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macasla, camisa, tiba-camisa. The fruit contains the very poisonous 
toxalbumin crotin, which is similar to the well-known ricin and abrin. 
The toxic effect on fish is doubtless due to this substance. Persons who 
eat fish poisoned with tba are not disturbed, although it is considered 
dangerous to drink water which contains any quantity of it. 
Some other fish poisons used in the Philippines and which have been 
examined are the following: 
Anamirta cocculus W. & A2* (Menispermacee), which grows from 
British India to Malaya, and is common and widely distributed in the 
Philippines. The native names for this plant are swma, and lactang. 
The fruits are the parts of the plant used for fish poisoning. ‘The action 
of this substance is due to the very poisonous bitter principle, pikro- 
toxin.” Poisoning due to eating the fish obtained by its means has 
often occurred, so that in some countries it has been found necessary to 
restrict the sale of these fruits to the pharmacist. The fruits are also 
used in the Philippines for preparing an antiparasitic ointment. 
Albizzia saponaria Blume (Leguminosew) has a bark containing one 
of the saponin glucosides; the same is true of Pithecolobium acle Vid. 
(Leguminosee), Barringtonia luzoniensis Vid. (Lecythidacee), and 
Maesa denticulata Mez. (Myrsinacew). The saponins in these plants will 
be reported upon later. ‘ 
Another fish poison containing saponin is from Ganophyllum obliquum 
Merr.”® (Sapindacee), which is found in the Philippines, New Guinea, 
and northern Australia. In the Philippines it is rather widely distrib- 
uted, but not very common. ‘The native names are pandapanda, gogong- 
lanyin, calamansalay, and tugabi. The bark of ganophyllum  con- 
tains no alkaloids, a considerable amount of resin, and 7.2 per cent of 
saponin, which latter I isolated by the methyl alcohol method. When 
precipitated from this solvent by means of ether it is a white powder, 
which readily turns brown in the air. When it is added to water or 
methyl alcohol the solution foams strongly and in general gives the 
usual reactions for the saponins. The color reactions of this saponin 
are as follows: 
Concentrated sulphuric acid, intense purple color; concentrated nitric acid, 
orange; concentrated hydrochloric acid, a weak, red color to the saponin but no 
24W. & A. Prodr., 1, 446; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind., 1, 98. 
* Ber, d. chem. Ges. (1898) 31, 2958; Ann. Chem. (Liebig), (1884) 222, 322; 
Ber. d. chem. Ges, (1877) 10, 83, 1100; Monatsh. f. Chem. (1880), 1, 98; Monatsh. 
f. Chem. (1881), 2, 803. 
* This plant has recently been transferred into this family by Radlkofer, as a 
result of morphological studies. The occurrence of saponin in it is an additional 
and confirmatory proof of the correctness of the change, as many of the Sapin- 
dacee contain saponins, while none of the Burserace@ in which family the genus 
was placed, are known to contain these substances.—E. D. M. 
Rif. Merr.: Publications of the Bureau of Government Laboratories, Manila 
(1905), No. 27, 30; G. Faleatum Blum.: Englw. in D. C. Monog. Phan., 4, 168. 
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