Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 152

It is a dark, tough, hard, wrinkled berry, about the size of a cherry, and possesses an intensely bitter taste. The berry consists of two parts, the husk and the kernel, the former being hard and difficult to bruise, and the latter soft and containing a large proportion of fatty matter.

_Uses, &c._ Cocculus indicus is poisonous to all animals, and to most vegetables. It is never employed internally in medicine, but an ointment, formed by mixing the powder with lard, has been used to destroy pediculi and in porrigo. Its active principle is picrotoxin, a peculiar needle-shaped, crystalline substance, possessing all the poisonous properties of the berry in an exalted degree, and of which it contains about 2 per cent. Its effects on the system are, to produce giddiness, convulsions, and insensibility, frequently ending in death. A small portion of the cocculus indicus imported is used by poachers, and a still smaller quant.i.ty to destroy vermin, the remaining, and by far the greater part, being employed to adulterate beer and even wine. "In our own a.n.a.lytical experience we have seldom found this substance in beer purchased from a respectable house. We have detected it, however, in beers purchased in the lowest localities in London and elsewhere, but have every reason to suspect that the adulterants had been added by the publican himself, in the form of an extract known in the trade by the name of 'B.

E,' or black extract." (Harkness.)

Chemists and druggists are liable to severe penalties if they are found supplying cocculus indicus, or any extract of the same, to brewers or publicans. See BEER, PORTER, &c.

=COCH'INEAL.= _Syn._ COC'CUS (B. P.), L. GRANA FINA, Span. The _Coccus Cacti_ (Linn.), an insect found upon the cactuses of Mexico. It is of great value as a dye stuff. The female insects, when matured, are brushed off the plants and dried by artificial heat. The entire insect is used.

There are two varieties known in commerce--silver cochineal, which has a purplish-grey or silver-grey colour; and black cochineal, which is smaller, and of a reddish or purplish-black colour. The former is that commonly met with.

_Adult._ Genuine cochineal has the sp. gr. 125. It is commonly increased in weight by slightly moistening it with gum-water, and then rouncing it in a bag, first with sulphate of baryta, and then with finely powdered bone-black. In this way its sp. gr. is raised to 135, in consequence of being loaded by about 12% of useless foreign matter.

Herr Durwell, a German chemist, states that he found a sample of cochineal adulterated with sulphate of zinc. He thinks the sophistication was probably effected by immersing the cochineal in sulphate of zinc, and then in an alkali, whereby the white pulverulent aspect of the genuine article was imparted, and the weight increased.

The following is a method which has been given for estimating the value of samples of cochineal:--Grind the samples to be tested to a fine powder, weigh out 2 or 2-1/2 grammes, and boil this amount in a capacious narrow-necked flask, with 750 c. c. of water for 1 hour; filter immediately through dry paper filters, and allow it to cool. To test it 50 c. c. are measured in a flask of that capacity, and poured into another flask of about 200 c. c., and the measuring vessel rinsed with a definite quant.i.ty of water, say 10 to 15 c. c. A weak solution of permanganate is then run in from a burette with a gla.s.s c.o.c.k, the flask being shaken after the addition of every 10 c. c. So much permanganate solution is then added that the cochineal extract shall be charged from its original colour to a pink of the faintest shade--almost yellow, in fact, but never reaching a full yellow. This pink shade should be persistent, that is, it should not turn yellow after standing fifteen minutes; and after a little practice it will be found very easy to obtain the tinge, which shows that the colouring matter is almost but not quite destroyed.

When a number of samples are to be compared, arrange an equal number of 200 c. c. flasks and test-tubes on the table, a tube standing in its rack in front of each flask. Then the same number of c. c. of the permanganate solution (which should be, at least, so weak that bulk for bulk of this and the cochineal solution will be required) is run into each flask, taking care to use too little to completely destroy the colouring matter in _all_.

