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ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

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Description. —White mustard seeds (semina sinapis alba ) are . ^and somewhat less acrid to the taste than the black ones. They c eJ)Ve -of rounded-elliptical yellow grains, composed of a yellow nucleus i-loped in a thin semi-transparent shell. The hilum is at one extreiu jthe ellipse. « $.

Composition. —According to the analysis of John (Gmelin, fl ;/,Chem. ii. 1247), white mustard seeds consist of an acrid volatiyelloio fatty oil, brown mild resin, extractive (very small quantity(small quantity), woody fibre, albumen, free phosphoric acid , and ^ye

llobiquet and Boutron ( Journ. de Pharm. xvii. p. 279), however, cproved that white mustard contains neither volatile oil nor any sud ‘ ^capable of producing it; but owes its activity to a non-volatilesubstance which does not pre-exist in the seeds, but is readily fonnethem under certain conditions. Another chemical peculiarity oi ^mustard is, that it contains sulpho-sinapisin (llenry and Garot, J° uChim. Med. i. 441). Hence, while sesquichloride of iron strikes •* a „red colour in an infusion of white mustard, it merely conaniunicu c j,orange tint to the infusion of black mustard. Moreover, the thicklaginous liquor obtained by digesting the seeds of white mustard J “. 0l iwater is peculiar to them (Cadet, Journ. de Pharm. xiii. 191). •,).

{Journ. de Pharm. xxv. 370) has announced the existence of a new 1ciple, which he calls er.ucin. ^

1. Sulphosinapisin. —It was at first supposed to be an acid, and was in consulcalled, by Henry and Garot {Journ. de Chim. Med. i. 4:59), sulphosinapic flC, iij 2 sbk'they subsequently established its non-acid properties. It is a w hite, cry riurt^fodourless, bitter substance, soluble in water, alcohol, and ether. Under the at iibof various agents (acids, oxides, and salts) it readily yields hydrosulpbocya* 1 j rll nTo this acid is probably to be ascribed the red colour developed when a p er *. vvi^is added to an aqueous infusion of black mustard. Its aqueous solution n> r j er tli enitrate of silver, a white precipitate. Boutron and Fremy state that sinapin, <J 3l )icinfluence of emulsin, is converted into an acrid substance and hydrosulp 11 ^y,gy7,acid. Sinapin consists of carbon 57-920, hydrogen 7'795, nitrogen 4-940, sulph

and oxygen 19-688 ; or C 24 H 22 N S 2 07. , p, u t '*

2. Non-volatile acrid principle. —This does not pre-exist in white must* 4 >readily developed in it by cold water. As before mentioned, Boutron an tliO{Journ. de Pharm. xxvi. 50) ascribe its formation to the action of the emulsi , |C eihseed on the sinapin, by which bydrosulphocyanic acid and this acrid matter are P ygeU*The latter substance is an unctuous, reddish, odourless liquid, which has the p

hot taste of horse-radish. It contains sulphur as one of its constituents. bui** °!

:5. Erucin. —A yellowish-white substance which is very soluble in ether, car x a iidsulphur, and turpentine. It dissolves in boiling alcohol, but is insoluble in ‘ _

solution of ammonia. If does not redden the salts of iron, and contains no suip

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Physiological Effects. —Similar to, though milder than, yc.duced by black mustard. Swallowed whole, the seeds provelaxative, and diuretic. But their use, in the large quantitiestliey have been recommended, is by no means free from danger. qpeenteritic inflammation of a fatal kind has been induced by them- ^j r .danger of their accumulation in the appendix cocci is obvious-J. L. Wheeler {Cat . Rat. Plant. Med. Lond. 1830) has known thetained in the bowels for seven weeks. .- ce oi

Uses. —Dr. Cullen {Mat. Med. ii. 171) first mentions the p raC j ul i-giving half an ounce, or an ordinary table-spoonful, of entire a jd,bruised mustard-seed. A few years ago it was again brought 0 , gee d,as if new (C. T. Cooke, Obs. on the Efficacy of' White jtfasriw'j. gt g (3d ed. 1826). Their employment has been advocated in a long