C.  Wood,  Jr.,  M.D. 
Associate  Professor  of  Pharmacology  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
While  engaged  in  working  on  the  physiological  standardization 
of  ergot  I  was  struck  by  the  fact  that  a  fluid  extract  which  had 
been  found  to  be  completely  inert  physiologically  gave  almost  no 
precipitate  on  the  addition  of  water.  This  observation  suggested 
to  my  mind  the  possibility  of  there  being  some  relation  between  the 
physiological  activity  of  ergot  and  the  amount  of  resin  it  contained. 
Accordingly  I  made  a  rough  test  to  discover  the  possible  truth  of 
this  idea  on  four  fluid  extracts ;  I  took  10  c.c.  of  fluid  extract,  added 