The flasks are well shaken and allowed to stand for ten minutes. Part of the contents of each is then poured into the corresponding test-tube, and a glance of the tubes as they stand side by side will show which is the least affected by the bleaching liquid. This sample having been selected to serve as a standard, the contents of the test-tube are returned to the flask, and more permanganate solution is cautiously added, until a very faint pink tinge, which a fraction of a c. c. will turn to a full yellow, is obtained. The number of c. c. used having been noted, a fresh trial is made, in which the c. c. required, minus one, are used, the flask agitated, and the last c. c. or part of it, as the whole may not be necessary added.

If the two results agree, the next sample is treated in the same way, and so until all are tested.

A final trial may be made by measuring 50 c. c. of each solution into its flask, running in the permanganate in the ascertained amount into each as quickly as possible, letting the flasks stand ten minutes, and then making a comparison of all in the test-tubes. If the shades are not exactly alike, a pretty good guess can generally be made of the fractions of c. c.

required, which should be added, the contents of the tubes being joined to that in the flasks, and a second or third comparison thus made.

This is a rather long description of what is in practice a very simple and good process, the three princ.i.p.al points to be borne in mind being--

1st. To use a weak solution of permanganate.

2nd. To have a very faint pink colour as a standard of comparison.

3rd. To let the liquids remain after agitation together ten or fifteen minutes before comparing them.

_Uses, &c._ Cochineal is princ.i.p.ally used to prepare lake and carmine, and in dyeing. Its colouring principle is freely soluble in water. It imparts every variety of scarlet and crimson to textile fabrics previously prepared with alum, tin, and other mordants. It is also used to colour liqueurs, tinctures, and confectionery. It has been recommended as an antispasmodic and anodyne, in hooping-cough and neuralgia.--_Dose_, 10 to 60 gr., in powder, confection, or tincture. See CARMINE and CARMINIC ACID.

=COCIN'IC ACID.= _Syn._ COCOSTEAR'IC ACID. A crystalline, fatty acid, obtained by the saponification of COCOA-NUT OIL. See STEARIC ACID.

=c.o.c.k-METAL.= _Syn._ POT METAL. Copper, 20 lbs.; lead, 8 lbs.; litharge, 1 oz.; antimony, 3 oz. Another variety consists of copper, lead, and sometimes a little zinc.

=c.o.c.kROACH.= See BLATTA.

=COD.= _Syn._ GA'DUS MOR'RHUA (Ph. L.), MOR'RHUA VULGARIS (Linn.), ASEL'LUS (Pliny), L. A fish common in the seas of the northern hemisphere, from about 40 to 75 of lat.i.tude. The flesh forms a most wholesome and excellent article of food. The best fish are very thick about the neck; and, when fresh, are marked by the redness of the gills, freshness of the eyes, and the whiteness and firmness of the flesh. The fish so largely imported from Newfoundland (NEWFOUNDLAND FISH) are cod beheaded, split open, gutted, and salted. They are caught by millions on the 'Grand Bank.'

COD-SOUNDS are pickled in brine and also made into isingla.s.s. The sp.a.w.n is made into CAVIARE, and the liver is both pressed and boiled for its oil (see _below_).

COD IS GENERALLY COOKED by boiling it, but is sometimes baked, or cut into slices and broiled or fried. Cod's head and shoulders with oyster sauce is a favorite dish. Shrimp and anchovy sauce are also good additions.

=COD-LIV'ER OIL.= _Syn._ MOR'RHUae O'LEUM, B. P.; O'LEUM JECOR'IS ASEL'LI, L.; HUILE DE MORUE, Fr. The oil obtained from the liver of the common cod (_oleum e jecore comparatum_).

_Prep._ 1. The livers, being removed from the fish, are piled on layers of fir-twigs placed in tubs perforated at the bottom, and are allowed to remain for a considerable time exposed to the sun and air. As the livers putrefy, the oil runs out and flows through the holes in the tubs into vessels placed to receive it.

2. The partially decomposed livers, cut into pieces, are heated in iron pots without water, and the oil is poured off and set aside to deposit impurities.

3. (Savory.) The livers taken from the fresh fish are carefully washed.

The large veins are then divided through their whole length, and any blood in them is carefully rinsed away. The livers are now cut into pieces, again washed and drained, and afterwards placed with a small quant.i.ty of water in vessels gently heated by steam. As the heat increases, the oil separates and rises to the surface, from which it is skimmed off; and after well cooling, to allow the deposit of some of the margarin, it is repeatedly filtered through flannel bags and finally through paper. This process gives a fine, clear, straw-coloured oil, having but a slight smell and taste.

4. (Donovan.) The perfectly fresh livers are placed in a metallic vessel and heated with constant stirring to 180 Fahr., by which treatment they break down into a uniform pulpy, liquid ma.s.s. This ma.s.s is immediately transferred to calico bags, whence the oil drains out; after filtration, while still warm, this oil is sufficiently pure for use.

_Obs._ Three kinds of cod-liver oil are usually distinguished--the pale yellow, pale brown, and dark brown. The latter is the most impure; its odour and taste are extremely disagreeable. The most conflicting opinions have been expressed by medical men as to the relative value of the light brown and yellow varieties. Ozonised cod-liver oil is said to be prepared by pa.s.sing oxygen into the oil, and then exposing it to sunlight. Dr Letheby applied the most delicate tests to this much-vaunted remedy, but was not able to detect the slightest trace of ozone.

_Prop. and Uses._ Cod-liver oil has acquired much reputation for its remedial powers in pulmonary consumption, scrofulous and other glandular affections, chronic gout and rheumatism, certain skin diseases, and several other ailments. It is generally supposed that the iodine and bromine, which are present in minute quant.i.ties in this fish, are the substances to which it owes its efficacy. "Dr De Jongh refers its virtues to the presence of both iodine and the elements of the bile. Our own researches lead us to infer that one of its most active const.i.tuents is free phosphorus. Good cod-liver oil contains fully 02 of this substance, as well as about 09 of phosphoric acid. Now, the marked action of minute doses of phosphorus on the nervous, vascular, and secreting organs, is well known to every experienced surgeon. The difficulty, however, of bringing it into a form adapted for administration has. .h.i.therto prevented phosphorus being extensively employed as a therapeutic agent. This obstacle is removed by the employment of cod-liver oil. Nature has here provided a simple remedy, which the ingenuity of man has failed to produce artificially. This opinion is borne out by the facts, that cod-liver oil cures those forms of scrofula and other diseases which do not yield to iodine, and that those varieties of the oil are the most active which contain the most free phosphorus. We, therefore, think it reasonable to conclude, that the efficacy of cod-liver oil depends on the joint action of the minute quant.i.ties of iodine, phosphorus, and the elements of the bile which it contains, and not on any one separately; and that no substance, at present known, can be used as a subst.i.tute for it."

(Cooley.)--_Dose_, 1 to 8 dr., in water, syrup, or orange juice; or made into an emulsion with 1 fl. oz. of peppermint water.

M. Duquesnel states that cod-liver oil flavoured with essence of eucalyptol, in the proportion of one part of the essence to a thousand, has neither the taste nor the odour of cod-liver oil. It is taken with facility, only leaving at the back of the mouth and on the tongue the taste of the essence. M. Duquesnel adds that the offensive eructations arising from cod-liver oil are completely corrected.

=Cod-liver Oil Jelly.= Take of cod-liver oil, 85 parts; isingla.s.s, 3 parts; sugar, 8 parts; water, 4 parts. It forms a semi-transparent jelly of a yellowish-green colour, having a strong odour, but less strong taste of the oil. The advantages of this preparation are--its easy administration, complete retention, and a.s.similation by the weakest stomach. A teaspoonful is said to be equal to a tablespoonful of the ordinary oil. A lemon flavour may be imparted to it with advantage if desired.

=Cod-liver Oil and Lacto-Phosphate of Lime.= (Shinn.) Cod-liver oil, 1 pint; oil of bitter almonds, peppermint, and winter green, of each 10 drops; powder of gum Arabic 4 oz.; sugar, 6 oz.; solution of lacto-phosphate of lime (60 gr. to 1 fl. oz.), 6-1/2 fl. oz.; lime water, 6-1/2 fl. oz. Mix the gum and sugar in a capacious mortar, and make a smooth mucilage with the lime water and 3 oz. of the solution of lacto-phosphate of lime. Add the volatile oils to the cod-liver oil, and gradually triturate them with the mucilage, until a perfect emulsion is formed. Finally, add the rest of the solution of the lacto-phosphate of lime, and mix thoroughly. The solution of lacto-phosphate of lime is made by saturating a solution of lactic acid with freshly precipitated phosphate of lime.

=Cod-liver Oil with Iodide of Iron.= Triturate iodide of iron, with cod-liver oil, 4 gr. to the ounce, until dissolved. HORSLEY'S patent is as follows:--Dissolve 22 scruples of iodine in a gallon of cod-liver oil, at a temperature of 140 Fahr., in a water-bath. Add to the solution 8 scruples of iron (reduced by hydrogen), and heat to 180 Fahr., until the combination is complete.--_Dose_, 1 dr. to 1/2 oz.

=Cod-liver Oil, Phosphorated.= (Lancet.) Pure unoxidised phosphorus, 2 gr.; almond oil, 2 oz. Put into a bottle, stoppered, and immerse the same in a water-bath; apply heat until the temperature of the oil is about 180 Fahr., as directed by the B. P., in the preparation of _oleum phosphoratum_; shake up occasionally, and again put the bottle into the water if necessary, until a perfect solution is obtained; then add about 10 oz. of cod-liver oil, and again immerse in the water-bath; finally, make up the measure with cod-liver oil to 25 oz. One drachm so prepared will contain over the 1/100th of a grain of pure phosphorus.

=Cod-liver Oil, Emulsion of.= Cod-liver oil, 8 fl. oz.; tragacanth, 1 dr.; powdered white sugar, 4 dr.; oil of gaultheria, 9 drops; oil sa.s.safras, 1 drop; oil bitter almonds, 10 drops, water, 8 oz. Dissolve the tragacanth and sugar in water, and strain. Add to this first the essential oils, and then incorporate the cod-liver oil.

=Cod-liver Oil and Hypophosphites, Emulsion of.= (Canadian 'Pharmaceutical Journal'). Powder of gum tragacanth, 1/2 oz.; glycerin, 3 oz.; water, 9 oz. Rub the tragacanth with the glycerin, and add the water gradually. To this mucilage add the following solution:--Hypophosphite of lime, 4-1/2 dr.; hypophosphite of soda, 2-1/4 dr.; hypophosphite of potash, 2-1/4 dr.; sugar, 3/4 lb.; boiling water, 12 oz. Make the admixture gradually with brisk trituration. To this medicated mucilage add the following:--Otto of almonds, bitter, 10 drops; otto of cinnamon, 5 drops; otto of canella, 5 drops; alcohol, 6 oz. The whole will now form a semi-transparent mucilaginous liquid of about 37 fl. oz. in bulk. To this add gradually an equal measure of cod-liver oil, and mix thoroughly. In practice it is advisable to work on small quant.i.ties, say half a pint of each in a No. 8 mortar. If care is taken the product will be very satisfactory.

=CODE'IA.= C_{18}H_{21}O_{3}. Aq. _Syn._ CODE'INE. An alkaloid discovered by Robiquet a.s.sociated with morphia.

_Prep._ Dissolve commercial hydrochlorate of morphia in water, and precipitate the morphia with ammonia. Codeia is left in solution, and is obtained in octahedral crystals by spontaneous evaporation. It may be further purified by solution in ether. By the addition of a little water to the ethereal solution and spontaneous evaporation it may be obtained quite pure and in a crystalline state.

_Obs._ The morphia may be recovered by digesting the precipitate in weak solution of pota.s.sa.

_Prop., &c._ Freely soluble in alcohol and ether; soluble in 80 parts of cold and 17 parts of boiling water. Its solution in the latter, by slow evaporation, yields large, transparent octahedra. With the acids it forms crystallisable salts. These possess the singular property of producing a general and violent itching of the surface of the body when administered internally. The same symptoms frequently follow the exhibition of opium and hydrochlorate of morphia, and are referred to the presence of codeia.

The commercial muriate of morphia frequently contains 3% to 4% of codeia.

_Tests._ It is distinguished from morphia by not becoming blue on the addition of perchloride of iron, nor turning red with nitric acid; and by not being precipitated by ammonia, when dissolved in hydrochloric acid and mixed with a large quant.i.ty of water. Unlike morphia, it is insoluble in weak solution of potash, and is soluble in ether. The salts of codeia are known by tincture of galls throwing down a copious precipitate from their solutions; this does not occur with the salts of morphia. It is distinguished from meconia by its aqueous solution showing an alkaline reaction with test-paper.

=COFFEE.= The seeds or berries of the _Coffea arabica_ (Linn.) or coffee plant; a shrub of the natural order Cinchonaceae, sub-order Coffeae, indigenous in the low mountainous districts of Arabia Felix, and largely cultivated in various other parts of the world. About 40 millions of pounds of coffee are annually consumed in this country, and the consumption for the whole world has been estimated at about 600 millions of pounds. The seeds are roasted and ground, and used in the form of a decoction or infusion. The term coffee is applied to the prepared beverage as well as to the seeds. The valuable properties of coffee are mainly due to the presence of the alkaloid CAFFEIA or CAFFEINE.

Payen gives the following as the composition of the coffee-berry:--

Water 12000 Woody tissue 34000 Fixed fatty matters 10 to 13000 Gum, sugar, and vegetable acids 15500 Nitrogenous matter allied to legumin (vegetable casein) 13000 Free caffein 0800 Compound of caffein with potash 3.5 to 5000 Solid fatty essence 0002 Aromatic essential oil 0001 Saline matters 6697 ------- 100000

_Prep., &c._ The finest kind of coffee is that called mocha, from Aden, but that in common use is princ.i.p.ally supplied from the British plantations in the West Indies. The selection being made, the berries are carefully roasted in revolving cylinders by a gradually applied heat, until the aroma is well developed and the toughness destroyed. Too much heat is avoided, as the volatile and aromatic properties of the coffee, and, consequently, the flavour, are thereby injured; whilst, on the other hand, if the berries are roasted too little, they produce a beverage with a raw, green taste, very liable to induce sickness and vomiting. When properly roasted, coffee has a lively chocolate-brown colour, and should not have lost more than 18% of its weight by the process. If the loss exceeds 20%, the flavour suffers in proportion. The roasted coffee should be placed in a very dry situation, and excluded from the air as soon as possible. It loses flavour by keeping, and also powerfully absorbs moisture from the atmosphere by reason of its hygrometric power.

_Qual., &c._ Coffee promotes digestion, and exhilarates the spirits, and when strong, generally occasions watchfulness, but in some phlegmatic const.i.tutions induces sleep. Drunk in moderation, especially if combined with sugar and milk, it is perhaps the most wholesome beverage known. The various qualities that have been ascribed to it by some persons such as dispelling or causing flatulency, removing dizziness of the head, attenuating the blood, causing biliousness, &c., appear to be wholly imaginary. In a medical point of view it has been regarded as a cerebral stimulant and anti-soporific, and as a corrector of opium. As a medicine it should be strong, and is best taken only lukewarm.

_Adult., &c._ The princ.i.p.al substances used for the purposes of adulteration are caramel, roasted chicory, roasted locust beans, roasted corn, &c. Chicory being now charged with the same amount of duty as coffee, is not considered in a revenue point of view an adulteration; nevertheless, when we contrast coffee with chicory, we at once see the vast superiority of the former over the latter, thus:--

Coffee is the fruit of a tree, whilst chicory is the root of an herbaceous plant, and it is well known that more virtues exist in fruits and seeds than in roots.